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Good Morning all and welcome to the Feast of St. Stephen. No feasting here, as discussed before, but a slow recovery may be beginning as I was out of bed and enjoyed a bacon-and-eggs breakfast cooked by Dr. SWMBO. I am currently banished from the kitchen until well clear of any gastric symptoms. I must be on the slow path to recovery because gouty foot has become painful overnight confirming that if it’s not one thing it definitely is another. It had better not flare up - I cannot take the usual medication for now. ERs I have met include numerous regulars and of course the esteemed Mr. York. I was among those (select few?) at the Ricoh and present at three SWAG-fests. I also participate when I can in the Brains Trust which was set to convene in March but just fell foul of the dreaded virus. In the words of the late Dame Vera “we’ll meet again .... “ Tasks for today include locating a GP willing to sign me off for some days ahead. I am due to resume at the House of Fun on Tuesday. I will not be fit. Therefore I need a note because the number of days sick (including leave, days off etc) will exceed seven. I am not prepared to go back half-fit from one condition with low immunity and invite covid into an open-door. Unwell as I have been that could end very badly indeed. So the hunt begins. There will be someone out there available today. Meanwhile its back under the blankets on the sofa until lunch is offered. Stay well. Stay warm. Stay dry. Outside doesn’t look all that appealing actually.

Good morning to ERs in the uk time zone (good evening to others and good night to some). Yesterday went well. Some books about the unmentionablebobjects were received, various other items were greatfully received as was a bottle of Scottish falling down water. Sprouts (4, small) were eaten along with roast carrots, parsnips and potatoes. The Yorkshire puddings were, to quote her indoors, " magnificent! Cards against humanity was played then the film 1917 was watched..it was a well made film and kept us out of mischief for a few hours. And today.. our traditional boxing day cricket match is cancelled PAH! Mind you it is blowie a mega hooley and chuckinitdarn at the moment..ideal cricket weather! I may not need to eat for a few days. I had a success in the clothing front yesterday.. a pair of wrangler jeans, size 36" bought by mistake actually fitted me... now that is the smallest waiste size I have managed to get into since I was about 15...ooh err! Try and enjoy your boxing days everyone... Baz

Oh, okay then .....

Photos of stopping trains on the Newcastle to Carlisle line at Stocksfield and Riding Mill for today. Riding Mill Class 119 and 116 Sunderland to Hexham Sept 87 J9281.jpg Stocksfield Class 101 Hexham to Sunderland 28th Oct 88 C11588.jpg Stocksfield Class 108 Newcastle to Hexham 28th Oct 88 C11590.jpg Stocksfield 143018 Newcastle to Hexham15th April 89 C11865.jpg Stocksfield 156469 Hexham to Newcastle 26th Aug 92 C17953.jpg

For Flávio and other who may be interested here’s the present I bought myself. And here are the other two. I have a Waterstones voucher which is due to expire in a week or so............ v

Of the two days I think I prefer Boxing Day. More relaxed and a chance to properly appreciate presents that have been given and received. Last night I had a chance to appreciate a miniature bottle of Famous Grouse that one of the children gave me. It was part of a box set. Over the last few days I've been re-watching "Heroes" on iplayer. A bit of escapism. We also watched the Queen's Speech although what Channel 4 was thinking is probably something I'll keep to myself in polite society. Also heard yesterday evening that my young relative was heading to hospital with his wife who'd started contractions. False alarm or the real deal? Time will tell.

Snap, Baz. I also received a pair of 36" jeans labelled "Skinny and elastic", or put another way, "optimism and vanity paired with realism and practicality".

Morning awl, I think yesterday can be chalked up as a success. Breakfast/brunch was very filling and I now need to secure a new supply of Staffordshire oatcakes. This left enough time for a walk before the main event. I had planned just a stroll round the park but as the ground had dried out a little following several days of rain, I chanced a walk to the nearby golf club. This became a walk up to the trig point at the top of Warden Hill. Not quite The Wrekin - my preferred exercise this time of year - but it would have to do. Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes were my choice for the festive meal. Recipes from the BBC Good Food website if anyone's interested. All worked well and the beef in particular attracted favourable comments on Farcebook. I'm not normally one of those irritating people who posts a picture of their every meal, I just wanted to emphasise that those of forced to spend this Christmas alone could still celebrate in style. No room for Christmas pudding, but today is another day. I do agree with @polybear though. Christmas alone sucks, especially when it's somewhere you've barely been able to leave for several months. While the cooking was fun (and very successful) it did seem like a lot of effort for just one person. Probably the most stressful part of the day was the Zoom call with parents and auntie and uncle. Nearly an hour late by the time we started due to some unspecified cooking drama. ER's I have met number only two to my knowledge. Chrisf as a regular at local exhibitions and on his visits to Pendon and Barry O while I was watching Shap at Peterborough. Regards to awl.

As I type this Christmas Day has drifted into Boxing Day. I sincerely hope that all ER’s have had an enjoyable Christmas Day whether undertaken in person or via Zoom. We did see family today, a visit to the in-laws for Christmas dinner was followed later by a doorstep and distanced visit to my parents. All was conducted through bleary eyes. Amber normally sleeps well on Christmas Eve and, at the age of nine, I had expected similar. Not so. She awoke at 2.45am and then again an hour later. The cat then disturbed sleep at around 6am so it was a tired day. Gifts were lacking anything of the railway variety but understandable considering my current profession! There were a couple of interesting books including Tim Peake’s autobiography and Richard Osman’s novel. The rest was mainly of the alcoholic variety. Tv is always limited in our house during Christmas Day and many will frown at the choice of Mrs Brown as the evening viewing. The comedy is an acquired taste, but this year it takes credit for attempting make some jokes at the expense of the current situation. It is difficult to make light of such a horrible situation but as the old saying goes if you don’t laugh....... I note talk today has been turned towards ER’s we have met. I did not think I had met many but, as I thought more about it, the list grew considerably. Due to locality I have met a Peter BB, Andy.P and Andy (leopard) on many occasions. The Weston show period also saw me meet John (CB), Jim and Laurence. I have met Mick (NB) at various shows and also enjoyed a couple of pints with ChrisF at a previous Derby show. I also recall the phone call with GrandadBob some months back. Apologies for those I have missed out. Stay safe Andy

Hello awl (there, that gets round the time zone issue...). Well, duty done for a while, unless Fate has any more surprises to spring on me (looks over shoulder, out of the window and under the desk) perhaps I can think about starting Christmas? Work should now be finished for a couple of days, followed by a very short week and another few days off. Quarantine ends at midnight, so unless something happens in the night, we can venture out tomorrow. Probably not very far but after what felt like half an eternity (made worse by all the outstanding jobs which desperately need doing) just a walk round the block will feel good. Over a dozen pages of ERs skimmed, so apologies for anyone I've missed. It sounds like most had a good Christmas, hope it's not over yet for you. Sorry to hear about @Gwiwer's recent ill health - that sort of thing really is insult to injury. At least it's going the right way now. I just hope the other issues * off asap as well. And I agree, best to be 100% before trying to start back at work. Two of the most obscure books I've seen (courtesy of the Embsay bookshop) were 'Up, up and away, a history of ballooning in and around Bath in the 17th Century' and 'Wages and hours of duty of Prussian Railwaymen 1860 - 1910' - both bestsellers, averaging a sale about every five years. I know/met both @Barry O and @jamie92208 from their roles with Leeds & Wakefield clubs. I've met other ERs and RMW members IRL but often when exhibiting/trading/visiting shows, putting names (real or user) to faces isn't always easy unless RMW's specifically mentioned. I know some prefer to remain anonymous, so moving on lest we provoke anyone to imitate Kenneth Williams' comments on infamy... We might have missed out on some weather lately. No snow, despite being close to the Leeds North West Highlands, and a sunny day yesterday and today, though certainly a bit chilly yesterday. I didn't get a picture (I was supposed to be doing other things) but the sunset was fairly dramatic. Well, it's almost time to say 'Pah' as I'll have a look at the TV listings in a minute and then start cooking. Meanwhile, a picture of one of the most dramatic sunsets I've seen, taken after poor light stopped play [on the autocar], walking back to our cars. No Photoshopping, it was like that.

Our Microwave reverses. When things are ready it goes; Bleep, Bleep, Bleep, Bleep. To which I say in a Robotic Voice ; Warning, Microwave reversing, Warning, Microwave reversing.

Onwards the No.8 wanders, stopping every now and then for its picture to be taken.....? With the morning sun catching the glazing she moves on Not far as that pesky signal is at stop again!!!! but still the sun shines.... Looking up from the lane we see the passengers waiting, patiently, to reach their destination

Greetings one and all Mission accomplished, I think. A few moments' thought led me to the solution of the steaming problem. Did I need to put a lid on the steamer? No, I concluded: what matters is that there is a stream of steam wafting upwards for two hours and embracing the bowl containing the pudding. It felt and tasted OK when the time came to eat some of it and that's what matters. The main course was quite simple too. In the absence of a poussin, which is small enough to make the matter of leftovers academic, I settled for a pack containing two chicken breast portions, two chipolatas, a sachet of gravy, a length of bacon and two stuffing balls. The contents were cooked as directed and accompanied by roasted parboiled spuds and parsnips and, just in time, some frozen broccoli. As the cooking proceeded I opened the designated bottle of hock and with admirable restraint made sure that some was left to accompany the meal. After Her Maj's broadcast I spent the rest of the day quietly, pausing only to reach for the Radio Times to remind myself which of the televised offerings might be worth watching. Top of that list had to be Morecambe and Wise! Thankfully there was some human contact yesterday - none of it face to face but contact nonetheless. I should be thankful for small mercies. The dividing line between solitude and loneliness is a fine one. Somehow I managed to stay on the right side of it. I am indebted to PhilJW for finding and sharing the two YouTube clips of the Pelzmartiga but sorry to learn from BokStein that they did not roam and maraud this year. Has that ruddy virus no shame? Clearly not. So what will Boxing Day, or St Stephen's Day, or Steffanstag, have to offer? Some culinary creativity must play its part, for in the fridge nestles the residue of a bacon joint which must form the basis of a meal. If it turns out to be cold meat I have a jar of plum chutney ready and waiting to share the experience. No doubt Delia Smith will tell me of other solutions. It was good to hear from Andyram and Black Rat yesterday, both far too lesser-spotted. To them and to all others I offer best wishes. Chris

A surprise present for me this xmas was this display case from my brother-in-law, hand made by him in his shed. My Boxing day job was fixing it to the wall of the railway room and filling it with locos. What a lovely present. Graham

Dia 45 BG update, whilst the 113 has been progressing through the paint shop, I've been fitting the scratch built roof to the dia. 45 van. A bit of rubbing down and fettling was required to get the right fit and shape, I'm now quite happy with the results. Here again, the dia. 45 BG diverges from the usual Gresley practice, the roof is steel rather than canvas over a wooden frame, it was ribbed were the steel plates that form the roof are jointed. I went off- piste as far as the kit instructions was concerned, with regard to the number and location of the joints and also the position of the roof torpedo ventilators. Another little quirk is that the dia. 45 has many more torpedo vents than the usual arrangement found on 61' 6'' BG's. Perhaps it was felt that a large steel box required more ventilation than the teak and later steel panelled BG's. This sort of diversity is what makes carriage models so fascinating to build. There were two batches of a total of thirty three dia. 45 BG's. Being of all steel construction, they weighed in at two tons heavier than the contemporary dia. 43 teak BG's. They were running alongside over sixty 61' 6'' teak BG's, with turnbuckle underframes and with fox bogies. In addition, there were thirty five later style steel panelled BG's, equipped with angle iron trussing and eight foot Gresley HD bogies. The type of BG that Hornby mangled a model of, was very much in the minority prior to the War. Though they came to dominate, most were built after 1939 and many were steel panelled and some had plywood panelling. It was important for the fit of the roof to replicate the harsh cut off were the roof meets the ends and also the rap round of the cornice. In teak BG's and the latter style steel panelled BG's, the continuation of the cornice follows the roof line. Finally finished and into the paint shop. The kit provides for a working gangway. Not necessary for my needs, as the gangways were not often in use. In addition, my prototype is noted as sealed in the CWN's, this was because it was carrying tobacco products from Nottingham to the Western region. I substituted Comet castings and etched end plates, esthetical they look much better. G 45 gets its Banana van livery. After the photo was taken, the underframes have been painted black and beech brown. A couple of days drying time and the body will be ready for teaking. The base coat is a more golden hue due to the different requirements of painting steel sided carriages teak.

Those day trippers are getting restless, but help has arrived, in the form of an Ivatt, the B17 having been removed in disgrace. It really had failed, by the way. I suspect the decoder. The next question is whether it is going to get to leave before the Grimsby, whose starting time is nigh? Down the other end of the station, Sun Stream is waiting for the off.

Hmmm, I did not turn on the confuser today until about 0715P, 1915 for those in the UK, and for any US Marines, Mickey's little hand is on the 7 and his big hand is on the 3. I have fially caught up and will now say that I hope that everyone's holiday went well. So; Night Owl from a very cold Piedmont (around 20º F).

We have been working on panniers: Source: Getty Images. Embedding permitted. Caption: Sparks Fly As Rail Workers Using Oxy-acetylene Torches Start Cutting And Breaking Down Older Great Western Railway GWR 1076 Class Steam Locomotives At The Locomotive Graveyard Of The Swindon Railway Works On 14 May 1935 There has been progress on the “nostalgia” project to backdate a Hornby 2721 body, using a Bachmann 57xx chassis. The original aim was an early 2721 PT, but I have decided to go for a 1854 PT instead. These were Southern division locos and thus more appropriate for Farthing, and technically the model matches an 1854 PT better (e.g. the fairly tall Hornby cab and the plain Bachmann conrods). I'm aiming for ca. 1914-19, a period I have a growing interest in. Unfortunately the earliest 1854 PT photos I have found so far are from the early 1920s. Here’s how I left it earlier this year: The Hornby balance pipe is a blob one each side of the motor block, so I made some new blobs . New firebox sides and rear tank supports (adapted to allow room for the injectors) were also made. Swindon diagrams of the first 1854 and 2721 PTs show the balance pipe fitted behind the front splasher, but even if this was actually done in practice, photos suggest that they were soon relocated to a position near the center of the tanks - so that’s what I have done. Now for a query: Removal of the “skirts” on the Hornby body exposes the Bachmann motor and lets too much light in. Below I have curved some 10 thou plastikard and trial fitted it to the motor to represent the rear portion of the boiler. But I haven’t run it yet as I’m wondering about (i) overheating, and (ii) shorting (does styrene isolate in practice, and what effect will the glue have?). Any thoughts? I have also worked on the tank fittings. The Hornby tank top isn’t that bad, but the chimney (odd shape), tank fillers (too small) and grab rails (moulded lump) had to go. I'm wondering what the small pipes/cables running along the top are for, and when they were fitted. The chimney was sawn off, and the tank fillers removed (vertical slices in both directions, followed by a parallel cut along the bottom). The bluetack is for protecting details. Dry fit of the Finney chimney and tank fillers. The safety valve cover is so far an RTR item, can’t seem to find the appropriate shape in brass. The lower part of the Hornby cabside is too narrow. I’m working on that and the bunker. Regarding rivets: I understand that up to ca. 1917 they were flush-riveted, then snap head riveted until ca. 1924, then welded seams. So for ca. 1914-1919 I’m thinking flush riveted. Looking at photos, am I correct that this means removing only what is marked below – or should the tanks be completely flush? I do dislike working without a specific photo.

As it happens..

Happy Boxing Day, not so nice weather wise, but as we're locked down for 3 weeks, that doesn't really matter I guess. Firstly before I forget, I am only aware of meeting one RMwebber and that was Mark(MRDBLUE17) when he attended St. Andrews show with his excellent Rannoch model, he kindly tested a loco I had bought for me, I have attended quite a few shows in Scotland, but not sure if I have met any others from here, though some of the lads at Aberdeen were almost certainly on here if not ER's. Christmas has been quite satisfactory, even given the brief family outdoor separated meeting, Santa was most generous, I must have been a good boy after all, a very healthy selection of single malt whiskies along with a fish smoker and some fancy smoking woodchips to burn it it, just need to get out and catch some fish now. Not sure I fancy smoked Cod or Founder, which is what I mostly get at this time of year, so may wait for a trout in the spring. Nothing for the muddling, but I am left to organise that myself, although the Heljan model I got the other week probably counts on that score. Enjoy your day all and for those who think they don't like whisky, I can recommend the 12 year old Glenkinchie lowland as an excellent place to start.

Hello from North Somerset. A late appearance for me, mainly due to an eye problem brought on by falling asleep with the corner of the pillow wedged into my left eye which seems to have scratched the eyeball. When I got up at 8am it was very painful and anything other than looking at distant objects seemed to make it worse. Dosed with Optrex the eye is much improved, and I have given up feeling sorry for myself as the strategy did not work with SWMBO. However, as she seems to be making a turkey and ham pie in the kitchen, I will let her off. Christmas Day went very well, and the turkey was lovely, although I prefer the pigs in blankets and sausage meat stuffing. I think I might get sausage rolls using the left over sausage meat, so I am really being spoiled. I had some new slippers as a present, so my feet are all nice and toastie, plus a dvd called British Railway Steam Medley which I have just watched. A TVP production that I can thoroughly recommend. Mostly colour but a little b/w footage. One highlight for me was the ECML in colour from the early 1950s with various locos on trains of quad-arts filmed near Hadley Wood. I like Boxing Day because there is lots to eat and drink and no big cooking event to be worried over. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the turkey roasting procedure but it is nice to relax when it is all over. Now, where did I leave the Quality Street?

Mooring Awl, inner Temple hare, If there is one thing that irritates me is watching Andre Rieu, If ever there is a poser on stage that's him definitely a case of turn the screen off and just listen to the music.. An odd night's sleep, I went off to sleep easily helped by a large glass of Highland Park, when I awoke I felt it a good night's sleep, came down to the sofa to find there were still 15 minutes of Christmas day left. It took over two hours more before I could get to sleep again. At 05:00, Ben the alarm clock Collie said it was time for work, and was insistent I got up. So I took him out, he had a long snuffle outside. It's chilly and the welkin is cloudless, he's now asleep back in his bed , while I warm up wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa. There is a noticable increase in windspeed even for the short time we were out. I don't go to many shows, as it's a fair trek to most, the Norwich show ( already cancelled for April 2021, ) and the Spalding show are the big ones. My free accommodation for EMGS North is no longer with us, and EMGS south is a near 5 hour trip each way, and is close to a big sailing event I am committed to. Three local shows folded pre covid, we will have to wait to see how many others recover post covid. I have a terrible memory for faces and names and always have had. While I've no doubt passed a few ERs by, and spoken to the odd one, i don't remember. I see my old sailing club at Haversham, just north of MK, will be a bit soggy, they flood the river valley it's to reduce the flow through Bedford to reduce Bedford's chance of flooding. When you moor you dinghy at Haversham you either leave the bungs open and tie it down hard. Or close the bungs and use a sliding vertically mooring . I Hope ChrisF is well above flood level. Still feeling a bit full after yesterday's food, breakfast is not being thought of. Time to,... roll over and try for more sleep.

Yes, it is Boxing Day, which means cricket from the MCG so that's on the radio while I carry on with signals. For the short fixed distant, I rooted through the spares box for a suitable post to shorten. I found that for some reason, lost in the mists of time, I had a spare two-armed post from an old Ratio 462 kit. I measured it up and found that if I cut the post just above the lower lamp the post height would be about a scale 19ft 6in, so that's what I've done. I also cut the finial from the top of the original post, fitted it to the shortened post and removed the arm pivot. Here it is before final assembly, with the stub of the original post next to it. Big Brother and Little Brother stand side by side, looking just as I thought they would.

Some from today, first up Christmas dinner under spaghetti junction! then it was off to the loco which was on the line next to washwood Heath, nothing left standing now 66747 on the first train we took that to bescot then went back in a taxi for the 2nd train which was the one we took in last night, 66761 on it waiting in tame bridge for the road into bescot and into bescot where another rmwebber took over to shunt the train into the sidings that’s me until Tuesday now then New Year’s Eve

Afternoon Awl, More keel work done, glassing the bow and some shape correction to the lead lump aft edge casing. Tomorrow it needs turning almost over again to finish the bottom.. I say finish, but that's the glassfibering, after that's it's the sand fill, sand fill routine till a gloss coat of resin. Breakfast was had after that... panettone and cream... Ben the MetEorologist collie wanted out. At the gate we had to stop as two couples cycled past female with female male with male less than 2M apart, All I think retired lycra wearers looking at the bikes and the speed they went past without any effort, while they chatted away. Probably older than me, I wonder how that complies with Tier 4.. The wind has been increasing all day, it's getting darker, drizzle was increasing too during his walk. It wasn't long, due to him taking exception to distant pheasant massacre. We can get dry cured bacon at our local butchers , but it's not cheap, somfor special occasions only. I've now a bottle of red open..does that go with sausage and chips?

Good afternoon from a rather cold Charente. Miracles happenned yesterday, we actually managed to speak to all 3 of theckids, plus partners when sober. After that we headed off to some friends and had a long and slow, and very good dinner centered round a Capon. Genlivet was oferred before and after the meal. It would have been rude to refuse. Beth gave me a bottle of Glenlivet as well. I even managed to speak to my brother who has acquired a Class 156 to run onnthe layout I built for him in his garage. All in all a good day. We stayed over to avoid problems with the curfew and are now back home partaking of coffee and mince pies. In about half an hour we are off to have another meal with friends. It's a hard life. Regards to all. Jamie Ps Andy B, hope the expectant parents are OK.

Morning all. We seem to be having fairly calm weather here. No sign of storms of any kind. I slept through the hour of news provided by the radio alarm. We did have the family Zoom meeting. It went quite well. There was much discussion about food. Nephew Josh and his fiancée had been due to travel to Enfield but the travel restrictions meant they stayed home in Sussex. Josh’s fiancée decided they should have an Italian feast. Josh is working today, injecting the elderly with Covid vaccine, so I hope he can move after his day of many meals. I texted rather than spoke to my brother. His wife is very ill, he wasn’t feeling at all festive. They will be off to Worcester today for a hospital appointment. No such thing as a holiday for her condition. I expect we will go for a walk, not too far though. Most of the people we saw walking yesterday had dogs, I can remember the Christmas Day dog walk too. Robbie was really well behaved when we had visitors at Christmas but only after he had a walk. Otherwise he was totally daft running about wanting attention from everyone. Tony

I think the only ER regular I have met is @chrisf who I met at Surbiton station on the way to Tolworth leisure centre for the model railway exhibition some years ago when the normally excellent special bus service failed. I have also met @AY Mod at a number of exhibitions and @Phil Parker on one of my trips to the Isle of Man where we bumped into each other on the steam railway a couple of times. Yesterday was spent doing not a lot although the beef joint my wife prepared was excellent and watching three Carry On movies meant I saw lots of Barbara Windsor, altogether not as much as Sid James probably saw! The downer for me was that I could not attend either the Midnight or 10am Christmas services. That has never happened before and I hope is not repeated again as I really enjoy serving at festival services.

You might think that. I could not possibly comment. Actually, I should. Technically I do possess a microwave but it is in storage along with other things that belonged to my late father. Not many people know the conncetion between Spike Milligan and the microwave. It is that in one of his songs, recorded yonks ago by The Goons, there is a line: "Follow the directions and Ping!". To what else but the microwave could it possibly allude? Chris

Morning all. An elevated view of Bleat Wharf this morning. I think 'Penny' looks the part. Rob.

Grizz, you're p1ssed. C'mon, don't let the side down. Reputation n' all that..... Please, no more. Ever. I'll even give you the key to Big H's share of the cake mountain if you promise never to descend ER to such lowly levels. I'd much rather face an angry Walrus protecting it's young than listen to (or see) that berk again. I do believe the alternative spelling for his name is T-W-A-T All very strange. Pierce the lid, close the door, 50 seconds and then 'DING'. Wait another 60 seconds, then chuck it in a bowl, smother it in custard, lob in a mince pie and scoff. All this 2 hours of gas (or leccy) use has Bear totally confused...... Aunty Bessie's. Open bag, Gas Mark 7, 40 minutes. Scoff. Job done. Is Bear a culinary hopeless case?

Good morning all, Dull start but no frost today. It should stay cloudy and mainly dry but there is the chance of the odd shower. Strange day yesterday. It's the only time apart from our first Christmas together 50 years ago that The Boss and I have eaten alone. Even then after the meal we visited her family. Our turkey crown, a frozen Sainsbury offering, was excellent and to my mind better than the fresh and far more expensive Black Norfolk one we had last year. Yesterday we did have a couple of Zoom meetings. The first, just before noon was the grand present opening ceremony. After that we met our friends next door on our respective front drives for a drink or two and had a very enjoyable hour but it was rather chilly so that was long enough. After our meal The Boss watched some TV whilst I, having drunk beer, G &T, wine and then a couple of large Remy Martins after the meal unsurprisingly fell asleep in my armchair for a couple of hours. Second Zoom in the evening was a very enjoyable family quiz organized by Abbie and much to our surprise The Boss and I won, by one point. After that we were so knackered we had an early(for us) night. Needless to say I slept like a log. Today, very shortly there will be a cooked breakfast but not a Full English. Don't think I could manage that. At 11.00 we're having a further Zoom meeting and as is the tradition with the GDB Tribe some presents have been saved for today. This goes back to the days when the kids were little and had far too much stuff bought for them. Still do actually but who cares? You only live once. Hope you all enjoyed your day as much as possible under the circumstances.... and of course it wouldn't be right if I didn't say, Have a good one, Bob.

A favourite childhood memory just wandered into my mind, "Wind in the Willows" which we had as a beautiful boxed double LP album. it must be somewhere in the loft Triggered, no doubt, by Chrisf's description of his feast. "Capital, capital!" Everyone else still asleep here - no doubt catching up on Zzzzs after I woke them up early yesterday to work on their stocking presents.

The truth - for what it might now be worth - is that our grammar school art teacher, who was a potter first, a retired CCF officer second, golfer third and anything else much farther down the list, suffered my presence a half-dozen times After which he opened the door and bid me leave with the helpful and supportive advice (as one might expect of a teacher) that “Boy - you’re a ham-fisted clot with a pencil; God help you if you ever picked up a paintbrush. Never darken my doorway again”. And that was the sum total of my formal education in art. Six 40-minute classes in 1968 during which I probably received five minutes of individual attention in total. I never touched pencils, paints nor other artistic materials again until I began building Penhayle Bay in earnest over 40 years later. I still receive fairly regular enquiries as to “where did you get you backscenes” to which the answer is “from a selection of paintbrushes, a leap of faith and no idea of what I was doing.” I reckon I came out evens at least.

Good morning afternoon everyone. Late on parade again today, I think all the rushing around we’ve been doing lately has caught up with us both. Anyway, on to today, there isn’t much planned at all, probably a day of loafing around doing absolutely bu99er all seems to be on the cards. There’s one thing for certain, we won’t be watching any of the popular stuff on TV, thankfully both of us find it’s just utter drivel. Bacon butties are a thing of great delight here, we use locally sourced bacon, which is obtained form the butchers that I frequent on a weekly basis. We serve it on whole meal bread, with no butter, this is sometimes ‘dipped’ in the fat of the bacon after it’s cooked. Brown sauce, never tomato ketchup is added and very occasionally a fried egg (always free-range and organic) too, ooooo ‘tis really food of the gods. As for Andre Rieu, as soon as he comes on the radio, we switch it off, can’t stand what he does to good music. But that’s down to personal choice, he’s very popular at the moment, but then so was the plague. As to ERs I’ve meet, Baz, Mike the station master, John DMJ, Mick NB, Chrisf, Natalie, Shedman5, Ian Roundhouse, there are undoubtedly others that I cannot recall, so apologies to those not listed. Enjoy whatever you have planned for the day, stay safe, stay sane, back later. Brian

Morning all, Good to hear Rick is recovering from the stomach pestilence although not so bright on the gouty nbit - anda n excellent idea to steer clear of work until properly recovered. Getting back to yesterday a good 'Christmas Dinner' was had - starting as usual with snacking on the crackling from the roast pork to accompany a glass of Prosecco then Chateau Neuf du Pape with the main event - yes, I drink boozy stuff at Christmas. The chicken and pork were both very good and both were of the 'free range' variety while our carefully saved carrots were also excellent. Even the sprouts were tolerable - or both teh ones I had were - as Mrs Stationmaster does cook them in sensible fashion. As ever both forms of stuffing were great and the orange stuffing was slightly different this year due to a shortage of orange zest from the ones we have in stock so more flesh was used. We realised this morning that the apple sauce had been overlooked but no worries as it can accompany the cold cuts today. A x couple of railway related books came my way - no surprise as I had chosen them on a recent visit to Paul's establishment in Alton, plus a complete set of Amanad Owen's three books about Ravenseat Farm and the family - thoroughly recommended to anybody who has enjoyed the tv series. as ever the Good doctor Station Cat pulled a rabbit out of the hat for me with something different - the North West Passage and the hunt for Franklin's lost expedition. To complete this day of listings I'll try to recall all the ERs I have met. One instant difference from three other RMweb members is that none - so far as I know - ever worked for me in a previous life. So the ERs - Tony S, Gordon S were I think the first I met - introduced by Andy Y himself, then our one and only Happy Hippo at the Stafford Members' Day. And in no particular order GDB (and Mrs GDB), Andy B, Mr S.Corn, Chrisf (in better years we have several regular meets at shows) iD, Ian RH, Bokstein, Rick Gwiwer, Mick Newbryford), Natalie, NHN Neil plus Mrs NHN Debs and Donk, and of course Baz who I also get to see reasonably frequently at shows. I've also met Polly (Southern 42) although to my eternal shame I didn't latch on to who she was until afterwards so I also missed a possible opportunity to become acquainted with Jones The Steam. No doubt I have forgotten somebody for which I humbly apologise and there are numerous other members of RMweb some of whom might very occasionally visit this place and some ERs unknown to me might have been bored by my natter at the RMweb Members' Day at Didcot GWS. Enjoy the rest pf your day one and all.

The bar is open and I'm starting with a bottle of Bishop's Finger. Various other delightful beverages will be available throughout the day. Another Zoom is imminent so I will sign off for a while.

Reflecting that one of the first tasks on Boxing day is, once again, sorting out the fridge and clearing debris in the kitchen. This activity has become a tradition in this household, and, despite being on my own, seems to have expanded in scope this year. Wonder who's been causing this activity to be necessary over the decades?

1. I wholly agree about the bacon, Flávio, and fortunately we have at our local market a trader who sells the most gorgeous 'proper' stuff that is thick enough so that you can't read a newspaper through it (in fact, you can specify the thickness required and she'll cut it for you as in days of yore) and contains little or no water so after cooking it is still about the same size and weight as before. As far as the rest of the recipe is concerned, my personal preference is for a good barm cake, as we used to call them in my childhood in Liverpool, without butter but with some of the bacon juices drizzled on it. A decent substitute, though, is slices of fresh, moist, granary bread treated in the same way. 2. TV quality? Never have you posted truer words! 3. I totally agree about microwave ovens. My late Mum used her microwave combination oven for all sorts of cooking quite successfully but I have never had anything like her results and the one in our kitchen is used simply for defrosting (but even that is, in my opinion, better done by other means if time permits), reheating (same comment) or making hot milk drinks. Dinosaur, me? After all the travelling of yesterday I have no intention of going anywhere today, even though we are still only in the national open prison, sorry, tier 2, category. In fact,I am surreptitiously working on gaining clearance to sneak down to the workshop if sufficient brownie points were amassed through yesterday's driving service. Stay safe everyone. Dave

Gosh, It's a bit early but ER's I've met, Well obviously our illustrious leader Andy @Andy Y,Peter, @PeterBB as a fellow Club member at Gresley, Barry, @Barry O Laurence, @laurenceb, Dave, @Dave Hunt, Richard, @Happy Hippo, Chris, @chrisf, Mike, @Mike Bellamy, Mick, @newbryford, Dave, @kipford,Andy, @andyram, Polly, @southern42 and her Husband Ray, @tender, and I'm sure I've met Andy, @leopardml2341, Mike, @skipepsi. There are still many I may have missed, and if so full seasonal apologies. There are also many from RM Web but who do not visit ER.

I had a fall onto my back during our walk. No bad effects aside from damp trousers. I don't think I've met any ERs, but maybe up to a half dozen RMwebbers. Dinner was bountiful and we have lots of sprouts and turkey* left over. SWMBO decide that she'd throw out the pudding rather than have to eat any more of it. * and other things.

YEvening All, Hope Rick is feeling a bit better and some Turkey has been saved for Boxing Day. Odd day for us, never had Christmas dinner on our own and never had it so late in the day. As SWMBO woke up not feeling too good we decided to postpone dinner until later in the day. She spent the morning sleeping in bed whilst I read a book I treated myself to. (For those that may be interested ‘Soviet Metro Stations ‘, a sequel to the best sellers ‘Soviet bus stops’ and ‘Soviet Bus Stops 2’) Mid afternoon we popped down to see bil and family who had invited Mil for dinner. After that we came home for our Christmas extravaganza. It’s the first time we’ve done it GF and lessons have been learned for next time. (Should there be another) For Christmas we have ‘seasoned pudding’ instead of Yorkshire’s and SWMBO had to improvise on the recipe . Seasoned pudding is similar to Yorkshire pudding but with oatmeal , onions and two of sage, parsley and thyme, I can’t remember which. Bought Oatmeal isn’t GF so SWMBO had to improvise. Anyway we both enjoyed our meal but we both said it wasn’t worth the effort, especially just for the two of us. Flavio, if you’re reading this,what’s the secret to the roasties ? Getting late so I’ll wish you all a goodnight and hope that boxing days brings peace and happiness. Robert

Good evening everyone I hope everyone day has gone as well as they hoped. We chatted to all the kids and grandkids this afternoon, it was nice to catch-up with them all. However, before we spoke to them, we opened all the presents we’d been given over the last few days, these included in varying quantities Chocolate, Money, Wine, They really know what I like, needless to say, none of it will last very long (see below). After the phone calls it’s been very quiet, Sheila sat and read her kindle, whilst did a couple of sudoku puzzles, as you can see, we live life rock'n'roll lifestyle here. We did however watch, via an email link, a Cirque du Soleil Christmas Special, that was a very enjoyable and excellent way to spend 45 minutes. An email arrived earlier today from World Of Railways, it listed several shops with sales on, one of them being TMC. Many, many years ago they used to have a shop at the Trafford Centre called Trafford Model Centre! So I had a look to see what was on offer and spotted the Bachmann breakdown crane in the sale and just under £190 instead of £250. There stock of these is now down by one. I’ve paid a little extra for 48hr Royal Mail tracked, so with a bit of luck, it’ll be here before the New Year.

Oh gosh they look nice......and banned to a hungry diabetic! Evening folks, no early check in due to being unable to get out of bed after an atrocious night. After that it was over to the western reaches of Fraggle Rock to Peel, to have lunch with John (Trackshack's ex-owner) and his new partner, which was very convivial. It is very windy indeed here now, still dry though, but that is set to change.

It was a technical college (of sorts). Now I'm doing supply. You run your eye down the register and look out for the Ethans, Alfies, and Archies - more than one of either and you know you're in for a wearing hour. It's appalling to be so nominatively prejudiced, I know, but I'm sure that boys with those names are statistically more likely to be in detention.

Coombe Barton and Sandy, the year we did the badges.

Forget to mention the ER's that, I've met, but most of them seem to have forgotten me. It's nice to be forgettable. In no particular order the hall of shame includes, Baz, Andyram, Mike (SM) and Station Cat, Mick (NB), Chrisf, ID of course, Rick, Ian(RH), Polly, plus Jones the Steam, i even chatted to the Wielder of the Awl, Debs herself, Dave Hunt and HH, there are probably others but my forgettery is in action. Jamie

Not upset at all, Dave. A well done bacon butty is a thing of beauty. But you really need good quality bacon, not the watery, rubbery stuff that supermarkets sell (here in CH you can only get streaky [speck] but it crisps up beautifully and to the point, if so desired, where it shatters satisfactorily with a fork). Of course, Dave, a bacon butty can also be a bone of contention: what type of bread or maybe a roll, brown sauce or tomato ketchup, butter or no butter... and so on. Turkey can be pretty bland and boring and is frequently badly cooked (I can do a reasonably good turkey, but to do so you need a free range turkey with the head still attached and about 500g of speck....) Sorry to hear that your solitary Christmas was not enjoyable. Before I was snared by Mrs iD, I had many a solitary Christmas which I totally enjoyed. The secret is, I think, is to be completely egocentric and have no expectations of anything or anyone: Lay around in PJs all day, swig wine from a coffee mug, eat a “non-traditional” meal (a favourite of mine is a prawn and pea risotto [but I do draw the line at pizza]) and entertain yourself as you will: whether a good read or otherwise frowned-upon viewing (topless barmaid wrestling from Wigan, anyone?). I would agree about Christmas TV. The heyday of great Christmas specials is long past, nowadays all we have are unfunny so-called comedians desperately trying to “out-woke” one another, “celebrity” hosted programmes aimed at an audience with a mental age of 3 and recycled films that weren’t all that great on first viewing, let alone the hundreth... Ah, Money! The perfect gift for anyone, no matter their circumstances. In many ways, as churlish and mercenary as this may sound, money really is the best gift because too many people are absolutely hopeless at matching gifts to recipients. The number of times a relative has said “I’ll get you something for your model railway for Christmas“ and has given you something totally inappropriate for your layout (like a Thomas the Tank Engine starter set when you are building a fine scale layout of Preston in the 1950s) is probably beyond count. Robert, you are “extracting the urine” with your book titles? (or not?) I for one would find a book about Soviet Metro stations to be quite fascinating. When Stalin decided that the Soviet Union needed Metro stations he also decided that In order to showcase the “benefits of Bolshevism” that the Metro stations would be lavish and opulent. As, indeed, the Metro stations in Moscow are. in regards to “perfect roast potatoes” I am following a Marcus Wareing recipe. Basically, you peel and cut large floury potatoes into big chunks and cook them for about 15 minutes in salted water until almost done; when you drain them you give them a good shake to rough up the surface and you let them get cold (and thus also dry out at the same time). About an hour 15 minutes to an hour before you want to eat them (depends on how fast your oven heats up) you turn your oven on to 230°C. Once the oven has reached temperature, you put your roasting pan with a good quantity of the fat of your choice (dripping, duck fat, goose fat, a neutral vegetable oil) and let the fat get very, very hot. Once the fat is almost smoking, take the pan out of the oven and carefully place The cold potatoes into the hot fat giving them a gentle stir to make sure that the fat coats all the potatoes. Stick the pan back into the very hot oven and roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring the potatoes every 10 minutes or so to make sure that all surfaces of the potatoes are in contact with the hot metal of the pan and that crisp up. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately. One of the problems in doing a “proper roast dinner“ is that most kitchens do not have enough ovens, the reason being that roast meat, roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding all require different cooking temperatures. I think the minimum amount of ovens you could get away with is 1.5 - cooking Yorkshire puddings in the oven that roasted the meat whilst the meat rests. I do have 1.5 ovens in my kitchen, but unfortunately the 0.5 oven is a microwave combination oven which was a very mistaken acquisition as it is about as useful as a chocolate teapot if you want to use it for anything else then heating up food. Miniatures, I would argue, are both a boon and a curse. They are a boon, inasmuch as they allow you to sample many different types of whiskey without being stuck with an almost full bottle of “McFuttocks Old Dog’s Danglies” if that particular whiskey is not to your taste. The curse is, of course, if that little miniature of “Hamish’s Beard, Oak Matured 15 yo Single Malt” is very much to your taste not only do you have to wait until the off-licence, supermarket or specialised spirits merchant reopen after Christmas for another snifter, but you also have to hunt it down (not always easily done) You are a man after my own heart. There is very little that cannot be improved by a wee dram of the waters of life: preferably single malt and preferably aged. I think, dear Q, that in this particular instance you should’ve had another wee dram upon realising the lateness of the hour. This marvellous life giving liquid would have either put you off to sleep again or made your insomnia very tolerable indeed! In regards to meeting up with people from ER or from RMweb, I have met quite a few (their names are legion) when at the Warley show, back when I attended Warley on a regular basis. There are also the “members” of the “ER Brains Trust” with whom I meet on a semi-regular basis when I am in London (I say “members“ in quotation marks because there are no fees to pay, no selection process – beyond being a member of RMweb and being a thoroughly decent chap to boot and, of course, a willingness to turn up at the assigned location, drink a lot, eat something and talk about model railways and other important issues of the day [or “b0ll0cks” as it might be termed by outsiders]). I won’t embarrass individuals by naming names, suffice to say membership includes many high-profile ER posters. Enjoy boxing day, normality will resume far too soon, alas! iD

Now we're in business! Body went together very well. Don't look too hard just yet at the ends; needs cleaning up yet. And roof just plonked on for now. But we have ourselves a vehicle of sorts.

Guilty as charged Poly!!! .....and it is probably fair to say that it IS occasionally my reputation.....when off duty. Today’s theme is more Harveys Old Ale and a range of Single Malt Whisky chasers, accompanied by a variety of delicious food. We are about to start cooking Æbleskiver......OMG they are soooooooo good. These are Danish round pancakes, with icing sugar and jam, cooked in an Æbleskiver pan. Glædelig Jul (Merry Christmas) Poly