A LAST LOOK AT SOUTH WEST FOR TODAY

well Penzance a week ago today was sunny at first but soon the rain set in as ever!

Penzance Harbour, needed something as a backdrop shot for DVD cover!

Falmouth earlier the same day, another watching paint dry location in Cornwall. At St Austell on the Tuesday got shunted out by First employee, won't bother going back again never a great place anyway.

A couple of nights at yachty type up market pubs, loads a money about down there, wot recession?

MORE FROM THE SOUTH WEST

a chance encounter in the evening at Lynton

I did enjoy Barnstable, lots more there than I expected

well through the orders now and should have everything in the post tomorrow, just been out and mowed the lawns and helping Mandy. Hunting through the freezer looking for something easy for dinner, stuffed with too many chips over past week. The knee is still giving trouble, the foot , best not mention it and the sciatic pain bubbles away so to speak.

HERE I AM BACK AGAIN

Barnstable, interesting to see First and Stagecoach plus several minor operators

Taunton was despite some recent reports one of the most friendly bus locations I visited, it all seems like a long time ago

lots of adventures and some lousy weather, what else, anyway a few photos to kick off with, got back late Sunday evening via Guernsey to Exeter and drove up. Bury this bank holiday Monday morning getting all the orders cleared ready for posting Tuesday ( if there is any post??)

GETTING READY FOR CORNWALL

remember our trip to Majorca for the trams and trains, dogged by floods! Another extract from negs transferred to digital but before cropping etc

all packed and ready for early departure to South West, catch up with blogs a weeks time at Bank Holiday. Hope you enjoy the break, its back to work afterwards for me after over a month convalescing. The Sardinia trip now has all hotels arranged, just car to sort later.

SHORT OF WATER IN HALIFAX THEY WERE YOU KNOW

Heart of the Pennines rally, Halifax which for several years before sponsoring POPS we supported, held at the Piece Hall.

Remember the year of the great Yorkshire drought, unlikely but it did happen!

Well I had Physio today, getting better all the time, new exercises to do. Caught up with work, a bit more still to do. Busy editing tonight as well and collected more CDs of photos from ASDA plus latest prints to go on sale at Heaton Park after our holidays which start Saturday morning, so no blogs then till bank holiday Monday!

my little friend Wand and her classmates and below class monitors from my pen pal Li's class in Handan, Hebeii Province, China. Remember Wang is the little girl we met on the April tour of Chinese trolley systems, these are books which I have sent them

We have booked for Sardinia in September, Cagliari and Sassari being the objectives

AYRSHIRE BUSES

Kilmarnock, heavy rain, cold and windy, the trees gave a little shelter, Tuesday morning.

Ayr, still raining and very cold in the wind

I was glad to be on the road home. We sussed out 3 spots for truck filming when should pay dividends in years to come. Still no feed back from Aberdeen police on the assault there, typical really. Foot still giving me grief and sciatic pain remains, seeing physio tomorrow morning. A few more DVDs edited and Youtube postings done, rubbish review on Maidstone, hope someone tips the balance back up or I'll just delete. I've also got a couple more CDs of photos trimmed onto file.

SCOTLAND TRIP GLASGOW PERTH GREENOCK

Glasgow Monday afternoon, the wedding fleet!

Buchanan St bus station graveyard of bus photographers if they set foot on the bus station premises. The PTE now run Greenock bus station and have banned photography there, no surprise, anyway back to normal as I wouldn't have stayed overnight at the hotel if I knew this. A place advances a little then goes backwards.

Plenty of new buses around in Glasgow

a brief stop at Perth, tried Stirling but it rained, it rained most of the trip, also wet and cold. Sales at Lathalmond about 25% down on last year despite the effort in getting lots of new DVDs done. Didn't even bother to film or take one photo there which must speak volumes. Attendance was well down, people and buses.

BACK FROM SCOTLAND

my first Scottish truck DVD taken near Dundee Monday morning. A very depressing long weekend in Scotland in several respects which has left me very deflated and not particularly longing for my next visit north of the border. Truck drivers very friendly at this spot, cops doing checks though, rude way of asking what i was doing, have any of them any respect for decent people these days or does dealing with criminals make them more moronic as time goes by!

LOOKING BACK AT SCOTLAND

setting the theme of Scotland as we are about to leave for Lathalmond this morning. Typical of our archive photos which are being put from print to digital and will be launched with my rally photo sales next year. Perth and Dundee , an era of uch interest in the 90s.

all orders are now up todate before we go. Went to Three Greyhounds last night, a few pnits but didn't stop my foot aching!

READY FOR LATHALMOND

High Wycombe, very interesting, changed a lot since last visit

Brighton, perennial favourite

well see you at Lathalmond I hope. Weather permitting I'll get something done there!Today went into work after physio also collected CDs from Asda, more correspondence with Li in China and John in Guangzhou re bus photos.

I'm ready, just the weather looking grim, went for first physio session today which helped a lot with foot and knee, bad news is that my sciatic derived pain has come back, very depressing news.