Welcome to my blog, Whats this about then?

This is a place where I will be posting all sorts of things not just things relating to Derby and Derbyshire. On here you will find details of any videos I’ve made of things in Derby and also Time-lapse, stop motion animation, Tutorials etc. If I find some useful software for PC or iPhone then I will feature it here.I’m sure that there will be something of interest to someone on my many posts.Please leave comments on any posts if you like them.
Don’t forget if you are new to my blog and would like to read through the previous posts then see the Blog Archive section on the left side of this page.
Also there is a Search box at the top left of the page if you are looking for something but cant remember where it was. I am a trustee member of "Friends of Friar Gate bridge", aiming to get this bridge restored.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Derby Feste 2011 Videos. If you could not make it then see what you missed.

Here are my Derby Feste 2011 videos for you to enjoy, as seen in todays Derby evening Telegraph.

Part 1 - Derby Feste 2011


The next three videos feature the amazing Sarruga street parade with the massive animated puppets of sea creatures as they made their way through Derby. Starting on Derwent Street, Market Place, Iron Gate, Full Street and onto Cathedral Green where there was a firework finale which I have also captured on video.

Part 2 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga street parade.


Part 3 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga street parade continues.


Part 4 - Derby Feste 2011, The Sarruga parade ends at Cathedral Green followed by the Fireworks.


Subscribe to my video channel to get notified : www.youtube.com/comedyhunter

Were you there?
Did the Shark get you?

Thanks
Andy

Thursday 22 September 2011

My Derby Friar gate Line Route map updated.

Back in February I started work on a project to accurately map out the complete original route of the former Derby Friargate Railway Line, over the months I have been adjusting certain areas of the map and adding lots of photographs that people have taken along the route.
My project has received a lot of attention from people, with my map being viewed over three thousand times since I created it !

If you have not seen my project then have a look, you may learn something new. I would like to thank the many people that have helped by taking photographs of the route for me and letting me know about any errors. Some recent photographs added are of the Ventilation shafts over Mapperley Tunnel.

I have also added a lot more "quick links" to my project which allow you to go zoomed in direct on major points of interest along the route such as all of the GNR stations : Egginton Junction, Etwall Railway Station, Mickleover Railway Station, Derby Friar Gate Railway Station, Awsworth Railway Station, West Hallam Railway Station, Kimberley East Railway Station, Daybrook Railway Station, Basford North Railway Station, Gedling Railway Station and Netherfield Railway Station.

Here is a link to my project :

My Derby Friargate Line Route Map Project.


or a direct link to the map on Google maps :
Friargate Railway Line Route Map.


Reference Books.
Some of the Railway books I used for reference while working on this project :

Friargate Line: Derby and the Great Northern Railway

Lost Railways of Derbyshire

Lost Railways of Nottinghamshire

There are lots of books on this subject but quite a few are out of print but you may find one on ebay.

Videos.
Here is a video of a train using this former line:


Another video, this one at Breadsall Railway Station :



Best wishes
Andy

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Derby Festé returns for the fifth year on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September 2011.

This weekend see the return for the fifth time of Derby Festé.
There are lots of different events taking place in the city on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th September 2011.
Here is a link to the complete brochure for whats going on this year - Derbyfeste brochure.

You can pick up a leaflet from Derby Tourist info on the market place.


Derby Festé 2011 - Trailer, What you can expect to see at this years event in Derby.



Photographs from previous Derby Feste events.
Derby Feste 2010 DSC_4911

Derby Feste 08

Derby Feste Quad opening with Giant Insects

For more details on Derby Feste see their website www.derbyfeste.com

Thanks
Andy

Thursday 15 September 2011

The Derby Big Wheel returns to the City Friday September 16th to Sunday October 30th 2011.

Remember its only in Derby until 8pm on Sunday 30th October 2011.

The Derby Big Wheel returns to the City on Friday September 16th for six weeks. I have tried to supply as much information about it as you could possible want to know such as dates,Times,Prices,Location,smart phone drop pins and even a VR photograph of the ferris wheel on the Market Place!
YOU can help too by posting your reviews of the Derby Big wheel in a comment to this post. Feel free to link to this blog post from Facebook, Twitter etc.

360 degree Virtual Reality Photograph of the Derby Big wheel
The link below will take you to my large interactive 360 degree photograph. You can control the view with your mouse (just like Google Streetview). This photograph will allow you to see exactly where the big wheel is located in Derby Marketplace. You will need a broadband connection to view it.
This was the wheel that was in Derby in 2009, its the same one in 2011.

The Derby Big Wheel full screen 360 degree interactive photograph.<-- Click me now !

The Derby Big Wheel officially opens to the public at 10am on Friday 16th September 2011 and will continue to open 10am until 8pm daily until Sunday 30th October 2011.
The wheel is 60m (197 ft) tall in the Market Place, has 40 observation pods and weighs 365 tonnes!

The silent ride lasts for 12 minutes so there is plenty of time to take in the great views it has to offer.
The Derby Big Wheel was known as the Cathedral Quarter Wheel in 2009 when it was last in Derby. 

The Big Wheel Derby opening times
10am to 8pm 7 days a week. 16th September - 30th October.


Costs
£5 for adults
£4 for Student/Senior Citizen with I.D. Cards.
£3 for children under 1.4 metres, and free for children under three.

£14.50 for a Family Ticket: 2 Adults / 2 Children
£27.50 Private Gondola is for your own group/party of guests etc: 1 - 6 people prevents sharing a gondola at peak times (may not be necessary at non-peak times).

There is also a VIP Gondola which takes up to 4 people for £40.00. The VIP Gondola has tinted glass and 4 higher standard seats.

If you book online then you can get 10% of the gate prices listed above. Book your Derby Big Wheel Tickets online by using this website here : www.bigwheelderby.co.uk So If you want a discount then book your ticket online to save money.

You can buy a photograph when you finish the ride on the Big Wheel, not sure how much these cost perhaps someone can leave a comment and I will add it to this page.

Map Location
Map Location of the Derby Big Wheel :

View The Derby Big Wheel. in a larger map

Smartphone mapping
If you own a smartphone such as iPhone/HTC etc then you can use my drop pin below to get very accurate mapping for your phone.

Drop pin for Derby Big Wheel <-- Tap this link on your smartphone to get directions.

When you tap the link above, it will launch your mapping application and place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the Derby Big wheel. You can then use this marker to get driving, walking or bus directions from your current location.



For example on an iPhone you tap the Directions button at the bottom and this will pre-fill in the start and end locations so just tap the Route button at the bottom and it will show you either the driving route or the walking route. If you tap the middle button at the top, this will even show you which bus number and when the next bus to Derby Market Place departs !

Hope you enjoy this and get a chance to have a go on it.
Please leave your reviews of it in my blog. How far could you see?
If you have taken a video while on it then please post a comment with a link to it.

You can see the location of the Big wheel in this driving video I made in 2009. Should give you an idea of how big this is and where its located in Derby City Centre.

Thanks
Andy

Tuesday 13 September 2011

How to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. Free templates provided

Looking for a personalized gift this Christmas that will be enjoyed all year?
A couple of years ago I created a set of calendar templates and a video tutorial on how to use them. This has proved very popular with over nine thousand people following my guide so far.

Here is an example of what you will be able to create using my free 2012 Calendar templates....
one of my 2012 Calendar Templates

It will soon be Christmas and you may find this of use, I created an easy to follow tutorial on how to make a printed calendar using photographs YOU have taken.
The monthly calendar templates are provided free so you can make a unique gift for someone right now.
All you need is Corel PaintShop Photo Pro (or any photo editing software that supports layers such as Gimp, Photoshop etc), A colour printer, some Matt finish paper and 12 images of your choice.

If you are interested in giving it a go then have a look at my 2012 Calendar Guide page here :
Complete guide on how to make a 2012 personalised calendar from your own photographs. < - Click me now to start making a great gift for Christmas.

I hope this has inspired you to have a go at producing a truly unique personalised Xmas present that you will be remembered for, for the whole year ahead. Use Matt Paper as I suggest and it will not cost a lot of money to make several of these calendars.

Matt Paper allows printing of high resolution images but has a finish that you can write on which you need for a calendar! Matt paper can be bought for as little as 4 Pence per sheet.



In my written guide I have supplied detailed instructions on how to use my templates with Photoshop and I will shortly be doing the same for the free image editing software Gimp.
If you think its too early yet to think about Christmas then don't worry I will re-post this on my blog again each month up to Christmas. If you do find my tutorial of use then please leave a comment on either the video or my blog post saying what you created.

Thanks
Andy

Sunday 11 September 2011

I'm now famous in Argentina, South America !

Its not every day that you get to see your name in print on the other side of the planet. Last weekend on Sunday 4th September an article was printed in the Argentinian newspaper "La Gaceta". La Gaceta is a daily newspaper (established in 1912) with a circulation of 46,000 copies.
The news article is about some fountains in Tucumán which I have helped research for them as they were made in Derby by Andrew Handyside & Co and shipped all the way to Argentina in 1872.
Andrew Handyside made Friar Gate bridge and thousands of other items all over the world but us Derbians seem to have completely forgotten this company but I am trying to rectify this by researching and promoting all that they have done using my Andrew Handyside blog and a series of Articles and maybe a book.

To see an English Translated version of this article click : Article in La Gaceta Newspaper.
Here is a screen grab from the web version of the article (in Spanish):

La Gaceta Sept 2011 Spanish cropped

There will be another article printed soon about some other Handyside stuff in South America.

Thanks
Andy

Friday 9 September 2011

Video of Markeaton Brook Walkway and a cute swimming Rat !

Last Saturday I took some footage along Markeaton Brook Walkway. If you have never walked along here before then have a look as its full of wildlife.
It runs parallel to Agard Street from Ford Street to Bridge Street around the back of the Oxygen Bar pub where the foot bridge is.
In this footage you will see a nice cute looking Rat swimming in Markeaton Brook.

Here is my Video of Markeaton Brook Walkway and a very cute Rat swimming !


Map Location for this video.

Did you know Rats could swim?

Markeaton Brook has its own website :
Friends of markeaton brook.


Thanks
Andy

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Derbyshire Brewers Collective - Beer Festival, 9th and 10th September 2011

This weekend is the Derbyshire Brewers Collective Beer Festival

Friday 9th and Saturday 10th  September 2011. 12noon - 5pm and 6pm - 11pm
£3 afternoon session
£5 evening session
Pay on the door.

Derbyshire is rapidly becoming the 'Microbrewery capital of the country' Meet your local microbrewers and try their ales and ciders. 16 of the best brewers in Derbyshire will be manning their own stands, selling their beers and ciders and answering any brewing questions you may have. 
This is a unique event where the experts will be available within the traditional beer festival environment. 
Over 50 beers and Ciders, hot food, quiet area if required, will be available - with evening entertainment being provided by The Spyder Monkeys (Friday) and Soul Town Six (Saturday) - both highly rated and extremely popular Derby bands Come and help celebrate all that is good in Derbyshire

I got this leaflet from Pete on the Amber Ales stand at the last Belper Farmers Market (2nd Saturday of each month)

The flyer for the beer festival, Click to view a larger version.


To learn more about the Derbyshire Brewers Collective see their website :
www.derbyshirebrewers.co.uk

Thanks
Andy

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale, 2nd Sunday of the month restarts this Sunday.

This Sunday (11th September 2011) sees the return of Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre. In case you did not know, Belper carboot sale takes place on the SECOND Sunday of the month from September through to May.
Note there is NO car boot sale in June, July or August.

Buyers are allowed in from 8am to 12 noon.
Sellers are allowed in from 7am to set up their pitches.

This is a small/medium sized car boot. Of course Tansley Car Boot is one of the largest local car boots but that is outdoors. Then there is Willington Car Boot Sale which is every Saturday and Monday and Shardlow Car Boot that takes place on Bank Holidays in the Summer time.

Here is a photograph I took in May at Belper Indoor Car Boot :


Because it's an indoor car boot sale its not affected by the weather unlike outdoor car boots where
nobody turns up because its raining! This car boot is always popular whatever the weather.

Map Location
Here is a very detailed map I have created. Click the link below the map if you want a larger version to print out or to get directions from.

View Belper Indoor Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre. in a larger map

Google Streetview showing the entrance to Belper Leisure Centre where the indoor car boot sale takes place.

Smartphone drop pin.
If you own a smarphone such as iPhone,HTC etc then you can use the link below to get directions to this car boot sale.

Car Park Entrance <--- Tap this link to get a marker for the car boot.

Parking
In Belper follow the signs for Belper Leisure Centre.
The entrance to the Leisure Centre car park is just off John O'Gaunts Way which is off the A609 Kilburn Road.

SAT NAV POST CODE : DE56 1RZ
Car parking is FREE!

Exact Location

The indoor car boot is located in the main sports hall of Belper Leisure Centre, From the car park follow the signs on the path to Belper Leisure Centre. The path takes you alongside Belper School and Sixth Form Centre. This will take you to the automatic sliding doors for Belper Leisure Centre. Go through the doors straight ahead past the refreshments area and toilets on the left.

Up the small stairs (or ramp) to the main hall. This is where you pay to get into the sports hall.
Its 80p for adults, 55p for OAPs and Free for children under 16 with an adult.

Remember Belper Car Boot Sale at Belper Leisure Centre takes place on the 2nd Sunday of the month for 9 months of the year.

So here are the dates for the next year....
Sunday 11th September 2011
Sunday 9th October 2011
Sunday 13th November 2011
Sunday 11th December 2011
Sunday 8th January 2012
Sunday 12th February 2012
Sunday 11th March 2012
Sunday 8th April 2012
Sunday 13th May 2012 < X CANCELLED !!!!
Sunday 9th September 2012

For more details (phone numbers etc see http://www.freewebs.com/bidcb/)


Hope you found this of use.
Andy

Sunday 4 September 2011

Video of a Time-lapse car journey from Derby to the Clumber Park 80's Flashback Festival in August 2011.

Two weeks ago on Saturday 20th August I went to the 80's Flashback Festival at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire. This video is a time-lapse car drive from Derby to Clumber Park and includes a few seconds of the groups as well as the amazing Firework display at the end.

The main acts this year were Toyah Willcox, Nik Kershaw, Heaven 17, Level 42 and The Human League. The show finished with an amzing firework display which you can see at the end of my driving video.

My video Derby to Clumber Park 80's Flashback Festival :


The first band came on stage about 5pm that was Wham Duran (a tribute band) and the Headline Act The League did not finish their set until 11pm !

I have recorded this at 1080p so if you have a very fast PC and superfast Internet connection then set to 1080p Full Screen for the best view of it.

It was recorded on Saturday 20th August 2011.

The Bands performing this year were
Wham Duran (tribute band)
Toyah Willcox
Nik Kershaw
Heaven 17
Level 42
Human League.



All the groups did a great show, I liked The Heaven 17 tracks best of all. They did an amzing long version of Temptation which you can see in this video - Heaven 17 Temptation at Clumber Park 2011.

---------------------------------------
Hardware used for time-lapse:
My modified Canon Ixus camera as detailed here :
http://timescapes.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=170

PAS Camera used:
Hardware Modified Canon Ixus 430
Picture taken every 1.5 seconds.
Photographs taken at 2272x1704 pixels
Exposure time fixed at 1/400 sec.
The jpeg files sizes are between 191Kb to 729Kb, image size varies depending on brightness and complexity of the image.
The 3043 Photographs were 1.02Gb in total
Stored onto a Sandisk Ultra III 8Gb SD Card
---------------------------------------

The Video footage of the Fireworks and performers was done with my Sony HDRCX115EB HD Camcorder


Driving Route:
Starting in Derby most of the journey is on the A38, that last bit on A617 and A614 to Clumber Park.

Detailed Driving Route Map :
http://g.co/maps/mfhn
---------------------------------------
Music used in this video :
"Time Passing By" by Jason Shaw @ audionautix.com
used under creative commons license. Attribution 3.0 United States (CC BY 3.0)
http://www.audionautix.com/

I hope you enjoyed my video, please leave a comment if you did.

Thanks
Andy

Friday 2 September 2011

Video of Derby from the top of the Cathedral in 1994, take a Nostalgic look back at Derby.

I took this video footage way back in 1994 on one of the Derby Cathedral Tower open days. I posted this YouTuebe video in June 2009 before I started my blog so thought I would give it a plug in case you have not seen it before. I have put lots of information below this video about points of interest you can see in the footage.

My video footage of Derby as seen from the top of Derby Cathedral in 1994


My video is best watched in 480p mode and fullscreen.

Until recently I had forgotten that I had taken this, it was on an old Hi8 analogue video tape,
The camcorder I had shot it with had gone faulty many years ago but thankfully eBay came to the rescue where I was able to buy a cheap second hand camcorder that supported playback of analogue Hi8 recordings.

Information about the old footage:
Watching this footage you forget just how much the City has changed in the last 17 years.
This was a time before The Westfield, The Quad, The Cathedral Swing Bridge, Pride Park, Cockpit island car park the new Derby bus station etc.

Do you remember "The hole" as it was known opposite the Council House?

Some points of interest (with time code):
0:10 The view we see here is looking towards where Joseph Right college is located today. As you can see back then it was just a triangle
of land with trees on it. Also in this view you can see Brookbridge apartments on Brook Street (then it was Rykneld Tean Mill).
Chapel Street car park with BBC radio Derby (yellow building) behind it.
0:21 At the top of the hill you can see Mackworth Water Tower.
0:27 The white building centre of screen was the Greyhound Stadium, today this facade is the entrance to Vernon Gate.
0:34 This is looking down onto Iron Gate following it down to the Corn Market.
0:55 The Corn Market
0:57 Gates at the end of the Corn Market, they took these down a few years ago.
1:00 The bottom of Babington Lane (Waterstones building)
1:03 Notice that there is no Westfield, instead its C&A.
1:05 At the end of Leopold Street ,there was an Indian Restaurant "Shabuj Bagan" that was demolished a few years ago when the Westfield was being built.
1:10 Looking down on Iron Gate
1:19 Looking towards the Assembly Rooms.
1:32 "The Hole" as it became known, This large area of land opposite the Council house was boarded up for many years, Today this is the site of The Quad and the memorial gardens.
1:55 On the left you can see parts of the old Bus Station.
At the top of the view you can see the glass footbridge that used to connect the Eagle Centre Market
to the bus station. You could either goto the top floor of the bus station or walk down the two ramps down to the Morledge.
1:50 As you can see there was no cockpit island car park back then, it was still cockpitt Hill car park.
2:07 Looking down on the Electricity substation next to the Industrial Museum.
2:15 Here you can seethe old St Marys Goods yard on Mansfield Road. Landau Forte College is on the right of the view.
2:26 View looking down on the junction of Queen Street, it would appear that everyone used to drive RED cars!
2:37 The old Cathedral Green before the 2008/2009 makeover.
2:58 Derby Evening Telegraph offices on Meadow Lane
3:21 The famous "Derby in Bloom" flower bed on Full Street.
4:40 On the left is St Peters House on Gower Street on the right is the Hippodrome Theatre.
4:46 That church on Normanton Road/Burton Road corner.
--------------------------
If you spot a building thats changed in my footage then please comment on it with a timecode.
Hope you enjoy this unique vision into the past of Derby.

Photographs from the top of the Cathedral in 2001:
http://www.derbyphotos.co.uk/areas_city/cathedral.htm

My 360 degree photograph inside the Cathedral :
http://www.absolutelyandy.com/derbyphotos/wwp/607/

If anyone out there has any old footage of Derby then do please get in touch.

To take in the view from the very same location but in 2009, watch :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73VM6bE7FY

I hope it stirs some memories for you.
Thanks
Andy

Thursday 1 September 2011

Darley Park Concert, the UK's biggest free outdoor classical concert Sunday 4th September 2011.

Looking for info on the 2012 Darley Park concert see my new post, click here.

My complete guide to this years free Darley Park Concert

UPDATE : Monday 5th September.
Here is a great video someone took at this years show. Really captured all aspects of the Darley Park Concert 2011 :

Video by ditcher41a2

This weekend on Sunday 4th September 2011 is the Annual FREE outdoor classical concert and fireworks display at Darley Park, Derby.
This event normally attracts crowds of around 30,000 This years show will be hosted by Classic FM presenter Mark Forrest.
Among those scheduled to perform are Derby-based orchestra sinfonia ViVA, regular Darley Park Concert conductor James Holmes and international soloist Mary Carewe.
The programme of music will include pieces from Copland, Waldteufel, Joplin, Gershwin, Bernstein, Strauss, Sibelius, Dietrich and Offenbach.

Actor Luke Roberts, from Channel Five show Hi-5 and who will star as Dick Whittington in this year's pantomime at the Assembly Rooms, will also appear. It ends with a spectacular firework finale.


The photograph here is one I took during the amazing firework finale at the 2004 concert.
Some more of my photographs in 2002.

If you are travelling in to Derby from afar then its best to get here early as this event is always very popular.



Map
Here is a detailed map showing the exact location of the Darley Park Concert and where you can park.
Click the link below the map to get a larger version you can print out.

View Darley Park Concert, Derby. in a larger map

Smartphone mapping pins.
If you have a smartphone (iPhone, HTC etc) then you can use my push pins below to get accurate GPS locations to this venue. Just view this blog on your phone and tap the link below to launch your mapping app, a push pin will appear on it and you can use this to get walking/driving directions from your current position.

The audience sitting area. <---- Tap this link to locate the area where you will sit and watch the concert.

Entrance to concert car parking. <--- Tap this linik to located the entrace to the concert car parking.

There are several entrances into Darley Park. Choose the best one for you. Here are the entrances to the park with Google Streetviews. These are all "by foot" !
1) Bottom of Mile Ash Lane.
2) End of Darley Street.
3) Down Darley Park Drive.
4) Off Duffield Road (A6).
5) Bottom of South Drive.
6) End of North Parade.
7) Over Handyside bridge from City Road.

The Darley Park Concert is sponsored by Rolls Royce and in partnership with Classic FM.
Remember to take a torch as some of the paths into Darley Park are unlit and covered with trees so its helps if you have a torch to see where you are walking.

Hope the weather is ok for this event.
Andy

In 2012 the Darley Park Concert will take place on Saturday 30th June 2012  to coincide with the visit of the Olympic torch to Derby.