Horsefly

This cool looking dude with the racey shades could be mistaken for just another innocuous insect,,, this is a horsefly and is FAR from innocuous,,, I have spent the last few days camped out at some sunny Suffolk lagoon where all there was to do was sit in the sun and occasionally crack another tinnie from the cool box,, over the considerable time we spent whiling away the hours in this relaxed fashion various members of the insect world settled on my pink bits and were gently brushed off with the back of my knotted hankie,,, then a squadron of cool dude horsefly's decided they would join in the AleSwilling fun and they obviously swiped far more ale than they could handle,,, it all got a bit roudy,,, and then a fight broke out between them and my upper thigh's and I have to report they won hands down,,, my legs now look like some educational aid for 1st year dermatology students,,, what exactly is it that these miniscule characters fly round with in their poison tanks!!!!

Potent,,,, it's blooming horrific,,, if we could can it and sell it believe me the worlds trouble spots would be resolved in hours,,,"listen guy's if you can't behave then we'll just plaster you in horsefly juice,,, now what's it to be????"

Anyway back to modelling,,,, since returning over the border I have doused various brass & nickel silver bits in a very heady solution of  soda crystals and warm water & then attacked them with an old tooth brush,, the experts in the book I bought claim this is the best way to cleanse anything you want to spray,,, I hope they are right as I only have 8 weeks to go before we tread the boards at Barrow Hill Live 2013.

The van has been hired,,,, and we are making solid progress on getting everything ship shape and Doncaster fashion in preparation for a pretty special weekend.

Hope to see you all there and if you do attend then please make yourselves known,,, I will probably be hiding under the layout with a soldering iron but don't worry as Alan "Hasselblad Westerner" Davies will be swanning about above the layout probably pushing the C12 about for the umpteenth time,,,, plus,,, The Webbens should also be in attendance with his much improved MkII Clop,,,, if he say's "weeeebipbipchheep" then smile co's that's digitalk for hello.

Not long now!! ho ho we can't wait.  

Mallard: 3rd July 1938 !!!!!

Some things really are well worth remembering,,, so lets consider a few facts about Mallard.

1, It was not conceived, designed or built in Swinedon.
2, It's class looked completely different to anything built previously or since.
3, 6 of them are together this weekend for a bit of a reunion,,, & they are expecting massive crowds.
3, It gained a world record 75 years ago today,, which still stands to this day.

I can hear all the chorister's in unison,,, "yes and they had to take it off at Peterborough and ship it back to Doncaster in the dead of night for a complete overhaul",, chortle chortle chortle,,,,

And my response is,,, "Correct,, and we DON'T give 2 hoots"

As Driver Duddington apparently said,,,, "come on old girl,,, you can do it"

Talking of remembering things,,, don't forget Barrow Hill September 28th & 29th,,,, we'll be there,,, the Hasselblad will be westerning serenely and the Webbens Clop is also expected to make an appearance,,, as is Valour and the recent D9,,,, I know what I've got my money on,,,, crikey that's only 12 weeks away,,, I'd better go and plug the soldering iron in!!!!