Ian Morgan

Houses of that era would probably have picture rails, and possibly dado rails, so wallpaper would not go all the way up to the ceiling.

I can usually manage the former, but not sure how to go about the latter.

Human pin-cushion time again. Totally failed to find a vein big enough for the cannula, even using ultrasound guidance. So, they decided to go ahead with just the 'normal' CT scan, so the radiotherapy is not delayed further. Not ideal, but they can work without the 'Contrast' scan. Next post should cover my radiotherapy experience.

The planning scans, MRI and CT, did not go too well. I had to fast for the morning, and urinate before downing a litre of water half hour before commencing the scans. The MRI scan went OK, despite my bowel not being as empty as they would like. The CT scan then followed, after drinking more water. Then they wanted a 'contrast' CT scan, which meant they would inject a marker into my blood stream. The veins in my arms are pretty deep and hard to find, so they tried injecting in the back of my hand. The left hand was not cooperating so they tried again with the right. They inserted a cannular, but when they starting injecting saline solution to test it, it 'ballooned' and they had to stop. By now they were running out of time, and so was my bladder. They called a halt and sent me home with two big bruises on the backs of my hands. Tomorrow they will try again to get the CT scans, so I will try to keep warm, drink plenty, and if all else fails, ask for an ultrasound guided injection in the arm. If successful, radiotherapy should now commence on April 2nd.

I was parked in exhibitor parking bay 1 in the Paddock yesterday, displaying my exhibitor label thingey, but on checking the ECP 'Late Pay' website, it was me to pay. I have messaged @SteveCole so hopefully it can be sorted. Other exhibitors should check here: https://ecpparkbuddy.com/buyparking

Pretty busy this morning. Lots of interest. Record count was seven mobile phone cameras tracking the same train at the same time. Not bad for a ten foot frontage. 🙂

No 2mm boxes 😒

Has anyone here taken a layout from Britain to an exhibition in Europe since Brexit? What are the implications? Is a Carnet really necessary, and if so, where did you get it and how much did it cost? How onerous is the paperwork? Before Brexit, the Basingstoke club made a number of visits to our German twin town club at Euskirchen, taking various layouts, and they reciprocated by bringing their layouts to our exhibition. This year is their 40th anniversary, and it would be nice to take a layout there for their exhibition in December. Any help and advice gratefully received.

This is how the Royal Albert Bridge looked like at the Basingstoke show last weekend. It should look even better at Ally Palley.

It was lovely to see Burnham-On-Sea again at the Basingstoke show this weekend. I thought I had taken a photo, but now I find no sign of it on my phone. I also intended to capture a video of the man winding the winch for the lifeboat that is working again now, but I forgot to do that as well. Memory like a ...... round thing with holes in it? I blame the meds

Hope you don't mind me posting my Kato diorama here. Added a small backscene, a couple of trees, a couple of MBZ laser cut buildings, Ratio lamp, a Kato tram and a Marks Models beetle. The overhead wire standards are scratch.

OK, so I did not spend much, just a couple of small N scale items, a telephone point and a snacks cabin. Fast, efficient delivery with nothing else to pay in the way of VAT or duty. They have been added to a Kato mini diorama kit to show off a Kato tram and a Marks Models beetle. This is now on the club stand at the Basingstoke show. So, now I am tempted to try a larger, and more expensive, station building from them.

Congratulations to the Chairman's Choice winner

I managed to get the Royal Albert Bridge Inn painted, but ran out of etched window frames. Hopefully getting an Amazon delivery tomorrow, so it might be complete and on the layout in time for Saturday.

The scenery on the Royal Albert Bridge layout has progressed a lot since that photo was taken, mostly in the last couple of weeks, due to herculean efforts by Pete Thorpe, with help from other club members. I have almost completed the Royal Albert Bridge Inn:

A lick of paint and some etched window frames, and the Royal Albert Bridge Inn is nearly ready for the Basingstoke show this weekend. Unfortunately, I am two window frames short. I will have to get some more at the show (Ratio 309) if I can't source some earlier. Having to print it in three sections was actually a good thing, as painting the detail on it as a single lump would have been tricky.

Another couple of 4 week cycles of the enzalutamide tablets, and another three-monthly hormone injection and my urologist said I was ready for the radio therapy to start (at last). So, yesterday, I went to Windsor to have 'Spacer' gel inserted between the prostate and the rectum. A 1cm thick layer of this gel (a natural product that will eventually be absorbed over some months) is intended to protect the rectum from possible damage by the radiation being applied to the prostate. The procedure is similar to the biopsy, except the needle used to deliver the gel is only inserted once. However, it took about 20 minutes to spread the three packs of gel to where it was needed, guided by the ultrasound 'wand' inserted where the sun don't shine. I hope I don't have to do this again, but the soreness and discomfort is already wearing off. Next Friday is the radiotherapy planning appointment in Southampton, where a CT scan and an MRI scan will be performed to accurately identify the target for the rays. The radiotherapy itself begins on the 18th March for 4 weeks, 5 days per week. The new, more accurate and clever machine does not require the tatoo dots previously required, as it will know the shape of my body, and can automatically track if I move or fidget inadvertently. Side effects of the radiotherapy vary greatly between individuals, so I do not know when life will get back to near-normal after all this. Happily, the timing of the appointments mean I can still help out at the Basingstoke exhibition next weekend, and help with the club's Royal Albert Bridge layout at Alley Palley the following weekend. I am also hoping I will have recovered from the radiotherapy enough to visit the new show at the NEC.

Oh dear, now you have made me spend some money 😒

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5647807/Making-quack-getaway-Duck-caught-speeding-flying-32mph-Swiss-20mph-zone.html They are all at it!

Two years earlier I took my son to the Air Show, Berlin: Being involved with the management of the Tornado and Eurofighter had its perks. He actually managed to land safely:

2mm/ft scale, but destined for an N gauge layout. A representation of the Royal Albert Bridge Inn, and adjacent buildings. Pete Thorpe created 2D plans, I then created a 3D computer model using Blender, and another club member printed it. It is somewhat larger than I expected, and is split into three parts for printing, which will also make painting it easier. Supports removed, but still a bit of tidying up to do before spraying with primer.

This model of Burnham-on-Sea in 2mmFS by the late Dennis Brownlee shows track leading into the sea (ignore the DMU, we were having a bit of fun). Its main purpose was to launch the lifeboat that was kept in a shed on a siding at the station.

The sleeper spacing in Europe is different to the UK, and in the US they are even closer together. Peco chose a compromise spacing so they could sell their track worldwide. Only recently have they produced UK spacing OO track. I still do not know if all European countries use the same spacing, or what it should be.

Many years ago (soon after following a man with a red flag was abolished?) I was still at school and had a weekend job at Fleet Services on the M3 (before it was self-service and had a roof over the pumps). We had a good collection of filler caps that had been left behind, and handed them out to people with missing fuel caps in the hope of getting a good tip.