Yes - its good to be alive!

One of those days where you think yes - its good to be alive! I got the hoovering and other jobs off Mrs. W's chore list done early this morning, got a 10 mile bike ride in and then off to the Rocks by Rail Museum. One of the things that you have to do when you arrive is safety related and that is sign in - you also sign out when you leave so you hopefully don't end up left locked in a wagon or some similar predicament! The signing in hut is near the entrance and then you have to walk down to the tracks where todays task was more use of the oversized washing machine cleaning ballast. As the loco sheds are open I always walk through them rather then walk outside on the way down to the tracks - why would you miss the chance to walk past so much history? On a day like this with the sun shining the sheds take on a whole new appearance.

Apart from being sunny the weather was also warm if you were in the sun but the ground was still frozen in the shade. I was soon down to a T shirt - not muscle shirt if you read yesterdays post - and noticed this on the nearby gate.

No, not my sweaty top but a fleece that covers the batteries that power the various water pumps - don't ask why the fleece covers them probably they are old and cold -  which you can just see in the photo is steaming in the heat of the sun as it dries!

The Museum may be Rutland's largest railway museum (and only) but it runs on the goodwill of a lot of volunteers and their ability to repair the older equipment that keeps it going.  Harriot, as the JCB is known, has a bit of a fuel issue at the moment and every so often just stops. People with magical mechanical skills then need to get her going again - not easy when you have to lean into the engine bay but they know what they are doing and we got about 10 tons of ballast washed today ready for more track packing and levelling.

Back with my own vehicle issues on the Heller Scania 141 LB, some more progress. Its actually beginning to look like a truck chassis!

So all I have to do now is get Mrs. W's dinner right tonight and it certainly will be a good to be alive day!