The Completed Brake Van and 1st Train Driving Lesson

The Brake Van is Rolled Out of the Unit.

Once the paintwork was completed Keith and Roger wheeled the rebuilt brake van out of the unit to return it to the track.

A Little Assistance to Return to the Track.

Muscle power alone was not enough to get it back up the slope and onto the track.

The Final Touches.

Once back onto the track a few final touches were done to complete the rebuild. The brake van looks very smart in it's new livery.

The Finished Van Joins the Train.

All finished the brake van joins the 2 new wagons they rebuilt to form a very smart looking train already for service.

Engine Driving Instruction.

Roger then showed Keith how to drive his engine. He enjoyed the opportunity to actually get to drive it. He is looking forward to taking it for a complete circuit once he and Roger have rebuilt the track which has got damaged.

Keith's 1st Solo Journey.

New Gaskets Arrive.

The 3 New Gaskets.

The new gaskets arrived yesterday. This is one set, there is a second set which Keith will keep in a safe place, but hopefully we won't need them. We are just waiting for the liners to be completed, which should be in 2 weeks time. So all is going well with the engine rebuild.

Hadar's new crew member.

My Name is Marmite, and I am Very Pretty.

Hello, my name is Marmite and I have found a new home on this boat called Hadar. It has 2 large monsters called Keith & Jo that look after me and feed me and play with me. There is a 3rd scary monster called Paddy, I think he wants to eat me! But I make myself bigger and hiss at him, that seems to scare him.

I Like to Play.

I like to play with my ball and crumpled up paper. I chase them up and down the floor. I pounce on them and kill them.

This is a Strange Sort of Mouse.

The big monster said something about a mouse in this thing. I can't find it, but I will keep an eye on it.

You Can't Really See Me Hiding Here.

There are many places to explore and to hide behind. The big monsters keep finding me and picking me up and putting me back on the floor. This is a great game to play.

So Much to be Explored in My New Home.

Stone Food and Drinks Festival.

One advantage of us still being in Stone is the fact that we got to enjoy the Food and Drinks Festival again this year, we were unable to bring Hadar down to the site, but will be making every effort to bring her down to the festival next year.

The high street in Stone was absolutely jam packed with people who were enjoying the Farmers Market which is in Stone on the first Saturday of every month, and very good it is too. There is plenty of choice when it comes to local produce. It is probably one of the best Farmers Markets in the country.

It was nice to see the Stoke-on-Trent IWA stall here again, and the infamous nail game was taking place.

For the first time the Gourmet Food Marquee was in Westbridge Park only a couple of minutes stroll from the high street. The marquee housed over 60 stands with exhibitors giving samples and tasters and selling their produce from across the country all under cover, incase the weather should change. Fortunately the weather was very kind to the festival and they had a weekend of excellent weather. We spent Saturday walking around the marquee enjoying some of the wonderful foods and drinks on offer. Everything from nuts and organic foods to meat and drink. It was a taste sensation and well worth the £2.50 entrance fee.

It was wonderful to see so many people turning out for such a well organised event, the organisers did a fantastic job. It must have been a huge amount of work for them all. We know that on the two weeks prior to the event they were having to turn people away who were requesting stalls, as they could not take anymore.

As we came through the enterance we were greeted by live music, and many outdoor stalls of French produce. There was also plenty of places to get a coffee and seating for those with tired feet.

Inside the Marquee we were spoilt for choice of things to try. We were drawn to the wines and cheeses. We bought some lovely cheeses from Premier Welsh Hampers, which included Apricot and Brandy mmmmm.

Cenarth Brandi Brav
Mature cheese with Apricots and Brandy. Ideal with sweet biscuits.
In all we bought 3 cheeese from the stall, and will enjoy them with crackers or shortbread.

Cothi Valley Goats.

I have never tried Goats cheese before, so this was a good opportunity. My favourite was goats cheese with chives, and yes you guessed it we bought some. I reckon it will go nice on toast. Cothi Valley Goats, are located in the village of Talley Wales, on Cilwr farm. If you have never tried goats milk or cheese, believe me it is well worth a go.

Celtic Country Wines.

So of course once we had our cheese, we needed the wine to go along with it. Celtic Wines are made in the Teifi Valley, one of the most picturesque in Wales and the envy of salmon and trout fishermen throughout the Country. We got talking to Keith on the stall and just had to have a taste of a few of the wines, and they were so good that we bought 2 bottles of his finest wines.

Elderflower and Apple Wine, Ginger Wine and Mediaeval Mead Wine The oldest alcoholic drink favoured by kings and knights in bygone days, so looks like we will be having our very own private cheese and wine party.

We also tried Olives, which I have to say are not for me although Keith did like them.

This year there were also three celebrity TV chefs on each day. Mary Berry, Paul Rankin, and James Tanner. I was able to see James Tanner on Sunday as I was asked to take some photographs by the orgrnaiser of the festival for future promotions. Again a very well organised event for ticket holders only. Each chef gave two demonstrations a day in the Trentham Estate sponsored kitchen in the Crown Hotel. James Tanner was Sundays Chef, he is the youngest chef to appear on Ready Steady Cook, it was a pleasure to stand and watch him entertain the people in the room.

James was cooking something splendid with chocolate. I was lucky to actually meet James later in the day in the high street, and I can say he is as nice off the TV as he is on it.

If this years festival is anything to go by, next years will be fantastic, so remember to keep the beginning of October free, you will not be disappointed.