An internet enquirer recently asked me what I did for a living, when I was not making models. The answer is - make models! This is my profession, my job, and it pays the bills.
When I was six, my grandad bought me my first 'Fixit' kit, a 1:600 scale Airfix Destroyer. I was hooked. At 2 shillings for an Airfix kit in a bag and sixpence for a tin of paint, I could do a lot of damage for five bob! As I got older, I did develop the occasional tangential interest in the opposite sex, and cars, as men will, but models have been the one consistency in my life. Usually model-building and women do not go well together - something about the dust and the bits of sprue that end up in a shoe, and the glue on my clothes. Women want ALL your time and attention, and I have another mistress.
My wife, however, is different. She does not consider my model-building to be her arch-nemesis. In her view, when I'm working, she knows exactly where I am. I am allowed to rub down joints and seams in the living room, on the settee, whilst watching TV. She is a woman to be worshipped and cosseted. She has just got her degree, First Class with Honours, and I have been able to reward her support for me with the same encouragement and belief in her.
This year, for the first time, I have moved into a room which is purpose-designed for model-building, with an array of work benches and light points, and endless storage for books and equipment. I am a lucky man.
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