Return to SVR and Bewdley

When i took a trip on the Severn Valley Railway back in late June it was the first time i had been on the line for thirty odd years but now i've been on it again within a couple of months. This time just a short trip up to Bewdley, somewhere else i have not been for a long time. In fact it was when i went on a camping trip with the Cub Scouts to Bewdley, and thats when i was probably on the SVR last before this year too. Today our haulage was Southern Region in the shape of a Battle of Britain Pacific.

Unfortunately it rained all the time we were in Bewdley so that put a literal damper on things but i took some nice photos, you can see the SVR ones here. I must return soon, preferably on a dry day.

The Old Auctioneer

The Old Auctioneer, Banbury.

Avenger

Hillman Avenger at Coventry Transport Museum, an example of a 70s British car. Much maligned by many but much missed by me, its quite rare to see a car like this on the roads these days. I did see a lovely Allegro a few weeks ago...

Cathedral detail

Detail on the lovely Hereford Cathedral.

Electric

First time i've seen an electric car being charged in the street, it will be something that will no doubt become more common over time. Exactly how much is an interesting question.

It just fits!

A narrowboat entering a narrow lock at Banbury. As i found while writing my dissertation different lock widths across Britain's canal network had a detrimental effect on the flow of goods and economic potential of the waterways... anyway lets not get into that again right now!

The Hole In The Wall

The Friday pub photo! The Hole In The Wall, Shrewsbury.

For Betty

An angel dedicated to Betty from her Granny, a grave in Witton Cemetery.

Oozells Loop

A couple of narrowboats on the Oozells Street Loop in central Birmingham.

Leeds

I've only ever been to Leeds once but its a lovely city that i really must visit again one day.

2500 TC

The classic look of a 70s Triumph, this one preserved at Coventry Transport Museum.

Pea harvest

Any thoughts that growing my own veg could be an alternative to food shopping or secure me in the event of an apocalypse really went years ago, this year's pea harvest is especially poor. Just enough for one side dish. Still there are always the sweet peppers which are growing well, though have yet to yield any fruit.

The Last Drop Inn

The Friday pub photo, the Last Drop Inn in York.

Old code

An old sign at Wilmcote railway station, the town is given not the code to dial.

Canal maintenance

One of the funky canal maintenance barges, this one on the Limehouse Cut in East London.

Wild flowers

Wild flowers (or weeds depending on your point of view) growing near the Birmingham Business Park.

Victoria Peak

Another old holiday photograph, from when i took the funicular railway up to the top of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

Queens Arms, Hereford

The Friday pub photo.

Tiger Moth 2

There has been a bit of a lull in model making lately, for various reasons including laziness! But Project 057 a Tiger Moth is now near completion and just needs varnishing. Its the second Moth i have done, the first of course was the very first model kit i did when i resumed model making after a 20+ year gap. You would think 56 models later i would be a lot better but my skills are a bit meh at the moment so in some ways Project 001 is better...

Bromo

In the days before digital photography you used to take photos then half-forget about them or hope they turned out. This one of Bromo volcano in Indonesia i'm pretty proud of, it was a nice surprise when i had the film developed and i saw how this had turned out! This was taken back in 1999, later on i ran up the volcano!

Hereford HST

A venerable Class 43 HST power car at Hereford.

Royal Signals

A British Army Royal Signals vehicle on display in Coventry.

The Commonwealth triumph

Tonight there is a Commonwealth Games shaped hole in my life! I really love festivals of sport, especially multi-sport events like the Games and the Olympics. Although some in the media have criticised the Games (probably because it had the temerity to not take place in London) i thought the Commonwealth Games was a tremendous show.

In many ways i actually prefer the Commonwealth to the Olympics, for one the medals are more fairly shared out without the juggernauts of the USA and China being present, plus some sports that really should be in the Olympics like squash and netball have a chance to shine. A great thing about events like the Commonwealth and the Olympics is that women's sport gets some decent time in the media and it isn't all about football (which i like to watch a lot but the endless speculation and droning on about nothing in particular gets rather tiring).

But now its over, and the countdown to Rio begins i suppose. But there is something about a games in the home islands that makes them extra special... Unfortunately we'll have to wait a long time for another home games, maybe Cardiff in 2026?

Toll island

In the days when canals were trade arteries of the land and not mainly for leisure trips toll islands were built to ..er.. collect tolls from boats travelling along the waterway. Now they just collect weeds. This one is on the Tame Valley Canal in Walsall.

The Albert

Friday seems to be pub day, here is The Albert in central London.