Vertical Slating Damp Wall

We have been in our house six and half years during that time I have painted the bathroom wall at least four times due to a damp wall. The outside wall is marlin brick corners and stone walls, with it being south west facing it gets hammered by the wind and rain. The bigger wall had been rendered all over before we moved in we do not like the wall rendered in fact had damp problems with that but managed to seal it with a water repellent. I noticed in the area a lot of  south west walls had been vertical slated. I did have some old Welsh purples left over from when we had the roof done so you will see that the bond is different up to the wall. I then purchased Brazilian graphite grey 20 x 10 slates and a 20 foot roll of 7 inch lead that was a shock with the price £54+VAT. The builders in the area charge up to £180 a day so by working off a ladder and not having scaffold I saved well over £1,500 pounds. I worked all week in 70f plus heat which was really draining to the body I was coming in having a bath then sitting down with a cold beer. We have had rain today so it was nice seeing the rain run down the slates. Because of the rain I have worked indoors and sealed the wall again with a damp proof paint just to make sure! will be hopefully painting it again and leaving the pictures on the wall this time! in the afternoon did the housework it is now coming up to 17.15pm and the sun has come out again.

Puffing Billy Railway

 Diesel engine 

 As it was 

 The long building has gone & now a car park!

 Only one building left here now 

 Station still the same today

 How it would have looked in it's heyday

Our local village had a thriving steam railway and station before the Beeching Axe was swung into axing 4,000 route miles in 1966 and a further 2,000 miles by the end of the 1960's. Our station used to employ 25 railway men who would be shunting engines around unloading the milk wagons and loading up the trains with fresh strawberries for London. It was excellent transportation around the South West. The ex track is now called the Tarka Trail & used by bikes & walkers. Tarka Trail

Tarka Valley Railway Group had an open day as they are hoping to extend the track from the station down to the first railway bridge, just recently the owner of the station has sold his business and thankfully a local charity has purchased the site and will be working with the railway group to move forward to complete their dream of getting the station & line working again even if on a small scale to what it was.

I was thrilled to see a full scale model of  what the station would like in it's heyday because being a newbie to the area (6 years) I have not seen it as it was. I love to see the skill & workmanship put into model railways the scenery was stunning. It took the guy three years to complete the set up it was so nice asking him questions about his work and seeing the station with buildings and what they were used for.