With thanks to JS for giving me his tickets when he had to fly to the US unexpectedly.

What a superb show. Lyndsey Buckingham was the star for me with superb guitar playing. Just read up about him on Wikipedia - he is self taught and can't read music.... His rendition of 'Oh Well' made it for me... Now if only Peter Green was there......

Day 1 at Wimbledon 2009. No. 1 Court

Stunning views across Portsmouth from the new Spinnaker Tower.

Warrior, launched in 1860, was the pride of Queen Victoria’s fleet. Powered by steam and sail, she was the largest, fastest and most powerful ship of her day and had a profound effect on naval architecture. Warrior was, in her time, the ultimate deterrent. Yet within a few years she was obsolete.

Warrior’s survival was possible because of the extraordinary durability of her construction and the vision of Sir John Smith and those others who determined to save this great ship, one of the most influential warships ever built and the sole surviving 19th century capital ship in the world.

After a brief visit to a very dank and overcast Lake District where the mountain-tops were lost in the mist we decided to turn off the motorway to take alook at the revamped Midland Hotel at Morecambe. This had featured a couple of times on TV including a piece in 'The Culture Show'.

We were not disappointed by the building itself however the coffee table book of photographs that was on sale in the lobby, which we purchased immediately on arrival, proved to be a big disappointment as it contained images of how it used to look not how it is now. My wife successfully claimed her money back in a refund.

To reach the Albert Dock I walked along the old dock road - Regent Road/Waterloo Road for the very first time and recorded a few images for posterity.

Big efforts are being made to regenerate this run down area of Liverpool following the demise of traditional cargo handling and warehousing in favour of containerisation.

The Tall Ships were on display in Liverpool this weekend.

The largest ships were moored in Wellington Dock while the smaller ships were in the Albert Dock adjacent to the Pier Head.
Work in Progress

I was invited to attend Wimbledon on the first day this year. Champagne reception, canapes, early luncheon with fine wines then the traditional strawberries and cream washed down with Pimms. An amazing day out

It was inappropriate to carry an SLR camera today. I may have spilt my Pimms!. I had to make do with my mobile phone.

WIP

A tour of The City of Liverpool - European Capital of Culture 2008

For several years in the late 80's early 90's I worked at the Geest banana ripening centre in Sutton Manor to the south of St Helens. The view from my office was over the rooftops to the local colliery. It disappeared almost without trace after closure in 1991. I've uploaded these nostalgic images in tribute to the miners who worked there.

If any viewer feels suitably moved to draft some authoritative narratives to go along with my photos I'd be very grateful.

With overcast skys and heavy rain for several days it was good to have some sunshine at last to survey the damage. I took several photos of the River Avon around Barford in Warwickshire.

A trip to Liverpool. I was amazed at how much building work was going on. About time too after decades of neglect. Whether any of it will be finished for the Capital of Culture 2008 is debateable.

A visit was made last Saturday in the freezing conditions to Birmingham's German Christmas market in Victoria Square. The weather certainly didn't appear to have dampened anybodies spirits to enjoy themselves.

Other photos show Brindley Place, Oozells Square and Queen Victoria!

The lights are up at Stratford upon Avon. However what a mess at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre.Its being rebuilt and the whole area is a construction site.

Other shots were taken at Warwick including a shot of the Highland Lass Traction engine.

After a wet start to the day last Sunday the afternoon turned out bright and sunny. A walk through the countryside around Claverdon was essential.

A trip to West Somerset including the delightful town of Dunster.

Another collection of photos from my recent trip to Zakynthos.

wip

Views taken from the sand dunes on the Lancashire Coast at Formby

A day in London... WOW.

I've visited London many times over the years but this time as a proper tourist. With perfect sunny weather and so much to see along the river it was a wonderful experience.

Photos of my visit to The Hayward Gallery on the South Bank and the Antony Gormley exhibition are in their own collection.

Antony Gormley's "Blind Light" Exhibition was held at The Hayward Gallery on The SouthBank Centre from 17th May - 19th August 2007. However his "Event Horizon" installation featured 27 fibreglass and 4 cast iron figures located on surrounding buildings over a 1.5sq. km. area around the gallery.... Stunning concept.

The annual Nick Drake Gathering took place at Tanworth in Arden over the weekend.

Who's Nick Drake? Well I first came across him in 1970 when I listened to a track on the 'Bumpers' sampler album. Now does that jog any memories?

He sadly passed away in 1976 but his music has recently been re-discovered and can often be heard on film soundtracks, bckground music on TV programmes etc. He's reached cult status now.

Seth Lakeman and his band were superb as the headline act on the first night of this years Warwick Folk Festival.

Other artists seen were Harriett Bartlett, Kerfuffle, Mabon & Malinky

On my journey home from the office today....

A circular walk along the Pembrokeshire coastal path from Stackpole Quay and back through the Bosherston lilly ponds.

After travelling through torrential rain towards Pembroke the rain stopped 200 yards before the town and the streets were dry!

A new solution is being tested to eradicate MRSA from hospital wards! Demolish the buildings.

The Gower is a wonderful holiday destination

The National Botanic Garden of Wales is based close to Carmarthen in South West Wales.

The weather was poor with heavy grey cloud for most of the day but the sunshine managed to make an appearance later in the afternoon. During the day we were entertained by a gathering of dancers and singers for a Festival of Celtic Music and Dance.

Photos from a weeks holiday on the Greek island of Zante...

Rufford has seen an incredible amount of canalside development in the last few years with two marinas and associated developments. It has become a tourist destination. Ideal means of getting there is by train! Enjoy a walk along to the Old hall, followed by a meal or coffee at the new cafes' for a good day out.

Some shots taken during a whistle stop visit to the City of Bristol. Two hours exactly.

Another visit to the Gower peninsula and Swansea marina

The Barford by-pass opened last week and finally the village of Barford has some relief from most of the through traffic that has plagued it for years. However in its first week following torrential rain the River Avon decided to overflow its bnanks and the valley looked more like a lake than a small river.

Too much rain!

On a rare visit to Liverpool I found the city was the biggest building site I've ever seen. However it's about time some money was invested in the place.

While viewing my photos ask yourself.."Where is everybody?" I for one was very puzzled. Although this was the business or "City" part of Liverpool it was like walking around a ghost town. I guess the rain didn't help much.

A couple of scanned images taken when i worked at Metal Box Ltd at Palmers Green

A visit to South Wales.

Melincourt falls and Dan-yr-Ogof

Rhossili beach and Worms Head

BBRRRRRR

After the first snow of 2007 I took a few photos around my village of Claverdon and then at Charlecote on the way to work....

With my daughter at Swansea University we paid a visit on November 4/5th. What a wonderful place.

I worked at both Sutton Manor, St Helens and then Stansted in Essex. These archive shots may bring back a few memories to former work colleagues.

I worked for Geest Bananas from 1985 until 1997. Firstly at Sutton Manor, St. Helens then I was moved to Stansted in Essex. These photos may bring back a few memories to former colleagues.

This collection of images were taken during a couple of visits to the Windward Terminal at Southampton.

For the first time in about 25 years I went to a football match. Interesting transport from the train station to Anfield....

Oh I forgot to mention... Liverpool won 3-1.

A return visit to Zante was made in September 2006 to see for myself what improvements had been made for the environmental protection to the Loggerhead Turtle (caretta caretta) nesting beaches. It was good to see the effects of the severe fines that the EU Dept. of the Environment has imposed on the Greek Government. Funds have been restored to the Marine Park infrastrucure and they finally appear to be taking their responsibilities seriously regarding the protection of the Loggerhead turtles that nest on the island.

I hope that viewing these photos makes you realize that theres absolutely loads to see and do. This was the result of a 1 hour fast walk around just one part of Birmingham.

Why not travel to Birmingham from Stratford-upon-Avon on The Shakespeare Express. It completes a superb day out.

More creatures in the garden.

We generally see hedgehogs about the shape of a table tennis bat on the roads. Drive more carefully please....

The perfect weather at the weekend forced us to take a short b&b break to Manorbier and Tenby.

A VIP trip to see Echo & the Bunnymen at Rock City Nottingham. Includes a rare photo of ME.

Photos taken on a little Nikon S1. Not the best camera but discrete!

A snake in my garden pond

Experimenting in the garden taking shots of the moon and stars at dusk

A 6 night holiday at 3 of the superb Parador Hotels. First stop Javea about 20 miles NE of Benidorm, then up into the moutains to Cazorla (rather like travelling to the Outlook Hotel in the film "The Shining") then onto Mojacar where you may catch a shot of one of the earlier visitors signing in - King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia!

I saw the "real" Pink Floyd in Liverpool in 1967 and have little chance of ever seeing them again. However these guys are superb and are now capable of filling even the largest of venues. Superb sound and amazing light show.

Last time I saw Tull was at Mountford Hall in Liverpool in 1972. Ian Anderson was just as eloquent and musically innovative as he was then. I had great difficulty holding the little Nikon S1 camera still and with a slow shutter speed they're a bit blurred.- sorry.

Before the Christmas lights come down.

I arrived in Chester on board the steam hauled End-of-Year special from Birmingham. A walk around the walls was a must and what a contrast! The city centre was heaving with people but it was peace and tranquility up on the city walls.

Crosby beach, Merseyside ----------------------------------- IT'S ART

Coventry Blaze took on arch rivals Nottingham panthers in the Elite league of Ice Hockey at The Coventry Skydome on Sunday evening. Panthers took an early lead which went to two ahead but a come back by the Blaze only managed to pull one back. A great game in front of a full house.

In sub-zero temperatures the village of Claverdon in Warwickshire, situated at the top of a hill, was basking in the sunshine while the town of Warwick and most of the surrounding countryside was shrouded in fog.

Wroxall Abbey Hotel in Warwickshire was on my route home from Solihull on Saturday morning and with the sun just filtering through it was an ideal opportunity for a photo project. I ventured around the back and was rewarded with a couple of very satisfying photos with the frost and frozen leaves.

Echo & the Bunnymen played the Birmingham Academy on Sunday 31st October. A great gig.

A strategy meeting was recently held in Nice. Well it was Nice all round really.

UPDATE>>>> First episode being screened 12th March 06.....
BBC Filming in Claverdon in October 2005.
BIG Impression comic Alistair McGowan is to star as a wise-cracking TV policeman.
The impressionist, best known for mimicking famous faces such as David Beckham and Gary Lineker, will play detective Gil Mayo in a new eight-part BBC1 series.
In the series, being shot in Leamington Spa, Warks, Mayo flirts with sexy detective sergeant Alex Jones - played by Jessica Oyelowo. It will be shown in the spring.

Playing around with the camera - The subject deserves display.. I'm slightly biased though.

The National Exhibition Centre is a few miles away and is a good place to purchase garden kit a bit cheaper and see some excellent displays. Even bumped into the VT webmaster!

Warwick Castle is just down the road from where I live so having an annual season ticket means visits can be made regularly. This time I've tried to capture the feeling of the scenes inside the castle. The drapes are kept down to try and avoid the light fading the fabrics in the rooms. With flash photography banned inside the Royal Apartments a stable base for the camera using a relatively slow shutter speed was essential. Clearly a tripod was out of the question so I was using tables, chairs and even wedging the camera against the odd door frame to avoid the shakes.

The Greatest City in the World (I may be a bit biased with this statement written after a few glasses of wine in a week when Liverpool FC beat Chelsea). The rest, as they say, is History. European Champions for the 5th time.

Rose Cottage at Ballagreyney on the Isle of Man is a totally restored old farm cottage in a beautiful quiet setting in the hills above Colby.

Philip and Kirrie have done a fantastic job in providing luxury 5 star self-catering accommodation and have thought of everything to make a holiday stay memorable. The latest addition for my third visit in 6 months has been Sky Digital TV.

Its only 10 minutes away from Port Erin or Port St Mary and with its own huge grounds is ideal for a safe family holiday.
Recommended. http://www.visitisleofman.net/index.html

This was my first visit to the Isle of Man in late September 2004. It was far better than I had imagined and was quiet, very green and friendly.

They even have a Parliament and Ministers. Dare I say it but its QUAINT.

Recommended.

Also take a look at a gallery of Isle of Man steam train photos at:-
www.locoperformance.co.uk/edition20/pictures20ch.htm

I visited the nurseries of David Austin Roses at Albrighton, 8 miles west of Wolverhampton last September to make selections for the coming season. I used the visit as a technical photography exercise. Dont ask me the names of the roses!
checkout their website....www.davidaustinroses.com

Walking into Portmeirion for the first time in 1984 was stunning. It was like walking onto a film set. Well it was a film set for The Prisoner TV series. We've been back many times since 1984 staying in the village and in the hotel. These photos were taken March 2004.

Its a very relaxing place to take a holiday break. - Recommended

What a superb location for a skating rink! In the grounds of probably the best preserved castle in the country. December 2004.

It is hoped to provide the same facilities next winter.

Warwick Castle 2004.

The joisting was very entertaining and skillful. The riders are all stuntmen and women and have appeared in films such as Lord of The Rings.

Expensive for a day trip but as its just down the road from where I live its well worthwhile to purchase a season ticket and drop in any time.

Images from Wellesbourne House and Charlecote Manor - February 2005

Images are from scanned 35mm negatives that have not survived the last few years in the loft very well.

No great works of art but they capture a moment in time.

Saumur - home of Bouvet Ladubay, Gratien & Meyer, Ackerman, Veuve Amiot etc. Also home to Saumur Champigny.
On Thursday 4th August a street party was held called La Grande Tablee de Saumur Champigny to celebrate the new years vintage. Over 4,500 people attended with two kilometeres of tables and chairs all set out in front of the town hall. An excellent evening - hic!