RMweb Gold 97406 Posted January 9 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 9 1 hour ago, rob D2 said: Here’s a picture of your workbench, on my work bench .. …and then I could take a picture of my workbench on your workbench on my workbench… 😀 You have the same fan heater as me! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I feel quite jealous of all these workbenches... I have to get models of cupboards and or squat them away between working on them. Storage is an issue; the only non-contested space in a 5-person household is the loft, but we have bats up there between April and October, which means it's pretty well useless for anything other than storage. Given it can take up to half an hour just to get things out of cupboards, same to put it away, it limits modelling time. Plus all my tools have to be kept outside in the shed, so when it's dark, manky, chucking it down with rain as it seems to have been since about August, it's just easy to not to anything practical. Plus there's the problem of packing away part-done projects, either they get forgotten about, or damaged as more stuff is thrown into random cupboards. I'd started an Airfix shed kit back in the summer, ended up lobbing out of the way in the shed, part done, and forgot it was in there until I lobbed something in the other morning and there was a crunching sound... We've a significant problem in that my wife and I are both creative/arty, but we're also Friends/Family Foster Carers. What with them staggering their visits, the kids' and our own Social Workers visit us for inspections monthly, and they are very much opposed to a) mess and b) anything they construe to be dangerous. They want a spotlessly clean house but won't let us keep cleaning products indoors, so my model-making shed is full of bleach and things. They also object to us having sharp knives in the kitchen (all of this because it generates paperwork; the youngest child is 11, and she helps in the kitchen under our observation, so it's not like knives are a problem... To give a really clear example of the oddness of the situation, we're completing paperwork for our 10-yearly review, and the form is still asking about booster seats and cupboard catches. Eldest starts Sixth Form in September...) Given they're funny about kitchenware, Social really, really hate tools and things out in the house. We had a weird experience with a previous worker about 6 years ago who couldn't seem to abide me having a creative hobby, being very much of the opinion that the Man Of The House Should Be Out Working All Hours. Outside of working, I apparently should have been purely parenting until they went to bed, then sitting watching telly like a 'normal' person, rinse and repeat. She was very old fashioned in her outlook. Well that turned into a rant. But that's why I'm sat here on a dark night, not doing any model-making despite being under Doctors Orders to do creative hobbies for mindfulness purposes. 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Reading that it's no wonder there are few foster families. With all the box ticking have they ever asked how your mental health is? 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Good grief, that's ridiculously impractical, what about preparing children for adulthood and the outside world? In that case, I'm so glad that my other half doesn't want children, hers or anyone else's, it could really dampen her spirits! 1 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 "By my purple helmet, is that the mighty sword of Dobba?" Those who know, know.... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 23 minutes ago, 33C said: "By my purple helmet, is that the mighty sword of Dobba?" Those who know, know.... Nay, tis merely Miss Riding Hood armed with a WWII Japanese Katana, either in a state of meditation or daydreaming about settling a few scores.... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 In all seriousness though @Ben B, how on earth can you be expected to maintain a normal healthy household environment with those sort of enforced conditions? 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted January 9 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 9 3 hours ago, Ben B said: Given they're funny about kitchenware, Social really, really hate tools and things out in the house. We had a weird experience with a previous worker about 6 years ago who couldn't seem to abide me having a creative hobby, being very much of the opinion that the Man Of The House Should Be Out Working All Hours. Outside of working, I apparently should have been purely parenting until they went to bed, then sitting watching telly like a 'normal' person, rinse and repeat. She was very old fashioned in her outlook. I take my hat of to you and your wife doing what you do, I've found it enough of a challenge bringing up my own two children. Years ago I shared a house with a slightly strange bloke who I think had had dealings with Social Services (he only saw his pre-teen son occasionally). Based on your description above I can't beat his words which are imprinted on my mind: "I've always thought some of these social workers are incredibly weird people". 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 4 hours ago, 97406 said: …and then I could take a picture of my workbench on your workbench on my workbench… 😀 You have the same fan heater as me! Fenella has proved 100% reliable . I have 3 fan heaters and thus a small nuclear reactor in the garden to provide the “ lecky”. Am I the only one who names my electrical devices ? 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invicta Informant Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 4 hours ago, 33C said: "By my purple helmet, is that the mighty sword of Dobba?" Those who know, know.... This perhaps? 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium RobAllen Posted January 10 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 10 23 hours ago, sjp23480 said: Thanks for all the workbench pictures, unfortunately my workbench doubles as my home office. Same here. Unfortunately, I don't have the space to have two separate desks, so I put away and get out again as required. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 My layout IS my workbench! 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 Training new staff at work at the moment, its remote training for some of our India based staff. Its incredible how much of a difference the workplace culture is. They're not very good at speaking up it seems and its quite a job to get them to ask questions and go 'off script'. They're great guys to work with, but I can tell there's an unquestionable heirarchy in their workplaces. For me its bloody knackering, pretty much talking all day and my throat is like sandpaper washed down with bleach. 3 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blandford1969 Posted February 2 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2 My mojo has been mixed. Having finished one reorganisation we are now working on another which always weighs on me despite it not being my decision, nor can I alter what may or may not happen. However that feeling of good people may end up out of work always bothers me. I have had knock back after knock back on looking for a new job, although finally one I thought was ghosting me has come back for a second interview this week and invited me back for a third in a couple of weeks to meet the General Manager. I have even managed to do a little bit of modelling. Perhaps foolishly it was working on a Brassmasters Fowler tender chassis. I nver thought building the brakes could take that long. Even though they are great. I had a boast in the week that rather than owing tax, I will even get a very small tax refund. A couple of little chinks of light. Hope everyone else is doing ok at the moment. 4 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railsquid Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 On 02/02/2024 at 18:12, Coldgunner said: Training new staff at work at the moment, its remote training for some of our India based staff. Its incredible how much of a difference the workplace culture is. They're not very good at speaking up it seems and its quite a job to get them to ask questions and go 'off script'. They're great guys to work with, but I can tell there's an unquestionable heirarchy in their workplaces. In a former job, I once had to fly to their Indian subsidiary (which did the bulk grunt work) to install Linux (long story), and was mildly bemused to see that every time the boss entered one of the offices where said grunt work gets done, everyone stood up like it's 1955 and the headmaster has just entered the classroom. 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railsquid Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 On 09/01/2024 at 15:18, railsquid said: Heh, early 2023 I was in the process of reorganising my workbench/shelving/storage when I was struck down by the Currently Fashionable Lurgy (medium-long edition) for a few months (better but still not 100%), then had to dismantle the layout for construction access reasons, and while I managed to reassemble the layout boards, I decided to reduce the layout area somewhat, so ended up with piles of layout stuff on top of the other strata of stuff going back to the start of last year. I've gradually been working through it (it's a bit like a complex, slow-motion game of Tetris) and finally had a day recently to get all the way down to actual horizontal supporting surfaces, rediscovering a number of old projects and new stock I'd forgotten about. It does feel better to have (mostly) taken back control. Also making a concerted effort to sell off unwanted bits and pieces, which is also freeing up space. A few days ago I had a box full of ballast-orientated bits and pieces fall down behind some other boxes under the workbench, and was dreading the cleanup operation as it sounded like there was a lot of loose ballast and orientated bits spread out over the surprisingly wide area such stuff likes to spread. Happily I have dug down to the affected area and by a stroke of luck the box fell upside down with its lid mostly still in place, so the chaos was limited. Bits transferred to a better box, which has been freed up by the ongoing reorganisation/sale of stock and stuff. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railsquid Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 So, one of the things haunting my workbench is a ziplock bag full of the remains of an ancient Kato EMU set which I acquired second-hand in poor condition, and which I let the Squidlet play with on a push-along basis when he was smaller, but due to its age and the brittleness of the plastic (apparently an issue with early Kato stuff) and the fact that the Squidlet trod on one car, it is in a state of terminal disassembly and I was keeping it around in the vague hope I could Do Something with it one day, but have reached a point where I know that will never happen, and in a flash of inspiration put it for sale online at a knockdown price (ha) and within a couple of hours it was snapped up and is now gracing the Japanese logistics system on its way to a new home, so that's one more thing no longer cluttering up physical and mental space. The set in question: 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westernviscount Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 My mojo has come back in a big way. In part it is to do with finding the right project to induce "flow". Usually a kit with my own added detail. I suffer greatly with that sinking feeling of guilt whenever I go near my hobby or grab a railway related book etc. A feeling that I should be doing something more productive usually ensues. I think this is a hangover from those younger years when model railways felt like the thing I was doing whilst everyone else was having the time of their lives. I am doing well to manage and ignore these feelings and to accept that I want to do railway modelling stuff and that is totally fine. Does anyone else have similar feelings or experiences? I often feel I need permision to do stuff I enjoy. 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, westernviscount said: ? I often feel I need permision to do stuff I enjoy. When my wife says "oh, I shouldn't", when I, for example, suggest an ice cream at midnight, I point out that we are adults and we don't need permission. 1 Flake or 2? That's the advantage of living on the seafront...and being over 18! If it makes you feel good. Do it! 3 1 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blandford1969 Posted February 13 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, westernviscount said: I am doing well to manage and ignore these feelings and to accept that I want to do railway modelling stuff and that is totally fine. Totally have felt that and for years achieved nothing. I was my now 10 year old a couple of months ago saying 'dad what are you actually doing with all this stuff' that helped me. Like you I feel guilty for doing it and then worried I will miss something that needs attention in one of my Facebook groups and that destroys hours, no probably days. Do you find the more you do the easier it gets? 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 My mojo is alive and well but, currently suffering with RSI and some days is reasonable, some very bad. The projects have slowed right down but you only need one finger to buy.... and have I! So, on the reasonable days, I repair and refurbish and have learnt a few things. Physiotherapy is fun if you let the wife watch and when she stops laughing, I suggest SHE gets the ice creams... 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBL Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 49 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said: Totally have felt that and for years achieved nothing. I was my now 10 year old a couple of months ago saying 'dad what are you actually doing with all this stuff' that helped me. Like you I feel guilty for doing it and then worried I will miss something that needs attention in one of my Facebook groups and that destroys hours, no probably days. Do you find the more you do the easier it gets? Getting rid of Facebook is the best thing you can do. It is a complete drain of time, life and mental well-being. Ask yourself, what do you gain from spending time on Facebook? Then ask yourself, what could I do in the time I spend on Facebook? 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westernviscount Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 44 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said: Do you find the more you do the easier it gets? It helps to know others have felt the same and also that some do not suffer with this at all. Both provide reassurance and hope. Yes, it is through my recent flurry of activity that has made me notice my thought patterns and to ignore or power through. It certainly helps to pick the right project to enable flow, in which I am a great believer in terms of its positive affects. I am building a layout and have come across multiple problems which have made it all seem a bit futile. I did some kit building this weekend and that really helped. I need to feel capable and dare I say skilled in my hobbying to derive pleasure from it. This doesn't mean I only stick to the same thing, but my layout problems have made me feel totally inept. I like to save that feeling for weekdays;-) 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westernviscount Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 minute ago, NBL said: Getting rid of Facebook is the best thing you can do. It is a complete drain of time, life and mental well-being. Ask yourself, what do you gain from spending time on Facebook? Then ask yourself, what could I do in the time I spend on Facebook? I binned facebook some years ago. I never used it for work so it was fairly easy to do. I also found youtube to have a miserable effect on me but I am learning to use it more carefully. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 minute ago, westernviscount said: feel totally inept Remember when you were learning to ride a bike, first driving lesson, first day at work? Sound familiar? But we plough on, learn, overcome. It can be the journey, not the destination, thats the most fun. And fun is what it is supposed to be! 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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