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A few more updates today from the Vale Earth Fair.

I hadn't realised how busy I've been since the VEF (way back in August) but having found a couple of missed folders with VEF pics in I'm now sorting through the last of the Festival shots and there is just a glimmer at the end of the tunnel :-)

Today's picture updates feature Robert J Hunter and his band, Citizen X and one of my favourite live acts, Static Alice.

Check-out the updates here:
VIEW PICS OF STATIC ALICE & ROBERT J HUNTER PLAYING AT VALE EARTH FAIR

We welcomed an Aussie band to the Fermain Tavern recently. They proved that our mates from the underside of the world know how to rock and have a good time... but we knew that anyway cobber :-)

Tropical Zombie were well received and they became 'token locals' when they agreed that Breda lager hits the right spot!

I have added pictures of Tropical Zombie to my Galleries together with a few of supporting band To the Woods. We know that like like a bit of the Breda too!

Click the links to view the pics:
VIEW PICS OF TROPICAL ZOMBIE
VIEW PICS OF TO THE WOODS

Following the theme of my last Blog... this is also short and sweet :-)

I've been working through a couple of old photoshoots that didn't make it on-line at the time they were shot.

Today's additions are all from the Vale Earth Fair. This is a fantastic annual festival held within and around the historic walls of Vale Castle in Guernsey.

The new galleries feature The Crowman, Subversion & Jawbone. More to follow...

Subversion...

Jawbone...
VIEW PICS OF THE CROWMAN, SUBVERSION & JAWBONE

The next couple of Blogs will be short and simple.

Good, I hear you say!

I've discovered a few old folders of pics that didn't make it to the web-site at the time they were taken.

So it is time for a tidy-up. First up are Karting updates:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-9 OF THE SUMMER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

I do love technology. It's just a shame that I find some of the new stuff a bit confusing... it's an age thing :-(

But every now and then I discover something that is really useful and amazing at the same time. If you've seen it all before then sorry if I'm about to bore you!

What I am referring to is the technology that I am using to type this Blog. I am in-putting this text on my Apple iPad using the web-site Admin system for my web-site. Nothing special there I hear you say.

However that Admin program is actually running on my main computer, a computer running Microsoft Windows 8. The remote Windows computer is using Firefox to access the web-site admin.... all directly form my iPad!

Oh and I forgot to mention that I'm not even in the same building as the office computer... thanks to the Internet :-)

*Just for your information*
These updates were completed whilst I was working from my 'Town Office'..... the Cock & Bull pub. Now that's worth two smiley's :-) ;-)

So all these different systems are somehow talking to each other for me. I even completed the edit of today's pics remotely. In fact I can operate all my Windows programs directly on my iPad. I'm impressed! Photoshop anyone? Or how about Lightroom?

There is just one thing left to do... now to upload this Blog.

If you are reading it then you know it all works :-)

Today's pics feature the GMC&CC Trials at Portelet. Click the link to view them:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST TRIALS PICS

VIEW PICS OF A RARE OUTING OF CHOKE
I think that the 'Halloween Metal Mayhem' on Saturday was the nineth.

I reckon that qualifies it as a local tradition. Don't you?

The Fermain Tavern was full of ghouls, ghosts and more than a little fake blood (at least I hope it was fake blood!)

There were some amazing fancy dress outfits too (at least I assume people don't wear that gear all year round). Surely these guys 'n gals don't only come out at Halloween?

Anyway, the photo-opportunities are just too good to miss so I lurked in the shadows and cobwebs to capture some of the atmosphere ;-)

I've added a couple of new Galleries featuring those pics...

VIEW PICS OF THE JERSEY BASED MASTICATED

Last weekend saw the final round of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Summer Kart Championship at The Track.

With some of the Classes still up for grabs it was bound to be a lively meeting and indeed the Rotax Max Classes Champion wasn't finally confirmed until the flag dropped and a double-check was made of all the seasons points (allowing for dropped races). I think there was just a point in it giving Matt Corson the win.

After the action had completed I took pics of the four Champions and also the successful 'Karting Guernsey Team'.

Those pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2014 SUMMER KART CHAMPIONS & RACE 10

Today it was back to the Moto-X track for a bit of muddy action. I've already made a quick edit and the pics are on-line here:

VIEW PICS OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICTURES OF BUFFALO HUDDLESTON
Now I'd love to think that I had that sort of influence... but of course I don't :-(

Shame.

It is just a coincidence that, after having had a moan in this Blog just last week about Guernsey's 'gig-goers' not making enough effort to support the live music scene, we saw perhaps the liveliest gig of the year at the Fermain Tavern on Saturday.

Could I really have made people get off their behinds.... as easily as that?

No. What we experienced was the golden mix of 'The Tav' booking a band that is well known (locally) with a special guest band that rocked this years Sark Folk Festival (that is if a folk band does actually 'rock'?)

I'd hate to be a gig promoter as clearly gig-goers are a fickle bunch. Killamonjambo, who were so poorly supported last week, are a great band and well worth following but the word simply hadn't 'got out there' locally with the resulting poor turn-out.

However it was all change on Saturday!

The popular Buffalo Huddleston were launching their Album 'Sunrise' at a party and it seemed like everyone was on the guest list. The Fermain Tavern was packed solid with a mass of fans. The contrast could not be greater. This is what a live venue should be like... and we all LOVED it!

The inspired booking of the night was to invite CC Smugglers along as special guests. This UK band is on the way up towards greater things and, as previously stated, they impressed the Sark Folk Festival crowd in the summer. In fact their set on Saturday was one of those that most other bands on a bill wouldn't want to follow. This band is really good live!

But of course it was Buffallo Huddleston's night and they more than justified their headlining status. They revelled in the attention with a familiar set of songs from 'Sunrise'.

So all the ingredients were in place and the dish was served. We gorged ourselves and went back for seconds.

Live music lives, and I'm a happy man.

Maybe I'll also kid myself that I had something to do with it too ;-)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICTURES OF CC SMUGGLERS

Saturday saw me standing in a field near Icart taking pics of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club's second Grass Track meeting.

This event seems to be a perfect end to another busy Sand Racing season. Most of the Sliders made a showing. The Motocross boys enjoyed the grass/dirt track... much more like their chosen surface. And the few Grass Track cars that reside in Guernsey completed the list of competitors.

So that was day one sorted. View the Grass Track pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE GRASS TRACK RACING

Then today the same Club hosted a Trials event.

Now you may have noticed that there are very few landscape pics on this web-site. In fact I haven't been serious about taking landscape pics since my Camera Club days. Somehow I don't seem to have the time!

But today I got as close as I have in recent times. It was only whilst editing the days shoot that I realised that I had taken a few 'landscapes' (at least they feature the countryside and autumnal colours).

However there is one other small detail. There is a Trials bike in every one of the pics!

Maybe next time I will leave the bike out, but for now that's all I've got to show you.

Take a look at my Trials pics here:
VIEW PICS OF AN AUTUMNAL TRIALS EVENT

You can't beat a nice afternoon on the beach. And that was nothing like a nice afternoon on the beach!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the entertainment. Autocross racing will never disappoint on that front.

No, it was the fact that it poured down for the whole meeting!

I wont labour the point why it is so frustrating to work with cameras in heavy rain as I will only be repeating (many) previous Blogs. Suffice to say lenses, water, misting!

I'm pleased to say that I've now dried off, had a fantastic roast dinner (thanks to 'she who must be obeyed'). Add to this a couple of glasses of red wine and I'm back to being a happy chappy.

The editing has all been done in the warmth of my studio office and pics are now online:
VIEW PICS OF THE VERY WET AUTOCROSS MEETING

Friday night at the Fermain Tavern was an embarrassment.

At least I felt embarrassed as a local follower of live music when I spoke to members of Killamonjambo and their tour manager.

These guys are near the end of an long and successful tour of the UK. They have played to many full-houses... but not on Friday!

The band deserved a good crowd for what they call 'England's leading barnyard funk ska reggae intergalactic dance band'.

That seems to cover a good selection of musical genres... so why didn't people turn up?

Paul Staples has to be credited with not giving up (yet) with his efforts to maintain the 'Tav's' legacy as a live music venue. But he finds himself having to finance too many nights when the punters simply don't bother to turn up.

OK, nobody is obliged to attend any of these gigs and I know there are often bands playing in other pubs. However it is only The Fermain Tavern who regularly promote established original artists. This decades long record may not last for much longer if you guys don't offer your support.

When it's gone it will be too late... Use it or Loose it!

By the way, Killamonjambo were brilliant. They were also total pro's as they raised their performance for the very select few. Even though it was 'the worst gig they had played for years' (tour managers quote).

I took a few pics:
VIEW PICS OF KILLAMONJAMBO

If there is any truth to the rumour that Motocross riders like to get their fun when it is wet and slippery then today must have been a bit special!

The heavy rainfall that heralded the change to the autumnal season meant that the dusty conditions of earlier races where a distant memory.

However for the race day there was a clear sky and quite a nice warmth to the sun that when combined with a gentle wind meant it was very pleasant standing at the side of the track taking pics.

There is no way though that I could be convinced that it was fun out there on a bike! Certain corners were simply churned, liquid mud... it was axle deep as well!

But of course this is all part of the sport and it can make for a few dramatic pics :-)

I've already completed the edit and a new gallery can be viewed here:
VIEW PICS OF THE MUDDY RACE-6 OF THE MOTO-X CHAMPIONSHIP

It's been a Motorsport 'Double Header' this weekend. Guernsey certainly knows how to put on a Motorsport event... or two!

Both main Clubs were involved with The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club first to the line on Saturday with the annual Petit Bot Hillclimb. Read my previous Blog for the story... but to save you time just think "WET"!

Today it was the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club's turn to prove that they know a thing or two about running a race meeting.

This was the second time that a Twisty Sprint has been run (exclusively for Bikes) at 'The Track', normally the home of Kart racing.

The entry numbers were disappointingly low after the Club had made such an effort to organise this 'Special'. Now I know that I'm not a racer but I do wonder why the Bikers don't turn up in bigger numbers? Sure the speeds are low - and we know that Bikers LOVE speed. But the level of riding skill needed is very high. This is a form of competition that develops a riders 'bike craft' and the best technician will come to the top.

I spoke with a couple of the fastest Channel Island bike racers and they confirmed that they thoroughly enjoy the Twisty Sprints so I think the 'no-shows' have to re-think about supporting this event next year. As I said, we know it doesn't offer high speeds... but it is still a race and that is why you get out of bed! Isn't it?

The other plus is that the competitors get lots of runs. Win, win.
VIEW PICS OF THE TRACK TWISTY SPRINT

It was only 'hard-core' racers who turned out for the very wet Petit Bot Hillclimb..... the same can be said about the photographers :-)

The last hillclimb of the season has a habit of testing our endurance, but it is always rewarding if you stick it out. This year's heavy rain at the start of the day eventually moved off and by the last runs the road was dry.

I still had a few damp spots though :-(

There is nothing pleasant about standing around in the rain trying to keep yourself and your kit dry. But I have found (having done this many times) that there is a pay-off. This comes from having the chance to capture a different dynamic element in your pictures.

It's also true that I only get to properly assess the days work when I return to the office as it is impossible to see the camera's screen whilst is is covered in the steamed-up wet weather kit.

I've now completed the edit and I'm pleased to say that there are a few keepers! The pics of the days racing are now on-line:
PICS OF A WET PETIT BOT HILLCLIMB

I thought I could never be a 'Paparazzi' photographer.

My problem is that I'm not interested (in the slightest) by celebrity. I don't follow any Football team.... in fact I don't really follow any sport! I don't even open the celebrity pages of Newspapers and Magazines. I don't watch films or much TV. I think celebrity is artificial and rarely deserved.

I'm sure that some people will consider that by not following modern media hype that I 'don't have a life'. What on earth do I do with my days if I don't spend them trawling through the gossip columns, sports pages, TV and the Internet?

What one person lives for another will see from the opposite side and I live a life full of fun and entertainment. Our differences are what makes being human so interesting.

Now I suppose this blog will eventually have a point... if I can get around to it sometime!

Well, I got thinking about what does get my attention after a recent gig at The Fermain Tavern. There had only been moderate hype before Heymoonshaker's appearance at the 'Tav'. As I'm a regular gig-goer I dutifully arrived to listen and take a few pics.

It was whilst talking to a mate and checking out the lack of activity setting up the stage for the headliners that I realised there was actually NO 'setting up' going on. No drum kit, no stack of amps.... I began to wonder if the band had decided to go home due to what was only an very average turn-out.

But then Heymoonshaker took to the stage. They were as stripped down as it's possible to be... two guys, a single guitar and two mikes!

What were we about to receive?

The band summed up their sound in a way that I can't improve upon 'We play Beatbox Blues, no other band in the world do what we do'.

Wow, these guys have stage presence. They own a stage and they command your attention with their engaging personalities and talent. Heymoonshaker converted me into a celebrity watcher, 'cause stars is what they are!

I don't ever recall seeing a queue form at a Fermain Tavern gig to buy a band's CD, but this time I even joined it myself.

If I'm honest, I'm not sure the CD really captures the essence of the Band. The dynamic performance and stage personality will never be captured on CD.

However star quality shines through and I was certainly 'star-stuck' by Heymoonshaker. They might be the reason I become a celebrity watcher. Maybe a new career awaits me as a 'Pap'?

Don't miss a chance to see this band live...
TAKE A LOOK AT A FEW PICS OF HEYMOONSHAKER

If the rumours going around the pits at Saturday's Sandracing are true then next years season on Vazon beach could be something worth waiting for.

It's seems to me that the last couple of Sandracing seasons have lacked a bit of 'sparkle'. Some of the old faces have been missing and the number of Slider and Car entries has dwindled. This has led to a general reduction in spectators lining the sea wall.

The thing that is needed when this happens is something new. A change that re-generates the old interest and following.

Well, just maybe, we had a sneak preview into the future at last weekends Sandrace meeting :-)

Pierre Rive turned up with a newly acquired Sidecar... well who else would be so crazy? Ah yeah, Swifty!

And only Pierre (after loosing his first 'madman' side-kick) could manage to find a replacement passenger in a pub just the night before the meeting. From what I was told the new passenger had never seen a Sidecar set-up and had to do a quick search on the Internet to see what it was all about and to pick up a few techniques.

This was surely a recipe for disaster (after all it was Pierre Rive who was holding the throttle). But no, the team went out and were in control after just a couple of laps! Now there's a first!

Do you want to know the best part about all this?

Well the rumours suggest that there may be two or even three more Sidecars lined up as 'winter projects'. Now if that comes to fruition I predict that the crowds might well return to the walls of Vazon bay.

Who would have guessed that Pierre Rive could be the Saviour!! ;-)
VIEW PICS OF THE NEW SIDECAR IN ACTION

It was a Saturday of fun and emotion for me...

My short-list of photoshoots included:

1: Photograph Round 5 of the Motocross Championship.
2: Photograph the Charybdis wreath laying service at sea.
3: Photograph Round 9 of the Sand Racing Championship.

I love photographing Motorsport and you will see that my box was ticked by the weekends Moto-X & Sandracing.

But my most rewarding shoot of the weekend only took around an hour but the memories will last me a lifetime.

I had the privilege of spending a few moments in the company of the five surviving seamen from HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne when they attended a 'Service at Sea' with a wreath laying from the RNLB Daniel L Gibson. These ninety year old gentlemen experienced the horror of being torpedoed then finding themselves clinging to life-rafts and debris not knowing if they would ever be rescued. Many of their comrades didn't survive.

None of us can imagine what this was like but these men have carried that trauma with them all their lives. The emotion was evident as they shared their moments of remembrance.

The survivors families who were aboard the Travel Trident were equaly touched by the heartfelt tribute. I find it impossible to put into words how I felt watching these ageing sailors recalling the memories from so long ago.

However one single short sentence that I was told after the ceremony sums up what happened that night - simply and with great honesty...

'There wasn't a single atheist amongst us on that night'

May we never forget that our opportunities to have fun and enjoy our lives are owed to the many who gave their lives and suffered hardship for our freedom.
VIEW A SMALL GALLERY FEATURING PICTURES OF THE SERVICE AT SEA

I've now added a new picture gallery with the first edit of the Moto-X Championship here:

VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS GALLERY

That's Alderney sorted for another twelve months :-)

The long weekend of Motorsport and Social was, once again, one of my highlights of the year.

It's just a shame that the job is only half-done when I get back on 'Joey' the Aurigny Tri-islander and return to Guernsey.

I should know what to expect by now but it is always a bit of a flat spot when I have to lock myself away in a dark office to edit the weekends pics.

But I'm now seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.... The Alderney picture galleries are COMPLETE, hooray!

As always the gallery only displays a selection of all the pics taken. If you want to view all the weekends pics just contact me and I will arrange to pop around with my laptop database.

You will also benefit from seeing the full resolution versions of each pic... and without that HORRIBLE watermark.

Contact me by Email or call 07781 144525.

By the way, 2015 is the twenty-fifth year of the Alderney weekend. It will be extra special. I think you had better make a diary date now!

View the final gallery featuring the Alderney Hillclimb:
VIEW THE ALDERNEY HILLCLIMB GALLERY

The GK&MC Alderney Airport Speed Event was no Sprint (for me).

Friday dawned and I had a relaxed breakfast at Braye Beach Hotel (a very nice Hotel, by the way). Then it was time to hit the road to photograph the Speed (Sprint) Event up near Alderney Airport.

I packed my back-pack to include everything that I could possibly need and then started the long walk up Fort Tourgis hill. As I progressed the sun stated that it was going to make its presence known by blazing down onto the shade-less northern isle. Oh, I forgot to pack the sun-cream :-(

The trek up the endless hill sapped my energy and I was already fatigued when I reached the top. But then the action started and the adrenaline began to flow and Alderney did what it does so well. It offered its visitors the hospitality and access that make the GK&MC annual visit such good fun. The short 'track' heading away from the Airport towards Fort Tourgis Hill is fast and offers a critical heavy breaking point into a sharp right-hander. Get it right and the time is good. Get it wrong (and many did) and you will stand no chance of setting a fast time.

I have to say that this years visit was as good as any before it... maybe even better. I spoke to a couple of Alderney Motorsport 'virgins' and they were already promising to be back next year.

That should say it all. The effort and cost that we all have to make to visit our sister island are huge... but I promise you it is worth it :-)

I've now added another picture gallery of the weekends racing...
VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC ALDERNEY AIRPORT SPEED EVENT

Alderney was as hectic as usual!

Three days of Motorsport is always going to be fun... and it was :-)

I find the weekend turns out to be quite a 'work-out' due to the mileage that I walk - always carrying a hefty kit bag. I must weigh it properly next year as I don't know the fully packed weight. What I do know is Aurigny refused to let me take the back-pack on board as hand luggage with a comment that it was 'WAY over weight!' Added to the back-pack is a Peli case full of additional lenses... oh, and a change of underwear! I don't travel light :-)

When this heavy kit is combined with walking to the events... up Fort Tourgis hill (twice)... the visit to Alderney is my best work-out of the year! And I haven't included the evening trips (again up the steep hills) into the town for a bite to eat and a few beers at 'mission head-quarters' The 'Campania'.

So it is no wonder that I need a few days rest after the annual visit to Alderney (if only that was possible).

No, it is straight to work when I return to the office. I have to edit a few hundred pics.

I'm working through them in the order that they were taken. So it is the Fort Corblet Sprint that is first online. Check the pics out here:
VIEW PICS OF THE FORT CORBLETS SPRINT