A Monday Smile ....

.... found while I was down in Belper last Friday night ..... how did this NOT make the nationals ??

(Click on cutting for a more readable version !!)

I've Been Away ... again

...and ...just too busy .... looking like "GAME ON" - Tuesday night (1st July) @ 1900 - Woodley Sports v Dukinfield Town - a battle of two ex-Mossley peeps viz Ally Pickering and Simon Heaton

..be good to get some football pix taken - here's just one from this weekend (Belper Friday - Oakham Saturday / Sunday (sis-in-law's 50th) - this is ... Dragonboat racing on Rutland Water .. and this is the winning team of the contest/tournament whatever it's called - we were just there for a picnic and a boat ride - but - had posh camera (official pap for the whole "50th bash" !).. click for bigger image anyway ....



Football - tonight - Spain - well - it was naturally good to see a really biased commentary team (and this the BBC !) - to me a crap game between two teams, both with serious faults at the front and at the back (can't blame it all on Phillip Lahm !!) - must check fantasy team effort (Ashton United min-league under the name of "11 Bad Men and False") ..can't see me winning that mind !
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Late Late Thursday ...

OK it Friday (as in 0056) so tonight - you get bullet points ...

- another Bechtel "hit" on the website - pic online when I get to work tomorrow ....

- Spain - well worth it (especially as Russia failed to turn up !!)

- Michelle does last shift @ Ikea - it's now "full time rock'n'roll" with SONS in Stoke (see links)

- pensions - much too-ing and fro-ing vis-a-vis q+a today - we've GOT to keep pushing ..

- after earlier stuff this week - bought the Johnny Cash "Man Comes Around" - sorry gre but - disappointed as a whole....sounded almost sad/pathetic in places - understandable but some of the cover versions were painful rather than masterful - "Hurt" still stands out - so it's worth it for that if nowt else - and the two "dum-dik-a-dum-dik-a-dum" tracks are what he did best- Mrs Smiffy is a bit (lot) TD, but even she cringed at times during the listening.

- there is no point 6 .........................................
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From Across the pond ....

Following last night's words - the spies are out already ...

Last Night's Lens Money Goes .....

..... elsewhere !!

Mrs Smiffy had to go to Blackburn today with work - she was given crap directions to a crap venue, arriving "a touch late".. we've been through this earlier this summer - where the car goes to a lot of places when the school holidays kick in (and I'm not available to drive due to non-school holidays) ...and this summer there's a few "non-standard trips" that will be taken while Mrs is on holiday and I'm not ... so the possibility of purchasing a sat-nav (gasp) was mooted several weeks ago. After today's experiences heading for the Enterprise Centre in Blackburn ... "go for it" was the cry this evening, so after an abortive trip to Tesco Stalybridge (cheapest was "out of stock") we did Asda Ashton and then sat in the carpark reading manuals and plugging it in to try and get home the "navman" way - it worked - Mrs Smiffy happy - and don't bother trying to rob the car cus said wotsit is in the house - and our cat is evil - and it's lying by the front door as we speak !!!

Football - well Germany eh ?? We - as in England - ought to learn from that performance, viz play crap and still win... You've got to feel for Turkey though - they've had a great tournament - a team that plays for the full 90 minutes (and more) in every game - and are always looking to get a result - a semi-final place is a big success for them (yeah they must be severely hacked off after tonight - but they've certainly put themselves on the footy map after this tourney).

Tomorrow - I'm cooking - and it's Russia/Spain - a bit like tonight really - you've got to go for the obvious (Spain) - but the other team might just .....

And don't ask me about Marcus Hallows ...... I find it sad that people - three years on - feel the need to look for recompense for possibly "nothing" - and some twat in the legal/litigation profession (viz "pond life") has "advised" on this course of action .... it beggars belief ... and the only losers will be EVERYONE (except the legal eagles - viz "pond life").

I've got a tale about the Simon Carves Pension Fund somewhere in my head - but I'm saving most of it up for another day - suffice to say the "buggers" are still set on closing it - as they are strangely at Bechtel (in fact at Bechtel their close date is EXACTLY the same date as ours - and they've had EXACTLY the same 60 day Consultation period - and guess what ..... our new CEO used to be a Director at .......................[fill in - first letter "B", last letter "L" with a smashing "ECHTE" in the middle] ...and I'm sure there's a lot of "pond life" involved in these 'events' as well ....

Must check tonight's lotto numbers ...

Tuesday - Gently Does It ....

2105 - Tonight we are indulging in a little eBay "action" - due to finish about 2230 - and I'm "holding the rail" at the moment .... and yes it's a lens !!

Pre-season prep continues apace - last night saw the kit insurance and the £2million Public Liability Insurance sorted - once the paperwork comes through I can then send off for the Football Conference Photographic Licence - got the e-mail from them as well yesterday.

Which leaves - a web site and a sensor clean (I've got a LensPen "SensorKlear" thingummy - just waiting for the "right moment" (viz stone cold sober and totally relaxed - it might just save forty quid ...) - oh and a laptop ....

Money .... it's a hit
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit ....

eBay results to come ..... I know the price of a "branny" so will not be acting stoopid !!

2300 - bugger - not quite "got the timing right" with Firefox rather than IE for that "last second eBay bid" - went for £99 - about half the price of a newie (Sigma 28-70 f2.8) - again - bugger ....
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We've been Away ....

Starting to sound like a regular weekend thingy (and just to prove it WILL continue - next weekend - sister-in-law's birthday bash ... in Oakham). But this weekend - Alton Towers - Me, Mrs Smiffy, small boy (hair rescued - back to red for now !!) and his mate Chloe - off for a one night/two day jobbie @ Alton Towers. You get the night in't'hotel and passes for the theme park and the Cariba Creek waterthingy as well (and when you sit and dissect the whole thing - it's pretty good value for money - honest !). So Saturday - in waterthingy - I hate water - I hate waterslides - mostly due to the lack of vision when glasses are left in locker - however maybe - just maybe - I'm become resigned to this stuff, so I went on the three water slidey things - the "Master Blaster" was surprisingly OK (so much in fact that I "did it again" this afternoon !!). Sunday - the "youngsters" went straight into the big place, while me and Mrs Smiffy jumped in car and went a couple of miles down the road to Dimmings Dale and took in a 4/5 mile walk - a little different to




what we're normally used to - it was nice to see fields with mixed wild flowers -



some different views on water - millponds etc - and to finish with a "nice cup of tea" at the "Ramblers Retreat" next to the Dimmings Dale Car Park. (Note the shark is actually from "Mutiny Bay" in Alton Towers and NOT from any of the ponds/water around Dimmings Dale !)



We then went "back into the fray" - now I don't like roller coasters - mostly due to the lack of vision when glasses are put into pocket - however maybe - just maybe - I'm becoming resigned to this stuff (as well), so (as we've not been to AT for about 5 years) I said, "Rita, Queen of Speed", i.e. the one that takes you from 0-100mph in 2.5 seconds (it's all done with magnets I believe) - now that was some ride - I used to do these sort of things to keep the kids happy - maybe now ("sans kids") I can do them 'for me' (and also of course for Mrs Smiffy, who is a roller coaster afficianado - easier to say "No" to kids !!!) - so "Rita - Queen of Speed" - this year's recommended roller coaster in the UK - and here it is getting up to speed (picture taken by me - in queue - thinking "Why do I ...??!?"



Home this evening - flitted between Spain/Italy and "Kinky Boots" (2 tv family y'see !!).What was I saying the other night about the "knock-out" phase - I forgot Italy were still involved - can't always "penalty-shoot-out" your way to success eh what ??

Some pictures from today before I start thinking about the general meeting at work tomorrow afternoon ref pensions - it looks as though "I'm in the chair" - as no-one else seems to want to take action or become the "focus of anything" - I just feel (from most feedback received) that people are resigned to their fate - now if only all these 102 "pension people" were in the Union rather than just 22 of us - that would be 50% of the full-time staff - ergo "clout" - but no - as a Union member since I left school, that is one thing that REALLY pisses me off - of course we all know whose fault it is - Margaret "bloody" Thatcher - now maybe it is a horribe thing to say, but between 1977 and 1990 she had so much effect on my life - in a totally negative way - and so much effect on this country as a whole - in a totally negative way - that I for one will be declaring the day that she departs this mortal coil a national holiday.... and I'm damn sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Anyways - nearly midnight thirty - so I best be getting head etc together ...........

Thursday Hair Crisis ..

Not I - grey and proud ... twas a slight (slight ? major..) balls-up in the small boy stakes - the idea was to go from 'deep red' to 'totally blonde' - and the result was ...somewhere "in between" ....



..the smile was for the camera (pick your words) !!!! I didn't think it was that bad meself (matches the fireplace too !) - don't want to be seen as "Gingist" - or whatever it was (Catherine Tate ??)........

What a good game tonight eh ?? Two good teams - some cracking goals (OK some godawful defending !!) - the "knock out phase" does tend to gee these tournaments up a bit - at least now Ronaldo can sort out his move from Man U - and Phil Scol can sort out his ticket to Stamford Bridge - tomorrow - my boys from the Istrian Riviera - that's Croatia to you Geography failures - to beat Turkey (including that well-known Turk/ex-Blade Colin Kazim-Richards - is he the only English-born in the tournament ???)

We're all going to Alton Towers on Saturday - and staying over to do Sunday as well - so there (although weather is none too promising) !!!
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Wednesday's Writer's Block ....

..no new pictures of note ....

....music - OK here's something different - listening to "Three" by the John Butler Trio - all I can say is - if you like John Martyn - you'll like this - our Michelle put me onto it - and she (sound tech) should know good stuff when she hears it. Check it out on Youtube as well - here's one from "Three" ("Betterman") at ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0mqLRsjzWU

and one amazing bit of guitar ("Ocean") at ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VAkOhXIsI0

Football - amazed how crap Sweden were this evening - or were the Russians that "sharp/fast" up front ?? Black armband time in Ashton Ikea tomorrow .... and a beetroot/vodka shortage in Ashton Market (unless the Poles are still in mourning !).

Oh sod it - here's some serious "tree fungus" from our "Ludlow Weekend" a few weeks back ...



Been painting as well tonight - the downstairs is "coming on" ....

Just don't "mention pensions" .............

Tuesday Music Post ...

Mrs Smiffy has today bought the new Neil Diamond album "Home Before Dark" - Mr Diamond is a popular chap in Mrs Smiffy's family (sisters etc). Me - normally no ... HOWEVER ... always happy to listen to toons (I like to think broad minded when it comes to music) - within 45 seconds of the first track ("If I Don't See You Again"), I'm 'googling' Johnny Cash on the pc - don't know why - but I did ... and then it all fell into place .... "The Man Comes Around" - the version of NINs "Hurt" .... common denominator...

Rick Rubin

..and what were we listening to in the car coming back from Belper on Sunday ?? "Stadium Arcadium" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers - produced by ..... Rick Rubin.

Neil Diamond album - this old rocker says "It's worth a listen" - honest ... previously this last week or so I've been listening to "Crimson" by Alkaline Trio ... so there ... contrary to popular belief, there IS more to life than heavy metal - just ...........
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Monday....

Well "Thunderbirds" were certainly "Go" at 0800 this morning in Stockport Station - witness (from left to right) "The Mole", "Tracy Island", "TinTin" and "Virgil Tracy" over the other side as my train trundled in on Platform 2 ...you can (hopefully) click for the "bigger picture" ...



..and just a football reminder at the Buffet Bar this evening ....


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I've been away ...

...as noted in previous - so here's a quick catch-up.

They're looking for a chef at the "Church" in Uppermill - honest ! What they should do in the meantime is to "keep it simple"- my liver & onions - fine, but the "fancy dan lasagne" didn't quite work. Reasonable prices, so in a way we got what we paid for. On the beer side however, the Saddleworth Brewery "IPA" was top notch - and only £1-90 a pint (i.e. 90p - yes 90p - a pint cheaper than what I paid in the "George & Dragon" in Belper about 18 hours later......).

Belper - a "Royal Ascot" themed party involving hats and race games - followed by a trip to the pub to meet the Belper chaps and watch some football (the irony was that the £2-80 beer I was drinking came all the way from .... up here - well Blackburn - Thwaites "Wainwright" - very nice - but - £2-80 ??? answers on a postcard please). We watched Spain "scrawp it" and then I returned to the M-I-L bash ....

Today was walkies - as predicted - once we go out of a 40 minute queue on the A6 due to some goon 'cocking up' at the "bridge chicane" at Whatstandwell - ended up in Wye Dale (just outside Buxton) for three hours-worth of stroll - a couple of snaps from same ...

First the "mysterious innards" of Chee Dale - somewhere up to the right there were a load of "cragrats" playing with ropes and shouting a lot ..



For those who "really" want to know - all those "white dots" over the water are actually midges - those irritating little barstewards that make (for example) Crowden campsite a "no-no" these days


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Whoosh - there goes the Pension ...

...more to the point - all that stuff you pay into - like a good boy/girl - from day 1 - means nowt when the going gets tough .... yeah totally p*ssed off about it - they're legal but they're thieves 23 years and then they freeze it - naturally all those who make the decisions are suitably covered by huge salaries, "golden handshake" clauses - and other general "rich bastard screwing small nice person-type stuff".

Meanwhile in rest of sh*t world - tanker drivers strike = panic petrol buying .... 42 day detention = shaving off long stroky beard - and - just in case - all Brazilian Electricians are now Peruvian Plumbers - it makes travelling on the tube a lot safer - oh and apparently the "congestion charge" will make it bad for the "less well-off" trying to get to work - the "less well off" have cars ??? ..... never mind "Big Brother" is cooking - and it more than makes up for the finish of "The Apprentice" (spot the irony - I've never watched either, just in case there's some kind of subliminal lobotomy going on - reading some of the papers, other people seem to have copped for this "operation"......)

Travel - well everyone (viz Man Picc, Man Vic , Northern Rail, First Trans-Penis and Virgin) seem to have bucked up after Monday's fiasco(s) - still time though ....just when you think ..etc etc etc

Football (Mossley new manager - plus new assistant - plus extra snapper )?? Photography (taken nowt since ...not even on "babycam") ?? Walking (to and from the station every day/night) ?? Not yet ... tomorrow - a meal at the Church Inn in Uppermill (have their own "Saddleworth Brewery" on-site - will let you know about the food) - and the weekend sees "Grandma's (birthday) Party" in Belper - 'tis also our Michelle's birthday - and "Family Fun Day/Motor Show" at Belper Town .... might (OK should !) get a Euro2008 game down at the "George & Dragon"Saturday afternoon ..Sunday = walk (weather permitting and all that mid-June proviso stuff !!).

Let's go back to see if Austria can shake off the "cow's arse/banjo" thing from the first half - I doubt it somehow - never mind greece may be poo but my other choice (Croatia) are less than poo !!
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Tuesday ....

Tomorrow I have sh*t at work (let's see who cares about our pension scheme) - so tonight I relax and shout for Greece - well tis half-time now - and offer up pix from late Sunday afternoon, when we still had sun - yes - our back yard !!!

Build me up .....



The wild bunch ......



Yes tomorrow is our meetings with the "Pension Thieves" - it really makes you wonder why we keep our noses clean, pay up - on time - when told to, keep ourselves on the right side of OK (financially) when what happens is they (the "official thieves") take your NHS dentist off you - they steal your pension - they screw you financially in all areas to cover for those who default/cock up/can't be bothered (knowing someone else will bail them out). Maybe I should have gone into theft rather than computers - because it's the thieving bastards who are coming through this life OK at the moment....
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Today @ the Railways ... and more ...

What an absolute farce - unbelievable, especially on the day when "congestion charging" story reared its head in the Manchester area - you all know my views on congestion charging - it's an ABSOLUTE DISGRACE - far too bloody cheap ....

HOWEVER ...what do the railways do today ??? Morning - complete and utter power failure in Manchester Piccadilly... I was fortunate mind - I was in work before "sh*t h*t f*n" - however I heard all about it from various angles - Helen at work - normally arrives at 0915 - turned up at 1155 ... our Michelle trying to get to Stoke to keep rock'n'roll alive - confronted by delays, non-existent trains and other such sh*t - she got there eventually though....

Tonight however - boot on other foot - I work late - get to Stalybridge and sit awaiting the 1942 train to Mossley - nothing - the magic "ticker tape" machine (i.e. that useless expensive piece of sh*t) kept going back and back - until I just rang the phone number to be told "cancelled" - power failure at Miles Platting - found "station staff" on other platform (probably looking for smokers - t*sser) - told him about cancellation - he knew - but hadn't bothered to anounce ... have now had phone call from our Michelle coming home from Stoke - now at Victoria - waiting for a RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS - so obviously still "pear-shaped" at Vic ...

On the day of the "congestion charge" - the public transport option shoots itself in the foot - as per bloody usual .. God I despair - as do many others...

Useless Railway management (blame that twat Major back in '95) ...

Useless Government (blame that twat Blair for moving from left to far far right in less than 10 years) ...

..and I work for a Company with useless managment - yes the ones who are closing down my final salary pension scheme that I've dutifully paid into for 23 years - when the going gets tough - it's the workers who pay - nothing to do with financial mismanagement / 'pension holidays' (no "alleged" here - it's FACT) and the like - never mind though - the "senior management" are ALWAYS covered ...allegedly ...
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Sunday above Marsden

..was today's stroll - a couple of views ....does anyone have any idea what this rusty thing is adjacent to Cupwith Reservoir ???



Didn't see it live - but it looks like someone should tell Lewis Hamilton about red lights ...... !!!
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So Much for Steam Trains ...

Well that was Saturday - loads of "tidy up" - we've got the builders in and we need to keep on top of stuff/dust/general sh*t else we're an entire floor "out of biz" - and that floor includes the kitchen (aaaaarrrrgh !).

Ho-hum-tidy-up-done - while Mrs Smiffy goes to birthday bash (workmate's one year old youngster's "one year old birthday party") I'm off out to do a bit of "EuroChamps" - oops forgot - England aren't "innnit" therefore all pubs are watching the cricket believing it's England (i.e. South Africa v New Zealand - check out the details ref Pieterson, Ambrose etc .. if people think they're watching England .. ha !!)

Anyways - in the "Railway" @ Greenfield - democracy at work (viz "I'm the guy who spends the most in here") implied cricket then Formula 1 sh*t (people DID walk out - I kid you not) - however Geoff tells me that "Princess Elizabeth" -the train - as in came through about lunchtime and is due back around 1830 ... hmmm ... time to get back to Mossley, pick up big camera and catch steam train at Mossley.

Did same caught 1753 - back @ Mossley station about 1800 - dashed home - grabbed bag of bits - back @ Bottom Mossley about 1810 - quickie in "Brit" and then over to the station ..... we now need some kind of thing that shows 45 minutes of ... nothing ... no contact phone numbers no nothing - then a guy on t'other platform says "It's 70 minutes late" - back to Brit ... I then manage to "acquire" a useful phone number in the Stalybridge area - I ring and bullshit for a few minutes to be told "it's 113 minutes late and the steam has failed - by the way WHERE DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER ????"

Catch next train back to Greenfield (aren't weekly passes useful !!) to find football on TV - huzzah !! back onto Greenfield platform about 113 minutes after 1822 (when it should have been at Diggle Junction) - result - nothing - caught 2053 back to Mossley and came home. The loco should have looked like this ... a cracking picture taken by Paul Martin when the loco was doing East Lancs Railway in 2006 ..



But if it's my pictures you want ... the DSLR has LOADS of pictures of 185s and 170s and 150s - no steam mind !! So "b*ll*x" to that stuff - all I offer tonight is a view of the new "ironwork" at Greenfield station - from "babycam" - you can just see the "Railway" stage left !!



Bugger - the Portuguese have won - that's the team with that fella Cristiano "Real Madrid" Ronaldo - or something like that ....
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So much for Wireless ....

Just adding a new link - and the whole thing went crashing around my cullottes !!

I now have 1 new link and the others are far-far away ... no backup of course so they will return ...slowly ..

Normal service will be resumed ... blah .. blah .. blah .. now - where to watch the football ??
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Blood, Guts, Gore and .. Revenge

Nowt to do with the Mossley Management situation - tis "The Revengers Tragedy" @ the Royal Exchange .....

It comes recommended though - a touch yukkie for Mrs Smiffy (our mates were expecting "Hay Fever" by Noel Coward - that's the next one !!) but very well done. An interesting mix of old and new - we actually have a copy of the play at home (Mrs S studied it for her degree back in the 20th century !) Naturally you're not allowed to take cameras into the place - so you only get a pre-play pic of the floor ... without the blood !!!

MMK - Mossley Manager Kerfuffle ...

i.e.not the Mossley manager any more. On 1st June 2008 "Bish" dropped his scoop on the Tameside msgboarders - via the Stalybridge board - telling us that Gerry Quinn was no longer the Mossley manager and that he was being replaced by Chris Willcock. "Bish" got a fair bit of stick on several of the local boards - in fact the word "knobhead" was touted at one stage. Today however - it's all come out in the wash - and Mr "Bish" was spot on with his info.

What can I say - Gerry Quinn - a true gent , a great guy - and someone who stepped into the Mossley breach when Mossley were at their most desperate. He came - he brought players - he helped the club survive probably their most dangerous year since just before the Les Lawlor/Steve Fisher takeover/fiasco (they were subsequently proved to be tw*ts - allegedly). I think Gerry has been treated badly. the official line is "mutual consent" - convinced ?? Not I - not others either ...

HOWEVER - Chris Willcock - an ex-Mossley player who was well-rated by me if no-one else - he'd run miles per game and create for others - the fact that others failed to convert eventually led to his departure from the club - which I thought was an absolute disgrace at the time - and I said so and I know it's on paper / web / all sorts of places. Obviously last season, he had a 'mare at Woodley Sports -maybe things have been learnt from that - my only real worry is that we'll end up with "young Aaron" as the third photographer - although I've no idea whether his dad is coming in with Chris (note to Smiffy - FIND OUT ..). I'm going to wish Chris all the best - no doubt he's working with even less cash than he had @ Woodley as well - let's see ...

Picture-wise, all I can find is this from about 12 months ago .... but you never know - I might get invited to a "photoshoot" up the road....otherwise it's a question of "cut and paste".........



Tomorrow sees Mr and Mrs Smiffy on one the regular "culture trips" - 'tis "The Revengers Tragedy" at the Royal Exchange - a bit of Jacobean blood'n'gore with maybe a hint of humour - I'll let you know - features Steven Tompkinson - who I always remember from the film "Brassed Off" - rather than "Ballykissangel" and stuff like that...

And then Saturday sees the start of the Euros ... aaah football .... Greece and Croatia are my teams of choice - at the moment anyway.

A touch late ....but ...

...two wildly disparate ones - if you like - firstly Mrs Smiffy is attempting aubergines in the garden this season - presently at this state (earlier this evening) ..



.. and the second one is a interesting pointer for the smokers - when I was a 20/30 a day asthmatic - the salbutamol inhaler would last me about 18/19 days - not now though .... this ain't "baccy fascism" (can't be - I still have the "odd toke" - albeit maybe one or two a month - and I still think the smoking ban stinks) - but a point worthy of note I feel..

As Promised ....

...it has always looked like it should make a good picture (i.e. all those metal bits in the sky - roof and power gantries and "stuff") - and one day I WILL get the angle right (although it will probably involve hanging from the "overbridge" in a dangerous way with "proper camera", thus attracting attention from the 24 hour security / railway police / people wary of people on railway stations with cameras - no rucksack or stroky beard mind !!!!).

Yes it's Manchester Piccadilly earlier today ....



..any requests ????
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A Few Weeks "Out of Date" but ...

...sunset over "Wharmton Mast" - taken from somewhere Greenfield-ish ...warts'n'dust'n'all !!



One thing I WILL be doing this close season - giving all my gear a thorough clean - including the blooming sensor (might well go for the "pro-option" here - forty quid once a year - got to be worth it ...).

..tomorrow - maybe something "railway based" ....
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Well It's Sunday ....

...and it was slashing it down - so .... we went for a walk up Heptonstall way ... we got wet ... a lot ...



Lumb Waterfall



...and a nice "doer-upper"....

Tomorrow sees more Pensions sh*t at work ... aaargh ... another can of Pedigree please duckie ...
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Another from last Weekend

From DragonForce to DragonFly - taken by the River Teme (not Tame) just outside Ludlow - wrong lens/scary grass - but it's the thought that counts ?



.. oh and flat-pack furniture - a blooming nightmare when working in cramped conditions with wonky floors and walls (1880 house y'see !) - had to "bracket it" to the wall in the end, to prevent terminal damage to small boy when opening both (really heavy) wardrobe doors at the same time !!

Oh and we got a new printer - because it was cheaper than buying the two replacement cartridges for our old one - crazy, but true ....
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