Good news and bad news!

Fleur left this morning after a great couple of days and what felt like my only couple of days of half term! After all the usual chores, I headed up the railway shed. The big job today was to 'Mod-Roc' the landscape and hills and this went very well. I have now completed all the landscapes ready to be painted and 'flocked'.

That was the good news, now the bad news! It seems as if the PVA glue used to stick the ballast down has seeped under all the points and connectors. I have very unreliable continuity round the track which results in the trains either stopping dead, refusing to start after stopping or simply not responding to the controller as the signal can't get to the decoder. I have cleaned all the tracks thoroughly which has helped, cleaned the wheels and 'pick-ups' on the trains and wiggled as many connectors as I could. Tomorrow I shall clean the track with some meths. in the hope of removing any grease that may be present and then work round the whole track systematically to wiggle the fishplates that connect the lengths of track together as well as attempt to clean the points and continuity clips. If anyone knows any substance that will dissolve PVA glue - please let me know!

I can't believe the half term is over! Back to school on Monday and reallity. Another 6 weeks to Easter and current boating plans are either to explore the BirminghamCanal Navigations and all the little loops and arms, (my father's choice,) or to head into Stratford, Warwick and on the Avon, (my choice)! Today, the sun was shining and it was positively warm with temperatures into double figures - just! The skylarks are singing again, the dafodills are sprouting and spring is very much in the air. It's nice to have daylight up to around 5.30 now. I did manage to clout my thumb with a hammer - hard! I have a lovely black blister appearing under my left thumb-nail which is extremely sore. Sympathy required please!