Darlington_Shed

Now home from Gatwick. The return trip wasn't so much hellish as downright scary - hundreds of foreign HGVs trying to overtake each other, complete lack of lane discipline and at one point, going through an average speed controlled zone at 50mph, one of the beggars was right up my backside and flashing me to get out of his way. As if I could!?!

Up at this ungodly hour to play taxi driver - Ms Junior Shed is off to Slovenia for an adventure holiday; I have to deliver her to Gatwick. The going should be fine; the coming back around the M25 at rush hour promises to be hell. Wish me luck!

Morning, each! Returned from the Med cruise on Saturday night but yesterday was a day for recuperation and laundry... lots of laundry. A most excellent time was had - highlights included the Barcelona maritime museum (an excellent collection housed in a wonderful medieval building); a first visit to St Tropez (still very much a beautiful fishing village but eye-wateringly expensive); a day each wandering the streets of Mahon and Cadiz; ending in Lisbon, which had much to commend it, not least the famous custard tarts! The only low was the day in Tangier - nothing to do with the city or its inhabitants but a very poor tour guide who thought the visit of Mick Jagger in the '60s and the price of properties in the nicer parts of the city were more interesting than its history and culture. Kasbah and medina were memorable, though. Now I need an urgent return to the diet. Before we went I had read that the average passenger puts on a pound in weight for every day of the cruise. This proved to be true, despite an attempt to be sensible about intake and upping my walking to around 5 miles a day. Turns out, there is gain without pain 😋

Come on, Dave! With a bit of effort you could make turkey twizzlers.

Tangiers, I believe. My participation in these things is on a "need to know" basis. I'm often amazed at how little I need to know.

I'll be doing that in the next week 👍 I checked last night about a Covid jab and could have had one on Friday at a local pharmacy. But tomorrow morning we fly to Barcelona for a couple of days before embarking on Friday, followed by a week meandering around the Iberian peninsula (and a brief visit to north Africa), and finishing with two nights in Lisbon. Jabbing will have to wait.

A thing that horrified me recently was shopping for modelling glues and paints on Amazon, who offer the useful bottle/litre conversion rate for liquids they sell. I used to think 20-year-old single malt was expensive. Examples: Vallejo acrylic retarder - £173 per litre; Roket Card Glue - £257 per litre; Humbrol acrylic paints - £192 per litre. I need to buy more single malt!

I have a shed (have I mentioned that?) But I haven't been in it for months... too hot. However, the weather has been much more shed-friendly this week so - well, next week won't be shed week as Mrs Shed and I will be on a cruise ship travelling between Barcelona and Lisbon with stops in the south of France and north Africa. And as well all know, Lisbon means custard tarts 😃

You'll regret that in the fullness of time.

On a related note, the wonderful Adam Savage has talked about how there are parts of model kits "on every spaceship you've ever seen in the Star Wars universe". Well worth a watch here: Edit: For those who don't know, Adam was a modelmaker at Industrial Light & Magic.

A book I read last year, The Northumbrians (which might be of interest to @DaveF) had a section expaining the history of the Border Reivers and how they delighted in "the feud". It came as little surprise when it was revealed that many of them emigrated to the Appalachians, including ancestors of the Hatfield and McCoy families.

You're doing it wrong. Slice it, roast it under a high heat until lightly caramelised around the edges. Delicious!

On our first trip to Scotland, when I was a teenager, my Dad got me good... "keep an eye out for the trossachs," he said. "Hairy beasts they are."

The original page size is a standard A4, but complicated by the fact that the reader app produces a scaled PDF for download and printing. But I'd think a little trial-and-error printing would get you a reproduction at the correct size. Alternatively, you can import the PDF into a graphics editor and then scale the image to the correct dimensions.

The March 2003 article says the drawings are at 2mm to the foot. Access to the digital archive is worth the money, I think.

Only boring if it makes you unhappy/dissatisfied, Dave. Since I retired Mrs Shed often asks if I'm not bored; reply is always "Nope... happy as a pig in the proverbial". I think I was born to be retired 😄

Don't forget Rule 1 of blackberry picking: chose the fruit above the shoulder height of a large dog. Lots of blackberries around Mrs Shed's allotment* but since we're having a bumper year for raspberries we're leaving the former for others to enjoy. * Yes, we have a garage, a shed and an allotment (technically two sheds since I built another one for the allotment). Swankers!

Well, today a miracle happened - I found some mojo at the back of the shed and the sheet material for the baseboard has been cut to appropriate sizes. If there's any mojo left, tomorrow might well see some gluing and construction.

If anyone is looking for something to watch on TV I can highly recommend "Ancient Worlds" on BBC iPlayer. A history of 'civilisation' in 6 episodes, from the first cities to the fall of Rome. A reminder that the BBC once made intelligent programmes for intelligent people.

Not everybody but a vicious minority. I don't agree with all of his policies (or politics) but I've met him and he's a decent bloke doing a difficult job. As for the need for protection: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-65656310.amp

New and improved for your convenience?

Indeed! The memorial with the multitude of flags strikes me as a very grown-up and sensible approach to a difficult subject. And, in passing, a respectful doff of the cap to anyone who served as a submariner of any nationality. The very thought...

Anyone have any spare mojo, or a round tuit not needed? For the third day this week I have been in possession of the materials to start the baseboard for the planned layout. I could have done it; I should have done it; I wanted to do it... but I didn't do it! Just couldn't summon up the enthusiasm. Help!

Just discovered this and, as you might guess from my username, it has been hugely nostalgic. It's close to 50 years since I left Darlington but this amazing layout certainly matches my memories - plenty of journeys to and from Newcastle to see bands at the City Hall, a year's worth of short trips to visit a girlfriend who lived in Yarm, summer day trips to Saltburn. I didn't learn to drive until after I'd moved away so a lot of my life revolved around Darlington station. I'm now following the thread and looking forward to see further developments.

Didn't understand a lot of what followed, but it sounds exciting!