Hi to you all, greetings from North Wales Uk. I thought it was a bit late in the day to do one of these but after a chat with my guru @slobberchops and after watching a brilliant set of guidance videos produced by @indigoocean I have taken the plunge.
Ps, after years of writing legal reports and documents I must admit I started to favour bullet points, get the message over don’t lose it in narrative. To be honest senior directors and ceo,s tend to read the executive summary then straight to conclusions and recommendations!
“Ah but the devil is in the detail”I would say, to which I heard time and time again, “well that’s why your here, talk us through it”
Ho hum.
So.......
Me: Prypyat, a great trip, I think this trip was the turning point for me as regards to UE, it made me realise if we don’t look we don’t find and we miss so much.
- My name isn’t really grindle it’s Stephen.
- Grindle is a nickname I seemed to inherit back in primary school in the 60’s.(ah yes I’m old btw). I side track I have just duck ducked ( I don’t google) “grindle” and it’s slang for the line that runs the length of ones ball bag, ah ffs wish I hadn’t looked.
- Grindle was a short lived American sitcom in the 60’s, and was the name of the lead character, a cleaning lady sheesh, this is going down hill fast.
- At the time of writing I’m a 63 yr old happily divorced father of two, (daughter, a Dr. of philosophy and senior university lecturer, son an executive chef) where he gets that from I really don’t know I bloody love Mac Donald’s. Grandfather or “poppy” to four.
- Now a gentleman of leisure, having given up being a wage slave in 2017.
- I have had two epiphanies in my life, 26th December 1981, when as a 30 a day smoker, half way through a fag I thought “I’ve had enough of this shit”, stubbed it out; never smoked again. The 2nd epiphany was 16th October 2017, in my capacity as Head of European safety whilst investigating a fatal accident at one of our facilities I discovered falsified documents, and was in danger of bring involved in a cover up, I thought “I’ve had enough of this shit”, walked out, jacked it. Honestly and integrity above all.
Keeping busy apart from everyday stuff
- I immerse myself in the world of Urban Exploring either researching and visiting or driving aimlessly round country lanes an hamlets in search of abandoned places: if access is possible nothing is ignored.
- I travel, I have always had wanderlust, having for years enjoyed the Far East and the Indian sub-continent,I am now having a love affair with all things Soviet. Visiting the Golden Arches being part of the adventure (not India, chicken only alas).
Crossing the Rohtang Pass to Manali. I love India, really really love India this was a really special trip from Amritsar to Leh.
What does Urbex mean to me?
Urban Exploring to me is just seeking out the stuff others don’t see; it’s not just abandoned buildings, it’s more just going off piste and enjoying one’s surroundings. Simply to me the three GR’s. GRot: GRaffiti: GRaves.
**GROT**
**GRAFFITI**
**GRAVES**
So? Why am I on hive?
- Having been a member of UE forums for some time and posting on FB, I was spotted by and invited to join steem by @slobberchops, sceptical at first, now starting to find my feet here on Peak.
- To me it’s a place to show others my adventures without the anal attitude of the UE forums, and for me to enjoy a diverse range of topics and interests posted by my peers
- My weapon of choice out and about is a Nikon 5600 with an 18-140mm lens, occasionally I use a LUMIX TZ200 compact. We don’t get it right all the time so,if I say, get the exposure or white balance wrong or want to highlight or accentuate something in the snap I currently use LR.
- Currently due to this tyrannical enforced quarantine I have time to post my back catalogue, in the main, posted to urbanexploration.
Me at the wheel of the Urbex tour bus? No just a bus graveyard on my travels
Alas it doesn’t always go to plan
January 2019, visiting a WW2 munitions site, lost by footing scrambling down a 20ft slope, my bad, wrong footwear, daft thing was I carried on it didn’t hurt...... until I was climbing up an old steel ladder on a water tower, half way up I’m thinking “I shouldn’t be doing this” anywayss, back to terra firma, 5 hrs in A&E, ruptured ligaments. Out of action 12 weeks, shit happens.
So I’m rambling on now so shall end it here.
#urbanexploration
And many more
Great introduction albeit a little late after many posts! Can you now tell me how we can get more Urban Explorers on to HIVE?
The 'old-hats' were not happy when I mentioned 'the money' on 28dayslater even though it's relative peanuts.
There are one or two others but we need more content as we produce. It does seem to go down well and I'm glad you stuck it out, I know you were on the edge of quitting more than once.
Doing stuff on here is not easy, it's still way too complicated in my opinion, and getting only a little better.
I agree with the complexity! And your sentiments re 28DL. I have one in mind who may be interested she is an “old hat”, but also keen photographer, motorsport enthusiast and lover of military aircraft.
Haven’t spoken with her in awhile I may see how the land lies?
I'm happy to see anyone posting in the Urbex community. I tweet all my stuff, have a dedicated Urbex Facebook page, and get lots of hits, they see the HIVE posts (only links) and yet they still are not interested and want to post their content for FREE on Facebook and other centralized platforms where they lose the rights to their photography once is uploaded.
As someone who is new, what can we do to entice these people on here? They can get at least something for what they do, and contrary to the belief of the 28DL crowd, I don't think that's such a bad thing?
Tbh I agree, but the forums are pretty anal and precious. And FB is where the goontubers and idiots reside!
I will need to tell my Urbex comrade that he's a 'Goontuber' he will probably laugh!
I mentioned HIVE to him and he seems interested. I will work on him when and if this virus doesn't kill us all, and normality resumes.
@tipu curate
Nice to meet you, Stephen! That wanderlust and curiosity will keep you young for decades more!
Thank you, here’s hoping
An honourable man, an explorer (of the urban variety) and a Welsh. I declare I have never seen such a combination. I shall follow you like a Scottish pestilence. :O)
Hmmmmm! Us celts must stick together
Indeed! It was written or something like that.
Nice to meet you and glad to hear the tutorials have been helpful. I look forward to seeing more.
Very helpful, thank you
I know you have @slobberchops on your side but i saw your HP and we have the @theterminal redfishrally it’s free and maybe to get you to 500 hp a nice opportunity, its an discord theterminal initiative
Thank you for the invite
YOU ARE VERY WELCOME
I like India but I don't know much about it. Glad you are on Hive.
Cheers
Welcome to Hive ! :)
Nice to have you here :)
Thank you
A delayed welcome to you then, sir.
I've never seen a cemetery with portraits on the grave-stones before. There's something unsettling about it.
Hi, thanks.
It was wonderful place, it was in Kaliningrad, the cemetery is known as the cemetery of heroes. Each and every resident had served either USSR or Russian Federation, in a military or “govt’ role.