Fancy seeing you here, we must stop meeting like this! Somehow, yes, it is time for the weekly wrap up that is the Friday Update, have you got your coffee yet? Then I'll begin...
Frivolity aside, another very busy week here - a mix of day trips and work, meaning it probably feels to many of you like I am on holiday!! If only, if I were going there, I wouldn't start from here! Anyhow, wonderful as always to live in the Dee Valley and share it with the railway, even if it is stuck in a 1950s time warp! I've managed a trip to Chester (for school bag shopping) and nipped into Making Tracks 4 (more shortly), I've had a customer stop by to drop some stuff of and stay well over an hour (thanks Paul, lovely to catch up and chat) and today will see me appear as a 'guest' on George Williamson's live stream at 12pm today (George has a successful YouTube channel - and features in the companion, and as a friend it is great to be able to help) - I should say, if you miss it live, it should upload and be available later! I'll do my best to be entertaining.
One quieter thing that happened this week has been the arrival of another childhood 'annual' style photo book. I wasn't sure I'd seen this one at the library, and am still not 100% - but the content is wonderful and I have deeply enjoyed it this week. A few pearls too, that will stoke the track planning idea machine - but mainly bathing in nostalgia in those quiet moments away from the bench.
In commission news, the layout build continues to be the focus here. We had some nice weather earlier in the week and as a lot of the scenic process can be progressed quickly when using a matt lacquer (but that makes it smelly) it's nice to work outside! The scenery has progressed a long way since then too with the trees going in along the embankment. The back scene is a single piece 'custom' job from ID Backscenes based upon their harbour side image. I think it works well in this setting, and will form a great backdrop to the finished layout.
On the bench a rather tatty looking Dapol Hawthorn Leslie is slowly appearing from the pile of bits and plastic shavings - I've replaced the buffers with wooden blocks and am weathering this up to represent, but not accurately reflect, a prototype. This will be a short two page article in a NEW magazine that I'm working on at the moment, exciting stuff - but I'm not quite able to share more than that yet - I hope you are all as excited with that hint, as I am knowing a lot more!
Finally a note about a visit to Making Tracks 4 at Chester Cathedral. I think the work that Railnuts do to create these projects each year is to be applauded. Even on a quiet Thursday morning in mid August there were plenty watching and lots of trains moving. Children were enjoying operating trains and it makes you proud to be a railway modeller. Pete Waterman was there building a block of flats from laser cut parts talking to the public. It felt good. Rather presumptively I left a copy of Model Railway Companion with a member of the operating and build team - I didn't stay to talk to Pete, I did see it being enjoyed by a number of the team, I wonder if he did pick it up, and if so, what he made of it?
The layout this year represents Watford Junction and is a straight forward level layout - mundane, as it should be, with a consistency that the group have got nailed these days. 
My only comment really is it isn't operated as intensively as I'd like - really we should see a lot of Pendolinos and local passenger trains and I in reality there were lots of freights made up of Accurascale and Cavalex stock! There was a stand out unit though, a scratch built West Midlands Trains 3 car - not sure of the prototype, didn't quite capture the look of the 196 to me - but it felt modern and exciting. I believe a 3D print with Hornby drive and vinyl overlays?
I was also pleased to speak to a blog reader who plucked up the courage to say hello in the crowd - lovely to meet you and your partner and talk about N gauge Scottish layouts with you! I hope you had a good day and enjoy the rest of the mini break.
I'll be staying around here the valley this weekend - I tend to avoid travelling too far over the bank holiday! I have cut the wood for Gerald Road but need to build the uncoupling magnets! I must also make some windows for the pub and office building, I enjoy adding these finishing touches and the these days relish the moments away from the iPad or phone. I think the 31 is out again tomorrow too though, so perhaps I'll steal a few moments to spend with her as well. I hope that you have the opportunity to indulge your hobby this weekend, and if you have Monday off, take the time to stop, reflect and recharge a little. Until next time, more soon...