Pick Up Truck

Oh dear, one unlucky motorist is going to be in for an expensive shock when they come back and see that their car has disappeared, as they will have to pay a release fee of £105, plus any penalty charges incurred.

Quite a few people had stopped to watch the event, and a small group of youths were sharing a joke between themselves; probable at the misfortune of the driver.

The car had been removed from the disabled parking bay, but I couldn't see if there was a Blue Badge on the dashboard. If there was, then I think it was a bit mean of the traffic wardens, but if there wasn't, then it's a fair cop, as non disabled drivers shouldn't park in such places.

Boyhood Reminiscences

When I was younger, I used to collect model cars, just like any other boy. My favourite was Matchbox, as they came in a small yellow and blue card box, that actually looked like a matchbox.  Others brands were Corgi & Dinky.

There was generally 75 models in the series, which were updated every so often with different colours or new vehicles.

I never had this crane in my collection, as it was made before I was born. I picked it up from a stall at Wollaton Park's car show for 50p. If it was mint and boxed, then it would be worth about £50.  Still its nice to have, even though the jib is broken and the paint is a bit chipped. But it's not bad for something that is about 52 years old.

From Pillar To Post

Whilst we were shooting Josh, there was some activity going on in the nearby street, in that a big crane was lifting giant concrete posts onto the new bridge which goes over the road and is part of the new tram route into the city centre.

Crane And Able

I've got a day off from work today, as I have a few days holiday to take before I move jobs next month.

One of my goals today was to mend the loo, as it wasn't flushing properly. This meant a trip to a local DIY store. Whilst driving down a road that I always use,  I found out that the road had been closed and came across this scene, which explained.

Two houses were being redeveloped, and as neither has a driveway, it clearly was impossible to deliver the building materials to the back of the house. So it seems that using this big crane was the only method.

It was certainly very easy for the builders, but a tad inconvenient for residents and motorists, as they had to do a long detour around some other streets, to get where they wanted to go.

Window Shopping

Stewart has come up with this week's Headbanger theme of 'shop window'.

Now I work in the city centre of Nottingham, so have plenty of shop windows to look at during my daily stroll around town.

So what to photograph? A fashion display, food or even Christmas decorations. Yes, I saw Santa Claus standing in one store window.

But of course I like to be different, and was planning on showing this sign that I saw at a sports shop.

But in the end I went for this night shot of a statue of Robin Hood in a fancy furniture store on Castle Boulevard. Well it's classic Nottingham, isn't it.

Don't forget to pop along to the other pages and see how the team have interpreted the theme.

Today's photo shows the destruction of the old Odeon gathering pace. I managed to get this shot of one of the main girders crashing to the ground in a pile of eighty year old dust. It made a very loud noise as it dropped the twenty feet or so. Ideally I should have filmed it, as it was an historic moment.

Digging For Victory

I went up to the top floor of a new multi-storey car park today for the first time. It's been open about six months now, but this is the first time that I have ventured inside.

It's a tall one, and is located close to the railway station. I enjoy seeing the city from up high, but I don't like being so exposed. I have a fear of heights, and don't like going to the edge, as I think the wall is going to break and I will plunge to my fate.

So I took this photo with my arm outstretched over the side, camera gripped strongly in my hand, and the strap wrapped around my wrist, so I didn't drop it.

The building site was the original car park for the station, but as you can see they've dug a great big hole and going to fill it with concrete, ready for the new tram stop, or transport hub as the planners are calling it.

So I have two building sites to visit now. Work is commencing slowly on the old Odeon. I had a look today and a lot of the rubble has been taken away. Maybe I'll show an updated picture at the weekend.

Eye In The Sky

This crane looks brand new and of the latest design, as the cab is rounded, rather than the usual square box.

I'm not very good with heights, but it must be great sitting up there and looking down over the whole city. To quote an old Who song; "I can see for miles and miles".