MORE HARDY HISTORY

scenes from my latest DVD Torquay 1997 - 2002

did quite a lot of Hardy family research into the Nicholsons in Devon. Tidied in the garden this evening, approved next Vintage Commercial advert and burnt DVD for the Torquay film, loaded a YouTube clip and getting ready to run off cover but lots of soaps on telly tonight that I watch. The weather has been mild, dry and cloudy, looking fine through to weekend, has it peaked too early for Cobham next Sunday. Only just over a week to the China trip, went to hgave acupuncture again this morning with Tony Dickenson, feels OK, but lingering nerve pain, nothing like it was though

MINIBUS BREAD VAN ERA IN EXETER

I managed to get a clip uploaded on to Youtube from my latest Exeter bus archive DVD last night

Did loads of family history research on Mandy's Hardy clan, trying to tie in the Luscombe family with Hardys to get continuity with published data going back to Scotland and Ireland in mists of time.

BOYLE ST SUNNY SUNDAY

a slow start on Sunday, Mandy's birthday, plenty of time to relax although with clock change an early start ( for Dave)

it turned out to be the better day on the Sunday, a first ever for us at Boyle St, did much better than 2008, bodes well for the season we hope

Stagecoach Newbie, 09 reg Enviro

Walsall always had a few funny designs, sometimes ahead of their time

Well I'm off for a soak in the bath, then Mandy's birthday dinner, nice time all round at Boyle St yesterday and today. We hope that Cobham bus rally next Sunday is as sunny.

BOYLE ST MANCHESTER SELNEC

Boyle St, Manchester, stting up time yesterday teatime.

Our neighbour at Boyle St, Paul from Liverpool with his Spot on Routemaster, a bargain at £375

Up at normal time, pain back with me, traffic in Manchester awful with Mancunian way shut, roadworks everywhere. Not that busy at Boyle St really although we were slightly up on last year despite my usual pessimism half way through, on dear, Sunday to go, its always the quiet day, come up get up and see us, remember the clocks go on tonight.

CAUCASUS MEMORIES

Georgia Sept 1999, clips from new DVD from PMP, hope to load Youtube clip tonight.

Today , Saturday, its Manchester Boyle St sale, see you there perhaps, more tonight.

ARMENIA CAUCASUS TRAMS TROLLEYBUSES

Yerevan, Armenia on my 1999 Caucasus trip which features in my autobiography, A Smudge on My lens, published last year.

Just about to start on Georgia on the Caucasus collection, posting clips on Youtube. Loaded the car for Manchester tomorrow afternoon, don't forget Boyle St over the weekend, clocks change Sat night as well. The nerve pain came back today but funnily enough it has slackened off this evening , after I mowed the lawns. The birds are giving the seeds a bit of a bashing, greedy things. The inflatable pillow etc arrived today, for China trip. All arrangements for China now wrapped up I hope. Later on we'll go down the three Greyhounds for some black stuff, cold windy wet weather but everything is growing like crazy in the greenhouse.

TRAMS IN BAKU

scenes from, Baku 1999

Keeping things slim and trim blog wise, just playing it day by day to see if the fancy takes me to start up again properly. I'm feeling a whole lot better today after my treatment yesterday, relief from pain is a blessed thing. I'm working through my Caucasus trip from 1999, already done Azerbaijan, Baku and Sumgait, two very rewarding ( decrepit) systems, a good trip all round. The weather in England has gone downhill, clouds, rain and mostly wind, very little done in the garden this week. Thursday will be loading up for Boyle St, Manchester over the weekend, lets hope we get to see lots of you at this one of the first 2009 bus events. The weekend afterwards is Cobham at Wisley in Surrey. I'm hoping that out friend Paul who deals in diecasts will shift some of my remaining bigger scale models for me at Manchester.

NEEDLE CUSHION DAY

Went for treatment today, acupuncture then back stretching to loosen up the vertebrae which are trapping the nerve, causing muscle tensioning and resulting in my painful nerve irritation, say no more. Notice that even without posting anything on the blog I got 20 hits, no much consolation that they even loom when I don't write, anyway by way of a change I've put something on Youtube for the second night running and finally sorted out the problems with the plonkers at Amazon who are of course on par with EBay on the irritation stakes. A letter of apology from the Northwich tip operators received today. Also got my new memory stick for still camera , a bargain on the net. Dropped my old stick off to get prints and CDs done at Asda in Ellesmere Port.

Blog winding down ceremony

Well perhaps it's had it's day in an age of Facebook, never really knew what to do with that, the blod seemed to follow on from my old monthly newsletters quite nicely , the pictorial element i thought was good but with viewings down to 20 a day it's just isn't worth it, the ramblings are now silenced.

SOURED DONINGTON BY HURTFUL REMARKS

another selection from Dinington Park yesterday morning

our memory of the event now soured by a very hurtful email via EBay from someone who accused us of scamming them, as they could find the DVD they bought cheaper on EBay, get real mate, its always cheaper on EBay, you don't have to pay £70 for a stand and diesel for a start! There's always someone who spoils everything, his handle on EBay is turner7543, beware if you trade on EBay, obviously a bit of a weirdo. A day in the garden with some background editing happening at the same time, I might even out a clip from yesterday on Youtube later on. MY nerve pain is back with a vengeance after a better day on Saturday, still treatment on Tuesday, can't wait. Sue was up for dinner last night, we had bread pudding from hot cross buns and chocolate, yummy or what. Number of hits on the blog ever diminishing, may be last week I bother. EBay also a little quiet although week was well up on the previous. With China trip coming up everything will go on Holiday settings from the Thursday before Easter.

DONINGTON PARK TRUCK EVENT

The busy exhibition hall at Donington Park this morning, our first truck do and not a bad day at all, the weather was cloudless blue and attendance was busy although entries for the commercial vehicle auction were well down on usual. We made lots of new contacts and had a good time, a splendid selection of lorries and vans also attended parked in the tight space at the end of the hall. Tonight we have friend Sue staying, just had Chilli Con Carne for dinner, bread pudding to come next, just taking a breather! Some crap from Amazon about our listing tonight, not sure what it all means, probably end by scrapping the listing altogether, they are worse than EBay, and that's saying something. Forgot to mention the other night, prats in yellow jackets from the local Gestapo helpers in Plumley with their pathetic speed gun , I'd stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

STOKE AND TRUCKS AND DONINGTON TOMORROW

some more shots from Lymm, lunchtime yesterday

today I stopped off at the A500 turn off t Stoke by the Irlam / Stobart year so yet another truck DVD which hopefully will be finished tonight ready for the truck show at Castle Donington tomorrow, car is already loaded and ready to go, an early start as setting up from 6.45 am, show opens 9am to public. Not sure what it will be like, come and see for yourselves perhaps.

My nerve pain is as bad as it gets today, thinking back the consultant at the BUPA Regency was pretty dismissive and the GP , an ethnic at Holmes Chapel on the phone wasn't that brilliant, unless you have something like a cold, oh no , they can't cure that either then its tough luck... bloody NHS, get rid tomorrow if I had my way, even the dentists are trying to reduce check ups to yearly on government instructions, Labour government, a contradiction in terms, a poor joke now, Brown has never mumbled a work f apology for letting the fat cats get away with the country's ( our) money, string hi up with the bankers come the revolution , or put em on the boat with the returning ethnics. Got the case out of the garage ready for China packing, gardening Sunday, must go to the tip ( hate the tip, hate recycling), what a loads of garbage that it, it all goes in one bloody great landfill at the end. Dobson's bus on school run this morning jumped through the lights on red oh the A556, not very impressive.