Went with the expectation of an arduous journey as the AA had flagged roadworks for about half the distance, but in the end sailed through with just a few miles of speed limits. Arrived at 11am an got a space straight away ( a lesson there).
Don't think I stopped chinwagging from the moment I arrived until leaving - even on the way back to the car. Seems like the flood story had gone before me and in some cases grown to epic, almost biblical proportions (no, we actually only saved just the one cat and three goldfish)
Lots of recon for Basilica - Andy Beaton's class 209 coffeepot is a peach, and his latest GE wagons and NPCS will all find a home here too. I also handed him a GA for the 0-4-4T configuration of the 140 class which is in the works. Also pleased to see an chassis kit for the Slater's Midland 0-4-4T to convert it to one of the later series - perfect for me!
Long chat with Danny Pinnock @ D&S ("I saw you on the telly!"... "I thought I was safe hiding behind the fire engine!") - his GWR kits are definitely now back in the range for keeps - horseboxes N4, N8 and N11 along with the OCT Scorpion. Drooled over the GER clerestory 50' bogie coach - I can just about justify one or two. Oh yes!
Saw John Riley of Finescale who gave me a new big red box and bag of screws & bits & pieces for a job which had all succumbed to the floodwaters. Top chap wouldn't take a penny for them, and we swapped horror stories.
I've got another couple of paint jobs to do for Jim @ Connoisseur once I'm up and running again, and the word I heard from the Gladiator stand (not Geoff) was that negotiations were underway.
I had plenty of opportunities to really spend hard, but decided against it for now - no point adding to the chaos pro temp. I did however pick up an old Oldbury kit for a Midland Dia.379 Meat Van from the E&T stand. The proprietor of SM Models, in his wisdom, decided to delete these from his range along with the Dia.424 Corpse Van and Dia.399 Horsebox just before he died, despite being one of his best sellers (!) and and his widow doesn't know what's happened to the artwork or the masters. Trevor & Mercian has a copy of the Oldbury artwork as he produces all three in 4mm, and with a bit of encouragement from moi has now agreed to reintroduce them in 7mm - good man! Nevertheless I now have two, so one will be finished with 3' 1" wheels in goods grey and the other with 3'7" wheels in fully lined crimson.
Good to meet up some familiar faces and put forum names to some new ones. All in all a grand day out, Gromit.