Two decades of my rambling! That's an awful lot of posts, 7137 to be precise. Lots of words, quite a few misspelt, but hopefully, plenty of inspiration along the way.
2025 saw me add another 365 to the list, according to Blogger. Did I really manage an entire year without a break? It seems unlikely, but we can't argue with computers.
Stats, according to Google Analytics, are 380 visitors a day. Statcounter says 343 - take your pick, but both are up on last year. I wonder if AI spiders are busy reading this stuff and messing with the numbers? If so, then I worry for the state of that industry!
Advertising is still hopeless, but then Google controls this, and unsurprisingly, doesn't want to tilt things in favour of content creators. Fortunately, I'm not in the game of chasing numbers, but talking to those who do, it's a real worry. It would still be nice if you clicked on the adverts occasionally though.
The usual project recap. Garratts, railcars etc. that are briefly mentioned each year have made no progress, nor has the Beetle. This might change. My sister bought me membership of the Classic VW Owners Club, and I'm hoping they can give me a lead on someone to do the work.
Talking of Beetles, this year's big project was a Tamiya Sand Scorcher.
I really enjoyed this project - a dream build I've wanted to do for many years. The finished model looks fantastic, and works well too.
Apart from this, I built a Brandbright wagon kit.
The project could have stalled for want of wheels, but thanks to a couple of generous offers, I was soon back on track (pun intended as always).
One I had forgotten, a cheap plastic kit Mini, that found a home on my NG7 layout.
My 16mm scale goods train was completed by a Woodleigh Engineering flat wagon.
In 4mm scale, there was a Ratio SR van kit.
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The problem is that I'm so busy with work, that I don't have the time or enthusiasm for personal projects. I work, and then want to slump. According to ChatGPT, this is burnout, but working out how to tackle it is proving challenging. Not least because there is a part of my brain that considers beating myself up like this, something to be proud of! This is, apparently, a common symptom too. To be honest, without this blog, I'm not sure if I'd ever get anything done. The desire to generate posts forces me to do things that I enjoy, once I get started.
Anyway, off the workbench, I need to mention a bit of travelling.
First up, a city break to Lisbon.
Here, I rode the wonderful tramcars, and also all but the most modern funiculars. A fascinating place, that I want to revisit one day with my camera. Those four-wheel cars creeping around narrow streets and up and down hills, are simply amazing, and so photogenic. (Photos here)
Then it was time for the Isle of Man,
Yes, it was the enthusiasts' week, but that just means lots of weird trains to ride, and a chance to go behind the scenes. Mind you, whisper it, but the highlight was the Southern Agricultural Show! (Photos here)
Finally, a solo trip to Germany to tick off a couple of major transport features. First, the Harz mountain railways.
Lovely, but I enjoyed watching the trains more than riding on them. Mind you, the model village was an added bonus. (Photos here)
The real highlight was a day on the Wuppertal monorail. Proper bucket list material!
From the moment I spotted one of the stations from the train I arrived on, I was excited. This is one of those trips I never thought I'd actually do. And I did it! (Photos here)
So, what does 2026 hold? I'd like to think that my mojo will return and I'll make a dent in the project pile, but I doubt I'll even scrape the surface of that lot. It's odd, but I've never bought a kit, or acquired a project, and not believed I'll one day get around to it. But then, when I'm wondering what to do next, very rarely does anything leap out at me with the same intensity I felt when adding it to the pile in the first place.
Hopefully, I will keep blogging, and you will keep reading. Thanks to everyone who has followed my lack of progress this year. Wish me luck for the next one!
