Awake and up all night

Thanks Brian. I hope your holiday is everything you hoped for i.e. good weather, superb views, pleasant food and tipples all enabling you to unwind nicely.

I bought the steamroller, a Wilesco, in Roermond in 1967 when we lived in Germany just across the border. It has a proper sliding valve, double acting, reversible live steam engine running on solid fuel tablets. The steam lorry is a Mamod which my late wife bought for me one Christmas in the 1980s. The Mamod is arguably the prettiest but its oscillating steam engine is only barely powerful enough to move it on a smooth surface. Neither have been steamed for at least 25 years.  Best wishes,  Ray       

Evening all

We're now at Meung sur Loire. An old, pretty village with a huge Château 

H

With dragons in the grounds

And an impressive kitchen

I had a dreadful night last night, I just couldn't sleep. No particular reason but I just couldn't go off. 

H

Hello Ray (RayMK) 

All going well in Turkey thanks - we are here for 3 weeks so all good. Today's been wet with a storm blowing in off the Med but we are due to be back to sunny and 30c  in the morning. We have another 11 days left to eat kebabs, drink EFES and generally do nothing but read and relax and boy it's good!

When I was younger and fitter I drove and fired steam locomotives on a couple of preserved railways - it's the technical side being the hardest for a bean counter like me as you had to be able to fix the things if they broke - especially if you were out with a passenger train. (Valve gear and valve events are not my best subject!)

Sadly Mamod closed in 2024 but children these days are not interested in "how it works" - more "how much it costs" and "can I have it now".

Kind regards - Brian.

Driving a steam loco is quite an art. Fixing them is heavy engineering. It must have been an interesting experience, especially if you had a fried breakfast off a shovel and cups of tea flavoured with Welsh coal dust. I've never been on a footplate.

When my son was an active 1 yearold in 1980/81, my parents bought him a black wooden toy. They said it had cost £7-90. Son liked it but that's what started me off, trying my hand at making a few robust wooden toys for him which I thought looked a touch more realistic - and they were virtually free because I used offcuts and bits and pieces from my garage. A few years ago I parked all of them on my landing for some photos. With my daughter's Fisher Price airliner calling in, it seemed like a good opportunity .  xxx

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My kids had fisher price toys. I remember a phone that made a ringing noise a little dog that you pulled along and its ears moved.

Good memories, then almost before you realise they've shot through their teens, become adults and now the roles are somewhat reversed .  xxx

Evening Ray. I agree they grow up too fast. My oldest grandson is 16 now. Just started college. It makes me cry. Where have the years gone. I remember the fisher price airliner it was expensive they didn't get that one.xxx