The Other Model Village

These are a couple of pics of my minature model of Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield, England. The figures dotted about representing visitors & workmen are 12mm (1/2 inch) tall - so you can see how small it is.

Bekonscot was the first model village in the world and was my inspiration to try building one of my own. It's a really cool place - go have a look at the link to their site.

I had a visitor one day who lives in Beaconsfield. She was highly amused to see that she'd come halfway around the world to see a picture of her next-door neighbours! Small world sometimes.

cheers

Here's Today's Progress

(it's wet & I'm staying home by the fire).

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Devescovi's House

Here's a new pic I just received today - well, it's not new, obviously - Waiuta died 56 years ago - but it's new to me. This is from an angle that i've never seen before.

And - another house still to model. Thanks Les.

cheers

Ghost Town Ball

(Newspaper Advert)

GHOST TOWN BALL
at Waiuta
Saturday November 10 (1951)

At the old Miner's Union Hall
the remaining residents of Waiuta
extend a cordial invitation
for you to be their guest
at the last round up in Waiuta.
Buffet Savoury Supper
Light refreshments
A ton of fun
No charge for admission.

"Waiuta on Saturday night,(10/11/1951), bore anything but the appearance of a ghost town. It was thronged with hundreds of people from all parts of the West Coast who accepted the invitation to attend its "social liquidation".

Visitors were accorded the freedom of the town and had only to find their own transport to the township, where a final ball was held in the Miners' Hall, scene of many festive occasions within the settlement. Hundreds of people crammed all available buses and cars going to Waiuta and many were left behind.

Even non-dancers, young and old, made their farewell visit and accepted the hospitality of the remaining residents who had prepared the event.

Waiuta's dancing days are over, but its social life ended on a night that rivalled or even outshone the functions of its past years."



This is Roy Ennor - he was there, along with about 600 others.



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Okay - Now it's Later

As ever, had some interesting visitors today. This is one of them - Jill Pankhurst, nee Eklund, who grew in up Reefton in the same era as me. I haven't seen her for 40 years, so that was very, very cool. Great to see you & reminisce on our home town, Jill.

This handsome boy is a regular visitor - no.1 Grandson, Kyle. This is his castle and the army that he made to defend it. We do seem to have an awful lot of castles at the moment.


And, that's all.

cheers

No Post Today

Too busy. Maybe later.

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Boys!

Some time ago now, my wife had a barbeque at On Yer Bike for all the families who had been through her parenting course. Each family that came was supposed to bring a gnome or a fairy for Gnomeland.

All the wee boys brought wizards & dragons & dinosaurs because fairies were not going to happen.

This is the toy castle that we built to put the wizards and dragons on.


Shon, (on the left) and Connor came to the village today. There's a big heap of bricks that need moving, so i got them to build another castle (and, incidentally, move the bricks). This is the result.


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Reefton People

This is very, very cool - if i do say so myself. The buildings are the Waiuta mine buildings. The ghost-boy on the seat, (if you can see him), is me at about 15. Sandra - an old, old friend, photoshopped it. Very cool.


The guy in the cap is Rob Brown, he lived in Reefton for 3 years. The other is Lex Blackadder - he's lived there forever. Lex was the local plumber so he knows Reefton well.


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Bluddy Weather!

We've had sun. We've had rain. And then, for a change, we had wind - lots of wind, tearing rooves off houses & things. I HATES wind!

Every time i think that everything's all safe and well screwed down, along comes a wind & shows that "Oh, no you haven't!"


This is Kaz who does NOT like having photos taken. I think i need a faster camera.


Cheers

Visitors on a Wet Day

It rained today - a lot! Well, we do live in a rain-forest. Despite this we still had lots of visitors - 28 humans, 12 pukekos and (thankfully, unsuccessfully) half a dozen sheep - they are not welcome but they still keep trying to get in.

The pukekos are in the first photo - they're the black blobs in the background. They wouldn't let me get any closer with the camera. Pukekos are native birds - sort of a swamp hen. They don't do any damage but they do tend to poo everywhere. They don't stay on the paths either - but that's probably a good thing with the poos and everything.

Did you know that if you click on a blog photo it brings up a bigger image? well, now you do.

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Easter Sunday

Brilliant sunny day today and a holiday weekend - we had lotsa visitors these are some of them.

The couple standing in the Reefton village are Trixie & Ivan Reardon from Takaka - They used to own the Rat-trap which was famous landmark NZ pub that burnt down a while ago.

The family with 2 year old twins are Israelis - i didn't get their names. We don't see many people from Israel, so that was good.

The Maoris weren't visitors, they live here now in the mini-Marae.

And, that's all.

cheers

Waiuta People

Had some very interesting visitors to the village yesterday. (They're all interesting but some are even more so). Alec Goodmanson, (that's him in the pic), and his wife, Sandra. Alec lived in Waiuta as a boy from 1948 to 1951 and he had some great recollections of living there.

Incidentally, he also said that in later years he worked in the Strongman Mine and knew a great character there - a miner who lost a foot in a mine accident. He said that his name was Jack Saxon and did i know of him? I do know Jack actually - i married his daughter. Like they said - New Zealand's a village sometimes.

The other pic is of the entrance to the track up to the village. People are still saying that they don't know which way to go. Short of smacking them over the head with the sign, i don't know how to make it any more obvious.

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Benjii Saves the day

Yay! We've now got a photo from that blasted video of the Prime TV crew because Ben got a 'still' off the video - isn't he a cleva boy then!

The other photo is of Ben, of course - saving himself from an embarrassing moment while he was moving the pot plants etc around.

Hey Ben. Thanks for that.

cheers

Act Naturally

"They're going to put me in the movies" - Well, on the tele actually.

A film crew from Prime TV came and filmed in the village yesterday. It was for a travel programme called Destination New Zealand, and it should be shown in NZ in 2 or 3 months time - overseas after that. Very cool.

I was going to be very cunning and clever and was going to put a pic of the film crew on here - but i can't because i'm a complete and utter klutz and instead of taking photos i had the camera on the 'video' function. Ah well. We live & learn - slowly.

NEway - the top pic is of the Reefton models, of course. I once had a guy there who built the real war memorial - (the little white cenotaph) - he said that my model was not bad, but i haven't put the names on it! He can come back and do that, any time he likes.

The other pic is in Top Road (main street), Waiuta. I love the wee boy talking to the policeman - he's got a slingshot hidden behind his back. The police Station - directly behind the cop - is one of the few remaining buildings in Waiuta today. It's now Tim White's holiday home.

The 'Cop Shop' was actually the first Waiuta building that i did a model of. We've come a long way since then - now 255 buildings (if you include dunnies) and counting.

And - now we'll post it. Hopefully.

cheers