Film set and reading matter!

Yesterday Mrs. Woody and myself had a day out at Belton House and gardens. A wonderful place to walk around and of course there are some shops run by the National Trust, one of which is a second hand book shop. Always worth a look round even if you don't find anything to buy but on this occasion I did and one is a bit of a niche book that I did not even realise Hungry had a system of forestry railways. That should be an interesting read. 

The next book is more of a look at the pictures book on Britain's Railways from the air. I can recall this book when it forst came out years ago at a price I could not afford but as they say have patience!

Walking round the gardens we discovered that they and the house had been used as sets in the Netflix series Bridgerton. Never seen it but it looks like one of those historic dramas and there are various signs around marking out places where filming was done..

One of the volunteers told us that a lot of filming was done at night as it was easier to create the right daylight with lighting then relying on daylight itself! 

The exterior of the house certainly looks impressive!

And so do the gardens.

However, just like the Rocks By Rail Museum that I volunteer at, they have picnic tables disappearing under wild growing grass!

Something new!

Something new arrived at the WMD HQ the other day unfortunately when Mrs. Woody was in and able to  it before I could secrete it and claim later that I had had it for years! However, being busy with the building of the monster sized log store, which is slowly being filled....

I have only just had the time to look at the new arrival and it is this.

With prices for models going up a lot recently I tend to buy second hand. However, every so often there is a bargain that is irresistible to me and this was one of them. Hornby had it discounted on their website from £458 to £275. Now whilst £275 is a lot of money and I was lucky that my modelling piggy bank had some funds in it, it is a saving of 40% and as I had some Hornby points on my account the cost was even less to me. £275 could have bought me a DCC sound fitted loco but with this pack I get a Class 67 diesel, four coaches and a DVT (Driving Van Trailer) with lighting all in matching Transport for Wales livery. It is actually a scale length train as I found out when I visited the Transport for Wales website here.  I think that, at todays prices, is a great bargain. I just need to find time to get the loco DCC chipped and get it on the track and running!

That took some effort!

Well that took some effort but the log store is finished!

Todays jobs were the roof, sides and floor - simple!

The roof was made of five used floor boards that had been the roof on my old conservatory, edged with some donated 2 x 1 timber.

Then covered with some felt salvaged from when I demolished a shed three years ago! I knew it would come in handy one day!

Getting the roof to the back of the house was a back breaking journey but my fears of getting it in place were unfounded. Once leaned up against the end of the log store it was just a case of sliding it in place and miraculously it fitted - almost as though I had planned it!

With that in place just the sides and floor to do. The sides are some old pallet wood and the floor the last of the floor boards.

And with that it was finished and so was I! However I did have enough strength left to inaugurate the log store with the first logs to go in! Just a whole host more to move into their new home. However I think I will rest my back for a day or two - That shouldn't take too much effort unless Mrs. Woody has other plans for my rest time!

More log store building!

Last week I was sweating in the heat and today I almost had to put another layer on as it was getting cold but the log store build progresses!

Additional uprights and cross members have been fitted to make the structure more stable.

Then the back pieces were fitted. As I am building this out of what I have there is a mixture of timber but I am working on the principal that the gaps give the air the ability to circulate drying the logs. Fitting these parts was made easier by cutting a couple of spacing pieces that were temporarily screwed onto the uprights meaning the plank of wood was supported as I drilled and screwed it in place - working smarter not harder as I get older!

The back is in place so just the roof, sides and floor to do! 

Hope it warms up a bit tomorrow!