A Blinding Success

One of my photographic concoctions taken from the inspiration of a bottle of beer that I bought the other day.

For those that don't know, a 'Peaky Blinder' was a member of a gang of violent criminals and thugs that lived in Birmingham  in the late 19th & early 20th century.

The BBC made a drama series a while ago that illustrated their violent exploits around the city.

I've not tried the beer yet, but I just hope it doesn't turn me into a monster!

Read All About It

For a few weeks now I have been sending in some event photos to our local free newspaper. And they have been happy to print them.  I was very excited to see that one of my photos had made the front page of this week's issue, with another three on one of the inside pages, which were to do with the Festivals of Light show last week.

I am always delighted to see any of my photos in print, as you never know who may see it and might want me to do some photography for them.

Festivals Of Light

The Festivals of Light is an annual entertainment put on by local dancers and entertainers.

They usually put on a parade first, but it was missing this year. Still there was plenty of things going on to keep the lunchtime audience amused. Like this scene of people dressed in newspaper suits being followed by dancers dressed as pigs carrying giant knives and forks for some reason.

After work some dancers appeared in rather skimpy costumes, but they had to put on those plastic ponchos that people tend to wear on water rides at theme parks, due to a shower of rain, which sadly meant less people stood to watch the show.

Some giant puppets also made a reappearance from lunchtime, like this orange one that must have been at least 10 foot tall.

Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Not a very encouraging newspaper headline on today of all days; St Valentine's Day.

But no, the council are not considering banning lovemaking or encouraging celebacy in Nottingham, but the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner is deciding on whether to close all sex shops and lap dancing clubs in the area, as they are seen to degrade and endanger women.

There is some debate as to whether this is true or not. As if it is stamped out and goes underground, then it might become more dangerous to the women who work in them. Maybe it should go the other way and the industry is properly regulated and checked like it is in Holland and some states in America.

Still the poster for Nandos behind takes the subject of St Valentine's Day the other way, with the idea that you can become Rudolph Valentino or Casanova after eating a plate of their spicy chicken legs.

What'o Ginger, Chocks Away

I heard a very amusing, but slightly sad story yesterday about a restored WW2 flying Spitfire fighter that had to crashland at East Midlands Airport, after it had problems with its undercarriage.

The plane caused the temporary closure of the airport, and all flights had to be diverted to the airport at Birmingham; 40 miles away  The pilot wasn't hurt and the airport opened after a few hours.

The vintage fighter which belongs to Rolls Royce was fully restored in 2010 and is often used in air displays throughout the summer months. Incidentally Rolls Royce made the Merlin engine that powered the famous fighter.

Hopefully the plane can be repaired and will be able to fly before too long, just like the one below that I snapped in Lincolnshire last summer.

Here Is The News

Here's our little Marmalade trying to read a newspaper. I don't think he was doing very well. Not because he can't actually read, but he's trying to read it upside-down.

Money Makes The World Go Round

I used this photo for the Headbanger Challenge. The theme was 'change'. It got me the gold too.

One Man And His Paper

The German market has returned to Nottingham for a few weeks. I of course had a wander around looking for that exciting shot. Unfortunately I didn't see anything worth taking of the stalls themselves, but I spotted this stallholder, who was more interested in reading his paper, than trying to sell anything.