Back On The Road

04-06-19

At last I’m back on the road, managed to find a car that hadn’t got spaceship mileage, been used as a minicab or had multiple owners, can’t believe it’s been over 3 years since I was behind the wheel. Picked the car up on June 1st with some trepidation, could I still drive OK, shouldn’t have worried it was as if it had just been a few days since I last drove.

Golfing

To celebrate I took a drive to Launde Abbey  just a short 30 mile round trip, it was so nice to travel through the countryside, all lovely and green with the rain we have had lately. Took a few images while I was there, wasn’t really in a photo mood, too excited about being on the road again.

Day Of The Triffids

In The Walled Garden

Caterpillar Heaven

Launde Abbey is such a calm and peaceful place, I can see why people visit and go on retreat in the cabins they have in the grounds, also it has a really good Tea Room.

Sunbeam

17-07-18

Needed a haircut, a birthday card for my cousin and a 5 litre bottle of demineralised water, in that order. I hadn’t taken a camera with me just the phone, 5 litres of water can start to feel a bit heavy after the 2 mile walk back to home. On the return journey and making loud sloshing sounds from the water in my rucksack I noticed this late 60’s Sunbeam parked on a side street.

Sunbeam Rapier

It brought back happy memories from 1969 of a friend of mine who had a Gold left hand drive Sunbeam, sadly he’s no longer around, but we had some great times with that car.

Coronet Rapier #1

14-11-17

I scanned the negatives from the Coronet Rapier and was pleased with the results, especially as the developer was 20 years old. But there are things I need to improve on, like wearing disposable gloves when loading the film onto the developing spiral, there were finger marks on some of the frames (I’m guessing mine), use hardener in the fixer solution to toughen up the film emulsion, and buy some Tak clothes to get the dust off the glass on the scanner.

Tombstone

Figaro

Corrado

Considering it’s a 1 element fixed focus lens and the camera has only 1 shutter speed, I thought it did very well. In it’s day it was sold as a family snapshot camera, place the subject 6 feet away in the centre of the viewfinder with the sun behind the photographer, and you had an acceptable photo for the family album.

Fomapan 200, Ultrafin Developer, 7.5 mins @ 20 C

February 2006

The old computer that sits in the spare bedroom has got to go,(it’s still on Win98) The room needs decorating and it’s where I dry and scan my films. Checking the hard drive to see what was on there I came across a lot of images taken in 2006, these two in February, seems like 5 minutes ago.

VW Camper #1

VW Camper #2

Both taken on my Olympus OM2n with Zuiko 24mm early on a Sunday morning. We still had a really good photo lab in 2006, and if you dropped a film off it would be ready in a couple of hours.

Old & Older

On my walk into town today, to top up cat food supplies ! and visit a car showroom (again). I returned to the city centre by unfamiliar back streets. and came across these two tucked away in an alley.Sigma DP1.