Well in the last couple of days the Domestic Overlord has been very gracious and allowed me a couple of free hours, from duties around the house.

Being unaccustomed to such freedom at first I sat there in the skirt I borrowed, from next doors washing line caked in blue face paint contemplating plans to free other such enslaved modellers and leading a revolt against all the oppressors in the country, and then I thought, sod that I'm going to do some modelling.

So still wearing the skirt (purely for reasons of comfort) I set about finishing off the re-numbering of various locomotives that have been patiently waiting for their identities. For this I use transfers from the FOX range as not only do they cover every variant you will ever need but they are really easy even for me to use.

Now if you have ever re-numbered an N gauge locomotive, you will know how difficult it can be sometimes to get the numbers lined up. However the process went without any problems, and so they were soon ready to be sealed with varnish, as this is a job that needs some close up work, I got myself ready and it must of been the fumes because.................

"Billy Grimes how many times do you need to be told the keep quiet, if you carry on you won't see your next birthday! There is no such thing as Mickey Mouse, and if there was he would not be seen, anywhere round here. Now get out from under my feet, and don't you come back dirty, its not bath night until Sunday".

So I headed off to see if I could meet Mickey Mouse as the lads at School said they had seen him down at the Station yesterday, so to a master detective like me it should be easy to track him down.

Every good detective has his snitches, so I'm off to ask Joe, he knows everything, and he will tell me as nobody can resist the "Grimes interrogation". Ha the weak minded fool, he coughed up that "mickey" would be here in about ten minutes, so I pick my spot and wait.

Well what a waste of time that was, ten minutes waiting and all that happens is a old local runs in, as if Mickey would be on a train like that.

Still nothing will stop super sleuth Grimes so I will look around for clues, and if I happen to do some train spotting along the way bonus.

A strange grinding, wheezing sound coming from the goods shed, breaks my concentration but as Sherbert Bones, always says the game is 12 inches, or a foot or something.

This thing must be a way of moving sheds to customers, it must be a new service after all they moved Aunt Violets sofa by train all the way from Manchester. That's is LMS stands for "London Midland Sheds". They can't be doing that much business as its not moving very fast and its leaking creosote everywhere, old Joe said it was a new diesil, but it does not look new to me.

It must be waiting for its customer, as it was soon dumped at the end of the siding, at least its not making that horrible nose now, and I have resolved the mystery its not a shed its a pigeon coup, which explain all the lovres. Well now that's solved back to the missing mouse, a distant whistle means another train is due, perhaps this one will have the elusive Mr Mouse.

Well I give up, no sign of Mickey Mouse just another one of these stupid new locomotives, but you have not fooled me Mickey Mouse, you wont escape my eagle like sight for long....................

Anyway, back to varnish fumes, apparently they can be quite strong and if you inhale them they can make you go a little strange, maybe to other people but not to an experienced modeller like me. Until the next time Happy Modelling