Dairy Crest Milk Float

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

The latest addition to our fleet is this Dairy Crest Morrison Marsden Milk Float. It’s origins are unknown but it is likely to be a former Guantlets Dairy Milk Float. Gauntlets were predominant in the area during the 1950s – 1970s before The Co-op had taken over.

Goodnight Sweet Ferret

Landmark Series 30 of Last of the Summer Wine has just finished with the episode Goodnight Sweet Ferret. Despite it being a landmark series it did not feature anything special, in fact it could be one of the worst series yet. It is still unknown if their will be a 31st series but despite ‘Hobbo’ being very annoying I hope their is. Why doesn’t ol’ Roy look back on the very first few series to figure out why the series gained a lot of respect by bringing normal back to the television. Since then more ’stunts’ and ’supporting’ characters have entered the programme, ruining the original concept of three old men wondering the town discussing life. Of course you cannot help the cast dying off but instead of letting the programme get into the state it is now they should have cancelled it while at it’s prime. To be honest Alan has injected too many ‘money’ shots into the programme, like Roy he should look at the earlier series with the tighter shots. Unfortunately it is too late now but the currently very long cast list should be trimmed down a lot if it is to survive the next possible series, get rid of ‘The Captain’, Morton, Nelly and all those that was not in the programme before 1992. I am happy that the Policemen are getting more scenes though as they are very welcome parts of the programme. Also please return to proper background music instead of cut and paste recordings of Hazlehursts soundtracks, I think it is best as when he made the soundtracks, all the music was perfectly timed to the characters footsteps and other situations but now just seems like interscene connecting music which is not what it is supposed to be.

Conclusion, look at your own mistakes. Less is more. So heres to making series 31 a good one!

Milk Float No. 11

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

Another Milk Float I have been wanting to ‘get’. Yes I know it is another Smiths Elizabethan but this one is used on a franchised round operated by ‘Denvilles Dairy’ according to the yellow headboard. Franchised rounds are quite rare these days as they have been proven to be more costly to the Dairy than managing the round themselves.

I think I have gone as far as I can photographing Milk Floats in my area so I have decided to make some videos instead! My first video should appear on my YouTube website on Friday.

Milk Float Bonanza!

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

Today I went to visit my local dairy to photograph more Milk Floats and successfully taken no.s 8, 9 and 10! This includes a type I have not captured before – a Smiths Cabac. This is the earlier version of the Elizabethan. I believe this is the only Cabac at this depot, the rest being Smiths Elizabethans and Wales & Edwards Rangemasters. The other two I took today were Smiths Elizabethans, one each in the current Dairy Crest livery and the old Unigate livery. Certainly worth waiting the gails for! For my full collection of Milk Float photographs, please visit this page!

Milk Float No. 7

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

I now have yet another Milk Float to my photographic collection! This timewarp Smiths Elizabethan Milk Float is owned by Dairy Crest but is still painted in the old Co-op livery complete with the Co-ops slogan ‘A Fresh Way To Shop’. These are the style of Milk Floats that I remember when I was younger and I am very happy at least one has survived to the present.

Some Adventures of the Inventor of the Mother Stitch

The first proper episode of Series 30 of Last of the Summer Wine was Some Adventures Of The Inventor Of The Mother Stitch but could you tell the difference between it and I Was A Hitman For Primrose Dairies? Barely. The most laughs I got out of this episode was seeing the needlessly long title come up during the dull white opening titles. \’Hobbo\’, well lets face it, is an idiot, why does he think he was part of M15? If he is going to act like that all the time then it will get boring very, very quickly.

There was also changes of characters. Glenda has changed from a naive but feisty middle aged madam to a nosey parker who ignores her husband to stare at \’The Captain\’. Pearl has also changed from a sarcastic sadistic shrew into a calm and dull wife, the old pearl would always keep Howard under control at all times. Also, please, why are there so many people with square heads and short messy grey hair? It is very hard to keep up who is who.

Storywise, was there any storylines? It all seemed to be random exerts of standard conversion sequences. Why has so much changed since only series 29 which was in my opinion one of the best series.

If it ain\’t broke, don\’t fix it. No wonder the BBC say they ma not commision another series. Stop at an even number.

Milk Float No. 6

Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

This former Milk Float is a Morrison Marsden which is currently being used to transport medical equipment around St. Mary’s Hospital. This one was parked just outside the grounds therefore I could take the photograph. This is the first Morrison Marsden I have photographed and makes a change from those boring Smith Elizabethans and W&E Rangemasters!

Milk Float No. 5

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

The fifth Milk Float I have photographed this year is one of the few remaining relics of the 1980s monopoly of the milk home delivery service – Unigate! It is yet another Smiths Elizabethan but is one of the few to still be in the Unigate livery (I believe only this one is still in this livery at my local dairy). It also has an old fashioned registration plate, possibly it’s original, which was not swapped for a ‘Q’ plate. Exciting times at the moment as they upgrade and expand the fleet.

Milk Float No. 4

Dairy Crest Milk Float

Originally uploaded by Black Telephone

It is not even the end of February and I have already taken my fourth Milk Float photograph! This may not sound a lot considering the time scale but as Milk Floats are rarely to be seen these days it is a lot.
Today is pay day but as I didn’t get up in time (I knew I should have set that alarm!) I didn’t pay him. Therefore I had to drive to the local dairy and pay directly. I then took this opportunity to take a photography of a Milk Float that was parked near by. Of course I asked for permission and he rudely told me to hurry up and take it because a Forklift was approaching to load up for deliveries. This was 10:30 in the morning and they are still preparing to make deliveries for the day, no wonder they are losing more customers than Northern Rock! Anyway here is that photograph.

1 Year Of Digital Bus Photography!

Today (16th February 2009) I celebrate 1 year of digital bus photography! On the 16th of February 2008 I ventured out to Portsmouth to take the Gosport Ferry to Gosport when one of my friends convinced me to take my camera along (view my very first digital bus photograph!).

I have used the camera before on the 19th January 2008 when I visited my local Dairy Crest Milk Float depot. Since then my interest in bus photograph has gone from strength to strength and I have now got one of the largest collection of photographs of Southern England buses. I have tried train photography but I am not very good at it (view my photographs of the new steam locomotive Tornado!) therefore I only have a few train photographs.

My highlight of last year was officially taking the first ever photograph of a new Stagecoach South Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 for route 23 while it was on a test run in Purbrook. This was by chance as I was a passenger in a car at the time and had to take it through the windscreen! I think it came out quite good. So it seemed right to take a photograph of one of these buses for a special anniversary photograph, you can view this at the top of this post. I would like to thank all my supporters out there and I hope you still enjoy looking at my photographs. Lets hope for another good year to come!