As the dance culminated, Giles pulled Eli nearer until only a sliver of charged air remained between them. "Thank you, my dear, for making an old soul feel invigorated by life's possibilities once more." His words hung in the scented space between them, filling it with the promise of new depths to explore—both within themselves and the lives they would reimagine together through fresh, reinvigorated eyes.

In that moment, their dance became a passage across unexplored territory. Each measured step took them into a place of ever-closer connection, where wistful glances held entire almanacs of emotion. The music, the candlelight, the glittering ornaments, the scented air... it all conspired to weave their two paths into one shimmering, invisible, ever-tightening thread.

Giles pulled Eli nearer until they moved as one across the parquet floors. He marvelled at how her lithe frame and radiant spirit seemed to rekindle every long-forsaken dream he had abandoned with the tragedies of the passing years. Perhaps, just perhaps, opening himself to this miraculous young woman would be a lasting dream realised.

As they glided across the ballroom floor, Giles admired the way Eli imbued every movement with artistry and intention. Her lithe frame and graceful poise were those of a painter waltzing her brushstrokes across a canvas. In Eli's expressive blue eyes, Giles saw entire worlds awash with colour and passion-filled meaning. Those cerulean pools shone with the clarity of a visionary—whether sketching designs for her flourishing ad agency or capturing scenes in oils.

"Eli... you move with such effortless elegance", he murmured, drawing her subtly closer. "As if the entire ballroom is your personal studio."

Eli blushed, her cheeks taking on the delicate blush of rose petals. "Merely doing my best to match the amazing ambience. This castle, your company... it's all infused with such incredible history, I mean Atlantis, Queen-Priestesses, and romance, such romance! As if it's daring me to capture its stories through my artistic skills."

"Then perhaps that's the secret venture you and Sylvie should tackle next", Giles replied with a wry smile. "A campaign to bottle the magic of Trevelver Castle at Christmas and set it free to transform the world beyond."

They shared a conspiratorial glance, co-creators united in appreciating beauty in its myriad forms—be it the terroir of a fine vintage or the drama of chiaroscuro on a canvas. Giles knew his wines held histories ripe for the uncorking. Eli's artistic spirit seemed to possess an innate ability to plumb their depths and present them in eye-catching visual form. If only the prevailing male conservatism of the times did not prevent their chances of winning a prize at the Cannes International Advertising Festival! What a coup for two young women that would have been!

As the dance drew them seamlessly together, Giles felt the undercurrents of creative union flowing between them. United by a reverence for crafting lasting masterpieces, they had both found an unlikely muse. One that awakened the dreamers inside them. Their dance became more than steps—it became a symphony of shared aspirations, a canvas where love and art intertwined.

Despite the effortless elegance with which Eli painted and crafted designs, she could not quell the flutters in her stomach as she and Giles took their steps around the crowded dance floor. In London, the professional dance tutor Sylvia had arranged for the 'Karadow' could only instil poise to a certain extent without implicit trust in their partner—even if he was merely leading her in a formal dance.

As the soft strains of the orchestra on the stage filled the richly scented air, Eli fought the instinct to glance down, fearful of stumbling over her gown's sumptuous tail. She had faced down stressful pitches and looming deadlines at the agency without flinching. But this romantic ballet across the wooden floor made her such experiences feel like mere rehearsals for the terrors of real life.

Sensing her trepidation, Giles gave Eli's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You carry yourself like one of your beautiful paintings gracing these very walls", he murmured. "Allow the moment to be your muse, Eli. Feel the flow in your soul."

His soothing words unlocked something inside the beautiful Breton. Of course – this was simply another blank canvas awaiting her creative touch. The nerves fled as Eli envisioned herself as the brushstrokes, gliding across the floor with vibrant but controlled spontaneity.

Tilting her face, she met Giles' gaze with renewed confidence, that artistic spark he so admired flickering back to brilliant life. "Just as your favourite vineyards yield unique elegance in each bottle, so too shall we two create something memorable tonight, Giles", she promised, quickening his pulse.

As they surrendered to the swell of the music, Eli stopped overthinking each movement. Instead, she transformed the dance into an improvisational artwork, one evolving stroke at a time. Her stunning body swayed with a skilled painter's intuitive precision, every single step and flourish no longer painstakingly planned.

Stepping into the Great Hall's enchanting atmosphere, Giles felt the ageless magic of Trevelver Castle permeating his being. This was no ordinary night of celebration; it was an opportunity to unearth mysteries and find solace in Eli's conflicted but compassionate eyes. The majestic hall, with its twinkling lights and festive decorations, welcomed them with murmurs of gathered guests and strains of music—a warm embrace that enveloped them in anticipation of a truly special night.

Eli's heart fluttered as she stole a glance at Giles. His pale eyes shone with an intensity that hinted at depths she longed to explore. Moonlight rippled across the finest spun silk, beckoning them toward a shimmering destiny. In that moment, they were not just guests at a ball; they were explorers of their own hearts, ready to waltz into the unknown.

"This feels like a dream", Eli whispered, "As if we've stepped into the pages of a storybook."

Giles squeezed her hand, his touch electric. "Then let's never wake up."

An unlikely pair—the worldly-wise ex-soldier turned wine dealer and the idealistic young artist. Yet something profound had blossomed between them, an affinity that transcended well-worn paths. As they stepped onto the parquet floor, the orchestra's notes swirled around them, weaving a melody that echoed the cosmos. Giles pulled Eli close, her body moulding to his as they moved in perfect synchronicity.

With each turn, each caress of hand on waist, their connection deepened. Eli sensed a kindred longing in Giles' eyes, a desire to cast off uncertainty and forge new possibilities together. The castle's ancient stones seemed to hum with shared histories as if recognising the awakening between these two passionate souls.

Had these walls witnessed other lovers twirling in this ageless dance, their whispered promises and stolen kisses echoing through the centuries? Eli imagined the stones absorbing each breathless sigh, each heated embrace, as if the very castle was a custodian of love stories etched into the fabric of time.

The music swelled, and they surrendered to its delicate spell. They were no longer simple dancers but celestial beings waltzing on the edge of eternity. United by a passion for life's richest emotions, the striking couple moved as one against the backdrop of ancient family history.

I have always done Radio Control flight as well as "N", t'other half reckons I don't crash enough. A shed, a garage, two bedrooms and most of a loft later proves this.

Inheriting stuff from two deceased flying buddies didn't help.

"N" having been mainly on the back burner for a decade I start on "the last great N project", but where are my controllers?  In the loft is what I recall.  Can I find them?

    

OK. Now my box of scrap metal has vanished. I don't need it often but that's no excuse for it to slope off in a huff. I did find a missing book I had put on the wrong shelf, though.

Cheers ,

Chris

Today I've been 'improving' a Farish 373-076 Class 25/3... They look much better with wire cab door handrails. The photo is really cruel, though - you can see the rails are slightly different lengths! The wire is 0.23mm diam piano wire and the holes are 0.3mm diam. A length of about 4mm inside the body is simply folded flat against the inside of the body.

Wiltshire 5 Towns Area Group of the N Gauge Society, monthly meeting 25/05/2024 with some real life videos from Germany and locally from our wandering members.

Thanks
Not keen on corinne either. Bit mellow/ slow

Chris,

I only have "River" on a Herbie Hancock album called "The Joni Letters" but not overly keen on the vocalist Corinne Bailey Rae...

https://youtu.be/O1dsuUzJOBs?feature=shared

See what you think.

Cheers,

Tim

Thanks. Been sorting this most of the day mainly heritage railway websites links Nick and cutting out / editing

Martyn I hope has resolved issues. I cannot understand why the forum is not wrapping those urls. The issue is until I have posted I've not known whether the heritage railway sites showing a legitimate link uses such a long url until editing eg events at Swanage soon

It's not the links themselves that are the problem Chris, it's all the user attributes and stuff that get included. You can generally massively reduce long URLs to stop it happening.