southern42

Always on my mind - Mr Presley

' evening all from red dragon land. Sunny most of the day but several rain and hail showers. Turned out lovely when it came to cooking dinner! Fly tipping. Yup!, We get it, often seen just thrown over the other side of a fence along the roadside into a farmer's field within a mile or so of the county waste yard. Listen to the news, and it seems quite common place in some areas, especially dumped across a trackway - and beyond description! What a contrast to when I first moved in. We had travellers come round about once a year, knock on the door, ask if they could have our metal stuff lying outside the door (old pipes, mostly), saw I had a little 'un or two, and gave ME money for letting them have it! Pleasant chaps! It was a day for remembering Mum with the top of a broken stalk of a garden bluebell. I could not bear to toss it into the garden waste bin, so popped it into a small plastic medicine glass where it has been blossoming, . All too quickly, it is time to say ' night all and nos da. Polly

Still is around here! But add computer to the list. Where's the lightening strike smiley when you want one?

May I suggest we keep the Cake Box posts together under the one "Cake Box Challenge" section. After all, the focus is on the Challenge to build a Cake Box diorama; the challenge to create, experiment, invent, aim, achieve, do something different, persevere, and enjoy, and so on. Having one ready by a competition entry deadline may be the target, but as pointed out, not always possible - I have passed several Challenge deadlines, myself, in getting The Cob done. The winning is gaining a Cake Box model we would want to put on display, that does each individual proud, whatever life throws at us, however long it takes. As much as I love the contest, a contest only has one (voted for) winner but, really, everyone who completes their Cake Box Challenge, and has met its challenges, is a winner. Despite its small size, building a Cake Box diorama is no easy task, neither is it a quick fix, but the appreciation, support and friendship in this Modelling Zone has been terrific. It would be a shame to split it up. May the Cake Box Challenge live long and prosper! With many thanks to Phil Parker for his perseverance and desire to keeping it going over the last few years. It does him credit. Polly

Not the prettiest of pictures. Something I have had success with before has turned out a bit disappointing. To add a brim, I wrapped some thread round the brimless hat. It looked fine - acceptable, anyway. When I came to paint and photograph it, I could see tiny fibres around the brim and hanging over the figure's face. So, after: filing; repainting the hat; repainting the couple's coat and blazer to cover paint, file damage and very fine dust particles; rephotographing; touching up; etc; here is just one bigger-than-life photo of the lucky couple! Lots more work to do with a fine brush to improve paintwork, including collar and tie - they were lovely until they got covered with black paint when I was painting the lady! The biggest challenge is having the two figures together. For instance, working on a hat gets more difficult when the inner side is obstructed by the other one. The time taken on the two is more than I would normally take doing two single figures. Fun and games! And the funny side of it all is that they will be mostly hidden inside the bus! But, if I let it go, any wrong-looking bits are bound to be the bits that will show - speaking from experience!

Just refreshed the page and the repeated posts above mine have disappeared! Gremlins, lurking? Repeated Posts: PhilJ W, AndyP, The Lurker

Thought I was seeing double there for a minute!

' morning all from red dragon land. Sunny but interrupted by showers. Garden temp. 6C. Birthday greetings to Mrs SM. Enjoy your day. Good to see Trisonic back among us. Those guitars look fabulous, Pete. Myself, I used to play acoustic guitar until life got too busy. Tried one out last year but the after effects of breaking the top of the radius made me think it would be better just to be happy with the toot on the flute. I am just getting back into it after the attempt to decapitate the thumb two and a half weeks ago. I did try and play with the thumb in a different position but it threw the other fingers out of position, too, so they kept falling over one another! Some pobl bach to be painted today - kitted out for their No.6 day out at Portmeirion. With another magazine day looming, it is also time to sort out more articles from the old mags, not to mention ones we keep finding! Garden temp. has gone up to 7C and the sun is round there, too, which means more light for the above job! Fitt and Elfie warming up. Take care all and play safe. _________ Best wishes Polly

First of all, congratulations to Ben and his Steampunk winning entry, and well done to you all for some superb and exciting modelling. Roll on another Cakebox Challenge! While we have been waiting the result, I have been tinkering with some more passengers for the bus. It is the turn of Couple #1 to get dressed up for their trip to Portmeirion. Sir, wants to be kitted out in white shirt and black tie, coat and trousers; swap his trilby for a top hat; and is looking out for some dark glasses. Madam wants to wear the white trimmed black blazer and a boater. Photos of progress shortly...

Congratulations Ben. Impressive architecture in which to display your atmospheric scene. Well thought out and executed. A worthy winner among a delightful collection of entries which demonstrate some ingenious, inventive and inspiring ways of modelling. Well done everybody.

You only have to go the bottom of our village to know how far it is from the nearest pub to here.. The direction road sign says: "1 mile."

' afternoon all from red dragon land ...and thanks to AndyY for fixing RMweb - I thought it was my mobile at fault. ELF WARNING! Caaaaaaaaake...... After my escapism on the Icelandic volcano eruption online videos in the past month, I, eventually, just could NOT resist making one of these - a Chocolate Lava Cake (CLC). Two, actually. The online recipe was for one large ramekin. I used two small ones but the time required to cook was the same, despite the original recipe advising less time! Maybe, it is because my ramekins are quite thick china, needing more time for the heat to penetrate. Mmmmmmmm...Just ooooooozzzzzzing out... Dark mint chocolate, Bournville cocoa powder, butter, flour, icing sugar, and milk. in equal quantities. Rich. Very rich. Once in a lifetime rich...but absolutely yummy, yummy, yummy. And the remains of the uncooked mixture is just as yummy - like scraping out the mixing jug....Mmmmmm! If you fancy one, there are plenty of recipes out there, with eggs, without eggs, with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate (reddened with colouring), and served with ice cream, or cream, or not, etc, etc, etc... You could be spoilt for choice but I am not suggesting you go and damage your health with the likes of these....Oh! No! But they are nice! Fitt and Elfie are aghast...... Take care all and EAT safe. I am back to watching the real thing.... but lunch first. _________ Best wishes Rolly Polly

Love Emetts Railways? Try this Cake Box by Marly51. Cake Box Challenge 2021 list of Entries include the above (Knockside Halt); my entry, The Cob; and nine other interesting entries. Worth a view if you have not been there, yet. Voting ends Midnight Tonight!

' morning all from red dragon land. Cloudy, soft sunshine. Garden temp. 6C. The house I grew up in, was an open coal (later coke) fired (lit from a gas pipe) centrally heated house with radiators in kitchen, bathroom and two double bedrooms. The box room relied on a convection heater down in the hallway in much later years when the open fire was replaced by various electric fires. I remember a paraffin heater in the kitchen and, later, the gas oven being on, when the fire was out. So, if you wonder why I enjoy firing up (and driving) steam locos, I blame it all on those early years spent cleaning out, building and lighting our home fires. My Nan taught me how to make a coal fire before I was seven and I always kept my Gran's hearth clean when she had a fire going when we visited. She had a small fireside companion set just suitable for a growing child's hands! I guess I stood no chance when it comes to steam engines. I am tempted to have a look at the straggly shrubs this afternoon and tidy them up. I might wander down before lunch and have a preview! Maybe take a mugadecafcoffi with me and enjoy a bit of sunshine. Fitt and Elfie a bit sluggish this week so they have orders to buck up! Take care and play safe. Hope recent playtime and diy injuries, aches and pains recover soon. _________ Best wishes Polly

‘ night all and nos da.

' evening all from red dragon land. Belated Birthday Greetings to AndyP. Quiet day just doing necessities after spending the previous 3 days preparing, painting and repainting a {No.6} lady fan for that 1960s camper van I mentioned a few days ago. So that's it. Take care all, play safe and I will try and do some catching up on here again. Polly

Lady #1 decided to have a change of clothing based on an online photo of a young lady taken at the 2018 No.6 Convention at Portmeirion. This required filing down the dress to become trousers and the coat to be filed back to become a jacket. The feathery fur stayed and more added to the bottom of her trousers. She kept the boater but changed the colours to suit the rest of her outfit. Coat and dress partly filed away. Checking that she will fit in the bus. She is fixed in place raised on blutack. If glued directly onto the shallow seat , she may need her feet cut off. I will wait until I have the other event goers ready before making that decision. And bus back together, again.

Wimpy. I only ever remember going into a Wimpy once. I was invited to join a group of netball friends. I bought nought, as I recall, well, maybe a coffee...my pocket money did not extend that far! The company was good though!

Afaik, it is only illegal [to water pot plants] if deemed so when the reservoirs are low. As for now, I use what is in our own reservoir - the water butt which catches rain water off the shed. Another day painting my No.6 fan - making her clothes lighter and brighter. That is what happens when I do not have the colours straight from the tube and get it wrong! T&E Trial and error! <sigh> Dave, good to hear you had a good time with your Dad and hope he gets moved to Whitchurch soon. Have a good day all, take care ... and - I have not forgotten - play safe - no sliced thumbs for lunch. _________ Best wishes Polly

Went out into the garden this afternoon just to water the pot plants after days of no rain and ended up doing the W word. But, in doing so, discovered that a hibiscus I thought had died has sprouted back into life again. So a big smile from me. And on that cheery note, it is ‘ night all and nos da.

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sunshine and blue sky. 15C outside. Happy Birthday to Dave Hunt. A bit of muddling this morning, or rather filing down a small metal figure to reshape it. The things I do for a living hobby. Probably more of that after lunch and a try at painting her into a fun loving, glamorous No.6 fan! I can dream, can't I? Fitt and Elfie going bonkers. Take care all and play safe. _________ Best wishes Polly

What I find with 4mm figures is that when I have carefully painted them - primer, coat of paint, shadow and/or highlight - as soon as I photograph them it shows how bad they really are with ragged edges, splodges of paint in the wrong place, bits missed, and I thought I was being careful. My consolation is that most irregularities are not necessarily observed by the eye and sometimes, somehow, seem to make the figures look better than they really are! Strange! The figures for the Cake Box Challenge deadline, their backs turned towards the viewer or half covered in a waggon, were done very crudely and very quickly - hence my desire to give them a bit more TLC and try out different ways of doing it. So far, I am delighting in the effect of using a dilute water colour wash on the faces which wipes off easier than my acrylics if I put on too much or make it too dark. The water colours also lighten if I add a touch more water and I can spread the colour further or clean off where it is not needed. So much to discover and a new magnifying glass to learn how to use to best advantage. So, today's task: looking again at No.6 fan, Lady #1.

A break from the modelling. Time for ...er...hum...painting...er...hum...faces. Man #1 Langley Models - brakeman: first coat Vallejo Dark Flesh. Man #2 Dart Castings - passenger: as above with additional coats of colours from Daler-Rowney Georgian Water Colour Box (12 colours: 30 years old?! £8.99 at the time.) Lady #1 Langley Models No.6 fan to go in the bus. Not happy with the face but the obligatory boater is better than expected after some filing down of shape and flowers. Same method for face and hat: Dark Flesh then water colour. The fur on her coat will have to go next and the coat painted to resemble No.6’s blazer. The dress will get filed down to suggest trousers - not that they will be seen if I can get the figures to fit in the bus. Hopefully, no legs will need to be amputated. Not as easy as it looks in 4mm even with a magnifying glass which makes the brush look big as well! I am getting into a habit of look normal vision, look under magnifying glass, paint normal vision with aim and shoot technique. OK on the Man #2. Not quite right on Lady #1. Hopefully, I will get better and also make the clothing more presentable when photos are blown up!

With my current mode of interest following Iceland’s volcanic eruptions, I could point you to some very tempting chocolate lava cake recipes. I have been tempted to make some egg free ones... still contemplating the idea... Oh, yes! They are definitely SWEET - plenty of sugar, though some people offer other types of sweetener as an alternative.

My GDB attempt on my thumb last Sunday saw blood everywhere too. Tuesday, i changed the ‘bandaging’ and there was no leaking of the red stuff so I put a steristrip across it and a plaster with half of the pad over the nail cos it gets dead painful when the sticky plaster tries to stop it growing! The hand gets a rubber glove when I do any cooking, cleaning, or muddling. So far so good. Hope yours heals quickly, Baz.