A zillion bricks

This is two days' work - five hundred (ish) bricks.

The camouflage paint is so you get a more realistic/patchy show through between the bricks - like real mortar.

If you don't know about these bricks they are Richard Stacey's versi-bricks and I love them (and the roof slates).  Go and have a look at my Bentleys blog for the finished version in red brick and grey slate.  

This time I went for a change and took the buff mixed brick and a red tile for the roof, so we'll see how that looks when I have finished.

If you are a total eejit like me you will take care to write a reminder to yourself not to stick the windows,  doors and trims in place before you do the bricks and then you forget to read it!!!  It makes for exceedingly slow progress when you have to make a zillion little cut-outs to go around all kinds of shapes..... as many as eight per window!!  This is an L-shaped one being fitted around a quoin.

One niggly problem was that the two shop doors continually swing open in both directions so I fitted a real working sliding bolt.... don't you just love it!

Don't worry about the wonky handle - they are wonky because one of them snapped in two when gluing it in place and I didn't notice!! They are going to be replaced.

The new glazing is all in place stuck in with nigh on invisible 'rocket glue'.  An easy - sorry if it is obvious - way to cut out glazing is to make a cardboard or paper template - fit it a few times to be sure it is just right, put it under the perspex and cut the plastic with a sharp knife.  

You are also left with great templates should you wish/need to replace the windows further down the line - assuming you have somewhere to keep them and be able to remember you have them.... I am saying nothing!

On a different theme - I am running little snippets for the magazine about favourite tools, storage, bargains, mistakes and favourite kit; this is what we got this week which seems to flit between storage and kit. 

I bought the Expedit trolley a while ago and at the time also bought the casters which we duly took back when I discovered they had cost me £16!!  This is from Ikea, so was unexpected to say the least.  I know, I know why didn't I look at the price in the store .... well I sort of did and thought they were £8 - that turned out that was the price for two and Ken quite rightly picked up the four needed, hence £16.

So time goes on and I am working on Chocolat and I get very frustrated by the endless tugging the house about to get to various aspects of it.  I finally broke down and thought if I do put wheels on the trolley I can shift that round rather than the house or pull it into the centre of the room and work around it if needs be before putting it back away against the wall.  It will be especially good for the wiring, yet to come, and the building of the false rooms at the back.  Probably worth stumping up the extra in terms of long-term building trolley.