Not been around here much this last two days. The sister of my friend who died of cancer just before Christmas summoned me to Glasgow to collect the model railways which he had instructed her before he died should be passed to me. I arrived at his house and collected lots of bags and boxes. I said she must be sad to see them go and she bravely said well they weren't her toys. I've been unpacking this stuff last night and today and oh what memories. Lots of toys which we used to play with in my pal's playroom when we were youngsters, toy trains, cars, farm animals, and all the accessories to go with them. We would occasionally swop toys so a few of these even belonged to me many years ago. He had packed everything away carefully when his mother died and the family home was sold. He had moved these things to the little flat nearby where he lived alone. Items were still wrapped in old newspapers. Maybe he hoped one day to marry and have a family and a larger house where these toys would come back into use. His sister said he would throw nothing away and his dying wish was that I should look after these items and not sell them but make use of them. A few of the little houses and cars can go onto my model railway and some of the trains are compatible with mine and can run on my layout, but now I need more space where I can display most of this stuff as he would have wished. I'll be selling a few large but low value items from my own collection to make some more space. My friend was deeply religious and I will definitely find a space on my model railway for his fine model church.