Sounds like you got a really good deal. I've had a couple of bargains from model shops that were closing down and eBay - its astonishing the number of people that mis-spell things when they list them so I always search for items spelt wrong!

Pics Tom!!!

It's quite much stuff I've bought, just as many parts as I already had.

The bits I've got already:


And what I collected today:

That's amazing! Quite a haul, you did well.

What are the plans?

My dad's into this train stuff big time. We've got an entire room with a huge 00 layout and also a continental style n gauge one aswell. Be careful or it WILL take over your house. He's been building both for about 10 years and they are nowherenear finished.

Not much now. Just build and drive, on the dinner table. Every now and then change the tracks and drive again

When we have a house one day, with a empty room I want to make a large track with a lot of scenery. Or a track round the livingroom

Not a 2CV, but at least it's a Citroen advert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo5xM24YkRU

Anyways, it's the music... JJ Cale, wonderful.

As always, his original versions are the best. Check out 'Cocaine' before Clapton stole it and added a dreadfully misguided solo in t'middle... tsk tsk.

Any English teachers out there?

I'm several chapters in to writing my book and the writing style is much the way I would tell it if I were speaking to you, minus the Bolton accent of course. What I'm unsure of is the importance of correct grammar when writing such works.

I didn't finish my education, something that has never bothered me in the real world but once you start getting all academic these things matter - or do they? Should I be worrying about active and passive verbs, adverbs or apposites and participles?

Some may say that correct grammar and sentence construction isn't really that important these days, but I still think it is, a word in the wrong place can be devastating. Just as it's quite acceptable to prick your finger, but not to finger your prick.

Hi O-N,

Haven't been on here for a while cos I've been ridiculously busy this last month or so. Better than being bored I guess!

In answer to your questions: yes, grammar, sentence structure and spelling etc DO matter! A lot!! Without them, you won't be able to control the "voice" that is essential to writing anything. In other words, you won't gain consistency, which will make you sound erratic and will, in short, irritate your reader.
Once you have a semblence of control over the grammar, sentence structure and spelling you can then start to bend and shape things to create the effects that you want to generate in a consistent and measured way.
As an example, think of a book like "Trainspotting". It's written to give you a sense of the Edinburgh dialect. The writer's use of spelling, grammar and sentence structures break almost every rule in the (received-English) book but because they are applied consistently the effect is very strong indeed.

Believe me, for 13 years I used to get my knackers kicked every day by a very famous publisher and his running dogs to make sure that I wrote right... and it hurt!... but with hindsight they were correct to do so.

In short: it's all about control and consistency.

If you want to delve into things without getting all academic about it, analyse the style of publications that are particularly well written: The Economist (in spite of it's somewhat dodgy politics) is very good indeed. Direct, plain English, active voice etc. Allied to this, get hold of a copy of the Economist style guide. It will teach you all about how to write in an active, consistent style, but it'll do so in an entertaining yet authoritative way. The Guardian style guide is good too. These guides provide great, real-world examples that will help you to remember and apply the little rules on the fly without having to reach for the rule book every time.

Finally, get a good dictionary, and a good thesaurus. Invaluable!

Once you have these things mastered you'll be able to break every rule in the book IN ORDER TO CREATE EXACTLY THE EFFECT YOU WANT TO CREATE, so that people will understand exactly what you're saying and exactly HOW you want them to hear it... and the surprising thing about it is that once you get into it, learning about this kind of thing is really good fun (like doing a good puzzle).

Have fun.

Thank you kind Sir that's very valuable information.

Perhaps the biggest difficulty for me is in not sounding erratic, because I am erratic.
I can go from several days at 90 miles per hour, to morose and unsociable completely without warning, which puts a huge strain on the consistency front.

I remember when I returned to education later in life in order to study philosophy, my tutors would become infuriated by my essays as I refused to accept that they must begin with the formulaic "In this essay I propose to explore" type rhetoric. What made it worse is that when I asked why it must be so, they gave me the all time worst answer - "It just does, it has always been done that way".

That's just the sort of thing my dad used to say whenever I questioned anything as a kid.

"Why do I have to do XYZ dad?"
Because I say so!

Regarding the importance of consistent style, I understand what you're saying. I'm half way through reading 'Dancing Man' the story of Bez from the happy Mondays. Anyone that's actually met Bez will tell you that there's no possible way he'd be capable of writing a cheque let alone a book, so it's been ghosted for him, and the writers have mimicked his verbal delivery throughout the book.

But to be honest I'm findin' it a bit 'ard goin' as there's a top numba of liberties bein' taken an' it's doin' my box in - know what I mean?

I'm happy to learn more about written English as I always liked the subject, despite being excluded from the lessons for disruptive behaviour. I'll take a look at those publications that you mention, but in the meantime, as I'm currently in a 90mph phase I have since my last post found, downloaded, and read 'The elements of style' by the impressive sounding William J Strunk Jr.

http://www.bartleby.com/141/

That'll help, but can't see why it took the school another three years of English lessons just to tell us that info though.

I hope you're backing it all up regularly Mr Nail