A collection of observations from my travels which relate to absolutely nothing, and which make me wonder if it's me or the rest of the world that's going mad!

**THIS COLLECTION HAS MOVED**

As the non-bus related side of my photographic hobby grows and gathers interest, I felt justified in setting up an entirely separate gallery, for these historical trips. This can be accessed by copying and pasting the url :

http://www.grant-thomson-histories.fotopic.net/

- or by clicking the link to Grant Thomson's Local Histories which is to be found on the Welcome Page, and also at the bottom of the 'Collection Index' page.

Please remember to check back for regular updates of both the Bus Photo and Local HJistory pages!

**THIS COLLECTION HAS MOVED**

The Innocent Railway walk now forms part of my new Local Histories gallery at www.grant-thomson-histories.fotopic.net. It can be accessed either via the link on the Collection Index, or by copying and pasting the url.

Please pay it a visit! Thanks, GT

WooHoo - A hoaliday! Well, a short break, more like. Not having been away since we went to Dundee in March, Vicki and I decided a wee trip to Englandshire was in order in September. Taking advantage of VERY attractive prices from megabus.com and Travelodge, we spent three nights in London - my first time in the Capital in three years, and the first leisurely visit since I was an ankle biter.

A word to the recreational complainers using public transport services up here: you think YOU'VE got problems? It's customary for Ken Livingstone's London to be held up as the Public Transport model for others to follow, but in reality, once you take the rose-tinted specs off, we in Edinburgh have it far better, with a much less frenetic pace to everything. Our stay overlapped slightly with the much publicised tube strike, which didn't help matters, but that does not excuse the many examples of dangerous overcrowding that were to be seen. Several times we shied away from overloaded buses. Mercedes Citaro artics, designed as standee cattletrucks, were the worst offenders, each of their three sets of doors being used as both entrance and exit with all the attendant pushing and shoving. These regularly passed us crush-loaded with easily 200 bodies crammed into every inch of space, ready to disgorge like a burst dam the moment the doors opened. On one journey on a Dennis trident double decker, I counted at least 40 standees on the bottom deck, plus as many again on the stairs and upper deck, before the driver finally decided the bus was full. What was more worrying was the way that, apart from us, everyone seemed to accept this as 'the norm.'

By far the least pleasant journey was on the tube the morning we left. having allowed five or six overloaded trains to pass by, one finally arived with a space big enough for us and maybe a couple of others. By the time the doors closed, that space had accepted another 15 - 20 bodies, leaving barely room to expand our lungs, let alone turn around or make any sort of attempt to leave at your stop.

Transport gripes aside, though, the break was thoroughly enjoyable, and we will definitely be visiting again.

The anual Open Weekend at lathalmond took place on Saturday and Sunday 16th and 17th of August. Weather, although variable, remained mainly dry, belying the doom-and-gloom of press reports in the run up to the event.

The format was as in previous years; as ever, the museum's own collection were joined by visiting vehicles old and new, trade stalls, and the event incorporated the Scottish Road Run for vintage vehicles.