Time to finish off some things as Spring has indeed sprung!

Anyone who has read this blog will know I have a habit of not finishing projects. The reasons are numerous and probably completely unjustifiable but every so often something coerces me to go back and do the finishing touches. This time it is the number of kit boxes scattered about the Man Cave with the last few pieces of kits that need finishing that is the coercing factor. If I get rid of the box before finishing the kit I will end up mislaying the parts so the box stays until the parts are used up! 

These ar just a few of the boxes!

With the recent clear out of magazines I now have that desire to get rid of the boxes so I am starting with the Italeri DAF 95 Canvas Truck which is just about finished apart from mirrors, windscreen wipers, windscreen sun shield and side under-run guards. 

The box still has a lot of parts in it and I had to remind myself that I had replaced the wheels and dash board with resin items and did not use the air deflectors. Those parts can go in the spares box - oh dear yet another box!

This is what I am left with to fit. Hopefully should not take too long - in my inevitable famous last words!

On non-model making matters I did take Mrs. Woody to see the snowdrops at Easton Walled Gardens and if snowdrops are the indication that Spring has sprung then it certaily has with the number out. It did look impressive with carpets of white all over the large garden.

Apart from the delight of seeing so many snowdrops I also learnt that there are nine varieties in the Gardens thanks to this very informative display unit. Who says that learning has to be boring!

Where is that pot of gold?

According to the old saying, there should be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but in this case which end? Being serious, which will surprise Mrs. Woody, this is perhaps the best rainbow I have seen for years. It just suddenly appeared whilst out on a bike ride and no rain in sight!

It certainly brightened my day as much of it was spent on those admin type things you have to do to ensure the continued functioning of financial matters so that things like Mrs. W's internet and physical shopping activities can continue without interruption and my life is, as a result, relatively blissful!

On a more mundane note more magazines to the recycling centre! You would think that there can't be many left - but there are! However, despite looking there was no pot of gold under that lot!

Mrs. W is impressed with this decluttering so that is all that matters for a continued blissful life!!

Something different.

Just for something different to the piles of magazines that I am continuing to sort through, here is a Heljan Class 58 locomotive in 00 gauge. In their very smart EW&S livery, the real locos were once a common sight as a freight loco hauling coal trains to the power stations when coal was perhaps looked at in a different way some decades ago!

In the meantime the pile for the recycling centre is building up. I will be taking Mrs. Woody on my next trip although she may want to leave me there as well as the magazines!

Really!

My clear out continues and I had to send to the unbelieving Mrs. Woody the photo below of the back of my car to prove I was on my way to the tip! Really! and for another really moment read to the end of this post!

I have about 25 foot of bookshelf space in my Man Cave which is all full, or was all full, plus a few boxes of magazines. My plan is to try to reduce that by half! So far I have emptied about 8 feet and two boxes so still some way to go!

This clear out is causing chaos in the Man Cave but I did get to see my USA switching layout for the first time in a few months which reminds me I need to have play operate it!

Clearing out magazines does bring about some interesting things. I used to take a USA magazine called Bicycling back in the 70s.

Some interesting adverts for top range bikes which nowadays look so old - just like me!

The advertising methods are somewhat of the time too!

and I do remember this advert which I think at the time made me say 'Really' and still does! I don't think I need Bummer power!

Are model railways more expensive today then 53 years ago?

Well my great clear out continues with an attack on the garage this morning and items listed on eBay. This afternoon saw more action in the Man Cave with more of my oversized magazine collection being ousted! It is sad in one way but creating space can be liberating as well!

Sorting through the magazines does bring about memories and also curiosity. At the moment, following the closure of the UK's largest model railway retailer Hattons and the decision by the Warley Model Railway Club not to hold the country's largest exhibition at the NEC, there is a great deal of debate on YouTube and social media about the future of the model railway hobby and is it going to disappear. One of the common factors raised is the cost of models. With new models sometimes costing upwards of £250 I fully appreciate that not everyone is in a position to buy. However not all models cost so much and I was interested in see this advert on the back of a 1971 issue of the Railway Modeller magazine for the n gauge Farish Pannier locomotive for £5.19.9 in pre-decimal money which is £5.99.

Apparently £5.99 is now in Feb 2024 worth, taking account of inflation, £85.42. Looking at the price for the similar loco today new it has a retail price of £105 but sells for about £95. Not sure if that proves anything but it is an interesting comparison and one to think about.

Return of the floods!

 Out on my bike I was just amazed by how much flooding there was. It did not seem as though there had been that much rain but I guess the ground was saturated so the rainwater had no where to go. This lake is usually a field!

And this is what was filling that lake - a new stream down the verge!

Back in the relative dryness of WMD HQ it was a sad thing to have to do but Mrs. Woody and myself laid Smudge cat to rest in the garden along with her predecessors. A few tears but happy memories of 19 years together.

It is at times like this that I become very focused on clearing things up so at the moment I am going through my too large model railway and related matters magazine collection. At the time they were an invaluable source of information as the internet did not exist. Now adays if you want to anything out just search for it online making the magaxines rather surplus to requirements. I just find it hard to part with them especially when you start adding up how much they cost! Just don't tell Mrs. W that bit!

Anyway, the initial pile has started but there is a lot more to add yet!