Watch This Space

What a stressful couple of weeks.

Our cottage is once again SOLD STC. Not that I'm getting excited after the last time.

Which led to an emergency househunting trip back up in Shropshire.

On those annoying, endlessly repeated, TV property search shows they always seem to include a wildcard property that isn't what the "clients" have specified.  You can't help thinking a local estate agent pays for the promotion of a property that isn't an easy sell.

We went to see our wildcard.

Literally, until we parked outside, we were asking ourselves why we were bothering.

It is in a town, on the main road through it. Admittedly it is a very small town. It has a lot of rooms. More than the house we originally downsized from eight years ago. And the garden is just downright odd.



We haven't made a decision yet.  I suppose one thing it has highlighted is how our lives have changed over the last eight years. Back then Issy had empty nest syndrome, especially since I was always working abroad.  Since then the family has grown and continues to grow to the point where we can't find beds for everybody at family events. At some point, we might also need to care for the previous generation. We both now work from home most of the time, and in jobs where confidentiality is important. So we need two rooms we can both lock behind us.

As for modelling...

The ELR would still be restricted to a very short demo line with no practical purpose and only occasional operating days. I might be able to use my 5" portable track to build a circuit for the grandchildren.

Talking of grandchildren, I can certainly fit in a basic 16mm track in a raised bed, and if it has child-sized infrastructure it might pass as an 18" gauge 7/8ths line.

But Peter Jones and my James Hilton locos might have to stay as showcase locos unless they have a home on an indoor layout...

...So there is a large converted attic. A lot of restricted headroom, but even then it is pretty much as big as my current combined office/studio/workshop and I would have a separate office.

The house is somewhere in this photo. And yes, it did once back on to the goods yard

Bearing in mind all the ifs and buts my gut feel is I would have to re-evaluate what would make most sense. 7mm would definitely be back on the cards, even a 7mm version of TAoC. 

Update: Offer made and accepted. Next stop Wem...