Dave Hunt

Goodnight everyone. Sweet dreams. Dave

Not a lot planned for today, which is forecast dull but dry here. Yesterday we almost managed to decide on a mobility buggy for Dad and I'm hoping to get a couple of quotes as well as another test drive for him in the next few days that will decide the issue. I also got sufficient workshop time whilst SWMBO was hosting her bridge party to seal the tops of my base****ds with thinned waterproof PVA so it's on with tr*ck laying soon. Unfortunately I've got a writing commission that I have to get on with so progress will be slower than I would like for the rest of this year. Just finishing mugocoffee then off to take Dad to the dentist. Dinner at a friend's place this evening so no kitchen chores to speak of. TTFN, hope your day goes well. Jamie, stop smiling like the Cheshire Cat - it's not good for your image! Dave

Cheers Michael, it's always a good start to a day to collect an award. By the way, how did Mrs Lincoln enjoy the play- did anyone ever find out? Off to the market then taking Dad to look at some mobility scooters this morning. Thanks to all who helped with advice re the personal alarm query. SWMBO is hosting a bridge session here this afternoon so I'm banished to the workshop for three hours - result!! Have a good day everyone with commiserations to Ian and Mrs. Ian. Dave

Thanks LE. Which company is it? Bit of an unexpected turn to the day when I spotted sewage coming up through the grid just outside our kitchen window mid- morning, which effectively put all other plans on hold for a while. To cut a long (and smelly) story short, we ended up with two very nice and efficient chaps from Severn Trent water sorting it all out. Although the event was somewhat unpleasant, there was a bonus as because the drains from the two adjacent properties run under our garden and join our main drain it is classed as a shared system, meaning that S-T pick up the bill and it costs us zilch. Even with this interruption I managed to get all my chores done and actually partook in some workshop activities so the day wasn't lost. Here's wishing everyone a peaceful night with thoughts and prayers for those suffering in any way. Dave

If I may add my two pennorth to the discussion on the present and future state of railway modelling, I think that Tony is largely right in what he states whilst others also make valid points. As well as personally being in the pre-grouping camp (although that in no way diminishes my admiration for layouts and models of other eras) I am or have been involved with other modelling disciplines and I think that there are parallels to this hobby in aeromodelling, model boats, military modelling etc. Whilst many modellers wish to portray what they see before them today, a good number of the older generation are more taken with what they remember from their youth. Then there are those who depict scenes from bygone days that they have never seen but which hold a fascination for them. I suspect that the second category are in the majority, although I have to admit that I have no direct evidence of that other than what I see and hear at exhibitions, on RMW, in conversation with friends etc. but that the other types are also well represented. What has and most obviously is changing, though, is what Tony often discusses and that is the decline in the number of those who actually make things rather than depending mainly or wholly on RTR, which again has parallels in other modelling disciplines. I suppose that the bottom line to these ramblings of mine is that yes, the hobby is changing, and in the eyes of those of us who derive most pleasure from the 'modelling' aspect not necessarily for the better, but as an activity is reasonably healthy in the number of participants. Even old dinosaurs like me who like to scratchbuild models of more than a century ago can still enjoy the hobby and I think (hope?) that we will continue to do so in the company of those who also enjoy it, albeit with different emphases. I hope that that some of the above makes sense. If not, please put it down to the ramblings of the aged. Dave

A covering of light cloud meets the North Salopian eye this morning after a somewhat wet previous day and evening - good for the garden of course and no sign yet of last year's scorched earth that is still evident in a few small patches of scrappy lawn. SWMBO recently spent some time re-seeding said bits and is pleased that so far there has been no need for watering. A slow start for me with the second mugocoffee being consumed before taking Mum's clothes to the charity shop. There are still more to be sorted out but we're leaving that job for a while; I have to confess that it was a bit of a traumatic exercise and I'm not looking forward to doing it again but it will have to be faced in the near future, just not today. Do any ERs have experience of getting personal monitors/alarms for anyone? I want to get my Dad one of those devices that alerts others, the emergency services etc. in the event of a fall, illness etc. and wondered if any of you could offer advice? I'll also be making some catering preparations for a friend coming to stay for the weekend. We'll be going to the GOG show at Doncaster on Saturday along with another pal where I'm hoping to see Jamie and maybe some other RMWebbers. Apart from a few odd jobs that SWMBO says she has lined up, that's my day, although I have fond hopes that somewhere in there I can sneak in some workshop time. Cheers everyone. Have the best day you can. Dave

A belated good morning from the North Shropshire borderlands where it is sunny but with the threat of rain later. After being up to my ears in dust, spiders and rubbish in Dad's garage yesterday and making two trips to the tip ten miles away I'm hoping for at least some quality workshop time today. Before that, though, we are going to get a car load of Mum's clothes from Dad's house ready for taking to a charity shop tomorrow. It's getting on for two years since she died and it's about time we sorted her stuff out. Stop press: SWMBO has just announced that the freezer needs defrosting. Deep joy! Time for a second mugocoffee methinks. Dave

I just knew I'd blown it and dragged us off topic again.

I've just realised that I've possibly caused us now to wander off onto eye tests or the legibility of Network Rail signage or something...

Well, it was only my reading glasses so I'm fairly sure it was Wem, or was it Wembley .......

????????

Stephen, I'm loving this thread; it takes me right back to when I was a kid in Liverpool in the '50s. I remember travelling on the LOR with my Dad as well as seeing the MD&HB locomotives on a daily basis. I'm really looking forward to seeing it reappear in your model. Dave

Just to get back on topic, I went over the level crossing at Wem again today and remembered that last time I had forgotten my reading glasses! Dave

I'm pretty sure that Jamie is correct in thinking that his workshop houses a miniature black hole into which pinged items disappear; in fact, I reckon that it is a feature of most, if not all, modellers' habitations - certainly of mine anyway. Somewhere out there is most of a locomotive of mine. You never know, they may all be linked via wormholes in the space/time continuum and if anyone ever comes up with a way of accessing the central chasm they could open a model shop with the contents. A rather dull and damp North Salopland today, which matches my mood as I contemplate venturing into the dark recesses of Dad's garage and trying to make a start on sorting out the mess. Once I finish the mugocoffee SWMBO has provided I'll have run out of excuses. As Captain Oates would have had it, "I may be some time." Dave

Thanks CME. After advice from Steve and others I've decided to go with an allover coat of thinned waterproof PVA followed by a coat of grey paint. As far as cork is concerned, I reckon that the layout will probably take me a good few years to complete and since I'm 72 I doubt that I'll be concerned with reusing the boards! My good friend the late David Jenkinson would have described the present undertaking as the last great project. Cheers Dave

I have just the opposite effect from pushing a supermarket trolley as it actually helps my back. I have a lower spine condition that puts pressure on the nerves and leaning forward slightly whilst supporting part of my weight on the trolley eases the pain somewhat. It actually led in part to the diagnosis of my condition when the consultant had one of those lightbulb moments and asked if what I have just described was the case and when I confirmed that it was he leaned back and said, "Ah, I think I see what is going on...." I'm really looking forward to tomorrow (he lied) as we are going to start sorting out Dad's garage. I can hardly wait. Have a quiet, peaceful night everyone. Dave

I painted the floor in my workshop light grey in the fond hope that it would make finding 'ping offs' much easier to find - some hope! Even brass nuts, which you would think would stand out, assume a level of camouflage that any military tactician could only dream of. Hence I put carpet offcuts on some of it just to make things bit quieter when I zoom round on my office chair and it doesn't seem to be any worse - I think that the lower coefficient of restitution (posh phraseology or what?) means that the pinged bits travel less far when dropped on the carpet than they tend to on the concrete. Well, that's my theory anyway. Dave

Like Jamie, we were visited today by a grass snake that SWMBO spotted outside the conservatory door basking in the sun on the paving bricks. It was only about eighteen inches long and pale green with small darker spots. After a few minutes next door's cat wandered along whereupon the snake darted off into the thick hedge bottom, which caught the cat's attention and for at least the next hour it was immobile, staring at the spot where the snake had disappeared. Knopfler worked a treat Baz. Not a single word of complaint from Dad and he even asked who it was playing! Next time I take him out I might try the Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins album. The clinic gave Dad an OK for the skin lesion biopsy they had taken but there is some question over a blood test result and they want some lymphoma tests done in Birmingham but no timetable as yet. This evening I spent an hour in the workshop applying several different materials to patches of one of the baseboards to see what I'm going to use for sealing the surface and preparing it for track laying. Currently I'm watching a programme about the making of Saturday Night Fever; can't believe it's over forty years ago that I saw it when I was on a detachment in Denmark. As soon as I've taken Dad home I think I'll need a small Scottish water to get over it. Have a peaceful night everyone. Dave

I don't do twitter or Facebook so I wouldn't know Chris. Dave

A sunny day here in North Hipposhire started off earlier with a nice SWMBO-made muggocoffee. Shortly taking Dad into Shrewsbury for a clinic appointment, the main problem being what shall I put on the car stereo that won't result in a grumble of "just a lot of noise" (which, I have to admit, is often my thought when hip hop or rap stuff is audible)? I think I'll try Dire Straits today - how could anyone not appreciate Mark Knopfler's guitar genius? Best have a soothing classical piece standing by though, just in case. Salmon for dinner tonight done in a ginger, orange, garlic and soy sauce marinade (Hairy Bikers recipe) that always goes down well. Not a very exciting day really but at least I'm not a politician..... Dave

Thanks Phil, I'll do that. The day started with Dad ringing to say that he'd just had a call from BT offering him a cheaper tariff - all they needed was his credit card details. To verify that it was not a scam, the caller had given him a number to ring. Of course, I told him it was a scam and reported it to BT. After the last few days SWMBO and I decided to have a day off so after making sure that Dad had supplies for the day we set off to a place not far from the Hippodrome called Apley Wood where we enjoyed a lovely walk in superb weather before heading to a rather nice eatery and settling down for a leisurely and indulgent lunch. To round things off this evening we had chips and dips on the patio as the sun went down accompanied by a nice bottle of prosecco that we shared with a friend. Sometimes it's a hard life. Sympathy for Baz, the Hippo and Chris as well as others who have not been able to enjoy the day as I have. Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow. Welcome back to Europe Jamie. See you next week. Dave

Thanks for that Steve. I think that you have achieved about the best rendition of shed trackwork and accompanying grot that I've ever seen so your advice is much appreciated. Dave

Well, it's back to square one with finding some sheltered accommodation for Dad. I went to have a chat with the manager of the place he was looking to move into and discovered that the service charge has gone up 33% but on further questioning she admitted that her budget for the site had only gone up by less than 5%, which tinkled a few alarm bells. Accordingly I looked up the management company on line and found that they have a reputation for fair and decent practice something akin to the people who ran the soviet gulags. They have also rebranded themselves several times in recent years and featured in Rip Off Britain. At that stage I informed Dad of what I had found out and he promptly asked me to withdraw his offer. Since there doesn't seem to be anywhere else close enough, that effectively means end of current ideas about moving. I'm now looking into getting him a personal alarm and arranging for regular cleaners, gardener etc. for him so that SWMBO and I don't have to do it all. He's still giving up driving but since he was paying over £1,100 p.a. insurance (before the accident) and would have been looking at several K estate agent's and solicitor's fees, that's a good few taxi fares and at 96 he doesn't go out clubbing much anyway. Apart from doing the market shopping and dealing with other ANNAT (administrative niff naff and trivia) that's been my day - yuk! It has been partially rescued by SWMBO making the dinner and producing a rather excellent Moroccan lamb tagine and couscous and as I write this I'm just finishing a drop of Scottish water of life, so goodnight all, commiserations to all who are suffering or unhappy and here's to a new day - cheers! Dave

Steve, I'm just starting a 7mm MR shed layout and so far have made the baseboards with 6mm birch ply tops. I'm aiming to lay the track straight onto the ply, as I think you have done, and then use your methods of ballasting and I'd like to ask whether you seal the ply before laying the track and if so, what do you use? I wondered whether it would risk damaging the surface of the ply just to place the sand on top and then spray with thinned PVA without sealing the surface first. Excellent modelling by the way. I hope that I can get anywhere near your realism. Dave

Many thanks to Joseph and Phil for the advice concerning getting my Dad into sheltered accommodation. There isn't any Hanover Trust property close enough to us but there is a flat available for sale in a nice little development in the centre of town that is recommended by some friends of ours whose mother/MiL lived there. I took Dad to see it today and he liked it so he put in an offer that has been accepted. Obviously I'll get the agreement with the operators vetted by my solicitor before letting him go ahead and have an appointment to start that particular ball rolling on Friday. I have power of attorney for Dad and he wants me to take care of all the procedures for buying, selling, moving, selling the surplus furniture from his present house etc. as well as selling his car once it is repaired and getting a mobility scooter so it looks as though the next few months will be interesting for me, in the sense of the Chinese saying 'may you live in interesting times'. However, I did find the time to finish my baseboards today and hope that once the dust has settled to be able to start making some track. There's also a week on Fraggle Rock with SWMBO in August for our golden anniversary to look forward to so hey, ho on we go. I think that a small libation of Scottish distilled water is in order. Have a peaceful night all. Thoughts and prayers for those with troubles. Dave