It doesn't have anything to do with model railways but I like the idea of setting aside some time to do something that you enjoy.
15 minutes a day isn't that hard to find these days, not really. Some of us will spend that time alone on the can, or checking social media sites. Sometimes at the same time.
I've tried a photo a day challenge several times and by the end of the time I am running out of ideas. However, with a model railway there is always something to do.
The idea behind this is that in the last four and half months, not much has happened on the layout.
Here is where I am now.
It should be much more advanced than this. Since the last blog post, I have added the back board, put stones on the causeway, made the platform and the little operators station with the car cards boxes and the mouse holder which will hold the digital controller.
So for the next 10 weeks I am aiming to spend 15 minutes a day on the little layout that I call Billabong Marina.
One reason to to advance the layout. Another reason is that I find model railways relaxing and an artistic outlet. The next ten weeks will be hectic for me with work and other commitments so this will force me to chill out for a bit in a useful way and not sitting in a small room while on Facebook or YouTube.
I know already that next week I am going to fail on Monday and Tuesday. My diary has given me this bad news. However, I will have more time on other days to make up for it.
Some days my 15 minutes may billow out to 30 or 60 minutes.
Having such a limited time means that I will need to be organised. I've spent a bit of time organising the layout space and tidying that up so I am good to go. I have a dedicated space in the house so I can just walk away when I need to and then pick up again later. Although that seems to be what I do a lot and start new projects with out tidying up from the last one. Over the next ten weeks I am hoping this may change as well as finish the started projects.
With such a short time each day, I need to plan what I am going to do. I've written a list of small tasks. Some may be quick and others not, but a plan is a good place to start.
Today, I dry brushed a half built Peco station building with raw sienna paint.
Tomorrow, I will dry brush it with burnt umber. Tuesday, I hope to paint the quoins and sills grey. Wednesday, I hope to assemble the rest of the kit. I have already painted the windows, doors and roof.
I've carved the station platforms from timber so they need to be covered. I'm going to use Scalescenes brick paper. I had printed some earlier and I have sprayed some varnish on the sheets to seal the ink onto the paper. So, that can be a tomorrow job too. I need to print off some tarmac and platform edging as well. This can be a tonight job while I'm doing other computer stuff.
I am an operator over a model maker so it is not going to be a fine scale model but I do want it to look right, even if the harbour is going to be a little crowded with fishing boats, ferries and cargo vessels.
I hope you'll join me throughout the ten weeks and keep checking in to see the progress and can I encourage you to try something similar.
That's all for tonight. I hope to see you tomorrow.
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