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!!!

Visitors to the garden today

Last May we discovered a visitor coming into the garden, a grey squirrel who we promptly named Cyril .... although Cyril did have her young one with her!

Cyril has visited the garden several times a day since then, so much so that I filled a feeder full of peanuts in shells - just lately this feeder has been emptied every day.  We have seen Cyril climbing onto the bird feeder and extracting the peanuts, morning, afternoon and evening thinking she deserved all those peanuts for all the hard work she does.  Well, I did until this afternoon.

I was ir***ng and had one of the French Window doors open so that I could see up the garden .... along came Cyril ....  or was it ...... as she took off down the lawn another  'Cyril' appeared from out of the bushes!

Cyril II tried out the fat balls ......

.... then she tried out the sunflower seeds ......

....... had the cheek to just sit there and feed her face ....

How did I know the difference?  Cyril plants her peanuts in our garden, Cyril II runs down the lawn, climbs the fence to next door and plants her peanuts there!!!
I watched enthralled and then realised I wasn't the only one out there .......

Eventually I had a pile of nice neat flat clothing all ready to go upstairs to be sorted ....... pleasant days are hard to come by at the moment ......

Tyseley Open Day 2016

We are not having an Open Weekend this Autumn, we are taking part in Birmingham Heritage Week so the Loco Works are open for three days.
We arrived early, PJ was looking after the car park as usual and I was 'volunteered' to sell tickets at the gate, but I managed to take time off now and again to take photos so here is a photo heavy post!!
Somewhere out there is a road bridge over the railway and that's where lots of folks gather to view the Steam Engines when they are going out on tour.  
I am given to understand that The Flying Scotsman can be seen from there this morning  ...... really?
Now this is a sight you very rarely see ..... the Visitors' Garden .... all kitted out with chairs and tables, ready for the picnicker to sit a while.

I thought I would take a few photos of the engine itself before the paying public were allowed in.

If you look carefully you can just see it peeping out above the huts .....

.....  you'll have to be quick .....

...... steam's up.....!!

I managed to get a little closer, there it is ...
.... parked up ..... 

.....I must walk round to see if I can get any closer ......

Time is getting on so I must get back to my position ready for the gate to open.


Just outside the gates are these two steam engines .... I called them Traction Engines but was quickly told that they were STEAM engines!!



Just look at the queue .....

.... from the gates it snakes across the car park ......

...... way back to the Warwick Road and the main entrance.....

.... and they are still coming .....

.... the gates don't open until 12.00hrs ......




Then the gates are open ...... the engines are flaunting themselves on the turntables .... 

.... and Flying Scotsman  is open for business .... if you haven't pre-booked ... you only get to look and not cross over the tender ......

Towards the end of the day as the cars slowly left the carpark, I noticed that someone else had crept out for a ride round .....


....creeping is not really the way she rolls.....

..... she steams .....

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. 

Discovered Wardrobe

While sorting out my new Studio I have found .............

. ...What on earth is that? do I hear you ask!!
Ah! Well! It is something that brings back soooo many memories .....
I made it.
The back story is this ....
Back in the day, when one left school one had a meeting with the 'Careers Officer'.  She came into school and interviewed the school leavers, those that weren't going on to University, trying to place them in a suitable career.  I was adamant that I would not go into an office - not that I knew what an office was like - as I would not be able to sit listening to all those typewriters tapping away!!
It was decided that I should work with children, becoming a Nursery Nurse.  Once I was qualified as a Nursery Nurse, I would then be able to move on either into the medical profession or as a Private Nanny.  I knew I didn't want to be a nurse, midwife or anything like that but the Nanny career sounded good to me, lots of travel for one thing and .... the world was my oyster as to where and for whom I worked.
The Nursery Nursing Examination Board (NNEB) course was spread over two years, included theory and practical training and, depending whether I worked with the Department of Education (Summer Holidays off!) or the Public Heath (07.00hrs until 18.00hrs in shifts), pain a small salary.  Guess!
I started in the September after I left school, Mondays at training centre, Tuesdays at College for Further Education and the rest of the week at a nursery - in my case, school.
I attended Bourneville College on Tuesdays, amazing place with amazing tutors.  I enjoyed all of the lessons until, in the second year, we had to design and make a wooden toy.  I wanted to make a dolls house but was told we didn't have enough time ...... I went off the Woodwork Tutor!! 
Discussing the situation with my parents, we decided maybe a wardrobe, small coathangers and the clothes to go on them.    Stitching was my bag!!
When I told the Tutor what I had decided to make, he was quite happy and then he told me how to do it, good rounded curves at the top of the doors, wooden fastenings with a key hole ......
Not good.  MY wardrobe!  MY design!
So I made 'steps' along the top of the doors, which upset the tutor but I loved it.
My lovely wardrobe ...... no coathangers (painted in primary colours of course!), no clothes either (a dress, wool coat, nightdress - full outfit.), but it's MY wardrobe.
It's very sad to see the passing of time showing itself, a broken side ..... a damp patch ......

I never went sailing on liners around the world as the Ship's Nanny, I never worked as a Private Nanny for some rich family ..... I met a young man, fell in love, married and had a family ..... and became a Grandma!

Disc Player now electrified

That's a good title isn't it?
Let me tell you a story ....
I have a portable disc player, it's old but it works - why fix it if it isn't broken is my motto.
After working in my 'Studio' for a week or so, I realise that I only have a radio for company, no tapes or discs to listen to.
PJ came up with the brilliant idea of going to Maplins, show them the disc player and tell them what I want.
Off we went to the shop, a very nice assistant went off with the player, came back with an adapter and then showed me the choice of speakers.  I explained what I needed and asked what he could recommend ....He recommended one and it is red, perfect!
Lovely day, service, price and goods.  Happy lady!!!
We checked everything out when we arrived home, the adapter plug did not work but the speaker works properly - Bruce Springsteen would be on demand again! - but battery only!.

Next morning .... nothing!

Back to the shop I went and guess what?!!! The speaker needed charging - nowhere in the instructions does it mention this and I certainly wasn't told about recharging - so home I come and plug in the speaker to recharge.
After a few hours the speaker is charged and my music is playing!  Bruce Springsteen on demand once again!!!
Love it!
I have this lovely little item now sitting at my side playing away .......
Did I tell you that Maplins is a wonderful shop, the staff certainly know their stuff and they are soooo polite and civilised ... wonderful!

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........