As you can tell, it’s been fairly quiet round here for the past month. No construction, either of track or rolling stock. The two disconnected sections of line outside are doing a good impression of one abandoned in mid-construction; keeping that Welsh Highland theme alive/dead. It’s also covered in frost, which is the chief reason for the lack of activity - a strong desire to crouch under a duvet and conserve all heat and energy, apart from occasional forays in search of hot drinks and cholesterol. This is our first winter in Wales and f**k me, it’s a cold one.

On the positive side, as you can see, Santa kindly brought a number of new kits - two Ezee parcel wagons, a guards van and the Lineside Delights corrugated shelter. (My GRA reports that the people who run Lineside Delights are lovely and could not be more helpful to confused railway widows.) Once we can push the detritus of Christmas aside, and the list of jobs previously postponed due to same, I will pull out the kit-building tray and start bunging the pieces together in my usual slap-hazard fashion. That will probably coincide with spring when, if by good fortune conditions improve, the R&R may see completion and there will be somewhere to use the results.

Still contemplating The Need For Steam, but without any firm answers at present. I guess it will involve swallowing hard and digging into my savings for a birthday present to self.