1/2 About 3 years ago, I booked in to Travelodge Manchester Arena. Got there, found that my room hadn’t been prepared and was a mess. Went back to Reception, they gave me another room. As I reached it, I *thought* I heard a noise from inside. So I knocked, and a lone woman guest answered the door.

First instalment of my Big Day Out to Carlisle via the Settle-Carlisle railway today. First leg from Lichfield to Crewe is on time but for some reason there’s no heat on the train so it’s freezing 🥶

Got to the platform at Birmingham New St this evening to catch the train back to Lichfield. This was in the platform - but sadly not our train! It left a minute later, leaving us with rather more mundane transport home…

My restoration project in a trade magazine. It’ll be a long and bumpy road to completion…

“It broke my heart, that was my savings towards a new car,” one woman who paid Milne tens of thousands of pounds told us. “He has just wiped me out.” Who is Andrew Milne - the solicitor sending "very aggressive" letters to Sheffield homeowners? www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/a-london-law...

Not all cartoons are just simple and funny. This one is so uplifting it brings me to tears, and strongly reminds me of my daughter’s cancer journey. xkcd.com/2386/

I'm posting this thread not because I think people will read it, let alone find it interesting, but for my own amusement. I've always been interested in transport, whether it be land, air or sea. But my first love is buses. Here's the story of how I restored my North Western 299A, a 1968 Bristol.

It’s a dreary and miserable day AGAIN. Then I look at this photo from February in Auckland, and I feel better 🙂

I recently bought a 1965 classic coach to restore. Every time I see it, I overwhelmed by two thoughts: "what a lovely survivor, what a treasure it'll be when it's finished"; and "oh good grief, what on earth have I done?"

Superbly thought-out proposals.

Oops, I did it again... I appear to have commenced a new restoration project. Should keep me busy for the next few years.

More productive than watching 'Cash in the Attic'...

That moment when you’re working on a restoration project that’s years away from completion, and you’ve spent all day in the sweltering heat removing the dirt, oil and corruption of sixty years from various chassis components, and suddenly you pause and think ‘oh actually, that’s looking better’.

Am I alone in feeling that, while I’m sorry for the young man and his family, it feels a bit OTT that this morning’s BBC breakfast news is completely dominated by a Portuguese footballer dying in France by crashing his Lamborghini…?

Wow, what a day. As a raffle prize I got a morning on a @gwr.com class 800 simulator. Once the instructor realised I knew a little bit, he started throwing all kinds of trouble at me! A memorable day.

My daughter had cancer when she was six. Here she is at 29, a successful graphic designer, near the finish of her first half marathon - she smashed it in 2:01:59. I couldn't be prouder of her.

*STILL* in #Whamageddon - went to a family gathering last night, their Alexa had been told to play Christmas songs, but 'that song' never played! I know there's no prize, but I'm unreasonably smug about having got so far without living under a rock for the last 22 days.

I can’t believe I’m still in the game - haven’t heard ‘that song’ once since the beginning of December. Easily the furthest I’ve ever got. #Whamageddon

I deactivated the dead bird site today. Feels good.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of buses, and it all started here in Greater Manchester. Here Mayor of GM @andyburnham.bsky.social recognises the part buses have had to play in our region's history, culminating in the creation of Bee Network.

I like taking photos in the snow. I went out this week and got a few during our recent cold snap.

Invalid handle.

Let me tell you a whimsical story. When I was young, I was fascinated by the red buses that passed my school, with an ornate 'Lancashire United' emblem on the side. What I didn't know at the time was that Lancashire United Transport, or LUT, was the UK's biggest independently owned bus company. 1/6

So I was chief organiser for the Manchester Museum of Transport event this weekend to commemorate 200 years of Britain's buses. Very busy! But I managed to get one trip out on our free heritage bus services, and I snapped our 1986 'GM Express' bus at the rather dramatic Central Park Metrolink stop.

Churchill didn't say this, but it is very much in my mind today: "You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they've tried everything else."

Hello Dublin - it’s been a while… ❤️☘️

In a shameless attempt to grow my following on here, I'm going to be giving away a GE2024 poster to one lucky winner who retweets this post (and is following) in 24 hours time. Best of luck!

I wrote another thing. www.buscentreofexcellence.org.uk/blogs-collec...

Im in my happy place 🚌

Ho hum, owning vintage buses is a never-ending job. Dragging rear brake, so new retainer springs and probably new clevis pin bush (yes I know, jargon jargon). This bus was made by AEC which apparently stands for ‘Always Eating Cash’.

I wrote a little thing, a write-up on the lovely Beamish Museum and specifically its transport operation. It'll appear in Coach & Bus Week magazine this week.

Went to see Olga Koch at the Edinburgh Fringe. Quite brilliant, I highly recommend her. The photo sums up the atmosphere quite well…

Childishly pleased that I got the broken light fitting in my 1968 bus repaired and working again. Owning a vintage bus (or two) is like painting the Forth Bridge, it’s never finished.

Platform (9+10) is less compelling as a Harry Potter theme than 9 3/4… #Crewe

Same, travelator. Same.

Well I’m here, away from the hell hole that the bird site has become. I’ll probably just post pictures of my preserved buses and whimsical/funny things I see…