Nostalgia

Bank Holidays, even ones like this new fangled May Day, always make me feel nostalgic. For much of my childhood my self-employed parents worked six and a half day weeks and went without holidays for years at a time. Bank Holidays were the one chance to go gricing  a little further afield. I still remember my first wet Good Friday visit to the Talyllyn and the slate landscape of Corris.

These days I'm nostalgic for the whole concept of a proper Bank Holiday. Instead of spending this one modelling I'm once again sat in a departure lounge waiting for my business flight to be called. Thanks to the decision to put the house on the market I didn't even get to do much over the Saturday and Sunday, other than discovering the damage that residual hot glue can do a surform blade. Actually I did quickly solder up my Bill Bedford buffer height gauge. This was my first use of the Eileen's Emporium Hold & Fold tool and whilst not the most challenging folding task it still made it a quick and painless one.

Anyway, in preparation for the estate agent's visit to take photos I was tasked with tidying up the library. I long ago lost count of how many books I own, but it is enough that I often come across books I'd forgotten about or multiple copies of the same book.

On this excursion into L-space I came across a couple of old catalogues. One was for Mills Brothers or Milbr0 and must have been my father's. The other was my own once treasured W&H Models catalogue from the days when visits to New Cavendish Street and  to Cecil Court were the highlight of any trip to London.

What a treasure trove the W&H catalogue used to be! Just about everything the kit or scratch builder needed in one place from the likes of Fleetline, MPD, MTK, Jidenco, E.A.M.E.S and, of course the Cav'ndish and PC Coaches range. I used to think anything would be possible to build if I could just find the pocket money.

Looking at the contents quite a few of the ranges are still in production in one form or another and we still have the big retailers who stock a vast range, supplemented by the more specialist suppliers, but I do miss my visits to those jewel like model shops of my youth.