Monte Carlo Or Bust

We had a transport related day today in Monaco. Firstly we paid a visit to the collection of vintage, and not so vintage cars that belong to the Prince. He has been collecting cars for over 40 years, and what a selection of vehicles. From the humble 'tin snail' to Formula One racing cars. I took a lot of photos in there including this early version of the famous E Type Jaguar.

We then took a bus trip around the principality. Twice actually, as it is one where you can get on and off all day. We also went across Port Hercule on a bus boat. A small solar powered ferry that chugs from one side of the harbour to the other. Probably not as exciting as the abra's in Dubai, but it was an experience, and we got to see a differnt view of all the million pound boats that were moored there.

Bonjour!

Well we've made it. Gail and are now in Monte Carlo. We arrived at lunchtime, after a very early start. After we landed at Nice Airport, shown above, we were collected and flown by helicopter to the hotel. Really something different than catching a bus or takin g a taxi. It was all in the deal. The hotel itself is very nice. It's not in the centre of Monaco, but as the country is so small, it's only a short stroll to the main drag. We're meeting up with Jilly on Friday. She does the MC blog, and so it we be good to meet her and compare notes.

Burying Ones Head In The Sand

Lanny has chosen this week's Headbanger Challenge, and has gone for 'Make Do'; something that probably happens a lot on a farm. During World War II, 'make do and mend' was a rallying cry to everyone in England, as people did what they could for their country. There was no waste. Old paper, metal, food etc was recycled for the war effort. Gardens were dug up for growing food. There was food rationing of course, but somehow nobody starved, and everyone seemed a lot healthier than they do today. Maybe because there was no processed junk foods, fast food outlets (except for fish and chips) and less choice.

At the Brewhouse Museum they have an area decked out like an air raid shelter, and one the wall are all these posters promoting and reminding people what they can do to help the country win.

Don't forget to visit all the other gang members to see how they have interpreted the theme.

By comparison, today's blog picture features fast food, albeit a healthy one. Ostrich meat is a fairly recent introduction into people's diets. I've tried ostrich meat sausages and burgers. Not from this new cafe though, but from a farmers market that appears in the square once a month, and very nice they are too. Full of flavour, without all the nasty fats that usual red meat contains.

Who Lives In A House Like This?

A return to Belton House today as my pal Imac is there again. He's on his way to the boathouse via a trail of daffodils. Well guess what, we are there already!
It's a curious little house, the sort you read about in stories. You can imagine Goldilocks living there, or the Three Little Pigs, or even an evil being from another world.

I've turned it into a old sepia print, in appreciation of the number of very large old photos that are on display in the restaurant.

Mambo Number Five

Today's entry marks the fifth anniversary of Nottingham Daily Photo. I can't believe that I've managed to keep it going for so long. Nearly 1700 blogs. One every day last year. A first, and one that I hope to keep up this year too.

I've tried to find something special to celebrate my achievement. And so here's two very colourfully painted doors, which I saw down on the canal. Somehow the artist who painted them knew about the forthcoming celebration!

A Quiet Moment

This is Kayes Walk and runs along St Mary's Church in the Lace Market. It's a quaint little lane, with tall Victorian buildings to one side and the church to the other. It looks really nice with the sun shining and the shadows of the branches of the churchyard trees.

Busted!

I was sad to see that the monument of Jesse Boot had been vandalised overnight. It had stood in the same spot near the university for years and years without any problems. I understand from news reports that it was done by student activists, in reaction to raising university fees, government cuts and the like. Personally I think it's stupid to destroy such things, as it doesn't do any good. In fact it actually puts people off and makes them resent the protestors.

Off With His Head

There was another demonstration in the market square today. This one was organised by the local university staff and students and concerned changes in staff pensions and possible job cuts.
I had read that the demo was going to start at about noon, but when I got there it had finished and they were just packing away the banners, flags, etc. I was a tad disappointed, as I wanted to try and take some good shots with my new camera. So I just had to make do with this one.

A Touch Of Red

It's the Wednesday Night Headbanger Challenge again, and this week we have a new contestant joining us called Sandy. Welcome then Sandy to the club.
This week's theme is an easy one for a change and thought up by Tom. And its the colour red. There are so many red things out there, so it was quite hard making a choice. I could have gone for the easy options like telephone kiosks and pillar boxes. Clothing, painted wood and the like were another area ripe for investigation. But last Friday was 'Red Nose Day', which is also known as Comic Relief, where people do silly things to raise money for charity. It was started several years ago and has happened every year since. Millions of pounds have been raised, which mainly goes to Africa, but a bit goes to groups in this country. People raise money by doing all sorts of mad activities. I have no idea what this person has been up to, but hopefully they raised some money for the charity.

While I was at the transport museum on Sunday, I saw a number of buses. So to tie in with the red theme, here are two for your delectation.; the famous Routemaster up for repair, and a fine example of a 1950s double decker from a local company.

Don't forget to see what the other members of the gang have come up with.

Blossom Time

The warm and sunny weather that we have fortunately been getting these past few days have helped to wake up the flora after emerging from its long winter sleep. Passing Highfields this morning, I noticed that all the flowering cherry trees have their covering of white flowers in full bloom. Besides seeing many daffodils about, it is a good sign that spring isn't too far away.

Puffing Billy

One of the most popular attraction yesterday were the free rides on a number of miniature steam engines. I was surprised how powerful they are, as being small they don't look like they can pull quite few people along at speed.

Plenty Of Room On Top

I paid a visit to the Transport Heritage Centre at Ruddington today, as they, and many more museums were opening their doors for free, as part of the 'Big Day Out' promotion that happens once a year across the county. I've been wanting to visit the centre for a while now, so this was a good opportunity. Gail didn't want to come with me, as she said that she had better things to do.

There were a few buses on offer, some of which I had previously seen at Wollaton Park, an number of working miniature steam engines, a tabletop model railway and some real trains. They were providing short trips on one, which I went on. I sat in one of the old style first class carriages, where six people sat in compartments. These were phased out in the early 1970s, where they were replaced with the open airliner style.

Here is one of the buses that I saw there. It is quite unusual, being an open top type. Something that Nottingham no longer uses, although some other manjor towns have them, mainly for tourists to ride on.

Time Traveller

Whilst walking amongst the heaving crowd on St Patrick's Day, I bumped into Amy, a friend of mine who I met whilst studying photography at college a couple of years ago. Besides earning a living taking photographs of weddings and studio work, Amy likes to dress up in vintage clothing. She was in this demure outfit when we met, and so just had to take a photo of her. Here she is posing outside the Council House. I've tried to give the image a vintage look too.

Meals On Wheels

As the name implies, the Soulville Steakhouse is a restaurant with a leaning towards cuts of meat. I've never eaten there yet, as I don't eat red meat. I've been meaning to take the photo of this Mod scooter for a while now, but there's been scaffolding up along the road for ages and ages, and it's only recently been taken away.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

March 17 is of course St Patrick's Day. A day when the patron saint of Ireland is celebrated and much Guinness, whiskey and beer is drunk by everyone, Irish or not. A march took place again in the city centre. Here's the start of the cavalcade as it headed towards the Old Market Square.

Back To The Future

It's been my choice this week for the Headbanger Challenge, and I've chosen 'retro'; the modern word for recycling the past. I was hoping to to find a really good example to win the gold this week, but nothing has tapped me on the shoulder and said "take my photo". So it's been another trawl of the archive and I've found this great example of a hairstyle that seems to have been around since the 1950s with the introduction of rock 'n' roll. I actually took this last year, so perhaps this guy has had the same style since he was a young man. And that's some sideboard he's got. I don't think even Elvis had his that wide. Please visit the other members of the gang to see how they have interpreted the theme and enjoy the musical trip down Memory Lane.

Today's daily photo picture is another from Belton House, and a statue inside the Orangery. I have given it a retro feel, so it resembles an old Victorian print or postcard.

Resting Awhile

Whilst walking around one of the lakes at Belton House, Imac and I came across this couple taking the weight off their feet and enjoying the view. The sun was lovely and warm; a complete contrast to today, with thick fog this morning and no sun whatsoever. I hope it's not going to be the same for the rest of the week.

Still Life

On my tour around Belton House yesterday, I realised that there was quite a number of statues dotted around the gardens. They are good subjects for photography, as the stone is often weathered, with moss or ivy sometimes growing on them. My blogging pal Stewart (Imac) said that this one is one of his favourites. So this is dedicated to him.

Belton House

Gail and I met up with fellow blogger Imac and his DW today for a stroll around Belton House; a splendid country house and estate near Grantham in Lincolnshire. It is owned by the National Trust. We joined the organisation today, as it allows free entry to all its properties in the UK. There are many castles, houses, lighthouses and gardens available. Something to please everyone. We plan to see quite a few this year through day trips or weekends away.

Madame Butterfly

This display of butterflies was designed to show what Fuji's new 3D camera can do, and what the finished photo looks like. I guess that at the moment it is a bit of a novelty. Although the system does work, and you and tell that the picture is 3 dimensional, you do need to buy either a 3D television, or digital picture frame. You can buy prints, but they are rather expensive at about £5 for a postcard sized photo.
No doubt when more people buy into the system the prices will come down. But for now, It's something I'll forget about.

Yummy, Tummy

Gail and I have just got back from a romantic dinner, at this small Italian restaurant in Chilwell. The food was very good, and I think we will be going back again quite soon. We went there through this voucher offer which gave us £50 of food for £20. It's a good idea, so people can try new places without spending too much cash. I was talking to the owner about it. He was a little miffed that some of his regulars had bought the voucher too, as it was supposed to be geared towards people who had not eaten there before.

Yes, You Will Go To The Ball

Here's another model shot from the photography exhibition in Birmingham. A photographer was explaining about the best positioning of lights, so they didn't cast any shadows, for example with a person's nose or some items of clothing. Quite a few people were listening to his words of wisdom, while others like me were more interested in snapping the model.

Thank You For Being A Friend

Many words have been said and written about friends, which is this week's Headbanger Challenge, from our very own Imac. So what exactly is a friend? I know and work with lots of people, but I wouldn't class them all as friends. Some I do. I think some of the main ingredients that make a friend, are (1) how long you've known each other (2) do you enjoy each others company (3) would you miss them if they weren't here. Relatives are another matter, as the old saying goes; you can choose your friends, but not your relatives.
Which brings me to my header picture; my wedding day, and the honour of Gail becoming my wife and very, very, very best friend. That was in 2006, but I feel just the same about her all these years later. None of the friendship has disappeared, and we both enjoy each other's company. Like every other couple in the 21st century we have disagreements over various issues. But nothing too serious, and one that can't be solved over a cup of tea and a biscuit.
Enjoy the song, which means something special to Gail and I and also don't forget to visit my headbanger friends to see how they have interpreted this week's theme.

Motorbikin'

Gail and I have been to the big photography trade fair at the NEC in Birmingham called Focus on Imaging 2011. All the top names were there showing off their new cameras, and other companies like Ilford, Kodak, Epson and many others had stands to demonstrate their products. Gail bought herself a monopod and a spongy case for her bridge camera, while I bought a copy of Photoshop Elements 9 at a bargain price, and splashed out on a new camera; a Nikon D90 with an 18-105mm lens. As much as I love my Panasonic G1 & GF1, the choices of lenses are a bit limited and rather expensive at the moment. So I thought I would give the Nikon a go. I'll show you some shots with it when I've charged the battery and worked out what all the buttons do.

There were a number of workshops and demonstrations going on throughout the day. From showing people how some software works to explaining how to set up a home studio and the different lights available. Here's one of the models they used posing on this substantial motorcycle.

A Man With A Name

Leaving Hartington this morning after checking out of the hotel, Gail suggested that we make our way to Bakewell; a fairly large county town famous for a certain type of cake with a pastry base. It has been deemed by the bureaucrats in Belgium that only this type of cake can be called a Bakewell Tart, if it is actually made in Bakewell. We of course bought one from a bakery, as well as a couple of other cakes that we ate in the warm sunshine. Walking past the various sorts of shops that you find today, we came across this gift shop. I said to Gail that I needed to take a photo of it, as it shares the same name as my blogging buddy 'Imac'.

Mister Dale's Diary

Here is the village of Hartington, in the Peak District area of Derbyshire. What could be described as a 'one horse' town. There is a few shops, a pub, an old church and a duckpond. But not a lot else, except for the hotel where we stayed for a little break. I took this photo of the main street from our bedroom window. So you can see how small the place actually is. But it was good for us, as we didn't want anything too noisy. It was also not too far to drive and the scenery was nice. Even the sun came out for us, which makes for a welcome change.

Hobby Love

Here's an eye-catching sign for a small photographic studio in Nottingham. I'm not sure all the different typefaces work though, but it's certainly been designed to be noticed by people walking by. It reminds me of those old Victorian posters advertising circuses and theatre shows.

The poster also poses a question; love photography? Well I and the many hundreds who blog each day do, so too do the millions on Flickr. The big question is, do you?

Coming Down

Due to the cuts that the city council are having to make, they have closed various offices and condensed others. One of the buildings they left was to do with housing and rent collections. It was one of those boring 1960/70s concrete affairs, with very little style. At the moment it is being knocked down. I don't know what is going to be put up in it's place yet. But I guess it can only be an improvement.

Think Positive

When things and the world are getting you down, here's an idea to help you on your way to happiness.

Seen on the doorway to a solicitors.

To Bake Or Not To Bake

A touch of the Jamie Oliver's this week with Dave's chosen Headbanger theme. Although I do the majority of cooking, baking is not something I've really tried. We do have a breadmaker though, and I occasionally make a wonderful crusty wholemeal loaf. Delicious warm, with a knob of goat's butter.

Trawling round the several bakeries in town, I found several window displays full of very tempting offerings, so have made a collage of them. This was what I was going to put up as my header. But then I got into thinking, and wondered if I could get something better. So trawling through my photographic archive, I came across this little gem from a holiday to Dubai. An aptly named drinks can 'baking' on a hot beach.

The Strong, Silent Type

Having difficulty finding something great to show you at the moment, as everything is quite drab and the weather is so dull. Although the sun did make a small guest appearance today. Not enough to make it worthwhile.

So here is a moody shot of one of the statues that are part of a set. I have shown you all four before, but as a group, rather than singularly.