Happy New Year to you !

.

At this time of year I often look back and reflect on the previous year. So if you will indulge me…..

 

Living

2021 was a strange year. In England, we started with lock downs, shops were shut, schools were closed. At first my family were relatively unaffected. I was working ‘flat out’ during the lock downs which was tiring, but having work made me one of the lucky ones. Then in December Covid caught up with us. My wife was ill and my daughter spent two weeks in hospital with the virus. The NHS staff were wonderful. Thankfully that’s behind us now.

Looking back at the year I realise how lucky I’ve been to have a passion for railways. It brought me an incredible number of positives experiences in 2021.

 

Modelling

I started the year by making miniature railway stock in O9: the loco ‘Red Lion’, then a tool van and another loco ‘Freestone’.

In the middle of the year I switched to making O9 stock with more of an industrial feel. I completed the pug bash I started in 2019(!) and made a couple of coaches.

More recently, I’ve switched to O9 with more of an American feel as I’m trying to make a mining layout in an APA box. I rather like the stock I’ve made so far.

I have jumped around a bit this year but one thing was consistent, the scale and gauge combination. 

 

Visiting

After the lock downs I felt I needed to visit some railways. I had a great day at the Bure Valley Railway, went standard gauge on the Nene Valley and the Mid-Suffolk Railway, and majored on miniature railways with visits to Barnards (twice), Lappa Valley and Cambridge. A family trip to Brighton had some unexpected railway pleasures with the Brighton Toy and Model Museum and the Volks Electric Railway.

 

Blogging

My approach to this blog has been very different this year.

In the past I’ve set myself goals, to post twice a week, get a certain number of ‘hits’, and (for a short, unhappy period) I even tried to earn money from adverts on the blog.

This year I decided not to put any pressure on myself, my only goal was to enjoy it. Now I don’t worry if I don’t post something and I don’t let the statistics motivate me.

As a result I feel I’ve settled into a ‘happy place’. The pressure is off and I’m doing what feels right for me.

I’ve realised this is my diary. Blogs of about 200 words with a couple of photos seem to be where I’m most comfortable. Not too long, but, hopefully, a good record of what I’ve done.

I am always very pleased to receive the helpful, encouraging comments. These are a great motivator for my modelling. Thank you all !

 

I wont be setting any grand goals for 2022, just to enjoy myself.

There will be building and blogging. Both give me huge pleasure.

There will be more O9.

.

Whatever you get up to in 2022 I hope you have a healthy and enjoyable year.

All the best

Steve