Wednesday 24 November 2010

Back to my roots



Despite recent dalliances with such as slot racing and large scale model railways, I find my interests consolidating back with where I started..scenery and model boats.

I suppose it all began with the twin draws of a train set when I was about 5 or 6 and an Uncle with a boat on the Essex coast when I was 7.
I soon learned that hand made model scenery for my train set was much better than Airfix kits, which had parts that didn't fit and that a model boat on Paglesham's oyster beds was a wonderful way to spend a weekend by the estuary. We also used to take the Uncle's boat out regularly and go fishing with with the Keeble brothers on their beautiful yacht-like trawler, Vanguard, (header picture)
The call of the mud and the fresh air with the sounds of an estuary life have been a massive pull on me ever since.
In this cold Winter weather, of which we have plenty to come, I'm sure, I can make small model boats on the dining table and avoid the cold of the workshop.
My plan is to make a series of 1/4"-1ft scale models of British inshore craft, like fishing boats and workboats, putting some of them into a scenic set-piece, which satisfies my other interest of scenic modelmaking.


We won in the end!


Having witnessed the way the RSPCA closes ranks even in the face of an official complaint, we just went to another source and got ourselves a lovely little lad of 14 months from Ooop North.
Since he's never answered to his given name, we called him Alfie anyway and here he is.

He's very well behaved, but our other male, a Basset/Bedlington cross is still a bit peeved by the newcomer and a few set-tos have resulted, but they should sort themselves out.

He loves his bed and his food and seems to have settled in very well.