Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it's a new year since my last blog update. I had a belated Christmas as I was away with work on the actual day, but had a great family time early this month when I had settled in at home again. My brother and family presented me with a fantastic new item for the Trainbarn verandah- some Avery Platform Scales, fully restored, complete with lbs weights!
Of course we all had to have a go at weighing ourselves, and it is still remarkably accurate, though there is a calibration adjustment. One thing none of us ever knew or remembered is 'what is a cwt (hundredweight)'?? As one of the weights was 56 lbs we figured that a cwt must be 112 lbs, which turned out to be correct. Certainly a magnificent addition to the Trainbarn, and I plan to put a few 'fake' crates and other goods around too.
With the temporary departure of the builders after the completion of the structure of the Trainbarn, I've started cleaning up around the 'site' and couldn't resist this photo opportunity!
The verandah railings will eventually be painted red, with vertical slats, but there are other priorities at the moment. I've started installing all the light fittings and power-outlet mounts, ready for the 'sparky' to install all the wiring in early March. What you don't see in this shot are the excellent hardwood steps up onto the verandah.
It's really fun gradually installing items into the Trainbarn which I've been accumulating over the years. Of course most things have to wait until the lining and painting is finished, but a few items can be at least temporarily placed. One of my daughters used to work in Nepal and whilst there she bought me a magnificent Open/Closed sign handmade from copper. I've put this on one of the front doors- Closed at the moment!- and took a photo of this too. It's a bit hard to see with the reflections on the glass, but an interesting photo none-the-less.
So, no time to be bored around Whistlestop these days, but I am looking forward to some cooler weather as the year progresses!
As 2015 winds to a close I thought it was a good time to look back at what has been a pretty amazing year.
The most outstanding achievement of the year of course has been the external completion of my toy-train museum building, the Trainbarn. I had been preparing the site for quite some time previously, but March 9th was the day that the 'first sod' was turned, so to speak, with the arrival of Angelo and his excavator. While there are still a few detail items for me to finish on the outside, the Trainbarn was finished externally in early December. I couldn't be more happy with the result, in fact it is way better than I could've hoped for. There were a few problems along the way of course, and I have learned a lot, but in every case the problems were either resolved, or have actually turned out for the best. When I was designing the building I had very little to base it on as far as dimensions etc. Even once the plans were in I was second-guessing some of the dimensions, particularly the wall height. Bottom line- it's perfect!!
One lesson that I learned- I volunteered to do all the painting- fascia, verandah etc, partly to cut down the cost, but mostly to be more involved in the construction process. It was a way bigger job than I had anticipated (and still isn't finished), made harder by cold temperatures and snow!! I have a new-found admiration for painters!!
My sincere thanks to our builders Nick and Fiona and their whole team for doing such a fantastic job of building the Trainbarn. Without their (very) hard work and commitment there would still be a grassy plot here!
An unexpected highlight of the year was heavy snow, which doesn't occur regularly here, after all, this is Queensland, the Sunshine State!!
My wife and I were very fortunate to visit our eldest daughter and son-in-law who live in Budapest, Hungary. That was an absolutely fantastic holiday and we were both on 'highs' for quite a while after. Budapest is a superb city, and the Hungarian people very friendly, and I certainly recommend it as a great place to visit. Whilst there we came face-to-face with the Syrian refugee crisis, and it was a vivid reminder, if one was needed, that a large percentage of the world's population do not have even the basic freedoms and necessities of life, let alone the luxury of building a structure to house one's hobbies.
Other highlights were being with our other two daughters for their birthdays in November, one in Melbourne, one in Brisbane. We thoroughly enjoyed both, although re-visiting Melbourne was particularly special for me as that is where I grew up. A highlight was riding the Scenic Railway at Luna Park, St Kilda, which I went on once when I was very young. It is one of the (if not the ) oldest wooden roller-coasters in the world and was super fun, though very rough!! I also had the best vegetarian meal that I have ever eaten, in a superb restaurant in Fitzroy. Spending time with family is always very special, particularly in this day and age where family tends to be scattered all over the world.
As usual I am planning to fit much more into next year than is probably possible, but I do hope to finish the inside of the Trainbarn, which of course is still a big job. It will be my 60th birthday later on in the year, and I hope to celebrate by having a party in the Trainbarn!
I started writing this blog as a sort-of personal diary to record the progress of the development of my various projects, but I am honoured that various other people read it and find it interesting. I sincerely thank you for that. I hope that this Christmas is a very special time for you and your families, and that 2016 will bring everything that you hope for.
" I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11
