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Yep, a fantastic player yet only 5’6” tall. He did well against the likes of Lomu! RIP, Christoffe

You’ll have to let us know how you got on with radio control for this huge monster! Insert smiley here.

Peacock is the most exotic bird I’ve seen in my garden in Yorkshire, escaped from another garden lower down the hill.

I can assure you that I got no boot money when I was playing. Have a read of Bobby Windsor’s autobiography: he has some marvellous stories of how stingy the WRU were.

Must watch the news more!

I wonder if Niger seed could be used as some sort of ballast on the layout: I have plenty!

League matches running at the same time as internationals is the bane of the Welsh regions. They aren’t blessed with good, big squads so they are cruelly shown up at these times. The same can be said of Leicester over the last five years or so. Take out the England players and you end up with half your firsts missing.

Just above where I live is a tree in the chapel grounds. At one time of year for about three days, this tree is occupied nightly to the gunnels by goldfinches, who then distribute themselves over the moors for winter. Amazing sight and sound. Although they have been feeding on the seed heads in the garden, they haven’t touched the Niger seed I’ve put for them. These goldfinches don’t know what’s good for them!

Have spotted my first Grey Wagtail in the garden. Other notable occurrences: 5 Goldfinches on seed heads, Red Kite above, Peregrine being mobbed by crow, Treecreeper. Plus loads of others.

Ok, you raised me and won!

As a Welshie, it pains me to agree with you - but there it is. Most Welsh rugby followers buried their collective heads in their hands when our front row was named, a very young rookie at LH, plenty of potential but in several years time for it to be realised. And a hooker whose darts are not the best! Things got better when the replacements came on. Leaving that to one side, the team no longer looks a team, only Josh Adams would get in a Lions team. I’ll post next after my 40 years in the wilderness!

Well, I bit the bullet and forked out the princely sum of £2.50 or so for a column of the magnets, each 2mm in diameter and 1mm thick. Laid directly on top of ballast (only need one) and actuated coupling perfectly. Remember, I use coupling one end and loop on the other; I don’t think I would have had the same success with double-coupled stock. But, the way forward for me on my new layout, and such a doddle to implement.

Hello all, I use Spratt & Winkle couplings on my 4mm EM layout, and have permanent magnets which actuate a mix of 3mm and 4mm versions. However, I am thinking of using neodymium magnets for my new layout, and have no idea of the power and size I need for this. Any of you use them, what spec, etc and where you got them from. Many thanks, in anticipation of loads of help! Dai

Cheers, I’m sure I will! Dai

From an understanding wife for my birthday. Bless her.

And lots of mosquitos lurking in the trees. I’ve never been bitten so much as in the forests.

Obviously likes a good read. Lovely bird: there were only two in our valley about 30 years ago, now I see them everyday in the garden.

Away for the weekend on NYMR ‘The Optimist’ from Pickering behind 30825, and return pulled by 92134. No refreshments on the train BUT I did visit two pubs who brew their own beer: New Inn at Cropton where I sampled the pale and the golf, and The Black Swan at Pickering where I sampled a strong pale ale called Mucky Duck. The beers were as smooth as the journey - a good weekend.

Had a pint and a half at the local before we were ‘shown the door’. If they have the pubs open, why not stay open until 11? Anyway, nice Mary Jane from Ilkley; haven’t been a fan of it in the past, but last night it was excellent.

A cheap option to modify the Windows is to use thin slivers of painted sellotape applied directly to the Windows. Looks the part from one foot, and my ‘transfers’ have remained in situ for nigh on twenty years.

When I first visited Hebden Bridge in the mid-late 70s, all the buildings were black. Loads of people had told me how pretty HB was, and I thought it looked a dump. Within 5 or 6 years so much sandblasting had been done, it had changed completely, and, yes, it looked pretty. Some of the buildings looked weird because they had been sand-blasted too much! coming back to railway roof colour, my time period is too late for white rooves. But I paint in various shades of grey and highlight certain areas: toilet tanks, sorted gas lamps, etc. So that no train has a uniform roof colour.

I stand to be corrected, but I think this is the Gwynfi valley service. Never been there as most kept to their own valley in the 50s! BTW, Aberdare valley was known as Queen of the Valleys because it was so wide. As a Merthyr boy, we used to riposte that we were King of the Valleys! Gosh, those were the days

My old school is on it, the castle built for iron masters. Good view of Quakers Yard trains, and I wonder if the ganger overlooking the Penydarren tram road is the one who spotted the ballast disappearing from the neighbouring viaduct - this caused the closure of the Quakers Yard (HL) line to Merthyr. There’s also a very good DVD by a band called Public Service Broadcast who specialise in putting films like these to music, whilst keeping most of the commentary.

The circle is now closed!

Idiot me. I had read this was the 1950 photo, not the 1929 photo. Still, glad to know that my eyes are ok, if not my brain cells!