Fudge and his pig's ear.

Fudge and his pig's ear.

Then and Now Rush Hill.

The former Clark's Shoe factory site on Rush Hill site in 2004 and 2008

The story behind the baby stolen from the RUH.

Thursday February 24^th 1994 started the way of many on a local paper; I went to the Bath Royal United Hospital to shoot a feature on disposable nappies.
As I was leaving the maternity unit a police officer arrived, and before I got to my car two police cars arrived.
I called the office to see if they could check what was going on, and decided to stay while they checked.
More police turned up and started searching the hospital grounds, and it soon became clear that someone had stolen a baby.
After a couple of hours the hospital set up a press centre and photographers started arriving from agencies and national newspapers.
In the early evening the police announced the baby had been found, a reporter, TV crew and one photographer could photograph the parents Andrew and Louise Waylen with baby Charlie.
Press association photographer Barry Batchelor said “you’ve been here from the start you do it.
When I came out of the hospital, we dashed back to the office and I processed the film.
Our picture editor Kevin Clifford sat and trimmed the film down into lengths of three frames and handed them to the different newspaper wire units set up in the newsroom.
Next day my picture made every paper from the Sun to the Times, while we were doing it Barry’s pager went off telling him that police had started digging in a garden in Cromwell street in Gloucester,
He said “the baby is more important at the moment, I'll do it tomorrow”.
Little did we know it was the start of the Fred West inquiry and how many bodies would be in that garden?
A final strange twist was that a few years after I went to photograph the woman that stole the baby who was appealing for help for others like her.

SOTTO SOTTO “Unbelievably good food, charming service, great atmosphere. Go NOW!”

When I first went to this restaurant it was in 1982 and called Bunkers and was a war time themed restaurant, its been through a number of names and types of food establishments since.
I was booked to photograph the latest SOTTO SOTTO  before Christmas and afterwards took my family to try it.
My Daughter was so impressed she wrote this review next day.

Then and Now the Old Bus Station.

Only a few years between the old bus station and the building of the Southgates car park.

Then and Now Northgate Street

Probably 40 years between these pictures of Northgate Street in Bath, 

Plummers shop was still open but pollution looked bad

Haggis Pasty

A good slogan considering the contents,  but may reduce sales.

Then and Now Southgate, Bath

What a difference ten years make.

Expensive Crash

I think this is the most expensive car crash that I have ever photographed a Noble Super Car that left the A4 near Chippenham in October 2004.
For the non enthusiast a second hand Noble about 5 years old costs around £30,000 and a new one £50,000.

Za Za Bazaar

We took the Grandchildren to Bristol Pantomime on Friday, but visited the new Za Za Bazaar restaurant first.

It’s the biggest restaurant in the UK seating 1000, Weekday Lunch is £6.99 and weekday dinner is £12.99 for all you can eat from a selection including Indian, Chinese, Tex Mex, Pasta, Piri Piri, Pizza and Italian.

In fact everything from Chicken Nuggets to Traditional Kashmir recipe of lamb chops simmered with onion, tomatoes and spices with gently crushed fennel, and sweets from around the world.

They have 40 chefs who seem happy to cope with anything even making a gluten free risotto for Wendy.

If you just want a quiet candle lit dinner its not for you but if you want to have an incredible eating experience and let your kids try food from all over the world I can thoroughly recommend it. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our followers, now I’m retired it’s good not to spend the New years Eve standing here like I did seven years ago when we started the family blog.

Our blog is 7 years old

It s a surprise to find that our family blog which started in December 2004 is still as popular as ever after over 2000 posts and over 75,000 site visits now at 70 a day we still seem to have some pictures that people enjoy.
This was my first Blog Page
 The most popular searches include A Labrador puppy , Taronga Zoo's Kodiak bear , A wet girl on PulteneyWeir and A Cane Corso Puppy .

Strange searches include Hob Nailed Boots for Children  and  John Straffen

And stars of TV and film  Johnny Depp in Bath , Anthony Head  and Nicolas Cage in Bath

Every boys dream.

For most boys of my generation the dream of riding on the footplate of a steam train was the thing (I did it three times) but for me it was to go up a turntable ladder.
When I was shooting this picture 30 years ago there was no Health, Safety and falling off ladders legislation.
So they let me go up the ladder and entertained my youngest daughter while I did it.

Other pictures Wendy Farr.

Seagull Rescue at Bath Abbey

A set of my pictures from the 80s of firemen and inspector Ian Burns from the RSPCA rescuing a seagull that had speared its wing on a lightening conductor, It was in the days before the seagulls became the nuisance they are now.

A thought for Christmas Eve

On this Christmas Eve spare a thought for the small traders in the Podium who have lost their premises by the expansion of the Waitrose Bath supermarket.

This is a before and after picture of Bath Photo Optics owned and run by Peter Larkin.

Peter is in the RUH at the moment for heart surgery, a condition not helped by the loss of his shop.

He is hoping to reopen on a new site sometime later this year. 

I never was a Waitrose customer (preferring to go where I can park easily and free) and I am certainly not going to start shopping there now.