A Presentation

Geoff and Mary were celebrating 60years of marriage and, with the usual load of banter, a collection was made.  



We managed to purchase a beautiful cut glass vase, took it over to the Jewellery Quarter and had it engraved with all the details.  
Once we had the engraved vase back in our possession, it was decided to make a presentation at the barbecue.

When everyone had arrived and had been served with food, wonderfully barbecued by Ben, the CEO came to make the presentation to Geoff.  

After a few words, during which he looked as though he was praying but I can assure you he wasn't!, the presentation was made.  

I think Geoff was a bit lost for words but he was very pleased.  
He came round to everyone later to thank us all individually.

Sometimes there are really lovely times down at the Steam Engine works, it seems almost like a family outing!!!

New 'window boxes' for the Signal Box

 Back in June I sorted out the 'window boxes' from the workshop/garage and cleaned them up. 

The repairs I made to them last year have dried completely so I just needed to tidy them up a bit, brush them off and then paint them up.
Although the original ones I painted had a gold tudor rose, I decided that this time I would painted them just a uniform colour.  Now that the Signal Box has been completed (almost anyway!) they do not need any decoration apart from the flowers.

There will be one box on each fence panel, two on the signal box and two on the Platform fence.

Here is everything I think I will need, soil, drill, hooks, plants, window boxes and polystyrene 'bits' for the bottom of the boxes.

First off the hanging basket is planted up and hung ....


..... while I am planting, PJ hung the boxes on the Signal Box and another Volunteer, known to us at Roger 2, shaped the hooks to enable me to hang the boxes on the fences.

My goodness ...... that hedge needs a hair cut! .....

Now we have the boxes hung back on the fences ...
... they are planted up with plants that have been donated by our neighbour.  

When I planted up the centre bed earlier in the year, I reserved some of the plants for the Signal Box Garden.  

This is how the signal box looked back in 2002, so tired.

Now it is all spruced up and looking good, didn't really need the boxes to make it look good but  ......

After I had finished planting, I started to tidy up when the Heavens opened up and it rained ... and rained ..... 

  
I was really looking forward to seeing all the plants in full bloom but alas and alack, it was not to be so.  The hot weather came along and without my care, and just intermittent watering by other volunteers, several of the plants died.
I hope to be on site before the Heritage Weekend so that I can check out the gardens and titivate them up a little bit before the visitors come. 

Upcycled Tumble Dryer

The tumble dryer story was here - but then PJ started to reduced it into parts to be: a) recycled: b) taken to the tip: c) saved for Christine!
Among the parts saved for me was the dryer drum.  
Why the dryer drum?  
Massive pot for plants.

I have been requested to put some plants outside the Bookings Office, and I am looking for one but it has to be of a certain kind.  It has to have an industrial look about it.  This is my own criteria, Vintage Trains is - Vintage and Steam Trains.
When I replaced the pot outside the main office, I bought a, for me, perfect imitation metal pot.  Looks good and so it should - it cost me £20!!!
Now we are retired we watch our pennies and I am definitely not paying that much for a pot again!

After much searching in garden centres, this tumble dryer 'pot' is starting to look good..... there is even a drainage hole!
One dry day, I washed the pot and placed it outside on the patio table.  
 I gathered up all my steampunk materials, some paint, hot glue gun, die cut cogs and chains from Balsa wood, card and paper.  Then I covered the table with a plastic sheet ready to start. 

I used some aluminium tape over the seams and some mesh tape along the upper and lower edges to give it a more solid feel and texture.  I also added pieces of the aluminium tape, folding and forming crinkles.  
I had some corrugated cardboard and telephone parts to add in with the cogs and gears.  


When I felt there were enough embellishments I proceeded to paint using MIO paint to make it longer lasting.  




A square from a chocolate box, nuts, and telephone parts alongside a piece of corrugated cardboard,  there is also a plain piece of balsa wood.

Here I used a piece of puncinello, more balsa wood and phone pieces.

Once the MIO was dry, I then painted the 'pot' with a top coat of dark grey - makes it look a bit more industrial, steam enginey?!!

Some of the detailing is lost but that's how steam engines look after years of work.

It will stay like this for several days to make sure it is absolutely dry.
Then off we will go to plant it up........

First Crop of Gooseberries

I didn't expect to be harvesting fruit this year from my gooseberry bushes as they were only planted earlier this year....... remember ......

Back in February ............ 

...... the space cleared .......

......  then the small bushes planted in March.

Now when I checked them over, I found one or two juicy berries waiting there to be picked .........

 ..... so pick them I did!!!




Not all of these beautiful green berries made it home unfortunately ......

..... and they had nearly all disappeared by bedtime!!!!

Of Signal Boxes and Fences ....

Now that the Signal Box is almost finished the next job project is about to start ......

All the fencing round the Gardens are to be painted!!

There are a fair few feet of fencing to be done ....... and it hasn't been done for years!!

The fence lineside has been started, now the next part needs to be done.

When we first started working in the garden we couldn't see the fence  ............

Back in the Spring this was how it all looked .......

Now you can't paint a fence that can't be seen ......

I cut and pruned and swept and cut  and pruned and ........ now this is how it looks .........

Should be much easier to paint now.  

My two visitors appreciated all the hard work ....


...... another Cinnabar .......


.... and the resident cat!!

I will update when the fence is finished .......

Visitor Garden goings on in April

I went into the Steam Train Works and had a shock!
There was colour everywhere! 



The centre bed looked amazing, Grape Hyacinths forming a carpet along the centre of the bed - beautiful!





The lavender bed showed new growth on the Lavender itself, Hyacinths I have never seen before were in full bloom with the transplanted Primulas adding to the colour.

The Delphiniums were really growing well, and more transplanted Primulas were showing gorgeous patches of colour.

Looks like the Gooseberries have taken as the branches are showing lots of green shoots and a Californian Poppy has managed to find a bit of space in the centre of the bed - that won't be staying there for long!! 

The Libyan Fig is full of buds flower buds and new shoots - ooh! everywhere is soooo full of Spring!

The Lads (Volunteers) are still working away inside the Signal Box, and this morning I am called inside to try to rescue a butterfly that is on one of the window frames. 

While there I took the opportunity to take some photos of the inside of the box, which is also being refurbed.


The stairs to the upstairs Lever Room have all been beautifully painted black.  BLACK! I hear you say ..... but it is a shiny black and the reflecting light shows off each stair riser.

The view from the top of the stairs was quite a shock to me as I didn't expect it to be quite so 'luxurious'.  The 'home comforts' of easy chairs, tv, sleeping bags are needed as the Signallers start early in the morning and leave late at night when the train trips are running.  
 

 I managed to get several photographs including this one of the Levers, all numbered and correct!!!



And what happened to the butterfly?



I took it outside and placed it onto one of the flower pots so that it could sit in the sunshine.


Such beautifully gorgeous colours!!


A large Peacock Butterfly.

During the course of my work in the garden, the Grape Hyacinths were continually visited by butterflies, including this Tortoiseshell.


A really beautiful day out gardening in the sunshine .......