A Matter Of Life And Death

We met up with some fellow Flickr photographers this morning at the Rock Cemetery in the centre of Nottingham.

The Rock is one of Nottingham's oldest cemeteries and full of very interesting headstones, mausoleums and statues, or 'Weeping Angels' as they are now known, thanks to Doctor Who. Blink and you're dead!

It was cold, but lovely and sunny, with hardly a cloud in the sky. Although we've past the graveyard many times, neither Gail or myself had ever been in to have a look around. Some of our Flickr friends have been before, but it was all new to us. We spent around two hours walking about and photographing the graves.

Although the sky was very blue, I quite like this sepia effect that was produced in-camera, as I took my little Olympus with me. I think the lack of colour and shadows of the figures adds a sense of menace.

We snapped a different sor of angel this afternoon, as we met up with Jurgan, a photographer friend of ours and his model Bryony up at Wollaton Park. We actually met them by accident in the cafe, as we were both hungry and thirsty after our walk in the morning.

On entering the cafe, a tapped Gail and pointed, as I could see Jurgan sitting at one of the tables near the entrance. He's a big lad, so he was easy to spot! We ordered a Devonshire style scone and a hot chocolate and then sat with them and chatted for a while.

Jurgan said that he wanted to shoot Bryony down by the lake. So we all got up and started on the long trek downhill to the very large lake. There's no boating on it, but there are lots of ducks etc. Loads of people were there too, throwing bread to them. Although I have had read somewhere that you shouldn't feed birds bread, as it expands in their stomachs, and so isn't very good for them.

So we went to a more quieter part of the lake, and Bryony stood, sat, crouched and laid in a variety of poses. The temperature had really dropped and the poor girl was freezing.  But she kept with it, not really complaining at all. Jurgan used an off camera flash for his pictures. I took this one with no extra light at all, even though the sun had completely disappeared by then.

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

Gail and I had the great pleasure of meeting film star Shirley Anne Field tonight, as she officially opened the latest exhibition at the Lakeside Arts Centre hear Highfields.

It is called Saturday Night & Sunday Morning, a photographic exhibition that not just covers the film of the same name, but it is also about social scenes of Nottingham & Northern England from the 1950s & 60s.

And very good it is too. Well worth a visit if you have any interest in either photography or social anthropology. Shirley was there, as she was the leading lady from the film. She played Doreen, Arthur Seaton's erstwhile girlfriend. She told an amusing story about David Niven, just as she was starting out as a actress and how he gave her a lift in his car, but was worried about what people would think.

I queued up to get my copy of the exhibition guide autographed by Shirley, and she quickly posed for my photo whilst signing another book.

For any of you that are interested in the career of Shirley, here's a WEBLINK to her profile on IMDB.

A change of pace later on in the evening, as we went to see a Stranglers tribute band called Straighten Out, who were playing at a local pub in Beeston. Both Gail and I are both fans of the punk band from the 1970s & 80s. Although I would say that the Stranglers were much more than a punk band, as they could write proper tunes and Dave Greenfield their keyboard player should be up there with the greats like Vangelis, Rick Wakeman and Geoff Downes. It was very busy and everybody seemed to be enjoying the music. The lead singer sounded a bit like Hugh Cornwall, and the keyboard player who was surrounded by Moogs made them sound authentic.

Boxing Clever

I joined the media circus at lunchtime today at the Albert Hall, with the weigh-in between Nottingham boxing legend Carl Froch and his American opponent Yusaf Mack.  There is going to be a big fight tomorrow night at the National Ice Arena.

I heard about the weigh-in this morning on the radio when I woke up. They also said that it was open to the public. So I just had to go along. Not because I'm a boxing fan, which I'm not, but because it is a newsworthy event.

I would have gone along anyway, just see if I could have got a shot or two, but as it was a public event, I just walked in. The main hall was nearly full of fans, and loads of TV cameras were on the stage. I tried to join them, as I said to a security guy that I was media too. He looked at my small Olympus and told me to go and sit down. Maybe it would have been a different story if I had lugged along my Nikon D3s and big zoom lens.

So instead of sitting down like a good little boy, as no one gets the story while obeying the rules, I wandered over to the other side, to see if I could get a better view.  I couldn't too many press people there. Another guy was watching the proceedings, and I said to him that I wasn't getting anything standing here. So he kindly said, go on, go and stand over there with all the other press people, and he let me sneak by the railing.

So i just hopped up and joined the rest of the press pack in trying to get a good shot or two. Like this one of the two opponents trying to psyche each other out. Froch is on the left by the way. Of course all the locals were booing Mack and cheering Froch. I just carried on snapping. When I left, I saw Carl's big black Range Rover parked outside. So I just had to take a snap of that as well, with his distinctive numberplate.

Misty Moments

I think everyone, including the weather people were a bit surprised to wake up and finding Nottingham covered by a misty shroud.

Apparently visibility was quite poor at first light, but it had eased a bit when I cycled off to work. Still the fog made a trip through Highfields worthwhile. A shame that it wasn't the 'pea-souper' like England used to get in the 1950s, but it was worth stopping off and trying to get a few shots.

Above you can see the boating lake and can just about make out the clock tower of the Trent building. While below is a low shot of the fallen leaves and some of the railing that surrounds the lake. Shame that all the ducks had hidden themselves away, as one would have added a little extra interest to the picture.

Togs, Mods And Muas

You may be wondering what the title of this blog means. Well, its a shortened version of 'photographers, models and make up artists'. And I met quite a few of them tonight on a social event at a pub near the canal.

As you know, I work in town and the pub was only a few minutes away from the office, so I got there a little early. As no one appeared to have turned up, I spent a bit of time taking some shots of the canal.

This is the Magistrates' Court reflected in the water. This it looks quite moody in the darkness. It's appeared on the TV news occasionally when some case of interest is up before the beak. It only really handles small scale stuff, while the crown court  nearby tries all the murderers, robbers and general lowlife that don't deserve their freedom.

When I had done I found a friend of mine had turned up and we went in to see if anyone else had turned up. Slowly one by one, the place was being filled with artistic types. I met a number of new people, including another photographer, who strangely enough only lives in the next street to us.

It was an interesting night, and I hope another one is arranged soon.

Bricks And Mortar

Another weekly shot of the old Odeon cinema demolition team in action.

A special brick crushing machine has arrived now and is turning all those thousands of bricks and concrete into rubble. Personally I wonder why they don't recycle them, as I know that there is a big demand for vintage bricks, as they are easier to blend into older buildings.

I wonder how much longer it is going to take before they start on the new building?

Lady In Waiting

This rather elegant figurine was on offer at a shop that was closing down. She's clearly designed in the 1920s style; short bob haircut and art deco influence dress.

Although it is very pretty to look at and was probably a bargain price, I didn't splash out on it. Mainly because we wouldn't have anywhere to put it, as tops of furniture, display cabinets and window sills are full up already.

Family History

Today is Remembrance Sunday. The one day of the year when everyone remembers the people that gave up their lives in wars to keep our freedoms and peace.

I am lucky in one way, as I am not aware that any of my family died in active service, but sad in another, as I can't personally connect with the loss that others feel at this time of year. Whether it was against the Germans; in Korea, Ireland, the Falklands or the latest conflict in the Middle East.

My dad Douglas, was born with a disability (polio), so he couldn't join up for active service. Instead he spent 39-45 chauffeuring high level military personnel around. I don't think he ever got to drive Winston Churchill. But if he did, he never said.

His dad Albert was in the Royal Navy, but died in 1917. Not from enemy fire, but from a disease. So my dad din't really know him at all as he was born in April 1916. So his mum had several children to bring up on her own. But from all accounts, I don't think she was short of gentlemen friends.


I used to have an uncle on my mums side called Frank that fought with the Sherwood Foresters.  He was born in York in 1898 and died in 1982. He had won some campaign medals, but when he died, my mum decided to send them to his nephew, also called Frank, who lives in Guernsey.

So what picture to put up for today? Many other bloggers are showing the traditional poppy, but I feel something different is called for. Instead I'm showing a photo that I took in June, when the Mercians, marched through the city centre after returning from Afghanistan.

My uncle would have been proud, as the Mercian regiment are what the Sherwood Foresters used to be, before the recent shake up of the armed forces.

Showing Off

I bumped into another photography friend of mine this morning in Beeston Square. He was in the process of photographing a small display of birds of pray that are being cared for at a sanctuary up at Worksop. There were showing off the birds to help raise money for the sanctuary.

He shoots with a Nikon too, although I was taking my Olympus OMD for a trip today, as I was shopping and didn't want to lug my heavy D3s around with me.

This sparrowhawk seemed to be very keen on having his portrait taken, as he stood with his wings open for quite some time. So I fired a few shots off, and this is the one that I like the most.

Sitting Pretty

Thought I might show something artistic tonight that I took recently at a local art exhibition.

I'm not too sure whether this hat suits the gazelle very well, but at least it will help her to keep cool under that hot African sky.

Melissa

Gail and I went to a local studio last night for a shoot. We weren't sure of the name of the model we would have to work with for the evening. But we were happy to find out that we had a very lovely young lady called Melissa waiting for us.

Melissa gets her dark looks from having an Indian father and great bone structure from her German mother. And what a stunning combination. Melissa also has a very nice personality and was a pleasure to work with.

She changed into three outfits for us. But I really like the mix of white shirt and her fantastic glossy black hair. Hope you like it too.

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.

Branching Out

The weather has turned a tad cold over the last few days and people are having to scrape the ice from their cars in the morning.

I missed a great opportunity yesterday morning when I was on the train to Bristol. I saw the dew evaporating in the fields, just like smoke, but I was standing up at the time, so I couldn't get a chance of taking out my camera.

But I did manage to capture the dew clinging to the branches of our pine tree, that is growing in the front garden.

Going Down South

I took a long train ride today down to Bristol. Just for the day. It took over three hours to get there, and then another three hours back. In fact I was sat on the train longer than I was sat in the office.

I had about half an hour for lunch, so I went in search of a sandwich and a drink. I then had a little walk around the area close to where the office that I was visiting was. Couldn't stray too far and get lost now could I?

Bristol has the River Avon running through it and I was pleased to discover that it was just a short walk from the office to reach a part of it. As I didn't have too long,  I only managed to take a few shots like this one. It was lovely and sunny too, with a great blue sky. I wish I could have spent longer there to look around and see what else was on offer.

Secret Squirrel

For a creature that is meant to be shy and retiring, this squirrel who lives in Wollaton Park doesn't seem to be following that idea, as he carefully approached me whilst on the steps to the front entrance to the hall.

Obviously on the alert, but he still couldn't resist seeing what I was up to and whether I had any food available. Sadly not, but he made a good subject for my camera, which of course I had in my hand at the time.

Abstract Saturday

A bit of a colourful abstract today for a change. Something a little different for a cold Saturday.

If you are wondering what it is, and I am sure many of you are; well it's one of the painted concrete floors of a local multi-storey car park.

Moss Bros

A shot from the archives, as sadly I didn't manage to find anything worth taking today. Although I did have lunch with a friend, so didn't really get the opportunity of hunting out some photographic subjects.

I took this in Highfields a couple of weeks ago. It is various kinds of lichen growing on top of a wall in Highfields. The wall is made of stone, rather than brick, so I don't know if that makes a difference to the types and colours of the moss that are growing quite nicely, and making a abstract pattern.

Say Cheese

I bumped into a photography friend of mine in the Old Market Square the other day.  He was carrying his camera and I asked him what he was shooting.

Peter explained that he was resurrecting his 100 Strangers project, after resting it for a while, and has he had the day off, he had come down to the city centre to try and find some interesting characters to photograph.

Like this chap who was passing by with his wife and daughter. Clearly an ageing rocker. Actually Peter thought he might have been Alice Cooper, who was playing in town that night. But of course he wasn't. Still he made a good subject, as my photo shows.

Chaos Theory

I have come up with this weeks Headbanger theme, and for some reason decided on 'chaos'. I have no idea why. Possibly because Gail and I are having a bit of a spring clean, and as I was typing the email to let everyone know what the theme is going to be, my eyes fell on a pile of boxes that need to be gone through, and the idea sort of stuck.

So what has the theme got to do with a crumbling ruin? Well the answer is political chaos and the building is the remains of Beauvale Priory.

Imagine England in the early part of the sixteenth century. Henry the Eighth is on the throne and there is turmoil across the land. He wants to many Anne Boleyn, but because of the Catholic faith that runs through the country he is not allowed to.

So what does he do? Well he states that the Pope is no longer the leader of the church in England, he is, and anyone disagreeing with this new order is basically murdered.

This is where Beauvale Priory comes in. The Priors of this Carthusian monastery John Houghton and Robert Lawrence, together Augustine Webster  travelled to London to ask if their order can be excused this new rule. The king says no, they must recant. They say that they cannot, so they are killed in the most barbaric way.

So begins the disillusion of the monasteries and the Carthusian order is disbanded. The king marries Anne Boleyn until she is executed in 1536 and then marries Jane Seymour until she is succeeded by the other three wives.

Do pop over to see how the others have fared with this possibly tricky theme.

Todays blog post is a somewhat happier affair, with a shot of the lovely and talented Georgia Rose, who entertained us last night whilst the judges were deciding on the winner of the music competition.

She was very good, and probably would have won if she had entered. Here's a demo recording of one of her songs

The 'N' Factor

                                                                                                                                                 1Girl 1Boy

    Band Of Jackals                                                                                                                   

Music was definitely in the air tonight as Alice Cooper was playing a concert at the Royal Centre. I thought about going, but the tickets were £36, and besides a couple of songs, I don't really know any of his back catalogue.

So instead I went to see the final of 'Notts Factor', a talent contest for local musicians. It was free entry, but contributions of £3 for Framework were encouraged. I happily paid that, as the charity helps homeless people.

There were ten acts all vying for the winners position. The prizes included £500 cash, an interview on local radio, a photoshoot and help with recording their songs.

There was a good selection of artists; several acoustic guitarists, folk band that included a cello, and a couple of rock bands. The acts had the opportunity of playing two songs each, and were then judged by a panel of four people, which included one of the bosses of the Playhouse and another local musician.

In the end the judges found it impossible to pick one artist, so they decided to award a second place prize. This went to Band of Jackals; a high energy rock band, and my favourite of the night, as they worked well together and the guitarist on the left was amazing.

1Girl 1Boy won after much deliberation. They sounded a bit like Portished. Quite melodic, but dark songs. it will be interesting to see how all the acts fair in the near future.

Just Buggin'

Nottinghamshire has created a number of well known music acts down the years, such as Alvin Lee, Paper Lace and Alvin Stardust, but none has made such big impact and so quickly as Jake Bugg.

He has now become a household name in the Nottinghamshire area, and probably the rest of the country, as his debut album reached number one in the charts last week. And for a seventeen year old, that is quite an achievement. Even the wonderful Kate Bush was nineteen when The Kick Inside and the single Wuthering Heights topped the charts back in 1978.

Jake comes from Clifton, a large working class suburb of Nottingham, and while he talks with a local accent, his singing voice is attune to that of either a young Bob Dylan or Donovan. He plays the guitar too and writes his own songs.

His rise to fame has been quite meteoric, as this time last year he was hardly known. Now he has a number one album and has supported Noel Gallagher on tour. He will be playing in Nottingham in November, then embarks on a European tour early next year.

Here's the video of his latest song, which was filmed locally a couple of months ago.

Fields Of Gold

Well the clocks went back in the early hours, so that means dark mornings and early dark nights for the next few months.

I detest it, even though we get an extra hour to spend in bed and you know that Christmas isn't too far away. But it always makes me depressed, as you know that winter's here and that means bad weather and feels like perpetual darkness.

I do think it is time the idea was scrapped, or at least curtailed for the shortest time possible; say from mid November to early February.

I always look forward to March and the return of the lighter nights, and I can see and be seen as I'm cycling home.

Here is a shot of some farmland up at Eastwood that I shot at the end of September, when I visited Beauvale Priory, as I didn't take any photos today.

Keep On Running

We raced to the Playhouse on Tuesday night to see the premiere of a new production of the Alan Sillitoe story written in the late 1950s.

It is about a young lad who gets into trouble and ends up in a youth offenders centre, or Borstal as it used to be known, but he is a good runner and so is encouraged to compete for the prison in a race against a public school.

It was a good production with a clever use of a predominately empty stage and back projection. There was no interval and the actor who played the antihero was on stage all the time and without a break. This came to about 90 minutes. A bravado performance, which included a lot of running, done on a hidden treadmill.

There was a film version made in 1962 which starred Tom Courtney. It also featured a very young John Thaw as another Borstal boy, before changing sides and playing coppers on TV in The Sweeney and Inspector Morse.

Here's a short to a promotional film made for the production which might be coming to a theatre near you in the next few weeks -

Telling The Time

Much has now been removed from the old Odeon building, and you can get a really clear view of the Nottingham city skyline from the vantage point that I visit to take my photos of the site.

You can seen the dome and clock of the Council House and the various rooftops of the surrounding shops and offices.

It shouldn't be too long before they demolish the front and the rear of the former cinema. So that should bring some more rare opportunities for photographs.

Seven Years Bad Luck

A bit of art today for some quiet contemplation.

A supposedly broken mirror reflecting the roof of the gallery where it is on show. In this case Barton's in Chilwell.

I'm not sure what the significance of the feather is. It might not even be part of the image. but dropped by a visitor as a joke or to add to the piece.

Whatever the truth is, do study it and make your own mind up.

Lost In Transit

This weeks Headbanger theme is 'lost' and comes courtesy of Kathy.

Well I am certainly feeling lost at the moment without my Mac. Still struggling on with my Netbook, whilst waiting for the Apple technician to call. Pressing on regardless, although it makes uploading a photo a long process.

Talking of which this weeks entry is from the archive. February 2009 to be precise. Fortunately I have been slowly exporting my photos to an external hard drive, so I was able to find something, as Kathy's email had somehow got lost in Cyberspace and didn't know what the theme was until Monday evening, so not giving me much time to find something new.

This was taken on Queen Street. I saw the guy on the phone standing next to this poster and thought it would make a great pic. Is he ringing for directions?

To see what the others are up to, I'm directing you to their pages.

Today's photo is another one from the archives and is also on the theme of lost. In this case petrol from this tanker. I had heard that the police had blocked the road and that the fire service were on hand, so I just had to pop over in my lunch hour to see the action. Fortunately most of the fuel had been soaked up by using sand, so there wasn't that much to see. But I think it is a good visual record of the event.

Misty Moments

Well it's taken me ten minutes to upload this picture of the university lake, as my iMac is still poorly. Apple are meant to be ringing me tomorrow night, so hopefully they will be able to sort things out and I'll be up and running again.

I am finding using the small laptop hard work at times & it's a little slow. I've hardly been on Facebook, as it's a bit tricky to use. Sorry friends, I'm not ignoring you on purpose.

I'm going to try and upload my header picture. So that should be fun!

It's quite hard work using my little Netbook

The Last Picture Show

Well back to work today, after having a week off. My first port of call at lunchtime was to visit the site of the old Odeon cinema and see how the demolition is going.

Well I was surprised in two ways. Firstly that the both ends of the building were still up, and secondly, that they had cleared nearly all the middle away and that you can now see the garden of the Bromly House private library.

I don't know how long the demolition is goin g to take, but I shall be visiting it at regular intervals and reporting back with photos.

It's All Over Now

Well our last few hours of freedom are slowly slipping away, as we have to go back to work tomorrow, after having the week off and spending it at home together.

We both have fairly enjoyable, if not very well paid jobs, rather than having to do something that we both dread, but have to do it to live.

I am rather disappointed to find out that my Mac has developed a fault, after switching it on tonight and just getting a grey screen; so I am having to write this entry on my little Netbook. I am also not able to put on the photo that I was planning to. Instead, here's a shot from Glasgow, which I took earlier this year, on our last holiday away; albeit for only a few days.

Jammin For Oxfam

Beeston was taken over by music and musicians of all kinds today, all in the name of charity.

The town hosted the second Oxjam event; a countrywide celebration of music, with the aim of raising lots of money for Oxfam.

Things kicked off at lunchtime with a gig by The Jar Family in the Square. A band clearly influenced by groups like Oasis and the Stone Roses. And very good they were too. Melodic, and all original tunes as far as I can tell.

The crowd loved them, and people kept popping coins into the collecting buckets. I put some in too, as they were worth it.

Music fans have been invited to buy a wristband for £5. For this they could visit all the locations and see all the bands that were appearing during the day and evening. The locations include cafes, pubs and Barton's, which presently are showing an art exhibition.

Friday Fun

Well, it's the end of the week, and as we have been off, the time has gone very quickly.  the last couple of days of freedom before going back to work next week.

No new photos taken, so this one was taken a couple of weeks ago at a market in the city centre. Although it looks like a illustration, it is actually a photograph. Taken with my OM-D, and using one of the special 18 art filters it has on offer.

Have a great weekend.

Seen Better Days

Gail and I have been off work this week. We haven't gone away at all. We're having what they call a 'staycation'. Staying at home and trying to have a bit of a spring clean. Or is that an Autumn clean, as it's October?

Besides going to the alternative fashion and burlesque show on Monday, I haven't really taken any photos while being away from the office.

This photo of a decaying and rusting door, is one from the archive. Not very old; Saturday actually. I saw it wen I went to the art exhibition in Chilwell. It wasn't part of the exhibition, but part of the Barton's building that houses it.

Symbols And Meanings

Richard has chosen this week's Headbanger Challenge theme of Symbols. And it's certainly one to get the little grey cells working overtime, as Hercule Poirot would say, as he's trying to solve the latest murder mystery.

My little grey cells certainly worked overtime in trying to think up something interesting and unusual for my photo entry. I found the image that I was looking for at an art exhibition that Gail & I went to on Saturday.

The exhibition had the unusual title of The Carnival of Monsters and the image I thought 'bingo' to was one by artist Emma Dex Dexter. It is a sculpture actually Called Vortex2. You look at the artwork through a small perspex window and it symbolises the TARDIS and creates the illusion of infinite space.

I spoke to Emma, and she was happy for me to take a photograph of her graphic artwork. I used one of the art filters on my OM-D to boost the energy of the piece. I showed Emma the photo and she asked if I could send her a copy, which I happily did.

Don't forget to pop over and see the rest of the team's images, and enjoy this musical interlude.

At the invitation of a photographer friend of ours, we joined him on his small boat called 'Sarah', this evening, which is berthed at a marina not too far away from us. We were joined by another friend, and we spent a very pleasent couple of hours taking some night shots like this one and chatting about our favourite hobby over some tea and biscuits.

And Something For The Ladies

The show last night that Gail & I went to mainly featured women. Either as models, make up artists or clothes designers. And all very pleasing on the male eye.

There were a lot of men in the audience. But they had either just come to watch, or were taking photographs, or filming it for publicity purposes.

I did bump into this eccentric looking guy when we first arrived. He happily posed for a snap, and certainly stood out with his handlebar moustache and purple Willy Wonka top hat.

Fashion, Turn To The Left, Fashion, Turn To The Right

We both spent an enjoyable evening tonight shooting burlesque dancers and alternative clothing models at an event called Eclectic.

It took place at the Pitcher & Piano; a converted church, that is now a pub. A little bit ironic really, considering how the many of the worlds religions view alcohol as the work of the Devil.

There were quite a lot of people there, and the front of the runway was clogged up with photographers and video people. So much so that it was difficult to get a good shot. Gail had sneaked herself near back of the stage at the point where the artistes enter. I followed her, and we pretty much had this area to ourselves.

Obviously the lighting wasn't as good here, but we managed by cranking up the ISO etc, or waiting until the models were in a good spot. Like with this one, who is wearing an outfit inspired by nature.

Why, Why, Why Delilah?

Some of you may have heard of Scott Kelby. He is an American photographer and author of many books about photography and Photoshop. He also devised the photowalk five years ago. This is where a number of photographers get together and stroll around taking pictures.

Gail & I did exactly that late yesterday afternoon in Nottingham city centre. Ours was one of many groups across the world doing the same. I think there was around 28 on ours. Some faces I knew well and some were new to me. So it was good to meet some more local camera buffs.

We caught up with the group near the Playhouse, then ambled our way down to the Old Market Square. We then went to the Lace Market area, then down by the canal and ending up at the 'Trip' for a beverage.

Gail, myself and a friend called Lamar had somehow broken off from the main group. Although I think many went off in little groups, as they had spotted something. We stopped outside the well known  delicatessen's called delilah on Middle Pavement and took a few photos of the window displays etc. One of the assistants asked if we were from the press, as she explained that as they were an award winning deli, they often got media types popping in for a shot or two. She also said that this was their last day in that location, as they were moving to bigger premises around the corner.

We explained who were were and she said that she would find out whether it would be OK for us to shoot inside. She came back and said that the manager had said yes. So we trooped in and started taking some shots. Just then another guy, presumably the owner said that we were making his (few) customers uncomfortable and asked us to leave.

I only managed to take two shots inside; with this one being the better of the pair. Gail said that she didn't manage any, and I'm not sure if Lamar took any as he likes to take his time in lining up a shot.

The Ghost Bus

This photography lark does make you get out and about in search of a picture or two. Today has been no exception.Firstly I popped in the former Barton's bus depot in Chilwell to check out this years art exhibition, which goes under the name of the Carnival of Monsters. Then Gail and I went on a walk with a load of photographers, which was part of Scott Kelby's fifth worldwide annual photo walk. Then we went back to Barton's for their open evening and a chance to meet the artists.

I went last year, and they had some good stuff on show. This year has been the same. The highlight for me, and perhaps many others has been the siting of this old Barton's bus from the 1950s. I just love the way the paint has peeled away, the rust and its overall state of decay.

There is an interesting story behind this bus. It was one of 10 that Barton's bought in 1956. This particular one has been standing in a farmers field in Norfolk for the past 20 years. Hence it's unique appearance. The exhibit is also acting as a mini cinema, as a film has surfaced showing one of these buses taking tourists around different cities in Italy during 1959.

An unusual holiday too, as you are flown out to an Italian airport, where you are then picked up by coach, and then spend two weeks trundling to Venice, Florence, Rome etc. All for the grand price of £79, Which in today's money would probably be around £600.

The movie itself is going to be uploaded to Bartons' website, so everyone can enjoy it. Here's a LINK to their website, so you can see the film for yourself.

Studio 54 Reborn

West Bridgford tonight wasn't exactly downtown New York, but it was the nearest thing you could get to take you back to the heady disco beat of the 1970s.

Gail and I went to shoot a 70s night at a local pub. We were invited to by Rupert, the leader and guitarist of the band that were playing. They are called The Disco Prophets. In fact Rupert and I used to play together as children in London, back in the real 1970s. Alas not musically. Just kids stuff.

Strangely enough, he and is wife moved to Nottingham earlier this year for his job. I didn't know until his aunt told me, when we went to visit her in Rye, where she lives earlier this year.

It was a good night too. With plenty of tunes from that era going down nicely with the audience. Many of whom had dressed up for the occasion.

There was a dancing competition too. Gail had paid to enter. Not that she had any intention to do any dancing, unless it was with her OM-D. But she wanted go pay, as the money was going to charity. Oddly she won, as no one else in the audience had entered, even though they were all happily dancing away all night to the tunes. The band gave her a cup as a prize. Not a silver one, but a drinking one, with instructions of how to moonwalk on the side. Someone also won a cup for the best 70s outfit.

Home From Home

Does anyone fancy living in this Tudor building that has some history to it? It's in a prime location too; directly opposite the castle.

Unfortunately there's a couple of drawbacks. Namely its size, there's no car parking or garden and it's next door to a busy college.

It used to house the lace museum, but the city council closed it a few years ago, and now they have put it, and a few other buildings up for sale.

The house has had quite an interesting history. It dates from the mid 1400s and was located in another part of the city. In 1735 it was used by a wine merchants. It has also been a cafe. Then when the building of the Broad Marsh shopping centre began in 1969, it was broken up and transported half a mile away to its present location.

Whoever buys it will need to have some imagination to make the best use of this unusual and unique building.

Sight Unseen

Yes, it's Wednesday again, and that can only mean one thing - the headbanger Challenge.

Tom's choice this week, and he's gone for yellow. Now how to interpret this theme? I mused long and hard. Do I go for something easy, or something a bit more esoteric.                                                                      
Whilst I was venturing up the multi-storey car park yesterday, I saw just the thing. A number of yellow men painted on the ground.  They looked freshly painted too. In fact the whole of the top storey appeared brand new. Maybe as the car park is so big, no vehicle has had to go up on the roof.

For those that may not realise what it symbolises, it is the sign for the area in which pedestrians can walk safely, without having the fear of being knocked down. But as everybody should know, you should always be alert when around moving vehicles.

Don't forget to pop over and see the rest of the entries.

Talking of vehicles, the musical interlude this week comes courtesy of the Banana Splits. A strange children's show from the late 1960s, where odd looking creatures drove around in six wheel buggies.

Today's post is one of the photos that I took whilst on the roof of the car park. You can see the clock tower belonging to the railway station; the British Waterways building, that is now home to a mixture of bars, a comedy club and a gym. Finally at the back is the castle.

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.

He's Making A Monkey Out Of Me

Another shot from the Goose Fair which finished on Sunday for another year. It's hard to believe, but the fair has been going almost every year for over 700 years. Always during the first week of October. This year is the 718th.

The first fair began in somewhere around 1284, and was ostensibly a market for selling geese. hence it's name. Later it included cheese and other things. The idea of a fair didn't begin until Victorian times where it stood in the Old Market Square. It was moved to it's present location of the Forest recreation ground during the 1920s.

Locals always look forward to 'gooseh', although I don't really share in the excitement. Far too noisy for my liking. This guy carrying this giant chimp doesn't look too happy either.

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.

Posing In The Park

This is Stevi,  a goth model who may look rather formidable, but is actually a bit of a sweetheart. She isn't a full time model. Stevi is actually a student nurse who is specialising in becoming a midwife, and has so far successfully delivered a dozen babies. This only goes to show that looks can be deceptive.

I took this photo while she was posing for another photographer. She is sitting on the steps that lead up to the rear garden of Wollaton Hall.