Country do

Been to a christening today picture of little girl Eve Amelia whose event it was then went to a country hotel for a meal unfortunately I did most of it on video which I do not know how to transfer to blog. One more blog to holidays was just going to go out on my motorcycle but it has start raining again so I may as well bolt up the door of my garage so no thieving little bastards can get in while we are away. May go and see The Davinci Code tonight though it has had a bad write up in the press. Got to book a taxi for the airport for 5:45am Tuesday and sort out what I am taking, do that tomorrow after work I think.

Slip sliding away

As I came back from walking the dogs last night around midnight there were a lot of snail just out cruising around on the pavement (sidewalk) so I went in the house and got my camera, it was impossible to get a focus in almost total darkness this is about the best shot I got.
Raining again,You would not believe it but the water companies are thinking of issuing banning orders stopping us using water for the garden and cleaning windows and cars ect,ect telling us we have a drought.
2 more blogging days to holidays.

title

Sunny today. Sorted out some currency, arranged to look at a car for the wife going to view on Friday afternoon if its not sold in the meantime. Out for meal Friday night with some mates from the gym and then on Saterday going to one the the girls, who I work with, 30th birthday party and then on Sunday going to a christening then a hog roast after back in work Monday then of to Greece for two weeks Tuesday.

Holidays soon

Starting to sort things out for my holidays.going to Corfu a Greek island on Tuesday just topped up my phone and charged my batteries for my digital camera and video camera could not decide on an mp3 player so am taking a portable hard drive with music on and I can also download pictures from my camera when the chip is full,problem with that is it only holds its charge for about 3 hours.got to sort out some diving gear yet and will try and get some currency tomorrow.its raining again at the moment. Been a bit melancholy again feeling like Gary Moore track "still got the blues for you" if that makes any sense

Short story

Could not think of a title. Picture of small boy taken in the 70,s and a picture I took in Santorini. Back in the 70,s I started doing photography for a hobby, I set up a dark room and taught myself the basics did a few weddings and that. Then I started to collect cameras. Collecting is an addiction like any other and I used to spend all my salary every week on cameras. Then of course I had to buy photographic books and journals for reference then it was anything to do with photography, light meters, flash guns, tripods ,enlargers, ect, ect. Then I would have phases of different types of cameras--spy cameras---stereo cameras---half frame cameras and so on.
After several years I had one of the largest photographic collections possibly in England with over 200 cameras dating from 1870 and a photographic library of some 200 books,manuals and pamphlets. I even start on theodolites and brass microscopes. At the time there were not many books on collecting cameras so I got some good bargains and I had a couple of small exhibitions in the local library but as time went by they just finished up stored away and no one ever saw them. I had three enlargers set in a dark room for different size negatives and a large fridge to store film so it would not go off especially infra red film.I had tiny tiny cameras and on up to cameras that took sheet negative the size of A4 paper. Because no one got too see them I decide to sell and it was around the time that the Atari video game first came out and space invaders. So I sold all my collection except for a Lieca which I kept for my own use. I had 3 Liecas. I also had a juke box and while collecting cameras at antique fairs I used to collect 45,s for the juke box but had to sell it when we moved house because it would not go through the door. Have collected old radios and motorcycles and for the past few years been collecting albums. Raining today but not cold.

40 shades of green

while driving down the road above today. To my left I noticed some bluebells in flower so I pulled over and took some pictures. I was a little disappointed with the shots most of them seemed to be slightly out of focus. I have two digital cameras an I keep the Pentax in my car all the time and I think there maybe something wrong with it. I will have to take some trial shots tomorrow to see weather it is the camera or camera shake. My other is an Olympus and that is ok. Been cold and raining for a couple of days now but everything is 40 shades of green. Only been posting "nice" photos on my blog I will have to do some photos of how it really can be, in the rough parts of town and the derelict buildings.
Dog called Max.
Would like to know if the frog got the videos I e-mailed.

Up my street

view across front lawn up our street. Kettleshulme village sign read carefully.
old village post office now someone's house several years ago a man who used to live there was found dead close by in the stream he was naked and wrapped in clingfilm with part of an orange in his mouth. They think he was taking amyl-nitrate, some funny goings on in these villages. Sign on grass in China.
My friend was 60 this week so he is taking 13 of us out for a meal tonight, I thought we should be treating him not the other way around. Going to walk the dogs now not mentioned pets before we have 2 dogs "one large and one small" one cat that hates me and about 30 fish in the pond who are indifferent. Will take pictures to post soon

Some pics

pictures first:- the ladies at work bought me Grumpy originally it had my name stuck on its head.Little summer house and fish pond in the garden.Some of the albums in my loft but they are all over the house and a man on a donkey in Santorini,Greece.
just been raining,would call it a summer shower but its not summer,its been so hot this week in some parts of the country there is a hose pipe ban because we are having a drought.
Back in the 70,s we went to Tunisia for the first time to a place called Hammamet.Back then there where few hotels and nomads had tents and camels on the beach.We met two French couples and became friends and with French being the language of Tunisia they help us when touring and bartering for goods.
We went to stay with one couple the year after at there farm house in Avon in France,it was magic and just how you would imagine it to be,all the colours in the house where pastel shades and we drank coffee out off a bowl and slept on the floor.They had a huge fireplace that you could walk inside and look up the chimney and at the side of the fireplace was a door that led through to there bedroom with the bed head pushed up against the back of the fire.We visited Lille where they have a muscle festival in September and outdoor flea markets.Muscles you eat that is,there where mountains of empty shells in large wire mesh baskets all over the town.that was a good week.The year after the other couple came to stay with us.In Tunisia we traveled to the Sahara desert and rode camels at sunset.Been to Tunisia 4 times and Turkey 4 times several Greek islands and mainland Greece to the Acropolis and Agamemnon tome ect..Pyramids of Egypt and Cairo museum and the valley of the kings.South of France and Paris,Germany,Italy,Yugoslavia,China,United States,Santiago in Chile,Belgium,India,Austria,Monte Carlo and there must be some places I can not remember at the moment

its a chelsea morning

beautiful day again brilliant sunshine and hot just arrived at work out for lunch today with some of the ladies from work.Just a change of surroundings instead of going in the canteen everyday.may do a longer blog tonight.wonder if the frog got the videos,no picture today may be later.

old guy in china

that car was crap i looked at last night how can it be worth more money than mine

thinking of holidays

A couple of pictures from the greek island of Santorini where we went a couple of years ago.Someone from work coming in a few minutes with a car for me to look at just thought a would do a quick blog.Click on pic for bigger size.

Red and green seldom seen

took this picture today of steps starting to
overgrow will take another in a week if I am in that area.this is my car that they offered me £700(1200$) for in part exchange (bastards). My frogs been missing a couple of days now hope she is alright.

Cherry blossom

Been looking at cars today been offered £700 about 1200 dollars for mine that would not buy my exhaust system.It might be 10 years old with 100000 on the clock but we are talking 2Ltrs of turbo charged style here leather seats electric everything 10 stack CD player 6 stack mini disc player and automatic gearbox (not really very common in England).Still with the price of petrol (and it only does about 20 to the gallon) and you can not get insurance for this car if your under 25 and the costs are astronomical for repairs and service I suppose the offer is what I should expect.When I do exchange it I will try to get £1000 (1700$).Cherry trees and magnolias are all in flower was going to stop and take some pictures while out driving today but I,am always going too fast.Managed to take this one but does not do justice to some of the beautiful houses and gardens we passed.Our friends across the road have just return from Portugal and its just starting to rain,God is early today he usually waits till about 6:00p.m when I,am about 20 miles away from home on my motorcycle and then the heavens open and I get piss wet through.

some of our frogs

not seen many real ones this year usually have some trying to get in our fish pond

magnolia you sweet thing

another day with temperatures in the 80,s.
Magnolia in our garden in bloom but does not last long.
did smack the pony arrive I wonder

The frog rides again

my wife has passed her driving test which is very good for her but means I have to sort out a car "because mine is too big" then road tax, insurance and M.O.T (in England all cars are supposed to have a certificate of road worthiness or you can not get insurance) and I find all these things stressful.documents,forms ect.. And of course she will expect a car to just appear so she can just drive away without a care in the world.bit over simplified but at the moment that's how it seems to me.
when is the rodeo ?Beautiful day today supposed to be over 70 tomorrow

dovestone reservoir

how difficult can it be to buy a suitcase ?.One of ours got damage on our trip to china and we have been looking for a replacement.I measured the height of the old one and today we went to an outlet centre to buy new one.the number of suitcases that are the same height but hold different capacitate is mind blowing and of course I did not know the capacity of the original and then there's colour,do you buy one that stands out,i.e :--pink or one that blends in,one that's expandable but someone might cut through the expandable bit with a knife,one with pockets all around for bits and bats but you can not lock any of the pockets, well after a couple of hours increasing stress we decided we would go home and I would calculate the capacity of the original and try again next week.been raining today going to remove the exhaust box off my car and try to get it welded at work tomorrow.