We’ve had another mixed day here at Bigland Towers. This morning Dawn was off to Manchester for a meeting with various Community Rail friends and colleagues regarding the history of the movement and an ambition to establish an archive relating to it. I’d had half a mind to pop over to Manchester too, but a glance at the weather forecast told me I’d be wasting my time. So, whilst Dawn was off on her travels I played the homebird! Talk about role-reversal…

My day flew by. After spending much of the morning researching stuff for my next RAIL article I closed down the computer to change roles and indulge in some DIY. I’ve been boarding out the cottage’s loft to add some (much-needed) storage space, but it’s a dirty, cramped job due to the condition of the loft and lack of space and the ‘interesting’ items you find. Dawn bought the cottage off a policeman many years ago, her view of the guardians of law and order has been ‘colourful’ ever since. In essence, said boy in blue had bodged just about everything in the property before putting it on the market. The place is a bloody minefield! Over the years I’ve managed to sort out many of his short-cuts and fakery but the loft space was always ‘out of sight, so out of mind’. Not any more. I’ve almost finished it, I just require a few more boards to cover the last couple of meters but the amount of crap, soot, rubble and other detritus I’ve removed that was hidden under rockwool has been amazing.

Having acquitted myself honorably on the DIY front I grabbed a shower then headed off for a walk and a pint, calling in at our local, the Big 6 for a ‘swifty’. I hardly recognised the place. A film company are taking over for the day tomorrow to shoot a new Alan Bennett screenplay called ‘The Choral’. It’s set in 1916, so the ‘Six’ was deemed ideal, well, once anything that didn’t fit the period was removed! That’s included everything off the walls and picture rail – and almost everything behind the bar – including optics, spirits and glasses! Meanwhile, the nearby road has been coned off for all the crew trailers and technical kit to arrive and the front and back of the pubs been swathed in scaffolding to install the blackout curtains which will turn day into night. And all this for one day’s filming! Here’s a few pictures as an illustration.

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