2022 - Review of the year

In theory 2022 should have been a very much upgraded version of 2021. With Covid receeding as a menace, we were finally allowed out to meet each other, something I mentioned last year that I missed far more than I expected I would. 

Sadly, when spring arrived, so did a large number of Russians in someone else's country. While not affected as badly as those in Ukraine (thank goodness), it still weighed on my mind. I'm no good when the drums of war are beating and so my head wasn't really in something as unimportant as building toy trains and boats. This sort of thing puts what I do into perspective, proving what a pointeless activity it all is. 

Needless to say, the old project list can be copied from 2020: 

• 7mm scale Garratts STILL haven't been out of their boxes. I'm looking for a new builder for the one I've been commissioned to produce, something not helped by the death of my friend Trevor who was looking out for me, and has the comissioners details. This is going to take a lot more sorting now.
  
• 3mm scale Class 25 hasn't bothered to build itself.
• O gauge "Flying Banana" railcar, still in the box. With a RTR model on the horizon, should I just give it up as a bad job?
  
• 4mm GWR steam railcar, I know it's one people would like to see finished. Me too. There's also a RTR one of these on the way, I've actually handled the decorated samples.
  
• Still can't face finishing the Cravens DMU.  

There's no progress to report on the Beetle either, but I have managed to locate my camper van thanks to a lucky spot on Instagram. I've chatted to the person looking after it and will arrange to drop in to have a proper look and work out the next stages. Mind you, I said this two months ago, but time and weather have prevented  anything happening. 

If none of those have moved forward, what did I get up too? 

I built FAB 1 from a plastic kit.

Controllers can now be connected to layouts for testing easily with my new powerbox. 

Finally built a Mine Hutch from Harecroft.

 

A mock Georgean house from a Hornby kit. 

After two attempts, I built a Cooper Craft Provendor wagon kit. 

And finally, there was a trio of 3-wheel Japanese plastic kit vehicles. 

Apart from that, there isn't much more to show. No boats, no non-work layouts or even a new model locomotive to show for the last year. 

Digging back, I see a lot of months where the posts have gone out, but there isn't anything resembling a project. Part of me is quite impressed with myself that I can generate content - only six days this year have been missed - out of thin air! 

One area that has improved is taking trips out. I've visited plenty of events this year, and even managed a quick trip abroad, and that is a good thing. I love getting out an about, meeting people who read this blog, or my stuff on the page. It brings me alive and restores some of my enthuaism for modelling. If I've chatted to you in 2022, thanks very much. 

None of this has helped my "modelling mojo" much I'm afraid to say. Projects still call out to me, and I've added a few to the stash, but once there, the enthusiasm wanes and I don't get around to any of them. Hopefully, I can lift myself out of this over the next 12 months. It's not like I don't want to build things, just that there is always another deadline looming. You can tell you are a writer, apparently, because you simply can't not write. Modelling is the same. I remember grabbing any odd moments for a little progress, because I couldn't not grab them. That feeling hasn't been there for a while. 

I know, stop moaning Parker, plenty of people are worse off. 

Ho hum. Let's see how it goes. In the meantime, thanks for reading the blog over the last year, and please carry on doing so over the next one. And if you see me at a show, come over and have a chat.