And This Is A Model Railway And A Half...!!
This sign says it all... and I make no apologies for these wonderful pictures of the
HO railway layout. (We need a bigger loft! We need a bigger garage...!) Enjoy the photographs.
Ipswich - The Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland
On another day, we drove to Ipswich (no, not all the way back to Suffolk in England!), to visit The Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland - a very impressive facility, with a wonderful model railway layout to boot. Obviously built with love and care, we appreciated the intricate timetabling and the many different areas of Queensland featured over such a large area; we wished we had a couple of days more to take it all in, but at least Wendy and I had a fine taste of what was on offer.
Wendy had been here before, and loved it; it was my first visit, and I was thrilled to discoverer what a fantastic place the Railway Workshops are!
Beyer Garratt locomotive and the manufacturer's plates:
This locomotive was commissioned in 1950, and restored in 1995.
This Class 1009 (Works No. 7349) Beyer- Garratt Locomotive was built by Beyer Peacock in in Manchester in 1950, for the Queensland Railways; it was one a batch of ten, but because there was a full order book for work in Manchester, the remaining twenty locos were sub-contracted to Franco-Belge in France.
This class of locomotive is articulated in three parts; its boiler is mounted on the centre frame, and two steam engines are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. This type of arrangement allows larger locomotives to negotiate curves and lighter rails, that could restrict large rigid-frame engines.
and compartment
Some Reflections And Memories Of Brisbane
Once we were at Perth Airport, by which time Wendy and I had started to "wend our way home," I found I was able to think back more happily and objectively about Brisbane.
Back in February, when we first arrived in Australia, we had hopes, fears and trepidation about what - if anything - we would find out about Uncle John; now, some weeks on, our memories tempered by other sights and sounds, and conversations with good friends, we can look back more pragmatically.
Brisbane was indeed sad, but interesting. I've already written about dear Uncle John, and how we managed to achieve some closure; we found good and kind people who helped us, and who will, I am sure, remain good friends. After the sad business and investigations concerning Uncle John were all concluded, Wendy and I then felt free and happy to make the most of our grand tour of Australia: seeing dear friends we hadn't met up with for years (some for as long as 23 years!) and a couple of people we had only been in touch with through phone calls, letters and e-mails, both in Brisbane and other cities; We were looking forward to meeting them face to face at last. We also saw some great sights, and re-visited a few more places we had been to before, all of which will be good to think about, and remember in the future in a very positive way.
Walking along the streets in the centre of Brisbane, we saw several birds pecking for any odd crumbs they could find; because it has become a scavenger in the city, the Australian white ibis is now also referred to as a "Bin Chicken."
They strut along the streets, and can been seen anywhere and everywhere; it made us think of the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, loathed by some people and loved by others, who happily feed them the crumbs from their sandwiches.
Whilst we were in Brisbane, we met a wonderful lady who owns and runs The Pen Shoppe, in the Brisbane Arcade. A talented calligrapher, she encourages people to create beautiful hand-written letters in elegant script.
When I was at school, I remember having books in which I could practice my writing, with guide lines to show where the tops and bottoms of looped letters should reach, and a middle section to keep the "tummies" of letters like "a", "c", "e" and "o" to the correct size and spacing; and all this using an old-fashioned "dip in" pen with a nib! At school, I must have been thought to have a steady hand, because I was one of the Ink Monitors, trusted with the task of filling up the little desk ink wells with the large bottles of Quink Ink - it was quite a responsibility.
Occasionally, a blot would fall onto the pages of the copy book; this was considered terrible! but some girls smuggled tiny bottles of Jik (a bleach) into the classroom with them, to erase carefully any such problem. One tiny drop of Jik left you with a clear white page, but of course you could not write over that area afterwards as any new writing would also disappear!
The lady in The Pen Shoppe asked me if I would write something for her, and handed me an extremely elegant fountain pen, and a sheet of paper; I was happy to oblige, and it was a real thrill to hear her say how beautiful my handwriting was. All that practice, all those years ago, has not been in vain! and is still standing me in good stead.
I wrote a Sonnet for her, "A Paean to the Pen Shoppe;" I was delighted when she said how much she liked it.
Penmanship - A Paean to the Pen Shoppe
There’s a charming lady in Brisbane
Who encourages people to write
Beautifully calligraphed missives
Each letter a cursive delight.
With a well-balanced pen ’twixt our fingers
The words flow with consummate ease
Imagination’s fired, billet-doux are inspired
With perfect messages certain to please.
For in these days of great rush and e-mails
Modern technology is put up on trial
As quantity overtakes substance
Little thought is given to style.
So just pause: take your time, and write beautiful script
That stems from a nib in flowing ink dipped!
Alexandra Wilde
March, 2024
Perth Airport - Ready For Our Night Flight To Singapore
Flying back to Singapore from Perth had meant fewer options for flights with Singapore airlines; so that we could maximise the time we had in Perth, Wendy had booked us on a flight leaving at about 1.00 a.m. Although it meant a long wait at the Airport, we thought it would be good to have the chance to enjoy an extra day in Perth, visit Mundaring Weir, look round the Mundaring Weir Hotel, and we were glad it had all gone according to plan.
Nightfall at Perth Airport
Because we had had such a long - although very enjoyable - morning and afternoon at Mundaring Weir, after arriving at the Airport we still had many hours to wait before the Singapore flight departed. With this in mind, after checking in, we thought it would be a good idea to book some time in the "Aspire" Premier airport lounge, where we'd be able to relax, have a cup of tea, and some rather nice refreshments, including things even I like to eat!
Well, it certainly was a good idea, but when we first checked into the lounge, I was so weary, and - (I will admit it!) - quite tetchy; I'd already had enough of waiting for our flight, and there were still hours to go before we could get on board. Where we first sat down, the air-conditioning was blowing really strongly; I don't like such a cold air blowing on my head, and I said so, quite firmly. We tried a couple of other double booth positions, but it seemed all the vents were on full blast, and I really wasn't in the mood to put up with it. After about four moves of trial and error in different places in the lounge, we finally landed in a position deep into the lounge, at the back, where there were sofas (not just chairs) and tables and, thank goodness, we were out of range of the chill.
Soothed by a gentle piece of wall art behind us, at last I could settle down happily, whilst Wendy went off to get us the complimentary teas, etc. to which we were entitled. Whilst she was choosing the food and something to drink, the hostess who was still on desk duty checking people in and out of the lounge saw Wendy and came over to talk to her. I think she probably thought I was a virago of a mother - (I could almost hear her unspoken words to Wendy: "You poor thing, having to cope with her!") - because she was extremely sympathetic to Wendy, and said reassuringly: "Have a drink on us...!" And she did not mean tea, but something much stronger! Well, we all know what a sweet, diplomatic, patient old dear I am... (DON'T WE?!) but Wendy certainly didn't turn the offer down, and thoroughly enjoyed a complimentary pink gin for all her pains.
In the end, we were both settled, with delicious food: there was soup, and rolls, with extra butter for me; chicken and rice (and I could have everything plain!) - it was very nice indeed, followed by a lovely selection of cakes, and tea. We both had our fill, and then - oh, the bliss - somewhere to curl up and doze on the sofas! AND we also ended up being allowed to stay there for about 4 hours, which I am sure was much longer than usual; but I also think that, apart from me being tetchy, we unwittingly flashed the age card as well, which brought kindness and understanding for the pair of us.
Thank you, Aspire Lounge!
Wendy In The Metro Blu Apartment - And A Friendly Lizard
Before checking out of our Metro Blue Apartment, we had taken a couple of photographs. Apart from one or two interesting moments at the outset, when access to the apartment proved problematic, discovering the lock to the front door had been fitted upside down, it turned out to be a very comfortable choice of accommodation.
Being so close to the Airport was also a big plus, and the large Woolworths nearby meant getting shopping was quick and easy.
Another advantage was the price. Wendy had checked other apartments in the City Centre, and they were all extremely expensive; we weren't sure why this should be so in Perth, unless it is because Western Australia is more remote than other states, but Metro Blu was comfortable, and the reception staff had been charming, kind and helpful; and Eddie the Maintenance Man deserved top marks for solving that problem with the front door!
A photo of Wendy in the Apartment - and you can see me in the mirror!
Our friendly lizard - still basking!
The Mundaring Weir Hotel
After our visit to Mundaring Weir, Wendy and I also recalled her Dad telling me about the Mundaring Weir Hotel, where he and his friends had stopped off for some refreshment; fairly basic at that time, it was run by an older gentleman who, upon hearing the English accents at the bar, said:
"Oh, you're from England! You must meet the wife... she's a POM! (Prisoner of Mother England - referring to the time when felons and other so-called "undesirable" citizens in England had been sentenced to deportation to Australia!) and he called out, "Come and meet some of your fellow countrymen!"
A minute or two later, a dear old lady came in to the bar, greeting them with a very pronounced Australian accent:
"I came out to Australia when I was a baby of 6 months... but I'll always be a POM to him!"
She remembered nothing of England! but Wendy and I remembered the story her Dad had told us, so when we took the opportunity to revisit Mundaring Weir, we also found the Mundaring Weir Hotel.
A trifle more elegant now, perhaps, than back in the 1960s, it was good to see it; and maybe the ghosts of people who have been there before us, and who had all those conversations, are still there, and pleased to be remembered: Forever relevant to modern times.
Driving back to Perth in the dusk
After spending an hour or so at the Mundaring Weir Hotel, and having had a little walk in the area around it, marvelling at the length of pipeline exposed at the start of its journey to Kalgoorlie, and disappearing into the distance, we left the Hotel and drove back to Perth. We had already checked out of the Metro Blu Apartment earlier in the morning; it had been lovely to make full use of the extra hours available before we had to check in for our flight to Singapore. This was a good day!
