POLICE INVESTIGATE THE LONDON INCIDENT

a trip down memory lane, Arthur and Sue Littler at the craft stand, I think at Chatsworth horse trials mid seventies
Mandy eyes up a macrame pot, bad taste personified, I'm sure she didn't buy it but our lovely neighbour used to make the string woven items, sorry Margaret if you are reading, super couple.
looking elegant and dapper, hair still stylishly long, hmm, whats this been shopping, now that was a long time ago then.
Mandy over a misty bay, where was it?
I remember being ticked of for this one at the time, itchy leg syndrome, look at Mandy's flares and what about the arty scarf.

Got the police around tonight about the London incident with the CSO or brown shirts as we know them around here, perhaps I'll lodge a formal complanit, noticed Austin Mitchell MP for Grimsby raised the London photography issue in parliament last week. A petition last year got 64K signatures from photographers objecting to the campaign of harassment

AND SOW TO BEDDING

George Turnbull doing a turn at the wheel on Sunday at Boyle St, Manchester's bus museum. George also arranges the sales days and is the archivist, keeps him out of mischief no doubt.
Wigan buses were amongst the last to shed their livery in favour of the PTE
Chesterfield , another municipal sadly missed

I got the last of the summer bedding seedling potted up this evening so that's a job finished, cut my finder in the process shifting bags of compost.

Tonight I'm going to try and get on with Bus Spot Nottingham, want it our of the way before Easter, the weathers looking horrid for our trip to Scotland at the weekend, although real snow would be scenic enough!!

More movement from the publisher on the book, should all start happening soon.
remember A Smudge On My Lens, out soon (ish), ah another job sorting photos for it

PICKED UP AT MANCHESTER NICE ONE AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE

A smudge on my lens, well thanks Dave Packer, a possible for the book cover?
outside Boyle St Manchester this afternoon
a nice line up of local buses from visiting groups as well as the free bus service into the city
Sales today exceeded yesterday and a respectable weekends trading resulted. I managed to trade off some old destination blinds which were 'converted' into model buses
My birthday was celebrated amongst a host of friends and bus acquaintances and with tales of yore courtesy Dave Packer.

Well I now retire for the delights of Lamb Shanks with couscous etc and some Priorat wine ( the best in the world from Catalunya , Grattalops), courtesy Albert.

DISMAL DAY AT BOYLE ST

A cold day at Boyle St bus museum, a rush of visitors in the late morning then it went dead about one o clock and stayed that way. Mandy managed to get there despite her knee problem and I picked up some recent model buses. Had Dave Packer at the back of me to keep us company , Monica Richardson said it might be her last Manchester outing with Arnold's photos. I'm going to try and rattle of a couple of covers tonight, tomorrow is my birthday and I'm hoping for a better day, it was hardly worth getting up for, come on you can't all have been hanging back to bring me champagne for Sunday, after all I've got to drive home. Happy birthday also to cousin Trish and best friend Maureen who share the day.

SOME GOLDEN OLDIES LIKE ME

a less usual look at LOndon in the 1960s
The Bedford OB typical 60s coach travel aroud Britain


some lovely old shots, welcome comments on origins of these vehicles, meanwhile

remember A Smudge On My Lens, coming soon to a bookseller near you? My autobiography.

I forgot my coast with mobile, credit cards etc and ended up having to go all the way back to work tonight after I'd returned home from setting up the stand at Boyle St bus museum in Manchester. Rattled off a couple of covers, so some very new releases there tomorrow.

Got some more arrangements done on the Christmas trip to New Zealand and Fiji.

Its my birthday Sunday at Boyle St, come and join us there to celebrate!

Alberts 1938 Cambride 12 has nearly arrived in Barcelona but not yet at his home.

A SMUDGE ON MY LENS AGAIN WELL A BIT OF LONDON

looks as if the low resolution London images have been used up now, I'll try for some vintage stuff tomorrow after I get back from Boyle St Manchester bus museum, setting up stand for the weekend.

Bad news, Mandy took a nasty tumble in the kitchen today and has hurt her knee again, its been nearly 12 months since her last bad fall.

The first tulips have appeared in the garden and nearly finished potting up the seedlings.

Time is short but hope to get some more done on Bus Spot Nottingham tonight, may go to pub depends on Mandy's Knee

A SMUDGE ON MY LENS BY DAVE SPENCER

well I got the full hit of 5 photos loaded first go so all seems back to normal on blogger. Last Saturday Oxford St and Marble Arch.

I spent quite a lot of effort getting info to publisher for the book, get used to the title I'll be mentioning it a lot! John Bishop is having a read through for me at present, hope I said something nice about him.

I',m working on Bus Spot Nottingham again tonight but i also need to get the latest London films covers done

Alberts old car has yet to arrive in Barcelona, we look forward to pictures of it in its new home ( the Austin 12 Cambridge 1938).

Our main trip for 2009 will be to China, John is working on the details at present

BLOGGER GETTING BETTER BOOK NEARLY READY

well got three photos from London last Saturday on first try so it looks as if normal business may be resumed, I've got so much to share with everyone. Pressed the wrong button and got another!

I got my new scanner installed last night but too late to try out and had to shoot off to collect Mandy from Manchester airport, she arrived back nearly midnight so a late night.

I dropped off my memory cards for prints of latest few hundred photos, they will be on sale at Manchester Boyle st Sat Sun this coming weekend, hope to see lots of you there.

The latest Youtube loading Derby seems very popular thank goodness, it took a week to make, next I'll make the set up with Nottingham.

The book has started to make its way through the publishers process.

A Smudge On My Lens, by Dave Spencer, Troubador Publishing, out late spring early summer, spread the word, its going to be a blockbuster, movie rights are available. From childhood to meeting and losing a father in a week after 50 years of searching.

Today Pat Peacock my family history sleuth reported a blank from Ireland on my fathers birth, Jim O'Grady last known in Margate, Kent, I have a half sister Susan as well as two more brothers

STILL BASHING MY WAY THROUGH THE BLOG PROBS

phew 4th attempt and another pucture added, least I got one bus in, Sat morning Oxford St.

third try and I finally managed to get a picture uploaded, Google blog still seems to be in meltdown mode, I must check and see whats published about the problem on the web , there must be millions of people affected as well as me. Piccadilly looking like a ghost town, the ban on street photography has decimated the number of visitors to London, normally crowded this scene was around midday, the police baton charge anyone seen with a camera out and through them into the new detention camps which of course are disguised as the new Olympic site. Chairman Brown beloved leader ( took over from the the Great leader who cannot be named).Long live the Democratic Peoples Republic of England. ..., well its what it makes you feel like saying anyway. Still in reality I spoke to a girl at the city of London today, they actually have a film permit section but its really for big jobs, you know closed roads, car chases etc but if you phone before you go they'll make a note and let the security camera people know not to hassle you.

Had a session in the greenhouse potting on seelkings till it got dark, watered them in, cleared up the debris from the latest storm.

Welcome to relations distant and near who tune in to the oddities of modern British life from all corners of the globe.

Mandy gets back late tonight, good job as the foods run out, beans on toast today, poor do eh.

Blogger problems persist trying my best to keep going

Its taken agaes to get these two images of London yesterday, taken at Bank, Google Blogger is obviously on melt down status.
Anyway it was this scene that caused the rumpus with the community support officers. They now seem to be operating as something akin to Hitlers brownshirts in the 30s, if we didn't carry cameras and notebooks but wore funny little caps and had long sideburns I suppose we'd be the victims of race crime. perhaps we should claim bus spotting as a religion, it is I suppose for some of us!

Today i got about a third of my seedlings planted up and later in the day next door fixed the damaged fence panels from the storm week last Friday, hope tonights gales don't put them out again. It was warm in the greenhouse and the vents opened wide, a taste of spring.

I've got a couple of the London films edited, I need to update ebay and listings, could also do with some orders, lots of hits on google blog and youtube, what about turning your interest to order if you like it. Greetings to our very regular readers in Kyoto, Japan as well, even America, there must be some nice people there, its just their government which stinks as much as ours.

MORE IRISH MEMORIES FROM THE LATE 70s

there are big problems with Google blog so this is just a test , I've done about four attempts last night and this morning, it won't take pictures at present, only one at a time.

I did get to London yesterday, had nothing but hassle, got stopped three times by chocolate soldiers ( community support officers) Oxford St, Bank and St Pauls , the latter for taking film of a bus against an 'iconic' building. God help visitors at the London Olympics, I reckon it will be a shambles better gong to Beijing.

I'll have gotten three programmes out of the visit, Trafalgar Square, Regent, Oxford , Liverpool St, Bank areas. Police also did a PNC check but the copper was actually an ex bus driver, helpful and said he'd watch out and make sure I got no more hassle. Filming is banned in Oxford St and you need a permit in the City according to the new Gestapo laws, oh and they security guards also demanded ID, when did they get that right?

blogger u s

blogger not working tonight

CASTLE RUDDERY WICKLOW TRANSPORT

This was the Irish Transport Preservation scene in 1980 when I was working in Ireland, I think just one vehicle was taxed so whichever went on the road had the one registration to suit!

Very hectic, over an hour on phone / computer sorting AVG full computer protection package which when downloaded wouldn't fully operate, sorted eventually.

Myst try and get some sound on the Derby film before bed, maybe covering London tomorrow

LONG AGO WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

Yes a young Mandy, who today is sunning herself in Egypt still
The hair isn't so black these days, more sort of ... white.
a glass of wine always helped though
Marion, my mum
any suggestions, probably Sussex, looked nice, on same neg strip

got new virus protection but getting it all set up has eaten into my time, also picked up new scanner at PC world, about the only place you can buy one now.

nothing done on Derby tonight I'm afraid, busy getting covers sorted for the trade orders.

off down the Three Greyhounds now, if you read this and make it before throwing out time I'll get a round in.