No bath tonight then!

Old bath in the skip.

New bath in the bathroom but not really ready for use so its a unclean Woody tonight!

But at least we have a toilet!

It will all come together - eventually! And I will celebrate with a bath!

 

This my bathroom - at the moment!

 

Note the toilet eco-flush system - the bucket!

Yes, this is how the WMD HQ bathroom looks at the moment. Not exactly what you would find in the glossy shots that estate agents take to advertise 'the unique opportunity to purchase a sought after property' but, from this will arise something that hopefully pleases Mrs. Woody. It better do or I will need to move into my Man Cave which Mrs. W thinks is actually more of a mess then the bathroom! Phil the builder, however, assures me all is well and things can only get better!!

Well, as appears the norm at the moment, little if any time for model making matters but I can report on the delivery of this.

And with the outer sleeve removed it does look good without even delving any further, which unfortunately I don't have time to do just at the moment. 

Of course, on the opening of any package a WMD cat has to take part which in this case is the inquisitive Monty!

I do have a soft spot for the Class 37, or as they were referred to by train spotters, tractors. Something about their shape which suited so many of the liveries they have worn over their long lives. This is the classic British railway corporate blue which whilst plain compared to some of the latter liveries, to my mind is the classic 37 livery. I look forward to getting it on the layout - when I have time after that bathroom is finished!

Under thge weather 2!

Still not feeling great but well enough to cut the scrap wood from Phil the builders escapades in bringing WMD HQ up to date and use it to restock the log store for the log burner!

I found that the skip makes a great saw bench and the saw dust goes straight into it meaning less cleaning up! Working smarter not harder as I get older! 

With the warm weather I did feel that I should at least make a token gesture bike ride even if I was not feeling that well. Certainly gave me some fresh air but there was no power in my legs. I think local athletic snails would probably have over taken me at some stages. However I did at least get up to the local canal which I have not seen for some weeks now.  

Obviously things have been happening in those weeks with the Marie Celeste of the canal, AKA Earwig having returned and been parked (or is it moored?) in the middle of the canal. No idea why but no doubt the reason will reveal itself at some point if I can reinvigorate myself for another bike ride and indeed find the time to get back to some model amking!

Under the weather!

Under the weather! A wonderful expression to say you feel unwell, which, from my search is a maritime expression coming about from when unwell sailors were sent below deck and away from the weather to recover. Not sure if I can find any under-deck area but I do not feel well! A bad cold that has developed during last week feels worse now. Not felt like doing much but I did at least make some progress with the tunnel sub-base on my 00 gauge layout where the upper walls have been glued to the main structure.

I also started the supporting piers which will add some vertical interest to the structure.

In the meantime I just hope Mrs. Woody doesn't get this cold or I will be suffering again!

The rebuild begins!

 Following on from my initial bathroom butchery earlier this week, Phil the Builder continued with it as the rest of the walls and ceiling were stripped of plasterboard as well as various fittings being taken out including the toilet cistern! A bucket of water makes a suitable substitute. 

However, unlike me, Phil is able to rebuild and that process has commenced! Plasterboard on the rear wall makes a big difference as does the preparatory plumbing work. Hopefully next week will see even more progress.

I think that is a bargain!

You don't need too many tools to do basic model making and if you shop about you can put together a reasonable tool kit for not a great deal of money. If you are involved in model railways you will need some small screwdrivers to maintain locomotives, rolling stock and to connect wires to controllers, etc. Over the years I have built up a motley crew of various screwdrivers. Many of these have done a good job over the years but others have failed in various ways probably due to being not very well manufactured in the first place. Having separate screwdrivers also means that the one that you want is the one that is usually missing! Not anymore though! Having to pick up some items that Mrs. Woody had identified as having an urgent need at the local Lidl I came across a selection of tools. In amongst the angle grinders, welders, hammer drills and other big tools was a small selection of tool packs including this ratchet screwdriver  set

Sixteen bits, ideal for model screws and fastenings, along with an extension and the ratchet screwdriver make this possibly the ideal collection in one box which is unlikely to be mislaid!

It cost me just £4.99! I think that is a bargain!

 

Viewing the progress on the viewing platform!

There are days when things come together and the slow but steady progress of many weeks of hard work suddenly comes together giving a sense of achievement. That sense of achievement is what I got at the end of today at the rocks By Rail Museum where I volunteer. Having started back in mid November 2034 with the aim of building a viewing platform so that visitors will have a better view of the quarry sidings and the shunting that we do on event days, that project is nearly complete. The hard work of shifting rocks and spoil to build the platform is done and today we just about finished installing the last of the barriers around it. We had two Heras fencing panels found in the Museum's grounds which we cut down by about a foot and set them against the existing barrier at the front of the platform. We had dug trenches either side of the platform so that the panels could be set in the ground which gives them some rigidity.

Alex illustrates that the barriers are perfectly safe to lean against!

There is just a need to add a thin layer of fine material for drainage, top that with the white Terram sheet that is presently rolled over the front barrier and finish off with some gravel over the top. Hopefully we should be finished by mid March.

What won't be finished by mid March is this!

The works to install drainage under the platform track continues but the corner has now been turned with the drainage pipes actually now being installed.

Next job is to build a manhole where Andy is stood in the hole. As I pointed out, he wont get much of a view from down there but he could on the new viewing platform if we can get the trains to run for Easter! I couldn't hear his answer because of the mini-digger starting up!

Bathroom butchery!

I have, on several occasions in this blog, talked about my abilities, or indeed lack of them, at cardboard butchery, wood butchery and vegetational butchery. Today, I can mow add a new butchery ability to the list, bathroom butchery!

I started with a decades old bathroom in the morning .....

....and by the afternoon it looked like this!

Phil the builder was busy finishing other jobs so I thought I would lend a hand in stripping out the old bathroom There is still more to go but at least it gives Phil a flying start tomorrow and I quite enjoyed the therapy of using a hammer which is an essential tool in bathroom butchery!

Looking like a white van!

Again not much model making today, just a few minutes to stick some brick paper to the card for the walls on the tunnel sub-base that I am building.

However, there was a lot of painting with the various skirting boards and door architrave for the cloakroom getting three top coats. Painting a dark colour over white primer is no fun!

However it does contrast well with the rest of the paint and fittings.

Now here is something that I have never done before - wash a Transit van! Phil the builders van has been filthy for weeks and my questioning as to why he had not cleaned it got no where and with no sign of him getting round to it O took bucket and sponge to it. It was filthy and I did at one point ask Phil if he had a bio-hazard sticker I could put on it!

However, 90 minutes later and it was looking like a .....white van! Just hope Phil doesn't think that this is a regular thing!

The convenience of a skip!

Not much modelling done apart from a stay made on the wall sections for the tunnel sub-base that I have posted about over the past few weeks which will keep me amused for a few days yet!

The reason for a lack of model making is that I am painting various skirting boards and door frames as part of the ongoing rebuild of the bathroom and cloak room. Far easier to paint the parts away from the room especially when you have a convenient skip to support things! If it all goes wrong its not far to dispose of it either!

Maybe I should do my model making near the skip - that could be convenient!