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Reading Natalie's story above reminds me of the time when I was caring for my Mum when she had dementia and reaching the end of my tether. Luckily for me the Admiral Nurse at that time realised what was going on and arranged to get Mum into respite care in a couple of hours. If that nurse had not been around at that time I hate to think what could have happened. On a much more happier note I went for a long train ride in this train: This was the first time I had been on a trip operated by Hastings Diesels Limited (in conjunction with GBRf). The train started at Hastings which I joined at Tonbridge after which the train headed for Bromley South, Kensington Olympia, the North London Line, Stratford and Norwich before reversing for the short journey to Lowestoft. Everything ran to schedule until we reached Norwich and headed for Lowestoft where we arrived about 30 minutes late... and guess what caused the delay? Yes, it was swans on the lines!! Father swan was leading the pack with Mother swan and family following under the careful watch of one of the guys from GBRf and once the family was safely across we continued our journey to Lowestoft. Just before the train reached Lowestoft Station I took the following pic from my seat on the train: Why take this picture you may ask? The second house from the end (with the newer tiles) was my grandparents house and from that window my brother and I spent hours watching trains entering and leaving Lowestoft back in the late 1950s/early 1960s - the cause of my continuing interest in railways! Back in those days the bushes were not to be seen, the area was devoted to allotments and you could just see the ground floor of the house from the train. Keith

Natalie You are most welcome to share your thoughts here among friends and supportive ones at that. "Real actual problems" - well most of us have them if truth be told. Anyone who self-harms or od's has - or has had - a "Real actual problem" make no mistake. I have carried dear friends through the loss of loved ones (in one case their eldest son who left a six-week old child behind) following such things. I know several of my friends are "cutters". Let's put this bluntly. There is no c0ck-waving contest here; your problems are neither less nor more relevant than others. In this place we are equals. You have chosen to take the stronger way and to share them - well done and thank you. Most of us have something in our lives making it harder than it needs to be and over which we may or may not have any degree of control. Some things may be thought more serious than others but any problem shared is a problem eased. One of the worst things is to leave matters unspoken - perhaps for fear of being thought trivial or a whinger - when in fact there is a cry for help or support being made. I don't have ready answers. But I do listen. I listen at any time and to anyone who wishes to be heard. ERs is a supportive place and I am very sure you will find something here to at least ease your mind and help you take one minute at a time. Please keep us posted. It's not trivial - we are here as a community who offer friendship, support and (when we can) help and good advice. In other news it's been a beautiful warm day during which I have fiddled with tiny trains, cooked, cleaned, tinkered with the pots claiming to be a garden and this afternoon, while SWMBO was asleep in front of the tv, I took myself off for a cycle ride. Up to Teddington Lock, cross the Thames, down to Richmond and cross once more to return up to the Hill of Strawberries. Lovely. Except for the the entitled idiots who decided it would be clever to stand right in front of me, abusing me (and other cyclists) by forcing us to stop then yelling obscenities and suggestions about how they plan to deal with "nuisances on bikes". It's a shared-use path and signposted as "Cycle Route". Just a shame it has to be shared with such unpleasant and selfish oiks. A beer on the lawn was enjoyed during the later afternoon with plenty of comings and goings from neighbouring flats and friendly though brief chats as folk arrived or left. Neighbours (Next Door) and (Upstairs) all arrived home with new gladrags for their Summer Ball this coming Friday. That will be one noisy night. It's also the completion of my annual trip around the sun making it a good excuse to be out at a House of Falling-Down Waters while our students make noise at home before partying through the night. Tomorrow I start my second week of Summer Leave with warm sunshine forecast all day. SWMBO has a doctor's appointment at 8am and has to collect a sleep-study kit from the hospital ay 4pm but will be at work between those events having made a steady recovery from her cold today. It is time to attempt sleep. Good night all. Best wishes and thoughts to those unable to be with us for any reason.

Thanks to all those who have responded. It is appreciated and has been helpful. Sorry for writing in medical acronyms, bad habit Im afraid. THR and TKR are as suggested being total hip and total knee replacement. #NOF is fractured neck of femur ie top of femur- can also result in shaft of femur. Either way not injuries to have if you can help it. I have some of the AgeUK booklets and some things to maybe look into. I am not keen on attending support groups as I tend to suffer from anxiety as well as being anti social and preferring to be on my own. Misanthropic is the umbrella term I think. I also have some elements of aspergers and tend to need a logical approach but am often accused of being deliberately awkward- generally if I am saying something challenging or not wanting to be heard. I can't understand a lot of the reactions i get as it is not like i am refusing to help and forcing mother to have to do these things herself. I have no problems with helping. It just feels like I am not being acknowledged or listened to and my onion is of no interest. Maybe i am just being paranoid and over sensitive. Absolutely the last thing I want is for mother to fall and get a # and not survive the surgery or rehab. I have seen it happen countless times. I do not want my mother to die as that is the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It is far easier to look after someone who is not a loved one- not that you don't care about those as well- but the emotional bond is not as intense. I can fully understand suddenly not being able to do the things that you previously could- it wouldn't impress me much either- but it is not my fault and not a situation of my choosing. I do note the comment about "always hurting the ones you love/ nearest to you." Unfortunately my way of dealing with really acute situations like this is to cut myself or if really stressed to od- neither of which I ever did before I had a breakdown about 7 years ago. I am aware of the triggers and will usually enact the 'flight' part as it gets me away from meds, blades and shards of glass etc. It is all about control of the situation and having the ability to escape it. The cup idea sounds good. I might suggest that. You never know. We can get around the carrying part by the use of an apron front pocket. Anyways I just wanted to both thank and reassure people here (though slightly not helped by the efforts of Spurs in managing to throw away 3rd place to a far worse performing team) that I am in an improved place atm. Got the black dog Minnie the Mop by my side literally which is a huge help and comfort. I'll check back in later and maybe give some context into why things have been such a strain on my mental health and why I feel like I do. Seemingly this week is Mental Health Awareness week. Message to HMG- there is more than br#@&t going on in the country. Try to show some compassion and care for your fellow citizens and humans and stop slashing funding to mental health care and regarding it as a failure/ weakness on the part of those affected. It is a very real illness which devastates and destroys many many lives daily- lives which mean something and are important to someone. As someone apparently said 'tomorrow is another day' and a new horizon too. Nite awl. Hugs Nat x

Besides playing trains, I've also made a start on weathering Paul's Cemflos - here a short rake is seen heading along the branch at Hornsey.

Good morning one and all Some may have wondered why Barry was hoping I am OK. As some already know, the reason is that on Saturday morning I was knocked over by a bus in the centre of Exeter. It was entirely my fault and I am indeed OK apart from bruised dignity and a few aches and pains where there were none before. They say that fall comes before a Pride. I got through the procession with no problems and was delighted to find myself marching in close proximity to a detachment of Great Western Morris, who were dancing the mile or so of the route. This was the first Pride at which I have met someone I know. Less successful was my attempt at ceilidh dancing in the afternoon. I don’t think it was entirely down to the boots I was wearing: I may have been fazed by the caller, who was clad in spangly shorts and nothing else. In other news, I am now the proud owner of a rainbow bobble hat and you bet I’ll be wearing it in public! The journey down on Friday was a bit sluggish but yesterday I was home in four and a half hours including pit stops. The park and ride bus between the hotel and the city centre worked well, apart from when one of them hit me. The week ahead is busy. Today I need to drop my prescription request into the surgery and pay a remittance from Ernie into the bank. On Tuesday I am spending the day with Poorly Pal, on Wednesday we have Area Group in a different pub and on Thursday there is a screening of “Brokeback Mountain” in Stevenage. Over the weekend is ExpoEM Spring in Bracknell. Last year I had lots of sorrows to drown and seem to recall that I was ridiculously drunk on the Saturday night. I’m making no promises for this year. Best wishes to all and warm thoughts to Natalie Chris

The thread most definitely has not been tripe - if it had been Andy would have consigned the thread to virtual Siberia in a trice. What started with Mr Jones having his Alan Partridge moment, generating a flurry of "What the..." responses, has, by and large, developed into an interesting, sometimes robust, other times informative discussion. The histrionic initial announcement has clearly raised a widely held concern by those who were crowdfunding his projects about the lack of progress and information on them, which in turn has raised some discussion about the whole concept of crowdfunding, and the future direction of Mr Jones company. That these matters are not related directly to the initial public flinging of dirty knickers over the interweb doesn't matter, they have a connection in that genuine concerns are being aired about a number of projects real enthusiasts have placed real money into in good faith, and when the MD and sole proprietor of said company then makes a strange and incoherent public rant about effectively how hard done by he has been, and how he's going to become the caped crusader saving the model railway industry from itself, which was the implied sub-text of his meltdown message, in the absence of any clear, authoritative updates as to the status of their de facto investment, I fully understand why some have made critical comments. Yes some have piled in with critical comments based on having lodged some sort of VC10 sized wasp up their gusset about Mr Jones, others have been critical because they fear for their money placed with the man for crowdfunding schemes. Some have adopted a patronising "I told you so" attitude to the concept of crowdfunding, others have pointed out it can work if the outfit promoting it are clear, efficient and good project managers. Overall though it has been a well conducted debate, and frankly if you are one of those calling for it to be shut down or feel it is displaying the characteristics of the Circle Line, there is a simple answer. Use the ignore button, or your scroll wheel on you mouse, and don't bother reading the thread. If you are not interested, move onto other stuff. I for one will continue to read the developments in this thread as even though I have never bought a DJM product nor have any crowdfunding invested with him, it has raised a number of issues that are of general interest and continue to develop. As I said I'm sure Andy's big red button of oblivion would have been hit had this thread gone seriously off route.

A slight diversion from the normal Eastern Region goings on, last weekend's running session had these visitors from Greg's Shenston Road fleet. The smooth controllability of these Kernow released early Warships is some of the best I've come across, and a pleasure to drive. Some small detailing work has been carried out by Greg to include drilling out the exhaust ports, and changing the headcodes to the right sized font. The positioning of the windscreen wipers is an issue, as they're in the drivers view, so that will be the next thing on the list to do.

AC electrics at Hillmorton for today, taken between 1975 and 1980. Hillmorton Class 86 down June 75 J4481 Hillmorton Class 86 up March 76 J5080 Hilmorton Class 86 up July 79 J6562 Hillmorton Class 86 up Aug 80 J7168 Hillmorton 87003 up Aug 80 J7175 David

Good morning form yet another sunny day. Yesterday shed construction continued with me using up all the timber lengths suitable to go into the shed. So this morning I have been out to pick up more after dropping other half off for a G.W.Worm that ran fast through the station as it had been delayed so Delay Repay time and over 20 late for her. I wIll go out after the morning rush to collect more timber form a different branch that stocks the size that I require for the ridge beam and eves board. Hopefully I will have all the timber framing completed ready for the delivery of insulation on Wednesday. I also had a quick play with the new stapler / nailer by temporarily fixing up spare polythene protection to one side of the roof. This will have to come off to remove the temporary ridge board. I even had time to assemble the French door frame and check it fitted and is does with the correct amount of tolerance . This will be fixed once the wall membrane is installed. my other half will be glad to get the two doors out of the living room

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare, A surprisingly good night sleep, with all the aches and pains from the weekends work I was not expecting to sleep weel, as it was I went yp at 19:00, and After finishing SPQR by Mary Beard, I've moved on to reading the Biography of "M" the real "M" Max Knight" after reading the first couple of chapters you discover there were several private spying groups pre WW2 , I wonder how many there are now? You may notice I don't generally comment on peoples woes, this is because I'm not that good at coping with people especially if there is some sort of problem. Working effectively on my own all my life has suited me quite well, I could never be a teacher or do a job like Gwiwer, as I would probably attempt to kill some of the customers.. This morning is a bright clould less sky and Ben the Border Collie wanted me to stay out in the garden with him, howeverI have work to go to and watching him bound through the jungle like John and Sandy's dogs in the garden in the frost was not appealing.. Frost... I scraped the frost off the fromt windscreen to find... it had cracked passenger side top corner out into the screen as 45 degrees, A stress fracture I suppose. I'll have to look up the insurance to find the number to call for windscreens when I get home.. Today I have the joy of another new system to test, this one is for the new product, as they have too many to do and not enough equipment.. Time to go find the equipment...

Morning All, It is a nice bright morning in this part of the world. After several days of rain (which admittedly we needed) it is nice to see the sun. I spent most of yesterday afternoon constructing a baseboard, and finding out once again that I can't saw straight! Natalie, sorry to hear about your problems. Caring for elderly relatives can be a huge strain, particularly when they won't admit (or don't think) that they need help. In your Mother's defence - the generation that we are talking about are fiercely independent and reluctant to admit that they need help. My ex-wife's great aunt has now died, but when she was in her late 90s she fractured her hip carrying a tray down the stairs for the "old lady who lived in the flat below". We thought this woman must have been positively ancient, but it turns out she was in her 60s! There is no way she should have been carrying a tray anywhere - let alone down a flight of stairs, and certainly not for a woman 30 years younger than she was - but try telling them that! However, that doesn't make it any easier for you. Your use of medical acronyms suggests that you may have a medical background - and to be honest when it is your own family, that can often place additional strain on you. If you are not one for support groups (which is perfectly Ok) have you thought about calling the Samaritans? They are there for anyone who is in emotional distress or struggling to cope, and may well know how to help further. One of the great things about the UK is that there is a fantastic network of support - you just need to know where and/or who to ask. Have a good day everyone...

Four days less than two years ago. Thoughts to Natalie and her Mum. Today is our first game in the North West Seniors League. Time for a bacon butty before heading to Hurlston Hall near Ormskirk. Catch up later. FORE! Cheers, Mick

Good morning everyone The sun is shining, the sky is blue and there are very few clouds at the moment. Sheila has just left for her Zumba class and I’m about to load the car up with a couple of bags of rubble, mainly waste from trimming the plasterboard that I’ve been fitting in the cellar. Once back, I’ll carry on with my work in the cellar. Back later

Today I have disrupted routines, as Tuesday has had to become Monday. Expect aberrant behaviour and memory loss. So, before I go shopping on the wrong day, a look over a fence at Duke of Rothesay on the way to Kings Cross.

May all your cuts be straight, and only where you want them to be!

Good morning all, Blue sky and sunshine here and a fine day is promised. First task is a visit to the opticians for some new reading glasses which I don't really need for reading unless it is miniscule instruction manuals for things Made in China and also should help with fiddly modelling tasks (according to her) Next up will (hopefully) be a visit to the shed to cut wood and ply with both manual and power cutting appliances. Local emergency services will be put on alert. Have a good one, Bob.

Morning all, I hope all under the weather can get a ray of sunshine today. I have been up since dawn, so a fair bit of quiet "G" work has been achieved, potting on butternut squashes and cucumbers amongst others. New roof for "TOSH" arrives on Thursday so after taking SWMBO to the doc's for a steroid jab it's "up on the roof" with hammer, nails and paint brush and wood preserver prep work before the panels go on, I notice the weather is due to deteriorate when I plan to assemble at the weekend, typical oh well. Have a noice dayyyyy

Evening all, from Roseville, near Sacremento. We wre now safely in our hotel after getting up at about 5.15am. It was worth it though as we sailed into Vancouver under the Lions Gate bridge as the sun was rising. However two othervcruise ships docked at the same time so we had chaos as 6000 passengers were processed and many of them were got to the airport. Then it was down to San Francisco, debark, then ride the Airtrain to the car rental lot. We exited into heavy SF traffic in a Chevrolet Impala. Wifi excellent. I even managed to see a UP loco whilst going slowly i heavy traffic near the airport. Off to nearby Orangeville tomorrow to see some friends we first met on an Amtrak train in 1995. Regards to all. Jamie PS. The choice of a motel near the biggest UP yard and loco shed in California is purely a coincidence.

Hi Hi Natalie, from a long way away at the moment. You are not alone and have asked for help which is good. The advice offerred already is excellent. The OT'S or occupational therapists are a must. They can be contacted via your GP I think. They have acccess to all sorts if things. One thing that helped when my wife had two broken wrsits in pot, and a variety of other things over the years, is a 4 wheeled trolley with an upper and lower shelf. Hot things can then be pushed safely. I used to load the trolley up before I went out anywhere. Beth retained her independence and didn't feel guilty for 'in her opinion only' for chaining me to the house. The other avenue that I would suggest us any local carers support network for you. I do wish you well in your situation. Jamie

We managed to get two more shots of Book Law before it came off the train and headed off for New England. A well used viewpoint, this one, bu the next is an attempt at something different. Funny how things stick in memory, isn't it? I well remember the first time I saw Book Law. It was during the summer holidays of 1956, and we were on the bridge over the main line at Northgate Newark. It came through southbound, probably on the service seen above. Empire of India was on the Down Elizabethan. I don't have notes of this, I just remember it vividly, but don't ask me what I did the day before yesterday. I also remember that I saw Book Law often during that summer, but therafter I hardly ever saw it again.

I’m experimenting with different ways to make setts, flagstones etc for my new layout. I'll be making a road paved with setts, and a partly paved goods yard. I’m not averse to scribing DAS in the time honoured way, but wouldn’t mind a quicker method either! So I had a look at what the diorama and war gaming communities are up to. One idea I picked up is to use recycled paintbrushes for making impressions. I removed the bristles and re-fashioned the heads using pliers and files, to form different sizes of setts. My new tools were then used to stamp individual setts into DAS clay. This is a test piece. This turned out to be a very quick method, similar to Chris Nervard’s method for making cobbles - although he uses a ballpoint pen. On closer inspection the result doesn’t quite match the flat well-worn setts I’m after, but maybe a lighter pressure with the tool would help. However it seems many diorama modellers don’t use DAS at all, preferring various types of high density foam. A popular option seems to be blue Styrofoam (currently being changed to dark grey). I’ve got some blue foam on order, but in the meantime I tried an alternative from the local wargames shop. This is called Foamed PVC (a.k.a. Forex) and is from Greenstuffworld - according to whom it doesn’t actually contain PVC. The gent in the shop said the material is mostly used for making structures as it’s quite hard. You do need to press hard to make the impressions, but that could be an advantage as the result is less vulnerable to damage than foam or even DAS. A quick test piece below with a lick of paint, revealing my learning curve. I like the idea that I can work separately on the sheet and then fit it to the layout once I’m satisfied. A cross-slope could be incorporated by curving the sheet. I’ve also tried scribing the sheets with an awl. Here are some samples, just quickly scribed and painted. That's the testing so far. Will see what can be done with the blue foam when it arrives, and then draw my conclusions. Meanwhile comments and opinions are very welcome.

I don't think Dave Jones is likely to give any response here (or anywhere else) - and I don't think he ever intended to . The "Out of Office" message signals that - if he is indeed on holiday , then it will have been booked long ago, and he would have deliberately scheduled the Statement for the day before he disappeared. The way the Little Loco Company announcement has played out, and the way that thread has gone quiet since the proprietor commented suggests this might have played out differently if Dave Jones had appeared and made calm comment on here. But we should consider the possibility that this community is being trolled by all this: DJM Announcement of an Announcement 28/4/19 This is not exactly the language you use if you don't want to start a bunfight. It is possible the target is the members of this forum - the alternative would be that this is aimed at others in the "trade", which is even less palatable The DJM Statement and Clarification are arguably the most extraordinary official communications from any significant party in the hobby since those in the Protofour/Scalefour schism in the mid 70s. They seem to attack anywhere from 4 to 9 significant parties who have dealt with Dave Jones. They set at least a dozen different hares running in various directions. To suggest that people shouldn't discuss any of this on here because it wasn't originally posted here is absurd. If someone high-profile publishes a series of statements like this, trailed like this - and sends them to all the magazines - you can only conclude that that they are trying to make waves and start everyone talking. If the talk they provoke isn't quite the talk they'd hoped for , then that's their miscalculation. You can see from the start of the thread that people were expecting a positive product announcement - perhaps that the APT-P or 92 were going to tooling - and were shocked and stunned by what they actually read Dave Jones clearly intended to be extremely provocative in multiple directions . To blame others because there's been a reaction - especially when some people have significant amounts of their money at stake is a little unreasonable

That’s one way of ensuring that bus drivers can see you.

Natalie, I can only echo the support and comments of other ERs. Whatever virtual help and support we can provide is freely given and hopefully can provide something of a respite from your current challenges. My late MiL was equally stubborn as my wife tried to provide help. Hopefully, lessons learned by having near-misses with falls and maybe only spilling something, will show your mum she does indeed need your help and support. Stay with us, and know we're all here for you... Chrisf, hope you're recovering. I couldn't help but be reminded of the oft heard (when we were lads!!) comment from my mum "if xxx jump under a bus would you too??" Glad you got the correct score, Chrisf 1 - bus 0 Morning all, from a rather damp Long Island. Weekend went well it seems, though has flashed by as well. Most of Saturday busy at the other house, flooring the basement and various other tasks. Mothers day was excellent, even though it only amounted to the entire family being together, including all three dogs, and us preparing dinner whilst the Mrs/mum relaxed and was pampered. Trip last evening to JFK uneventful. 7 damp/drizzle driving to the client, only expected to manage 10 and rain/drizzle for the day. Hope the week starts well for all.

Shopping done. No traffic Then started on car insurance renewal, as my quote had gone up by ten per cent. On a well known comparison web site, lowest quote was £60 less, from...... my current insurer! Twenty minutes of plinky plonk music later, I get through to a human being. Short discussion follows, and I get the usual "our online quote is for new customers". I make remarks about loyalty, and going elsewhere, and within a few minutes I have a lower quote still. I now remain with the same insurer, but pay £85 less than the original quote, and £55 less than I paid for the current year. The moral of this tale is that it is worth hanging on the phone for 25 minutes. Now, what railway stuff can I get for £85? it is not a good idea to take photos against strong light, even with a lens hood, and an even worse idea when the subject is itself very dark. So, why did I take yet another?

Busy morning so far. One bedroom door reduced in size and rehang. Shelf reduced inside and replaced. Cork cut and glued onto fiddle yard board 1 (2 to go before track can be laid. Need to order some points from fraggle rock. Ttidied up mess, put away tools then off for lunch with an old boss. Baz Ps the sun is still shining.

Hi More years ago than I care to think about I bought the Craftsman kit for the C12. I tried to solder it together but never managed very much as the solder wouldn't flow. This experience put me off etched kits for about twenty five years which I would put down to 4, 5 & 6. About eighteen years ago there was an advertisement for the N'thusiasts Tamper kit. I thought I would like one of those but its etched brass and I can't do etched brass. This was down to 7. Time passed and I learn't that I needed to use a separate flux, this was the real Eureka moment for me. I started building 2mm SA etched chassis for some of my wagons and followed this with full etched wagon kits. I then bought the Tamper kit but I left it in the box thinking one day. In 2007 I started the Tamper, which took me around four years to finish. I think I have now overcome my etched brass fears. Cheers Paul

Well it’s been a beautiful sunny day here in the northwest, the workshop door has been open all day and I’ve enjoyed the pice and quiet, I think all the neighbours kids were all inside watching the football. The repair I made to the radius arm yesterday didn’t work. So I went to plan B, which on reflection I should have done first. But it meant that I had to unsolder the joint between the combination lever and radius arm. I then soldered a small piece of waste nickel silver behind the break. I then needed to re-drill the hole in the radius arm for the joint. But as this was next to the break, it meant also drilling through the strengthening piece too. Then, using a replacement rivet, I re-soldered the combination lever and radius arm joint. That seemed to work well, but it then highlighted the fact that the valve gear was now occasionally catching and jamming on the slide bars and/or the connecting rod. Upon close inspection I think I’ve been a bit too generous with the amount of play I’ve left in the joints. So I think a complete rebuild will be the order of the day when the replacement set arrives, but this time I’ll use thinner paper for the spacing than the paper that I originally used. Perhaps a couple of small pieces of tissue paper instead of small bits of A4 printer paper would be better. Natalie. I can only echo the advice that’s been offered by members of this forum. Goodnight all

Echo what Tony said about the kindness and support of this forum. It helps me carry on - yes, really it does.

Happy Birthday Rick. New glasses collected. Timber merchant visited and timber for shelving ordered and shelf brackets etc collected. Coffee being drunk and then tools will be deployed in the shed. I may be gone some time. This new laptop is brilliant, much faster than my old one.

I am quite ham fisted and make lots of mistakes but with some perseverance can get something working. This was the latest off the bench and is a 7mm version of 'Shannon' (WTC No 5). I built her in 4mm from my own etches and 3D prints (Valves & Chimney) and was so pleased I thought I'd do her in 7mm.....what I thought was going to be a simple re-size was a complete re-draw! I'm very pleased with her, but the paintwork and lining could (and should) be so much better. After that little foray into 7mm I'm back to 4mm. .but just one more 7mm loco beckons which ran alongside Shannon.

And the support is not only electronic, both Andyram and Andy P asked how I was when saw them today wth offers to talk. Thanks folks I have been a bit better over the weekend, two days selling books helps! Night awl

Not a bad day today, well almost not bad. Shed visited and circular saw deployed, large sheets of ply are now smaller more manageable pieces suitable for model railway building. Other stuff done in the shed with drills and drivers so garden tools etc can be hung up and GDB had survived with no mishaps or loss of blood. Gazebo now almost empty, just a couple of more things to find a home for. It all went swimmingly until.......... .........wait for it......... .........I slipped off the edge of the remains of a path, fell and sprained my ankle and twisted my bloody knee again, just as it seemed to be recovering from the last time. You couldn't make it up. Well, you could, but no bu##er would believe you. Beer, wine, scampi and chips and now more wine have been prescribed along with some painkillers. H.E. Fellover

Morning all from sunny Roseville. S's completed and breakfast awaits. However I have already been for a productive drive round part of the yard. Off to meet our friends later. Thoughts with Natalie and good luck to the shed builders. Jamie

Granted that Dave has few defenders on this thread, however this is due in no small part to his having taken a lot of money from crowdfunders (myself included) and then been less than communicative with them with respect to progress and where the money has gone. This is increasingly stark contrast to some other new-entrants to the UK model railway manufacturing scene who would appear to have a much more professional approach to doing business. Not all of this thread is "tripe" and if we are using that word then, in my opinion, it would apply equally well to DJM's original announcement. Seek the battle; don't complain about the wounds. Darius

I was going to invent a new word for Chris, but "omniphobia" already exists. Like the King, I sometimes speed-read; the vision of Chris dancing in boot, spangly shorts, bobble hat and the TIE .... Christian Aid collecting then practice for my requalification. so no EM this weekend. Bill

OOOh There will be consternation amoung some of the competitors of the 59th 3 Rivers Race. For those who don't know the 3RR is classed as the 3rd toughest mass participation event in the UK. 100 sailing boats have to sail around 50 miles of course on the Norfolk broads in 24 hours and that includes taking your mast down 4 times to get under bridges. In 10 boat groups at 5 minute intervals , boats start at 11:00 on the 1st of June this Year at Horning. with an extra break in the middle the last start is at around 12:30. There are about 100 boats this year. The consternation? For the last 40 years of the race in which I've either competed or officiated it's been fastest boats start and slowest last. This year it's the slowest boats first and the fastest last.... I'm not involved with the race officer decisions.. I'm on the safety side, on one of 12 motor boats round the course each with radios, a rescue boat, first aid kit. we also monitor the position of any boat and report back to base when they go past..

That's farewell to the latest visitors to our air-b-n-b home gone so, apart from dealing with a shortage of roast and ground Brazilian beanz, it could be garage time and then some serious attempts at railway modelling before the inspirations of Hamburg's visit are lost. Good luck all with whatever challenges occur today.

Goodnight all! Lots of positive thoughts to all who ail or suffer from the actions of others Baz

I have held off posting on here for a variety of reasons and being labelled as a "Naysayer". Some of you will be aware that during the height of DJM's Accounts Fiasco, I had the intentions of approaching DJM as I live not that far from DJ. I was advised that that might not be one of my better ideas. I decided to do my own due diligence before making my final decision. I had read on here that Dave Jones had said the accounts were a mistake and that his accountant was rectifying the situation on that very day, even though it was a Saturday. He confirmed this had been done. As part of my due diligence I approached Companies House and explained that I was interested in investing in this company, either my time or money. I was told that Dave Jones had contacted them that day and had requested more time to complete his accounts and he had been reluctantly given more time but that CH were not willing to allow any more. That was the end of my willingness to offer help. Where I feel really ill at ease is those who have parted with cash and are feeling under pressure from other crowdfunders to see various projects through. I can certainly see both sides points of view. I can certainly see the points raised by posters on here in which they have consistenly, on previous posts and this one, aired concerns regarding events in the past 12 months and some more. I certainly don't believe they were having a go at DJM but were unwilling to sit idly while they and others were passing monies over amid growing concern. A satifactory outcome to all this will see us all happy. It is entirely in DJM's hands.

Snap

Of which at least nine contributions are from David Stannard.

The North West coastal roads often follow beautiful rugged scenery along with some sandy beaches so well worth visiting. I have driven from Seattle to Arcadia Astoria OR and then from there down through Seaside, Garibaldi (train rides at weekends), Tillamook (famous for the cheese factory and an air museum in an old blimp hangar plus remains of locos at the old HQ of the Port Of Tillamook RR). Canon beach is a good place to stay but can be expensive. Pacific Beach has a hotel and a brewery and restaurant opposite on the beach. We have travelled to an hour south of Newport beach but have done the bit between there and Fort Bragg in California (where the Skunk train runs). Inland you have Portland which we really like (and will be back there this summer) but there aren't any particular monuments to see although on a clear day you do get good views of Mount Hood from up high. The light rail and Union station are worth seeing. Mount Hood is about an hours drive form Portland along the scenic Columbia River. Further South there is Crater Lake but even in Summer quite often some roads are closed due to ice and snow. Hope that helps.

Greetings all from a sunny LBG. The weekend saw a lot of time spent drafting the parents' contribution for Younger Lurker's EHCP - which basically agrees what support he needs and should be used to determine the level of funding his school gets to provide that support. We seem to have moved from a position where the school were taking the funding but spending it on someone else's support to not really wanting to get the funding. This could make the review meeting with the LEA very interesting, particularly as a representative from the school we are thinking he might go to at secondary level will be attending. They will see the need for funding for sure. All in a time of straitened circumstances. I haven't been to Tonbridge Station for more than 30 years; but it was instantly recognisable from Keith's photo, although the Hastings units were blue/grey back then! I hope Chrisf has recovered from his brush with a bus and that Natalie can find the help that she and her Mum need. Sometimes the hardest thing is to accept advice/help. And if I read Rick's post correctly, his birthday is coming on Friday... I am interested to read the comments about travelling down the West Coast - we are doing that later this year. Mrs Lurker's brother moved to Seattle last year, and it's a great excuse to show the Lurker boys San Francisco - and have a road trip in between.

I'm quite behind in my reading, so it was only yesterday I got as far as the Talking Points article in May's Railway Modeller. A comment from Accurascale's Fran Burke put me irresistibly in mind of DJ Models' ill-judged press release: We find that manufacturing facilities in China get blamed for a lot, but at the end of the day it is easy to blame those who have no voice. While the potential for delays and mistakes was acknowledged (hardly, I'd add, unique to China!), the context of Mr Burke's remark was that of a very positive relationship with the Chinese manufacturers.

I'll have to take a look at that. The boys dad is owner of the shed I mentioned a day or two ago that requires insulation, I'm sure a suitable offcut can be procured.

I sometimes unintentionally "speed-read" and it happened in the case of your post Tigerburnie. I missed the "it's" between jab and up - so the thought of your SWMBO being jabbed with steroids up on her roof with hammer and nails appealed to my (timber phrase for all shed aficionados here) warped sense of humour. "Got it nailed" conjures up a whole new dimension . Of course I hope that the injection has the required effect!

I don’t think you are whining. Dealing with someone else’s health issues isn’t easy. Moving from a position of being someone’s child (even though you are now an adult) to being a carer/advisor is an added complication. Getting help and support from outside can sometimes be a postcode lottery. My Mum was somewhat written off until she moved to be nearer my brother and suddenly found that all her ailments were supported. People on this bit of the forum have been really kind to me over the past year. Sharing your worries isn’t whining. Tony

I agree, but don't have any advice that would help, other than to speak to your GP - really, you need to seem them for both of you. Back to trivia - another busy little day, ride out on the bikes, g word, work in the garage stripping the old HO layout boards and trying to decide what to do in O. A few ideas have germinated, but I have decided to make new boards that will live on top of the old flat earth ones. I need to be able to tip them over for wiring etc as I am no longer capable of crawling around underneath. Awl alert stuff. A flat earth, today.

Natalie The hot drinks - could I suggest that you get an insulated mug with lid and handle, not to drink from but as a teapot. Make the drink in the mug, have an empty cup at the drinking point and carry the hot in the mug then pour. That way mum would retain her independence but give you less stress. Hot liquid is more dangerous that hot food (exception is soup) of spilled in flesh as the liquid will soak and spread, lumps of food don't.