Another Bank Holiday

So, how's the long Christmas weekend going?  Apparently this is Monday.  Having had what felt like two consecutive Sundays, (although one was actually a Saturday flying under false colours), I've been feeling somewhat disorientated.  Mind you, today being a bank holiday made it feel like yet another Sunday - and there's another bank holiday tomorrow.  It's all very confusing. Of course, being a man of leisure, all these public holidays should make no difference to me, but there's no doubt that they do feel different. Not only have we had forty eight hours when just about everywhere stayed closed, today most people were still off work and a lot of shops stayed closed or, at the very least, closed early.  I only know about the situation with the shops as I actually ventured out of the house today, for the first time in two days.  Ostensibly it was to buy a newspaper, but I also had to pick up some more Lemsip, (or rather whatever cheaper 'own brand' equivalent I could find), to help combat the cold I've been nursing since Christmas Eve.  I thought that I had seen the worst of it off through the power of alcohol, but I had a largely sleepless night last night thanks to the sudden appearance of some bad nasal congestion.  (Not to mention indigestion, but that was entirely my own fault - far too many sausage rolls, mince pies and the like).

If nothing else, the sleepless night gave a chance  to read through a good part of my Christmas present to myself: a 1983 edition of 'How To Go Railway Modelling' by Norman Simmons.  This was originally published back in the early seventies and, for many years, was something of a 'bible' for anyone interested in building a model railway.  It was revised and updated many times over the years.  I remember borrowing copies of the early editions from my local library when I was a kid - it was very influential on my early attempts to build layouts.  Anyway, it has been a long, long time since I read any edition of the book, so I decided to see if I could obtain a copy - it turned out that there are quite a few out there with online booksellers.  I got mine from a place in Cambridge at a very good price and in excellent condition.  While largely a nostalgia trip for me, the book has turned out still to be informative and quite fascinating.  Once I've finally stirred myself to finish clearing stored rubbish from my spare room and start expanding my layout, I'll hopefully be able to start putting into practice some of the stuff from the book.  Once again, it is a case of the best Christmas present being the one I bought myself - it is a practice I thoroughly recommend, as you always get what you want.