I’ve got a lot to get through this month, so let’s get started.
March
I am extremely happy with the March output. In a month where the weather seemed to demonstrate all four seasons of the year, a lot of it was good, and some of the good weather coincided with weekends, and I did some photography on four of the five of these. Total production currently stands at 48 images, with one session still to process; the output for the month has exceeded the total production output for the first quarter of 2024.
The month mainly consisted of two National Trust visits and one trip to the Nene Valley Railway. The two NT sites visited were Woodchester Park and Coughton Court; the latter being a last-minute substitute for another site I’d planned to do on the last weekend of the month, but changing circumstances resulted in a swap, with the original plan now being considered for April. In hindsight, Coughton Court was probably a better choice than my original option under the prevailing conditions on the day of the visit; being Mother’s Day, it was somewhat crowded, and my mother and I did not stay all that long.
The Nene Valley Railway trip was somewhat significant to me, as it involved BR Standard 7MT no. 70000 “Britannia”, which was probably the first locomotive I ever photographed, some 45 years ago, on the same railway. I had not been to the railway since 2010 and hadn’t been in the Peterborough area since my grandmother’s funeral in 2016; some things had changed, and not always for the better (parking at Orton Mere was no longer free, for example). The trip involved over five hours’ worth of driving (although some of that wasn’t absolutely necessary), but I think the results were worth it. Any future trips will probably involve making some changes (possibly even staying somewhere in Peterborough).2025 First Quarter
Production-wise, the first quarter has been a vast improvement over 2024. Production targets were met (and exceeded) in both January and March, and although February didn’t meet its target, it was not very far off and was an improvement over 2024. The quarter has ended ahead of quota, unlike 2024 Q1, where I was behind.Sales-wise, revenue for the quarter has already exceeded 2024, with Photo4Me sales being slightly ahead of Redbubble sales. I am extremely happy with this, as normally most of my sales occur in the run-up to Christmas.
Railway Websites
It was my intention
to do some work on my railway websites at some point in early 2025. I am pleased to say that I have been working
on both “Railways of the Forest of Dean” and “Gateway to the LMS”; a trawl of
Wikimedia Commons has provided me with images allowing me to illustrate areas
that I was not previously able to do, at least not without either potentially
paying for usage rights, or acquiring a time machine! A significant update to “Gateway..” was
uploaded in March, and I expect to do the same with RoTFod in early April.
I must admit being
quite surprised at some of the images on Wikimedia Commons, and although
perhaps not the most amazing of railway images available, some of them are
surprisingly good, and more than adequate for most of my needs. I am perhaps regretting I didn’t explore this
facility earlier; some of the images could have been used in the 2nd Edition of
my father’s book on Sir Henry Fowler (I’ll admit I did borrow one image from my
father’s book for “Gateway..”, but I suspect it is of sufficient age not to get
me into too much trouble about using it).
I’ve not done
anything with “Railways of the Vale of Evesham” at present; it has images
provided by the Vale of Evesham Historical Society and was not such a high
priority. Possibly a job for next
winter.
April
I’m hoping to be
able to reschedule my original National Trust visit for April, and I’m also
considering a visit to the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Gala (most likely
either the Saturday or the Monday), if only to see where my donations to 71000
“Duke of Gloucester” are going. I’ve
also got some time off work at the beginning of the month, and with the weather
looking promising during that period, I may be able to do something then.
The production quota
for the month is 50, and the output for the last two years has exceeded this,
so I’m confident I can obtain this.
Summer Holiday
I’ve booked another
holiday for June this year; this time round I’m off to West Somerset, with the
possibility of some expeditions into Northeast Devon. This is likely to involve sessions with the
West Somerset Railway and at least one new National Trust Property, and I am
considering a trip to the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway as well.
As I’m revisiting
North Wales in September (and not having all that much annual holiday
entitlement left for 2025), it is unlikely that I will be taking a holiday in
Dorset this year; if I do, it would likely be in the form of a short break. I hope to be able to return there in 2026, in
part since it would be the 20th anniversary of my first visit to the
county.
Supported Causes
The following causes have received donations from me since 2020, and in some instances I am a member of the organisation involved. If you have enjoyed the contents of this site or have found them useful (or any of my other sites for that matter), then please consider making a donation.
In light of the latest landslip on the Severn Valley Railway, I've made a fairly substantial donation to them.