The Colours Of Summer

As I am off work at the moment with tummy trouble, I thought that I would try and make the best of things, especially as it is lovely and sunny at the moment.

So I was sitting outside in the garden under a sunshade, when I saw the opportunity of taking a photo presented itself. I noticed how clear the sky was with no clouds, and how the pink of the sunshade made for a colourful contrast.

If this was on an exotic beach somewhere, rather than in the back garden of a Beeston house, then the sunshade probably wouldn't have any creases in it. Well I certainly wasn't going to get the iron out in these temperatures!

Who's Best?

Another shot that I took off the TV from the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury.

I don't think this band need any introduction, even though there only two left now. No it's not the Beatles, but the amazing Who; Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey.

There is of course a Beatles connection in that Ringo Starr's son Zak plays drums in the group now, who I think is a better drummer than Ringo himself. But of course he's no Keith Moon.

They played a great set, which mainly consisted of their most well know songs and a lot of the audience, of differing ages were singing along too.

For a couple of pensioners, they still have plenty of energy and enthusiasm. Maybe as much now as they did when they started, some fifty years ago.

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

As much as I enjoy music, I have never had the urge or inclination to visit Glastonbury for the festival. The sheer thought of bing in amongst thousands of others fills me with dread, as I'm pretty sure I would end up with having a panic attack, as I would feel so hemmed in. Then of course there is camping in a tent, which is something else that I don't fancy. And I certainly won't mention the infamous Portaloos or the mud.

I think it is much better to be sat at home and watch it on the TV. I don't know who all the main acts are this year, but it was nice to see Lionel Ritchie entertaining the masses with his own special songs. I do know that there are a few local musicians playing there, including Saint Raymond, The Seaford Mods and Ferocious Dog.

It is nice to see all the different flags flying together. I even spotted the special Nottingham one. Music is probably one of the few forms of education that cuts across, race, creed and religion.

Fete-A-Ccompli

Yippee, the very popular annual church garden party is back after an absence for a couple of years due to the tramworks.

And what a lovely day for it, being so very warm and sunny. A typical English summer's day. Such a shame that we don't get that many these days.

There were plenty of people mingling about looking at the various stalls, including a large one for books, listening to a small orchestra, eating a freshly cooked burger or just sipping tea in the sunshine.

Even though I am still not feeling very well, it was good to sit in the warmth, or chat to some people that I know, including some neighbours, who had a homemade soap stall.

Photographer Down

Sadly I'm not very well at the moment, as I have problems with my stomach. It started some three weeks ago, and I thought it had been cured by the pills that I have been taking, but it came back on Wednesday with a vengeance. So much so, that I was even sent home from work yesterday.

Have been back to the doctor today to see if she can work out what the problem is. They've sent some samples off to the hospital for testing, so should get the results on Monday, when I pop back to the medical centre.

I won't bore you with all my symptoms, but generally I've been getting really bad stomach cramps and have been feeling very tired all the time. I hope it is something that is easily treated, rather than something more serious.

Wilko Over And Out

There was quite a buzz in Beeston this morning as one of the town's most favourite shops retuned to the Square after an absence of three years.

The original Wilkos, or Wilkinson's to give the store its proper name had to be knocked down to make way for the new tram tracks. The people of Beeston mourned its passing. But at 9am this morning, the Mayoress of Broxtowe cut the ribbon and the long line of people that had formed across the Square all filed in and given sweets, balloons and for the lucky ones, some store vouchers.

The Buck Stops Here

Passing through Wollaton Park, I noticed a group of deer enjoying the shade from the warm evening sunshine.

Clocking On

Well Nottingham's unique landmark clock has been returned to the Victoria Centre, after being refurbished in Birmingham.

It has been away since February last year and has been missed by many people, as it made for a good meeting place, being near the entrance to the shopping centre.

Although everyone is very pleased to see it back, they are not too happy as to where it has now been placed. The owners of the centre have resisted it upstairs and away from people, unless you happened to go that way. This is because the owners are spending millions doing up the centre and the clock just got in the way of their plans.

And being upstairs, there is no way of looking at it from above like you used to be able to do, where it had sat since the early 1970s.  Looking at it from above was great, because you got a good view of all the moving parts when it struck the hour etc. And of course you also managed to get better angles for photographs.

Before And After

I used to visit this house sometimes when the owners used to host charity sales.

But they moved and the house was up for sale. It has now been sold by a developer and several apartments are to be built on the site.

I have been watching over the past few weeks as the garden has been cleared and the house slowly demolished. I stopped off on the way home tonight and took the photo below. As you can see, there's not much left.

What A Card

Well here's a card that I never would have expected to get ever, as I am not a parent, or ever likely to be.

It was a little joke on Gail's part, as she put Oscar & Marmalade down as my 'children'. Which I suppose they are in a way, as we are responsible for their safekeeping, welfare, health and love. They give us companionship, a certain amount of love and an empty wallet in return.

We wouldn't be without them and we are so glad that they decided that we are good enough to be their parents.

On The Town

I saw this picture in the window of a local charity shop and thought that I quite like it. I have no idea who it is by, but like the simplicity of the narrative. A guy having a drink with a woman in a bar. Is he a private detective, or has he just arrived, as he still has his hat and coat on?

I decided not to buy it, as we don't really have any suitable wall space to hang it, so I just took a photo of it instead. A shame that the yellow, no parking line is reflected in the glass.

Poppy - 2

Another shot of one of our giant poppies. This one is getting some keen interest from a passing bee, who is out shopping for food, judging by the big sacks of nectar that he is carrying.

Poppy

We have quite a few poppy plants in the garden that have started to flower. They all seem to be differing shades of pink. Although there are some of the usual red ones in the front.

Each plant is nearly five foot tall and have really big flowers. They don't really have much scent, but are a lovely colour and really brighten up the garden, if only for a short while.

Shepherd's Delight

Lovely sunset tonight. Such moody colours of red and orange. It's the sort of sky that Turner would have painted.

Eighteen Geese A Swimming

Whilst I was walking into town, I saw a few people leaning over the bridge looking at something.  Of course that stirred my interest. Has someone fallen in the water? Is there a yacht waiting to use the lock gates? Or was there some filming going on?

Sadly in a way it was none of those, but something just as interesting to see; a pair of Canada geese with their young were wanting to swim a bit further up the canal, but they were being prevented by the locked gates.

As I had some errands to run, I didn't stay to see how they managed to continue with their journey, or whether they went back the way they came.

Head Up Display

Being a clothes shop/tailors, One B.C had some quirky artefacts around the store.

I took a few photos of them whilst I was waiting for The Madeline Rust to start. I particularly like this stags head which is high up on one of the walls. I think that it looks very effective with the shadow and lights dancing around it.

Lucy And The Amazing Leather Dreamcoat

I went to see my favourite band The Madeline Rust last night, at a very unusual venue. Not a pub, restaurant or club, but a clothes shop, situated in Sneinton Market.

The shop is run by a husband & wife partnership and they design and make the clothes themselves, bespoke; hence the shop's name One B.C: bespoke clothing.

They had made a special leather outfit for Lucy, the singer and bassist in the band, and last night was the unveiling metaphorically speaking, when they played for about an hour and Lucy got to show off their creation, complete with skulls, guns and roses.

Comedy Cooks

Despite these two looking a bit like Laurel and Hardy, they are in fact local well known award winning butcher Johnny Pusztai and celebrity chef and broadcaster Richard Fox.

They were in Beeston today giving cookery demonstrations as part of Beeston's first food and drink festival.  Sadly it was really a bit of a washout as it has been raining all day. It actually started last night, and hasn't stopped since.

This didn't' stop the two foodies putting on a good show. I learnt how to make fritter using carrot, onion, cumin, double cream, coriander and flower. It was easy to make and very tasty. I will have to have a go myself. I also got to taste some flatbread, and a bit of Tandoori chicken.

There were quite a number of food stalls between the Square and Broadgate Park, selling different foods like pies, organic vegetables and halloumi wraps. Sadly due to the weather some events had to be cancelled on Broadgate Park.

It's a shame that the weather has been so poor, as a lot of work goes into organising these things, and it seems a waste of time if no one goes to support it, let alone buys anything. Still Johnny said that he had an enjoyable time conversing with passers by with their cookery questions.

Boxing Clever

It's now Oscar's turn to find a comfy spot in the garage.  He's gone for being on a box, unlike Marmalade, who likes sleeping in a box,  as I showed you recently.

The little rogue didm't want to come out this morning, as I was getting my bike out ready to go to work. So I put a bowl of food and water in the garage and left him to it.

I sent a text to Gail telling her about Oscar. Fortunately she was only working half a day today, so Gail was able to let him out when she got home.

Crowne Estate

Dusk setting of the Crown Plaza Hotel at the NEC in Birmingham.

One for the archive, as the cupboard is a bit bare at the moment.

I actually took it in March, when I went to the Photography Show. I was there that long, that I was one of the last people to leave the hall. Still it was with it to get this shot.

Happy Valley Sunday

As it was a lovely sunny afternoon on Sunday, so Gail and I went on a walk around Highfields park.

Instead of going along the usual route that I take when I'm cycling home, we went round the other way; the one closest to the university. It's quite a wooded area with a path to walk along. The path has lots of  twists and tuns, and you can see the lake for most of the time.

I like the way that the sun is just kissing the top of the plants and trees and inviting you to follow the path to see what's there.

The Fab Four

Here's a shot of local band The Madeline Rust that I took the other night at Oxjam's rock night at a pub in Beeston.

They were excellent as usual, and introduced a couple of new songs to the appreciative audience.

There were also another three bands playing on the night; I Am Jupiter, These Skies and Paradise Pill.

I don't know how much money was raised on the night, but it will go towards the final figure that will be raised during the Oxjam music festival in October.

The Voice Of God?

There seemed to be a bit of a commotion in the city centre today as I walked towards the Old Market Square, as I heard a very loud voice shouting, but couldn't quite make out what was being said.

As I got closer, I could make out a small crowd gathered close to the Sweeper sculpture, that I posted last week. I then noticed a couple of banners and a man with a microphone. A Bible basher as I call these sorts of religious fanatics. He was American too, and they are often the worst, as they take things out of the Bible so literally, and often have some dangerous ideas about personal issues like being gay.

I have no problem with people being religious, I just don't think they should force it upon others, and this man was particularly loud. So much so, that I wondered whether the police would ask him to stop, as he was disturbing the peace.

Siesta Time

What could be better than dozing in the summer sunshine?  Well that's exactly what this couple were doing at the Hemlock Happening yesterday.

They owned a old Morris 'Moggy' Minor and were showing it off, together with some other classic cars. Most of which, I think I saw last week at Wollaton Park.

They seemed quite content to sit there in chairs that aren't usually very comfortable. I didn't hang around too long to find out whether they snored or not.

In Parrot Fashion

I popped along to the annual Hemlock Happening this afternoon, which took place at Bramcote Park.

There were a lot of stalls and things to do, which were mainly aimed at children. But there was a few bands on, and I bumped into loads of people that I know.  But the important thing was that it stayed sunny and warm.

One of the stalls was being run by Parrotaid, a charity to raise money for to help unwanted and abandoned parrots. The people that look after the birds had bought some along to show the visitors.

These two seemed to be enjoying the sunshine and attention that they were receiving from the visitors to the show.

Rebel With A Heart

Another day, and another famous person visits Nottingham.

This time its been Huey Morgan, front man of the Fun Loving Criminals.

He was at Waterstones today signing copies of the book that he has written about rebels in music. Singers like Billie Holliday, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

It was fortuitous in a way that I had arrived at the bookstore later than I wanted, as I had missed all his adoring fans and more or less had him to myself. So I politely asked if he wouldn't mind posing for a photo or two, which he was more than happy to do.

The Human Dynamo

A touch of showbiz magic arrived in the Old Market Square today, in the form of illusionist Dynamo.

He was essentially in town to promote his show, which doesn't take place until later in the year.

Quite a crowd had gathered when I arrived in the Old Market Square, and I found it a little difficult to get into a good position to take some reasonably good photos. He performed a few small tricks, mainly with playing cards, but involving the astounded audience.

I'd not really seen any of his tricks before, so I didn't know what sort of things he could do. Somehow I was hoping he would do something really amazing, like making the Council House disappear.

Wrap Up Well When Driving

The city centre was rather quiet at lunchtime, especially in the Old Market Square, so it's back to the shots that I took on Sunday at the classic car show, and this rather enchanting bonnet mascot.

I can't remember which car this old fella came from, with his jaunty hat, handlebar moustache and warm scarf.

I'm sure it;s not a genuine car emblem, but it's a great little addition to what would have been a great looking car.

Given The Brush Off

A new sculpture appeared in the city centre yesterday in the shape of this woman and child cleaning their garden.

The sculpture is entitled "The Sweepers" and has been created by a company called Shipshape Arts. It is in recognition of Nottingham becoming the cleanest city in Britain.

It has attracted a lot of attention from passers by since it was placed there, with people having their photos taken whilst standing next to the two figures.  In fact a woman asked me to take her and her family's picture whilst I was shooting this.

Travelling In Style

Don't these Theme Days come around quickly. This month's topic is Style.

I saw lots of stylish vehicles yesterday at Wollaton Park. From the beginning of motoring to a sports car of today.

So which one to choose. Well it just had to be this Jaguar from the 1940s. Even the leaping mascot has style.