HALLE CHILDREN AND DON'T MIX

some more images of Newcastle upon Tyne the other weekend when it was sunny, this week we called off our South Wales trip due to horrendous weather forecast, thank goodness as its got worse, chucking it down at home today and miserable. Not sure if we'll do anything tomorrow bus wise, lots of gardening to attend to though, last night before we went to Three Greyhounds I got another wheelie bin filled with weeds from borders. With the soaking its looking good for planting out bedding plants. Went to Halle at Bridgewater hall on Wednesday, it was one of the Halle children / schools nights, fidgeting little sods near us spoilt the second haldf completely, still can't really blame them for trying with ever aging audience Manchester struggles to fill Bridgewater, goodness knows what will happen if they go ahead with northern base for Royal Opera here. New car, finally got the seat adjusted to comfortable!

PENPALS FOR CHINA REQUIRED

An amazing email received today via the English teacher of the little girl who approached us in the coal mine in china near Handan, anyone whio has children who would like e pen pals let me know and I'll put everyone in touch.

Hello, Dave!
I don't know whether I can call your name directly. I think you're sure you've had a good time in New Er Zhuang Coal Mine. And you may remember a little girl who greeted you there. You've given her two pieces of namecards.
That little girl had g very happy time. She said she had never talked to a foreigner. Even she had never seen one. She has got great confidence to learn English through she had successfully talking with you. It has a great help for me to teach them English. So I will say "THANK YOU" here.
I think you're very busy working in your company. I don't know whether you can introduce some little boys or girls to me and let them to make friends. And let them to write e-mails each other. I think it'll be a good way for them to practise their English. Don't you think so?
I don't know whether you can receive this e-mail. Please write back soon

The new car has had a run to and fro from work, I got a cancellation booking for my MRI scan and went this morning to Newcastle Under Lyme near Stoke, quite an experience. Wouldn't do if you were claustrophobic. A selection of photos today fro our recent Newcastle Upon Tyne visit

NEW CAR HAS ARRIVED

a few more from Truckfest on the CDs I picked up from ASDA today

The Insignia arrived this morning, much less room inside so its going to be a tough job getting used to the lack of space, no doubt we will cope! I'm going to end the bargain half price boxes of DVDs and integrate them back into stock, sales were never that good considering they were only £7.50 each, you can't give things away at any price if people don't want them. I was just going down to Asda to collect discs and photos when I passed the car coming the other way, span round quickly, I've even got the radio set now, there seem a lot of controls to get my head around, meanwhile a few mire photos from the latest CDs.

SOME THINGS VANISH OTHERS APPEAR

a selection of shots from Truckfest at bank holiday weekend

t last I'm able to access my blog from work again after a year or more when it was blocked, at least I can catch up at lunch time with you all. Well Mandy and I are planning our medical routes forward after the doctors visits yesterday, I'm waiting for the new car to arrive this morning while Mandy has gone to have her foot x-rayed at Macclesfield. I managed to get Guangzhou dvd edited last night, Shanghai was a bit short but there is a lot on the former which I'll use to balance the two programmes. Tonight we are out at the Halle in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall so a short evening. The weather forecast for Friday looks griom for South Wales so may put that one on hold, it will be interesting to see how the stuff fits in the new car. Last night I had good progress on the garden. Only just over a week until our Shetland adventure, mean time why not risk the showers and come and see us at Bristol, should have all the new China films on sale plus a selection of photographs.

NEW CAR TOMORROW

Saturday was Lancashire day including Blackpool, wind and rain et al.

Sunday, Paul Pearson and the POPS team before the main arrivals started

not just buses and cars either, what a super day

old and new , superb varieyt

Another sunny but windy day, last night I managed to get all our flower tubs planted up and some retouching on the car paint done, everything watered and more bedding plants out hardening off. Tonight I must get to grips with some of the borders - weeding and then once more get into editing the Chinese DVDs. Yesterday I got everything listed on Amazon, next need to tackle EBay and update the list on website. I've done through to Wuhan which leaves just Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong, then its on to the rest of the backlog which just keeps growing. Still looking iffy on the South Wales trip but perhaps the weather will calm down. Saw a car like my new one in Lookers at Ellesmere Port, I was trying to judge where the reduced space is on the Insignia compared with my Vectra, it was the same colour - black, going to be hell to keep clean I reckon. Mandy is looking at a girlie week in the autumn with Sue, after considering Tenerife I think they might plump for Luxor for value and good standards.

Doctors this evening, scans and appointments at hospital for us both, new car arrives tomorrow with no notice , leaving adaption on it, yet again. Polished old car and cleaned out Garden this evening.

DOG INN NOT A PATCH ON THREE GREYHOUNDS

some more shots of the PMP sponsored POPS rally at Wedgwood centre yesterday as they arrive through the attractive avenue of trees and bluebells

John and Maureen Bishop returned home today after staying the weekend. It’s a busy week ahead but the long term weather forecast looks bleak for next weekend so perhaps our trip to Wales may not happen, even the Bristol Rally looks as if it could be a wash out, fingers crossed. Its a bright day but breezy today, not sure if I'll have time to get out with the camera at all. I now have an accumulation of video which needs editing although I've put it all on the updated list on the web site and it will come in handy for the next round of adverts for the transport magazines. Les than 2 weeks to go to our Shetland trip, still bird migrant rarities popping up on Fair isle although transport has been disrupted in the gales of the past few days. The garden is a big pull on my time, weeds thrusting up need sorting although bedding needs pulling out to harden off, more hours in the day required? Wouldn't go to Dog Inn Peover Heath again, crummy overcooked packet food.

A GREAT DAY AT BARLASTON POPS RALLY

despite a poor weather forecast on the day it turned out to be Sunny almost all the time, numbers of buses attending seemed to be well up, easily around a hundred and space turned out to be at a premium.

I've tried to give an impression of the spread of vehicles as it isn't just buses, although commercials limited to a handful of trucks, plenty of cars though. The new owners of Wedgwood were we hope suitably impressed with the number of punters through the door at the shop

The age profile of buses was quite good, something for everyone

Off for a meal at the Dog, the other side of Peover, still hosting Maureen and John. I'm still wading through Chinese DVDs, will have all finished by next weekend

FEELING A BIT DELICATE

leaving Qingdao, China, carriage attendant and myself

guide i Qingdao, Martin to right, John to left

not every photo was a trolley

but most were, these were only 2 or 3 years old, strange looking with the grill

and the older Qingdao models, a seaside city, very fresh, real promenaded etc, nasty cold sea mist rolled in later in the day

yes it was George's 80th birthday bash at the Three Greyhounds, we have John and Maureen with us, a large dinner and even larger treacle sponge and oodles of custard for John followed by copious amounts of alcohol, hmm, still its a bright enough morning, we are going up to Preston today for John to see the operation which is still on hold following Stagecoach takeover. We have been copying John's films of Eastbourne takeover by Stagecoach, ditto Cavendish.

AN EARLY BLOG ITS GEORGES BIRTHDAY BASH

typical new Chinese bullet train, this one went to Qingdao from Jinan

isolated dept in Ji'nan, our guide Richard was more hindrance than help

the busway at Jinan

our palace on wheels??

Its an early blog today as we have John and Maureen arriving then after dinner we are at Georges birthday bash at the Three Greyhounds tonight, here are some shots on the way to and at Ji'nan, it is all starting to seem like ancient history!

DAVE RATTLES THROUGH CHINESE DVDS

Taiyuan, China, a couple of weeks back

our best guide on the trip, Bill

got us into depots and termini

and found this yet another coal mine trolley system

Another week nearly gone, where do they go, well since China its been a whirlwind really, last weekend with Newcastle, Durham and then Truckfest, this weekend John and Maureen up from Sussex. Over in China, Zhang from CBRI is working on a possible North Korea trip for us, tentative at present. I'm still bashing my way through editing the Chinese films, nearly two thirds through though thank goodness. I'm also out every evening now in the garden, the triffids are thrusting skywards, perennial Geraniums are the worst. The snails are having a feast and the bedding needs hardening off.

I got a few basket / pot plants from B&Q today ( don't you just hate them, they were also in China), I got watered by an android in the garden section, lobotomy are nerscessary qualification for working there. Planning to take John to Preston ( no he didn't do anything wrong) then on to either Blackpool or the lakes perhaps. Sunday its our POPS rally at Wedgwood Centre Barlaston near Stoke, free bus services throughout the day and a new museum on site, hard standing, last minute vehicles and stands always welcomed, just praying for dry first, sun second, no wind third and heat wave fourth! In planning, well actually confirmed are trips to Belfast, Isle of Man, Malta, late August Devon, Cornwall, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney. Late r this month we have our trip to the outer islands of the Shetlands, Fair Isle, Foula and Out Skerries, not many buses that week but have new bird watching binoculars at the ready.