WME Flickr Focus - January 2018

As well as providing many wonderful exploration memories, 2017 proved to be a good year for the WME Flickr photostream with a total of 371 photos published (one picture for every day of the year plus a handful to spare). The challenge for 2018 is therefore to match or even exceed that output, so January has been tasked with setting the ball rolling...

As is so often the case at the start of a new year, Exploration Extra can be found leading the way. I've done a bit of work on my archives from 2007 lately, meaning some forgotten shots from my Great Yarmouth holiday have suddenly resurfaced. Arrivals include the number 3 bus at Scratby, a Cromer fishing boat and a California Sands chip shop, ably assisted by seaside scenes from Southwold. Not everything I've added is over a decade old mind; Chelmsford and Rail Rover 2017 are of a much more recent vintage in releasing Nantwich's Railway Hotel sign or carving of St Peter at Chelmsford Cathedral amongst other offerings.

Of the local contingent of galleries, WME Sandwell and WME Wolverhampton have been the most lively. Sandwell has been especially active down in Bearwood, finding a bus stop and a bear's head both in close proximity to the Bear Tavern, but has stopped off too at Barnford Park (near Langley Green) for some mural musings. A 139 bus calling at Cradley Heath has also been collected whereas Wolverhampton receives its own bus boost care of two 511 examples from Underhill. Tiled street signs became a minor obsession of mine last year, my burgeoning collection in this case being represented by Bailey Street from the wall of the Great Western pub.

One gallery that never seems to get much attention is WME Telford but it has stirred from some lengthy slumbers thanks to a rare rush of activity. The Little Theatre at Donnington takes its photostream bow with little hint of stage-fright whereas the Telford Steam Railway receives a carriages and crossing scene down at Horsehay. Newport meanwhile nudges into the action as the setting of a 481 bus picture that itself has been plucked out of my dusty back catalogue.

That merely leaves a light dusting of additions for the remaining galleries whereby a quick check reveals the following - WME Coventry has taken delivery of an Allesley Park bus terminus stop sign; WME Staffordshire samples Poplars Farm in Boney Hay; WME Birmingham accounts for the New Adventurers at Aston (again); and finally WME Warwickshire is blessed by the presence of Warwick the Kingmaker with sword aloft at Warwick Castle. All of which means my running photostream total now stands at a very neat 3,500 images with hopefully many more to come!