Time with friends

We met Ernalyn off the Oriana and took her shopping. She always makes a beeline for the cheap shops like Savers and Primark. We usually park and walk with her through John Lewis, she never looks at anything in there. We have often tried to buy her something nice for herself but she always refuses. She is a girl who doesn't covet and is not materialistic.

I'm Depressed

Watching another P&O cruise ship, Oceana, sail away, I know not where but wish I was on board. This was taken from the John Lewis restaurant.

Shop 'til you drop!

That's the motto of West Quay fans. I got my collar felt by security guards in here because photography is not allowed, I don't know why, it's a public place. They were pleasant and didn't ask me to delete my images so I didn't argue, I'd got what I wanted.

Shopfront Project?

I've done a lot of shopfronts in my time, I'll have to go through my files and bring them all together. I like to include interesting people if possible. There's rather a large bloke in this one.

Cosmopolitan City

Interesting mix of people in this picture covering a very small area. Southampton really is a multi racial society. Don't hear an awful lot of English though!

Low Cuisine

Still fairly warm but not really shorts weather. This bloke is doing a brisk trade but I don't fancy anything!

The Cruise Terminal

Taken from the IKEA building, The ship is the Independence of the Seas, a huge ship, Don't think I would like to take a cruise on it!

Pretty Peacock

Again on Brownsea Island, there's quite a lot of these milling about.

Endangered Species

I've lived in the Bournemouth area since 1988 but this is the first time I have been to Brownsea Island and the first time I have seen a red squirrell let alone photographed one.

Beauty

So pristine, so perfect, this is Bournemouth!

Can you believe this

This is the second time we have been here, we were very impressed with the food the first time, it's not just Pizza anymore and you get unlimited lemonade top ups!

Another Bird Family

I have been watching this particular Swan family because they were very late hatching. The youngsters are doing very well now.

Our Neighbours

We are having some exceptionally warm weather for the time of year. I was on my way back from a walk and took a quick snap.

Oh Dear

No, it's not!

Memorial

This is a late post, I took this picture when I visited the National Memorial Arboretum. The reason I've added it is that I did an Air Handling course at Changi in Singapore when I was stationed in Malaya, early 60s. It was an RAF station then but is still known as the infamous Japanese prisoner of war camp in which so many men died.

Ahhh, England!

A nice tranquil scene on the Ashby Canal.

Industrial History

This is the Moira Furnace once used for the production of pig iron, so called because the moulds shown on the right, in which the molten metal was poured, resemble suckling pigs with their mother.

Anyone for Dancing

This is some distance from the city centre but as a specialist shop I would imagine it is well known. I was thinking about the car on the left, looks like someone has been dancing on the roof!

Sign Language

Bit over indulgent with the signs I think, a Bit in your face especially the red colour. I wonder who will end up buying the place!

Yorkshire Welcome

The trains are quite colourful up here as you can see. There were loads of these bags of aggregate down between the tracks and trolleys with powerful arc lights mounted on them so they are obviously going to do a bit of night time track maintenance.

Platform Furniture

I get free hugs!!

Transient Music

I liked this group they were putting out some good jazzy stuff, the bloke on the left wasn't with them though, he's on the phone. The girl was brilliant with that violin. I went back later but they had gone, to Boots, the chemist according to the notice!!

Fascinating

We came back again today, not to eat but just to browse through the shop, amazing place, could spend hours in there listening to the experts talk about exotic products. Shades of the British Empire.

Coffee Time

We had a modest helping of Cinnamon toast and tea. This was our waitress, The Japanese, they get everywhere, don't they. She was very nice though.

Mouth Watering

We decided long before our travels started that we couldn't go to Harrogate and not go to Betty's. This is one of the window layouts, very impressive

Live Art

An unusual installation but quite effective. I should have photographed Ruth sitting on the seat then she would be ready framed!

Change of Scenery

Harrogate, a very pleasant city and the home of the famous Betty's Tea Rooms.

A Bit More Modern

Auntie Marie was thrilled to go inside number 13, she has not been there since she left as a young woman, the lady who lives here now was born in this house and she is now in her fifties. She invited us in and Auntie Marie wanted to be photographed in this room. In our day this room was used for everything. My grandad was a coal miner and every day his daughters, my aunts, had to prepare a tin bath filled with hot water in front of the fire which is hidden behind that screen. I have vivid memories of my grandad coming home black with coal dust, getting into the bath and trying to get clean with the help of the girls who scrubbed his back. I don't recall ever seeing him shiny bright, the coal dust was too ingrained.

Memories

This is number 13 in the centre. Outwardly the basic building is much the same. The walls are original although they used to be higher and the outside toilet was built on the inside of the wall. It consisted  of a huge wooden "thunderbox" with steps to climb to get on to it. No toilet roll, just squares of newspaper. No flush of course, there was a small door in the outside wall of each of the houses so that each night the workers could shovel out what was called "Night Soil", what a job, can you imagine, and this was in my lifetime.

Not much changes

After all these years, it is still there on the edge of the fells, open to the winds and driving snow in the Winter, very bleak, an appropriate name. We lived with my Nana and Grandad at number 13, what an address 13, Bleak Terrace, sounds like something in one of those sinister horror films. But we were very happy there, an amazing place for kids in those days, all the fells to play on with no thought of danger

The Establishment

I was amazed to find that the school where my educational journey started was still going strong, Cockfield Primary. It seemed that very little had changed, certainly on the outside. I wasn't able to go inside which was a pity.