southern42

Dining flooring done. Looking really good. Some stuff gone to recycling and other stuff ready for the charity shop. Painting of walls due to start soon. And I have managed a bit of muddling. Thoughts with all endeavouring to lose weight. It is crazy, but I have managed it. Now I am trying to get used to the new look me. A few tips: Keep going, keep working at it, and make sure you get all the healthy nutrients to keep you in good health and your strength up. ' Night all and nos da.

Continuing with detailing elements, I downloaded a couple of photos I took of the side and top of a Huntley&Palmers biscuit tin I bought with a gift voucher. I printed out a plan of the tin and pasted the cut-out onto a small 4mm square block of moulded blutack. Approx size representing a 12" square tin (more ye olde shoppe size). My tin is 6" square which scaled down is 2mm square from the printing point of view. I will try 3mm (9" tin) first (below) - 2mm maybe too insignificant.

Yeah I wanna tell you how it's gonna be You're gonna give your love to me Love that lasts more than one day Well...

As I said, I wanted to do some more detailing on the figures. Yesterday, after several attempts, the driver acquired a driver's hat which replaces the cap - in imitation of the driver in this H&P photo: https://www.Hornby.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/832-peckett1.jpg The fireman will retain his cap - as in the photo - but, since his tour of duty is set in midwinter, he will keep his jacket on. A bit more detailing planned before I start painting. Many thanks for your "likes", much appreciated.

Just caught up on your sad news, Mal. I do hope your remaining time with your friends and family are a comfort to you and to them. God speed, good friend and hope you can be strong in the weeks ahead. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and posts with us on RMweb. Thinking of you and your family. All the best "Suvvern"

' Afternoon all from red dragon land. Overnight in Lancashire after collecting youngest from airport. Back home through fog and mist but no incidents. Foggy here now by the looks of it and getting dark. Bins nearly done ready for tomorrow's collection. Hopefully, some muddling tomorrow, as well. Waiting to try out some Das clay - if it has not gone as hard as a brick! I stopped drinking tea awhile ago and largely have decaf coffee or orange juice instead. In the summer, I was fine with loads of water, but winter? Brrr! I like something hot - including the orange juice. Now, off to put one more bin out...

' Morning all from red dragon land. Whiter hail covered landscape than yesterday and no sun to melt it. In yellow ice warning zone until 1100 according pine cone observers. Belated birthday wishes to Mick and thoughts with Mal and others waiting medical attention. Dining area flooring nearly done. What a difference! Dropping food off the table forbidden. Enjoy your day.

' Morning all from red dragon land. Woke up to a hailstone covered landscape. Over breakfast, I have been watching the cloud band move in and here it is, more wintry showers. Now required to give a hand with moving the dining table. Yes, I did say dining table not work bench. The old flooring (still in place after swapping the kitchen and dining areas around) is being replaced. Looking smart! Youngest coming home tomorrow after seeing the long titled lunar eclipse from Brazil. Enjoy your day. Edit typo

' Evening all from red dragon land. Ray booked tickets for an evening showing of the film Stan and Ollie in Galeri, Caernarfon with 30 in the cinema. (There were far less at last year's afternoon visit to the multiplex at Llandudno Junction.) Tonight's film was better than expected so an enjoyable evening. ' Night all and nos da.

I had intended to start painting the figures, today, but decided to do some detailing first. One figure took a couple of hours. That was the difficult one. One more thing to add after painting. Other bits of detailing should be a bit easier - I hope.

' Evening all from red dragon land. Sunny, today, which brightened up the rooms in the house and triggered off a spot of muddling - a certain BRM team being the target of the scalpel and spray can. They will get the brush off strokes, tomorrow. I have a special job for them... And on that optimistic note, it is ' night all and nos da.

One of the little staffing projects got off the ground today. Eventually, I got the glue to ease its way, reluctantly, out of the bottle to stick the Team on some wooden stirrers. Removed from the sprue, cleaned up - but don't look too closely - primed and the Team is ready for some colour. The February Four Waiting for the paint to dry...

On a clear day - Matt Monro

Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my

Maybe you think, a lot like me Of those who live beside the sea Who feel so

be missing you Thinkin' of the day, when you went

Well, it is time to try out some of my Christmas presies: coloured pencils, dust free eraser and pencil sharpener; Rotring ink; and Gyro-Cut value pack from Harvey Models. The pack came with cutting tool, cutting guide, A4 cutting mat, sticky mat adhesive, and spare blades. I came across the cutting tool on the web and then saw a demo of it at Warley which confirmed its place on my wishlist. I started with the Gyro-Cut cutting tool. My first cut used the cutting guide on the card sheet that came with BRM February 2019. I simply cut off the bottom. This required several cuts as I expected and I made heavy weather of it. Then I cut out the picture above. The first cut was with the cutting guide, then I went round anticlockwise freehand. The left-hand edge was the cleanest. I was getting the hang of it. The key is to cut with the point of the blade and keep the blade upright, so says the instructions. I will carry on cutting up the rest of the card and see what I can do/achieve. Tempting, are a set of figures. They are at the top of the card so I should have gained a bit more skill before having a go on them. The tool can be used on plastic sheet - buildings and other structures come to mind.

Thanks, Chris. I used HO figures towards the back of CQ to give a sense of distance, Preiser and Bachmann. For the Peckett, I am considering using figures by Pete Goss as I have 6 sets of crew waiting to be used. Care will be needed to place the driver as the hand brake sits at the rear of the cab between the regulator lever and the reversing lever. One false move and....I best not think about it. The fireman will only need a short handled shovel so a bit of shortening might be done or long handled shovel converted to broom!

Is that a yellow sunset in the distance? Yep! That means bad weather, for sure...so the wives tales tell...

' Morning all from red dragon land. …Oooops! That reminds me, I must water Youngest's daffs. I must water... Youngest left these shores for Brazil on 1st January joining a gang of UK Batala players. I found her on YouTube this morning which really cheered me up...in the white visor hat (1:37min in) joining in the forming dance group, for want of a better way of putting it! And I also love the song,.. The link was wotsapped to her... And just to show you are never too young to join in...(1:06 mins in - gorgeous) and the family community it generates... here is my favourite of the current videos of actual Batala playing - and I even recognise some of the rhythms (songs), now! It even has its own equivalent of the Penzance "Teaser"...! Enjoy your day.

' Evening all from red dragon land. Part of our Christmas decorations were a table decoration and wreath made by our youngest. Come 12th night, they were duly removed from their locations to be "sorted." Yesterday, I got round to sorting them. Any Christmassy items were removed - candle, robin, tree decorations - and what I thought could be reused somehow. In the bin for the recycle yard went dead and prickly leaves, hedging greenery, Christmas tree greenery - less much of their needles! - brittle flower petals and moss. Reusable items are now in a small pot on the kitchen window, the aroma of the cinnamon sticks still wafting across the room. And I could not resist adding the robin.* As you can see, not much of the original decorations is left but it adds a lovely touch to the kitchen. I am no expert at this sort of thing. The only other time I made such a decoration, that I can think of, was in Junior school when I got a prize for originality. I thought it was rubbish! At least, I like this one! * EDIT. Ray says, "Can I put that on my Garden Bird Watch?"

Every kind of people - Joe Cocler

Happy New Year 2019 BLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDA Some photos to welcome in the New Year. These show a job in progress with Great West Road's Toad and the Peckett, on their first turn of duty, returning to Reading out of Snow Valley Station after delivering tins of Christmas Biscuits for the Parish Christmas Bazaar. I believe the biscuits sold out like hot cakes! Now, do come straight home... https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c6/f1/b5/c6f1b5cfb3338104a01726f6fc27488e--christmas-biscuits-christmas-ad.jpg and don't drop the biscuits... http://www.historyworld.co.uk/images/retro41.jpg ...if you don't want Santa to fill your stocking with COAL...! https://i.pinimg.com/736x/43/fa/f4/43faf4727f391826c6accc6cc62caa01--s-christmas-vintage-christmas.jpg Now, that gives me an idea for next year - replicate some of those tins of biscuits for the wagon! Tin dimensions, anyone? Other arrivals, begging for work on GWRd, turned up, the other day, direct from a newsstand at Euston Station. You know the ones, something to do with BRM staff and 3D printing. Ah ha! I thought. Oh, no! I muttered when we got home. It's the wrong trousers, Gromit! Wallace piped up. The driver and fireman don't fit in the H&P loco cab. They are too tall. Ah, you say. That is why the driver is standing by the H&P loco in the magazine and the fireman is hiding in the background. Oh, well! I decided, I will have to find them another job to do! On a preserved King, perhaps. And the other two standing on the footbridge capturing night departures or reporting on mainline steam operation for the modeller. Meanwhile, the search for a loco crew for the Peckett W4 goes on. An industrial driver was interviewed but realistically, and not wishing to be nonPC, although he is short enough, he is not thin enough to get in the cab. His application was turned down with a promise to upgrade him to something a bit bigger! Oh, no! He said. Not the 4W DIESEL! Work to do on Snow Village include: Making a deck for it to stand on with space below to hide the wiring; Adding track to the viaduct (laser cut kit from local supplier, Torri Laser) which was built some time ago and painted Christmas Day*; ballasting and extending, etc.... Next December, then. * Well you have got to do something when the TV is banned! Hopes for construction of GWRd are giving way to a new rival railway (sounds rather prototypical, that!), i.e., an exhibition layout but, hopefully, things will carry on here as well. There are still lots of small projects to do...and new tools and materials to try out... Just keep me motivated. Lastly, did you spot the New Year Quiz question? Answers, much appreciated. Thanks and all the best for 2019. Keep chuffing.

The bridge was painted Christmas Day with the knock-on effect that afternoon tea, in other words, Christmas cake and a cuppa, were late, and teatime became supper time. Sometime later, in other words, New Year's Day, the piers were glued to the bridge deck (all built from a Torri Laser kit). Yesterday, the viaduct was placed behind the Village and a piece of track placed on top. Loco and wagon were removed from the Christmas cake and added to the scene. I suspect further modelling will take place at some point...the PW gang should be around to do some ballasting; the Civil Engineering Dept. have groundwork to do with plans afoot to connect the viaduct to either side of a valley; the loco crew need to be found to get the loco moving; and the frosty winds shall lay down some snow... but for now...some photos. This morning, the breakfast bar was cleared... The light level was so low that the auto flash went off... I soon put a stop to that and got the (sort of) picture I was after, the "moonlight" kindly provided by the window across the room.

' Morning all from red dragon land. We put ours up Christmas Eve and bring down on the Feast of the Epiphany. We have two Christmas trees, one that gets decorated and a white fibre optic one that does not get decorated and thus comes out more often, especially if we go away for Christmas/New Year. This year, Youngest decided to put up the latter (oops!) former with the "old" lights. Tuesday the tree lights went out. Mind you, they are over 40 years old! Yesterday, Ray googled our tree lights to see if we could get replacement bulbs, although it turned out it was just a dodgy connection which was fixed. Did you say the tree lights are selling on Ebay for more than £200? £200? They were not even worth that much in old money when I bought them! Don't all rush to offer to buy ours., though... They are not For Sale... Grandchildren's inheritance and all that. Me too! Though it may explain why I am in a minority on here. And I do miss the Awl....What a brand of female logic she brings...wishing you all the best, Debs. More catching up to do but mugadecaf first. Cinderella