TOP NOTCH NORTH WALES

shots from Anglesey, Wales, this afternoon , what a lovely day it was and a time for reflection, happy memoroes and family. Illdness overshadowed an otherwise flawless weekend, on Saturday a great photo trip along North Wales and down to Llyn Peninsula, photo's and story from tomorrow onwards. This evening a rest before we start to catch up with EBay and Amazon orders which have stepped up momentum

OFF TO WET WALES

just on our way to North Wales, amazing its the only bit of the country with rain forcast, see what we can do, veryovercast at present. Last night I complete the London archive DVD and also posted a clip on Youtube.

these are all actual images from the film, not bad for Standard 8 cine, thanks again George Roberts

SPOTLIGHT ON LONDON BUSES

stills from our latest London archive, not bad from standard 8 amateur film eh.

A pleasant evening at the Three Greyhounds, quite a crowd in as one of the barmaids was leaving to play Minnie Mouse in Paris Disneyland, she is a dance and cute small so well suited to the suit as it were. Bad news that regular John from round the corner is probably in his lasts days in the hospice, such a pleasant chap.

Its been very mild the last couple of days, praying for some dry weather for Saturday as we make our way along North Wales coast tomorrow and remember no blog Saturday as we'll be in Anglesey overnight, back on Sunday though. Picking up on EBay and Amazon at last, if you are holing off please get your orders in now before it gets near Christmas and we start packing for our long journey. Thomas Fischer promises that the intra Express tours will all be listed in full in English by next week.

Tonight I'll be putting the sound on the latest George Roberts London archive and getting the DVD done, hopefully some photos attached with this blog, it rendered overnight, a process to take in all the colour, brightness and framing changes. I think it turned out better than I hoped especially at 67 minutes, that will take a bit of doing on the sound front. What next after that, more trucks at some stage as I want to keep the momentum but then I'll start the next Archive, Liverpool, Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales…. The next one after that will be the South West Cornwall, Channel Islands, Devon, Somerset, looking a head they Lancashire one will be ready for the spring Boyle St sale in March. These really do take quite a lot of time up.

Releases from the archive will be all Greater Manchester pre DVD era releases grouped by area, say Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Manchester etc. Again perhaps ready by Spring. More Scottish archives and grouping by location. From the Caucasus our coverage of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan which have been quite topical this year with the South Ossetia war.

There always seems to be so much to go at, what will go out the window next year, Germany looks as if its going to fade away and we'll have China, Portugal, Canada, Malta/Sicily plus West of England LWE and Scotland LWE. If I can tie in with any bank holidays it will save the odd day's leave although that will be eaten up with things like a wedding in Sussex in September.

PICKING MY WAY THROUGH LONDON

please forgive any photo repetition, pushed for time I just pressed images at random on a memory stick, representing recent Hong Kong releases from 1997. Well tonight I finished the images of the last of George roberts London material for a DVD lasting 67 minutes, mainly in the 80s there are however a fwew 70s shots, George collected the film together in themed subjects, I think it will appeal as its an era now remembered by those in their 40s who cannot recall the 60s at all. Tomorrow night i hope to get the sound on and that's a project done with. At the weekend we'll be staying over in Beaumaris visiting family, we've forsaken the Bulls Head as it has lost both chefs and the rooms are noisy and overpriced. On the way to Wales if the weather holds off I'll probably tackle Bangor, Llandudno and Carnarvon, Anglesey itself is usually a bit of a dead loss unless you have hours to kill. What else to report, EBay and Amazon have showed more promise today, I managed to get quite a lot on before Amazon's system ground to a halt by lunch time, trying to complain is like banging your head on a brick wall. Tonight I'll leave the London images rendering and we are off to the Three greyhounds at Allostock for a few jars of Guinness.

FROM LONDON TO SHREWSBURY AND BACK

stills from the unedited original cine, amateur standard by George Roberts, when edited with colour and frame adjusted it looks the biz. I've now also completed the Wrexham DVD and starting on Shrewsbury with the next London archive sitting staring at me. More entries loaded on to Amazon, given up with bulk loading option, it won't happen in my lifetime, bloomin cowboys that lot, bad as Ebay. I'm working on the 2009 timetable and trips, rallies etc.

the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

a reminder of Christmas in Hong Kong 1997

what you all want for Christmas of course, a copy of my book!

last shots of Wrexham on Saturday

At 11 am there was a 2 minute silence to remember the armistice of the great war, only in Ellesmere Port as I sat outside the butty shop the buses, taxis, cars and pedestrians carried on, a couple of other car occupants were obviously similarly quiet waiting the Greenwich time signal. So many youngsters and even not so young have no idea about their recent history, its like being British and knowing nothing of Waterloo or Trafalgar, of Agincourt or Hastings.

Last night I just managed to finish the sound on the latest London archive film, ready to do the DVD tonight before I crack on with Wrexham and Shrewsbury from the weekend, then I'll do the next London archive. I'm still up to date with DVD covers, I job I hate, orders seem to have gone quiet after a brief flurry, will a Christmas rush ever come.

Chased up Amazon yet again, nothing heard back. Booked for Clonter Opera, the January annual competition. Words out on the local farm whose superb goose wrapped around pheasant, duck, turkey etc is sublime, we should be getting discount on all the trade we put their way. Everyone at work seems to be falling with flu, hope I don't get it.

Mandy got most of our presents wrapped up today, the cards are ordered and we are ready for all your DVD orders, all systems go!!

CHINA GOING BUST

weekend of contemplation to a degree with both the festival of remembrance at the Albert Hall watched after the cenotaph ceremony on Sunday. A bit annoyed that the bands were messed up by talk over but I suppose that’s always been the case in later year, salutary to think as an infant I was at Eastbourne cenotaph from about 4 onwards, George was Kings Liverpool Regt like his father before him, my natural grandfather on the Vincent's in the Navy, my other grandfather from West Cork also served in the British forces, all regulars. All sections of my family would have seen losses in the great war, the cenotaph was unveiled on 11th Nov 1920, the day my adopted mother Marion Shove was born, she would thus have been 88 tomorrow had cancer not taken its toll. Wasn't it pleasant to write of happy trips to Wrexham and Shrewsbury.

The Thomas Fischer itinerary is now posted albeit still in German only, I fancy the Portugal segment of the Iberian trip if I can get back in time for the Bristol rally although I have seen no confirmation of its date.
A link to my favourite rally calendar http://www.skylineaviation.co.uk/buses/events.html

And to Intra Express for your transport trips http://www.strab.net/sites/intraexpress/index_gb.html

Both highly recommended

I got the pictures on the London archive finished last night and have just the sound to add then I must finish editing the Wrexham and Shrewsbury before starting perhaps the last of George Roberts collection on DVD. I'm still hopeful for the online London archives.

Mandy went down to Spode today for some bargains, it like Royal Worcs and Dounton has gone bust and future unknown!

GOOGLE CRASHING ALL AROUND ME

I've had a couple of goes at blog this morning, Google seems to have big problems once more, even the search page won't work. Anyway here goes quickly. More photos from Shrewsbury yesterday afternoon. A very fine feel good visit, friendly drivers, met fellow enthusiasts and a couple of nice police ladies who had a laugh with everyone they passed, what a credit, asked if I was a bus spotter, I could take their picture if I wanted, they get a lot of bus enthusiasts etc. What a change from the moronic prats in Northampton the other week

A great night out at Clonter last night, superb music, good food and company, better try and post this before it all crashes again.

WREXHAM AND SHREWSBURY TODAY

These shots at Shrewsbury dinner time onwards today, Saturday 8th November. Off to the opera at Clonter tonight so this is the last bit of work for the day. An enjoyable visit to both Shrewsbury and Wrexham. Last night having dinner with friends , got a phone all at nearly 9 pm from a plonker wanting to whinge about some trifle on a DVD, 9 on a Friday night, I ask you! And I thought truck folks were better than the bus people, hmm, have to think again won't I. Anyway got to Wrexham about 10, I'd done a bit back in March which can go with it, nothing momentous but friendly crews and nice people about, little old blind chap was lost, lasdy took him all the way to his bus. There are a few idiots there and the place is still a duimp but a friendly one, I told the tourist office how friendly the people are and it should be said never ever any bother at the bus station.

some clips from my Hong Kong 1997 films recently released on DVD

Another quiet day, ebay seems to have died off, so much for the expected Christmas rush, in fact everything is very flat , perhaps the recession is biting after all. I started downloading the next batch of London bus archives for editing lasting night although we have friends staying for the weekend which may slow things but on the other side the weather forecast is lousy so I won't be out and about that much. It really feels like the doldrums at present, Thomas Fischer's trips were announced yesterday . I might be interested in something, so far 09 looks like Canada, Malta / Sicily, Germany, Portugal - nothing very exotic.Pre Christmas is really a bit boring, this weekend of course is Remembrance day with my mums birthday on armistice day itself, the 11thNov. Mandy's auntie Eileen died in the great flue epidemic of 1918 which happened shortly after the hostilities ended. The last 3 UK based survivors of the great war will attend at the cenotaph in London on Sunday. At present its a sunny day, looking out on the Manchester ship canal, it’s a calm day, the lull before the storm perhaps, the sky is even blue!