Re: Today in pictures
 

That's a good one Jen.
Thought you were not a morning person.
I hope you go back to be and catch up on your zzzs later.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Great picture, well done

Re: Today in pictures
 

im not Margaret … but when they say there wont be another one for 10 years that will be seen over the uk then you do get up … yes I did go back to bed … and got plenty of zzzzs :D

Re: Today in pictures
 

Well, I got up and looked at the sky....could not see the moon.
We had really thick cloud cover....was very disappointed....went back to bed and put my ice cold feet on himself(went out into backyard with no slippers on)...he was not impressed.

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A few pics of todays snow

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Love the first picture

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Thankyou

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This is the only place I actually like snow....pictures of it.
Snow is like sunshine. It transforms the ordinary into something magical...beautiful.
Shame ath it soon goes grey and dirty.

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Here is some of my recent handiwork.
1) mmm! A lovely Lancashire hotpot...steaming hot straight from the oven.
2) hand made Thank You card.
3) I was asked to make a Brithday card for a little boy who is 1...this is it.
4) a celebration card.
5) the verse I composed to go inside the celebration card.
6)Thank You card
7) and another one...similar..but different colours.
8) A Special Birthday card

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Could I have the Hotpot?...You're cards Margaret really are a work of art, they are beautiful

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Thank you Bea....the hotpot was eaten for tea(with great gusto by himself and my elderly neighbour....I can't eat Lamb).
As for the cards....thank you for your kind words....I like to think they are far better than what you can buy because they are specially made for the recipient...and made with love.
I'm not sure if those receiving these cards can feel the love...but I hope they can.

Re: Today in pictures
 

A few pics from yesterday

1 & 2. Our home for the night, Loch Lomond
3. I think this is Loch Long.
4. Rannoch Moor.
5. Loch Ba
6. Red Deer
7 & 8. Heading into Glencoe.
9. Orion.
10. Zoomed in a bit for Orion Nebula.

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Always great pics...No 5 for me

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Love number 6....but they are all good.
Lots of that white stuff up there.

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Thank you




Thanks Margaret, it`s cleared quite a bit now but still cold though (-6 last night), more snow forecast for tomorrow.

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Some more pics, from yesterday 1-4 (a drive around Loch Ness) & today 5-10 (an afternoon around Glencoe).

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Lovely pics...but 9 for me.

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Some from this afternoon on the ELR at Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall.

A 4200 Class 2-8-0T Loco built in 1919, it has 8 driving wheels and could haul coal trains weighing in excess of 1,000 tons over the steep gradients of the Welsh valleys. Retired in 1962 until bought for preservation in 1985, but wasn't in steam again until 2014 and can be found on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (at the moment on loan to the ELR).

Re: Today in pictures
 

Great pictures, Ryewolf.
Everyone involved in its restoration and continued use should be really proud. Don’t know why but, somehow, I can’t imagine anyone today making a piece of transport infrastructure that would operate commercially for over 40 years and still be going after 100.

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Last lot from our week in Scotland.

1-5. Isle of Skye.
6. Foyers Woods.
7. Rounded Hill & Loch Ness
8. Red Kite
9. Falls of Foyers.
10. First go at Star Trails, I also used the pics from this to make a time lapse which came out better than this, i`ll try and share the too.

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Here (hopefully) is the time lapse, towards the end there is what I think is a meteor burning up
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7912/...a99de2fa_c.jpgStarry Night Timlapse by g pick, on Flickr

Can`t get it playable on forum so just a link to it on Flickr

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Just a few photos from a brief visit to Coningsby.

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1) Clawde Squirter McWhirter....the stray from out the back.
He has adopted us now....and hopefully next week he will lose the'squirter' bit of his name.
He is having his 'fuzzy nudgers' removed by the vet.

2) I was asked to make a Wedding Card. This is it.

3) There but not there. In Preston Market.

4) a childs birthday card...made by me of course.

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today in town .. :D

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Daisy and Duke having fun by the river

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Well once again we have had a fantastic (free) holiday at Byng House Southport courtesy of the British legion.
Day one was superb warm and a bit windy as the view from our. hotel window shows. I was having to use the iphone camera because I needed to press the lens right up to the window to stop reflections.

Later in the week we had a trip out to the War Museum at Salford quays on the Hotels coach.
Another trip out was to Chester and the Cathedral.

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Is it just me or are others having difficulties opening the thumbnails they're taking an age to open!

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I don’t have a problem Dave.
The pictures appear as soon as I open this page.
Not just mine but I’ve just looked at a few other members posts.

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What`s your internet connection speed Dave, the file size limit was increased a while back so if your download speed isn`t great then maybe that`s the problem.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Just over two years ago I was in Chester Cathedral and they had just started building a Lego model of the building. It cost £1 to put a brick on a module and when that was finished they would put in its place in the model. They had got about two bricks high all round the base.
Last week we had another look and paid to add another five bricks. They even had a model of two builders waiting for the module to be put in place. 37,000 bricks later its starting to grow. I wasn't allowed flash and only had a 50mm prime lens so I had difficulty getting good shots but you can get some idea of the project. They had started lighting it up from inside to get the effect of stained glass.

Number 5 is the module where we put our bricks.
Number 6. You can see the two little builders waiting for the module.

They say at least another three years before it's finally finished.

The British Legion makes you wait at least two years before they invite you to stay at Byng House again so hopefully I'll back and go on the trip to Chester again and take photos of the project as it grows. Watch this space.

Re: Today in pictures
 

According to Deutsche telekoms tester


56.15 mbts download
12.77 mbts upload
21 Ping ????


I'm a tech pygmy in the big scheme of things, so I've no idea whether or not the above mumbo jumbo is good or bad. I just want to press things & then other things happen without long waits! :)

Re: Today in pictures
 

56.15 is plenty fast enough for general browsing such as looking at these pages.
Until recently I was getting well below your speed and it was fast enoug to stream TV on BT Vision box.
It depends a lot on how many other people in your area are online at the same time. Similar to your tap water, good flow until everybody else starts using water from the same main supply.
I get 70 plus now and sometime it slows down when the schools finish and the kids in the area are doing their homework or games.

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Agree with Gremlin, 50Mb is plenty.
Is it just recent photos or does it take a long time for photos in older posts?

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I'm on 1Mb and those photos load OK for me.

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Went back to 2015 & tried, then compared to the last couple of days, we're talking a count of between 7-10 across the range.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Is that 7-10 secs to view a pic from 2015 and more recent ones?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Aye GP24, that's the general time scale.

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Is it a windows PC/Laptop Dave?
What web browser are you using?

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Aye, tis that, Windows 7 home premium & I use firefox to nose round t'tinterwebby thingummy.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Could you try another browser? I think Windows 7 comes with Internet Explorer so try that just to see if it`s any quicker.
Or run Firefox without add-ons, just in case one isn`t working properly -
press the ALT button to reveal some tabs at the top, click on Help, restart firefox with add-ons disabled.
Is your firefox up to date? might be worth updating it if not -
ALT button, help, about. There`ll be a version No. in there, I`m on 65.0.2 but its just downloaded an update so newest version will be different.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Now on V 66.0

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Thanks for that GP24, I'll give it a try. :)

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Hope it helps Dave, 10 secs to view a pic would do my nut in. http://emoticons.datahamster.com/rage_computer.gif

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It's certainly doing mine! Tried without add ons got to about 17 secs then sacked it, back to where I was & it was taking about 9 secs. Think I'm going to go get a big hammer & if that fails I'll drag the lad round, point & say, Fix it! :D

Re: Today in pictures
 

I would swap them two round, get lad round first, then try the hammer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Today in pictures
 

Download speed this morning, 56mps.
Time to open photos from various posts old and new, under 2 seconds.
Equipment, iPhone X
Internet provider, BT.
Location, Todmorden, YORKSHIRE.

First day of spring.

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Yes...Spring.
Spring is Weddings and birthdays.....so I have been busily making a selection of cards.
Here they are.
The one with inedible chocolate was for my daughter....given to her by her son....along with flowers and real chocolate.
The one with the little green?(Morris traveller) van was for himself...it was his birthday on St Patrick's day.
The birthday card with the tall cake was for my daughter from us.
The two Wedding cards are cards I have been asked for.
I have another three of these to make.....these will bring in funds for The Borneo expedition....every little helps.

Re: Today in pictures
 

More cards from me.
Spring is weddings and births...though not always in that order.
The wedding card....I was asked to make.....the wedding theme is shades of purple....so I echoed this in the card.
The baby card....again, I was asked to make this.
I wrote the verse to go inside....so no chance of anyone going into Card Warehouse and Buying one exactly the same.

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Two variants from this evening at Southport

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When I first saw this at a distance I thought it was a weird mallard hybrid, but once it got a bit closer and I could see it's beak I realised it was a Shoveler...

Shoveler Duck RSPB Marshside, Southport

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Some red squirrels at Formby Point from Saturday, if you've never seen any before this is the place to go...

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Lovely pictures Ryewolf.
I sat in a park in Shanklin for hours one spring day watching these little critters.
They fascinate me.

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I went to Formy point to see the red squirrels.
After about 15 minutes and a few successful photographs six coaches turned up each containing over 50 small school children, all dressed in little yellow high visibility jackets.
They were running around squealing like headless chickens, the accompanying adults seemed powerless to calm them so that was the end of my visit to Formby point.
Not all was lost as far as photography was concerned because we drove another three miles to see the Anthony Gormley statues in the sea where I managed some good shots with the sea swirling around the statues legs.

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One day I will take myself off to see these.

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I’m using my phone. Margaret and the photos are in a PC somewhere else otherwise I would post then here.

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I can wait Russell....I can wait.

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From Sunday...

For a change a diesel train, Scottrail 47765, but only because the timetabled train should have been a steam train... the front did remind me of two minions having a face off though.....

Re: Today in pictures
 

Excellent photo, as usual, Ryewolf.
S’funny, even with passage of time, diesel has none of the charisma of steam.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Thanks, I must admit I prefer steam to diesel.

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It was withdrawn from service in July 1965 and was at the scrapyard in Barry until May 1985, it then took another 33 years to restore it to steam running, being relaunched on 2nd March 2019.

Loco 80097 running on the ELR this weekend...

#1 Arriving at Townsend Fold
#2 Running around at Rawtenstall
#3 Steam Train Drivers
#4 Pulling into Ramsbottom

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Nice, I'll listen out for it. :)

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BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 No. 78018 at Summerseat

Built at Darlington North Road Works, it entered traffic on 3 March 1954 and was withdrawn on 12 November 1966. Spent 11 years at Barry scrapyard before being preserved at Shackerstone in November, 1978. The locomotive went back into active service on the GCR on 6 October 2016.



Snowdrift at Bleath Gill

The loco got stuck in snow on Thursday, 24 February 1955 near Stainmore Summit which at 1,370 feet was the highest point on any railway line in England. The train, along with its crew remained stranded there until 3 pm the following Monday, when the first rescue teams arrived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ugIoMD495E

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Just one pic from a drive out today, RAF Menwith Hill.

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A couple taken this week of Shoe Mill, Baxenden

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A few pics from a weekend in the Lake District.

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A few from Saturday from Pendle Hill

Sunset and Sheep

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First butterflies of the year, two Commas....

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A Little Egret.

Spotted on the River Calder at Whalley.... It literally flew in, had a paddle in the water and then flew off upstream.... so these were the two best shots I managed.

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Common Wasp - Vespula vulgaris investigating a log pile. In case you were wondering I was about 7 inches away.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Ryewolf, that is a stunning image....that said, I would have been 70 yards away.
I know that these flying insects are important, but they give me the heebie-jeebies.
The only way I would ever get to see one in so much detail is via someone else's picture.
Thank you and well shot!

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Thanks Margaret, I have a fascination for bugs, beetles and flying insects, there's a whole microcosm that people very rarely see.

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Yes...and I am sure it must be fascinating.....but while there is not much scares me.....I am a bit scared of bugs...especially the ones that have yellow and black stripes and wings.:)

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Cute kitty, I also have a calico.

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Thanks Jack.

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Green Dock Beetles, like their name suggests they can be found on dock leaves and plants (and they are green). The larger ones are the females being about 8-10mm, the smaller ones are the males and about 4-6mm long.

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We took my friend's grandson to the War Museum North and Salford Quays yesterday. He is studying modern history for his A levels or whatever they call them. Here are a few snaps I took. The rusty girders are from the Twin Towers in New York after the terrorist attack. On the hour every hour a short film is projected on the walls around the place with sounds and commentary. The last photo is just one shot of them.

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Looks like you had a lovely day for it Russell.
Some great shots there. Well done.

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My second butterfly of the year a Peacock

Second image is a Bee Fly - Bombylius major and despite it's appearance that spike is it's proboscis and is used for drinking nectar and is totally harmless.

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Is this a steam train which I see before me,
The engine toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A engine of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

Adapted from Macbeth by Bill Shakespeare....

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Bluebell Woods near Whalley....

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A couple from today:

1. Class 50 50015 Valiant arriving at Ramsbottom this afternoon.
2. Nomad Bee - Nomada leucophthalma

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Ryewolf the detail on the bee is amazing...you must have a very steady hand....and be very brave.
I would only attempt a shot so close if the bee was dead...or snoring!.
I am a hero really, but they gave me cowards legs:)

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Yesterday was such a miserable day that I decided to brighten it up a bit by doing some creative stuff.
I stamped these images on the cards and then spent time colouring them with alcohol markers(that is as close as I get to alcohol these days).
The cards I made are generic,(apart from the cupcake one - that is a birthday card) so when I am alsked for a card I can add Birthday, get Well or some other sentiment that fits.

Not a patch on your bee Ryewolf.

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Thanks Margaret, most bees don't sting, and these Nomad Bees, also known as Cuckoo Bees because they lay eggs in the nests of other bees, don't possess stingers.



Even wasps won't sting unless they feel threatened - obviously flailing your arms around like a windmill whenever they come near doesn't help, but they seem to know when you aren't afraid of them. I get wasps landing on me all the time when I'm out photographing bugs. They are attracted by smells and scents, which is how they find their way about or look for food, they'll look around and if you keep fairly still they shouldn't bother you.



This shot of the bee was taken around 6pm and as it wasn't very warm they do tend to slow down a bit when it gets colder.


The detail is down to the equipment used, I have a macro lens (ie one used specifically for close ups), plus I use an extension tube - which allows me to get even closer to my subject, it also magnifies everything. This bee was about 12mm long, plus I have a ring flash which means the time it tales to photograph them is ridiculously short, however it does mean I have to get really close. I think on this shot my face was about 6 inches away, my camera lens was probably around 2 inches away.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Yes, it was always instilled in me as a child to stand still....and while this is the right thing to do, when fear kicks in the primal instinct is to run.

I would say that over the years I have become less of a runner(maybe that's because the cowardly legs are less fleet than they were) and more of an avoider.
Nature gave these critters black and yellow vests as a warning....and I am more than happy to let you take the pics, and me to know that I can see the thing with no risk at all.

I guessed that you would have the appropriate equipment to allow you to make such an amazing capture.
That takes nothing away from your ability to compose the shot.
It is still very well done.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Some from today, the first is an Earwig - Forficula auricularia. As a kid I hated these insects, mainly because my Grandad told me they would crawl into your ear and burrow into your brain.

The other two are probably Grey Mining Bees - Andrena cineraria, although another possible contender was Melecta albifrons.

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All I can say is WOW.....love the impact of your third shot....very dramatic.
Even though the subject matter is not something that floats my boat, it still draws me in because I know that I could never achieve shots like those....not because I do not have the skills(I don't)....but because insects are not my thing.
Well done.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Thanks Margaret, yes I was very pleased with that image when I got home to look through what I'd taken. The other two were really low down and even getting as low as possible to the ground still meant I could only manage top down captures. The third was almost at eye level which made it much easy, alas not all bugs are as obliging.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Good morning Ryewolf90.
I have a reverse lens adapter with aperture adjuster for macro shots along with a ring light.
I’m a bit weak in the spine now and old age has crept up on me so for those low down shots I use live view and the tilt screen on my Nikon D750 fx camera. The tilt screen is a great help as I tilt it up to look down into it and dont have to kneel down to look through the viewfinder.

You’ve got some great macro shots above mate.

Re: Today in pictures
 

Thanks Gremlin.

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Two from today, the first is a spider - I think it's a male judging by the large pedipalps - the things that look like boxing gloves near it's head
And a bug, probably of the Miridae family

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Wow. I never knew the pound coin had writing around the edge.

Just messing with a new Macro slider and used a pound coin as a target to photograph. The coin was a bit worn and dirty but the writing is visible.

Sorry if I bored you.

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I must admit I didn't either....

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Me neither....Russell we have learned something.

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I had a little coach trip to llandudno yesterday, £22 well spent. Great sunny but cold day for the Victorian festival and a vintage bus ride to the Truck festival at the other end of the promenade.

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I meant to book that trip Russell.
It looks like you had a brilliant day.
I like the coach trips done by Moving People...good value, pleasant drivers and great locations visited.
Your pics give us just a taste of what we could have had.
Thank you.

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There were just three empty seats Margaret. We've been on four of their trips now and we have booked for the Anderton boat lift in June and my handmaiden has booked for a show at Liverpool. Bonus for me is being picked up at Matalan and leaving the car there, officially, until we return. It makes a change from having to drive and find somewhere to park. We are driving to Oban, Mull and Iona soon for a few days, hoping to get a few decent snaps.

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I am thinking of doing the Liverpool trip on the next May bank holiday.
A choice of Greatie markets or the city centre....would opt for the city...museums and all that.

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We did the Terra Cotta army on one trip to Liverpool.
Best one in my opinion was the trip to Liverpool and a canal trip in the Mersey Ferry from Liverpool to Manchester where the coach was waiting to pick us up and bring us home again. Five and a half ours on the boat with commentary, food and drink.

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Some from a trip out to Haworth and the KWVR, on the way back I stopped out The Atom above Wycoller...

1 and 2: Bronte Country
3: The Atom and Vaccary Stone above Wycoller.