So Elder Cottage is sold, STC, and now the race is on to find somewhere to move to. Neither Issy nor I would countenance viewing properties before we had sold.

We need to be near Market Drayton, and I have a feeling we are looking for a relatively short term property, not the house to see out our days.

What is clear is that we will have to make lots of compromises, partly because of the dearth of houses for sale in our top choices of location.

In a  way, that is a good thing.  First of all there is the health issue, for both of us. There are days here that leave me fighting for breath after dealing with the garden, and Issy, as well as some friends and relatives, needs somewhere with easily accessible facilities. Secondly it simplifies the future of the ELR. well sort of.

I've never wanted a massive line, just one that gives me somewhere to play. And possibly a base for doing other things like visiting other railways.

Teddy is ideal for that, he can fit in the back of a car. I doubt any future line will need to fulfill a practical role, so entertainment and fun becomes the driver.  In fact, I'm seriously thinking of downsizing to 5" gauge for the home line using the track I bought from Steve Purves a few years ago. That makes steam a practical proposition for me.

And talking of Steve and his portable railway empire... 

... He has taken on the custodianship of Tug and the coach. Even here Tug wasn't really a suitable loco. We have joint plans for an upgrade to make it a really useful club loco

Iain Rice

I'm sure many pages of blogs and magazines will be focussed on the sad loss of Iain Rice. It is hard to add anything to them except, like so many others, to acknowledge the massive debt I owe a man I never met and yet felt I knew. 

His books have a section of their own on my bookcases. His "bitsa" station concept is always at the back of my mind. There are layout concepts he created that I look at time after time and think "One day..."

What you suddenly realise though is it wasn't about those plans. It was about his ability to make the once esoteric fine-scale concept, in some form, available to all of us, and within the capability of the most ham-fisted of us. 

Much will be written of his legacy, but his real legacy will be seen in attics and spare bedrooms, scout halls and the NEC for many many years to come.

Cornwall and Covid

Things were going so well.

On  Saturday, our son got married to a beautiful girl and the wedding was incredible.

Then we headed down to Bude and a week with friends. One of whom developed a bit of a cough. How we laughed that it might be Covid.

It was, and whilst she got off lightly Issy and I have been really suffering. The current variants might not be that bad but every day feels like an unlucky dip of different  symptoms.

In the middle of which we seem to have sold the house for more than the asking price.

Stressed? Me?

Anyway, back to Cornwall. We did have a good time, though it was more food than railway orientated.

There was a lot of food.

The railway aspect was restricted to two visits to places I haven't been for perhaps 25 years. The first was a glorious visit to the Launceston Steam Railway on the last day of the season.  

The second was a trip on the St Ives branch. Last time I did it on a day trip from London and we literally just had time to take some photos and take the next train out. This time we had a full day there. The highlight was the food at Portminster Beach Cafe.

Signpost to the Future

 

So, here is the big news that I've been vaguely hinting at in recent weeks.

The decline in Issy's health, hopefully fixable by surgery, has made Elder Cottage a handful, especially if I end up back on the road racking up the Airmiles. Meanwhile, my mother and her partner aren't getting younger either, and more grandchildren are in prospect.

We have loved our time here, but we must be realistic about the future.

I will stress that the the ELR, in some form, will be resurrected.

Starting Them Young

Freddie, the grandson, is at the age where he is falling in love with Thomas the Tank Engine. Unfortunately, he seems more enamoured of the modern travesty than the originals, but it is a start.

On Friday he turned up clutching his Tomy Thomas and on his way into the house noticed, for the first time, the track of the Eaugate Light Railway.

He then proceeded to get confused about why his Tomy train wouldn't fit on the 7 1/4" track.

A diversion was clearly called for to avoid tears, so whilst Grandma took him out to do errands I had a frantic search for some of my old Faller track and loco.


Result.

It isn't ideal, still being a bit fiddly for him. And that is all the working Faller stock I have. Somewhere I have a stash of Big Big Train Rustons, but no compatible wagons.

The solution? A quick visit to Phil Sharple's webshop

(Note: I'm experimenting with fonts to make the text more readable for the neuro-diverse. There is a font I would like to use, but unfortunately it won't work on the web unless you have it installed)

Market Drayton

Ninety years ago last Thursday my mother was born in a rural cottage near the site of the battle of Blore Heath. I was born in the house she was brought up in. At the time it had no bathroom or electricity. Strangely it doesn't have a blue plaque on it yet, though it does now have a bathroom and electricity.

Anyway, the occasion meant a trip to see the extended family, including those in the nearby graveyard. And, for me, a chance to really try out the Leica Q2 Monochrom now I'm over the initial learning curve. One thing I'm clear on is I would rather work with the .DNG files than the very flat JPGs it produces.

The photos are around and about Drayton, Hales and Market Drayton Museum

A quick update. Thanks to the power of social media I was able to identify two "mystery items" for the museum.

The Past is Going Fast

 We've lived here for seven years, and there has been one building I keep meaning to take photos of.  

Especially since a lot of new housing going up in our local village seems sure to lead to it being demolished, as our traditional old garage was to provide an entrance to another new estate. 

It, and the other outbuildings, are part of what used to be an everyday thing - the farmyard in the village itself.

We drive through the village a lot, but rarely stop. Although it is quite large there is little there. Two pubs, neither of which are great and the world's worst sub-post office. The saving grace is a brilliant butchers, but I avoid that for the sake of my wallet.

A road-closure, linked to house building, did give me the chance to finally cyle there and choose my viewpoints.

My apologies these photos are over-processed. A combination of my phone's annoying habit to make it's own creative choices and trying to edit them in bright sun.