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Hi Robert and welcome!  I'm sorry for your loss.....it sounds like you had an amazing Dad!  Reading between the lines, especially given the fact that you're far from an only child, I reckon that your Mum has chosen for these to go to you because she knows that you'll respect them and the memories attached to them.  Have confidence in your mum's choice - she knows you all as no one else does.  You can only do one thing at a time and sometimes when it's all a little overwhelming, we do need to focus on one thing rather than trying to think of it as a whole.  I would also really enlist the help of your girls - let it be a family project and encourage them to have a say.  By the sounds of it, your father would appreciate his grandbabies having a say in his beloved houses.

Fantastic!!  So important to have good lighting!

One of my sister's did the same thing.  Given that HER children and my oldest sister's children are all essentially adults now she decided that we'd stop buying for that generation.  At the time my kids were still 15 & 17 (or 14 & 16) and I did have a bit of a go.  So I bought presents for all of their kids until then (the oldest was about 27 at the time) and yet mine would miss out?  I mean, it's not the presents - we can give our kids plenty, it was more the way she did it.  So then she reminded me this year about a month ago about the no presents thing, then two weeks ago said that she was sending up a parcel.  I queried it - I thought we weren't giving gifts?  She came back with 'Oh, I've made something for you all'.  So sure enough the parcel arrived with 'family' gifts.  My niece had her first baby 12 weeks ago and I have presents for her, plus I've put together little things for my niece and sisters and of course something lovely for my Mum.  It doesn't feel right not to!  It's not like we have a massive family - but we live a plane ride away and I really don't know her boys overly well.  In fact when we were down there to see my Mum and meet my new great niece a month or so ago, the boys didn't even bother talking to my kids!  Ah well.....families.... Miranda that cathedral is gorgeous!!!! Keith mate......glad it wasn't worse!! Jeannine - enjoy your trip with your family - I hope you don't overdo things, but that you still have an amazing time. We are celebrating Christmas as a family this year on Sunday 16th.  We'll pick up my Uncle from his retirement home (almost a 2 hour round trip), bring him home for the day and take him back later.  Plus we have very dear friends coming and our nephew (from my husband's side) and his girlfriend.  Then next Thursday my baby boy....16 1/2 yr old Jack, flies out to Rome via Hong Kong with his Venturer Scouts group.  They're away for 6 weeks.  They spend Christmas and New Years at the International Scout Centre in the Swiss Alps!  His first white Christmas - something none of us have experienced.  Then they go to Luxembourg, Paris and on to England for the rest of their trip.  I must admit to being very teary about this now.  Every time I think about him going so far away for so long I feel ill.  It's an incredible opportunity for him and he has worked hard to save for the trip this year.  It'll be an amazing experience and he will come home changed - hopefully in a positive way, certainly in a more independent way.  But he's my boy.....My 18 1/2 yr old daughter, Caitlin, is off down to another city for a week over New Years to visit with friends who came and camped in our back yard last summer.  So we'll have the house to ourselves for a week - completely unheard of.  I'm so going to miss my kids. Meantime our business's Christmas 'do' this Friday - it'll be Caitlin's first ever 'work do'!!!

Aw what a cool story Jeni!  I put together a basic Barbie sized house for my daughter when she was about 6.  I had to build it on Christmas Eve - I was inside doing that and my husband was outside working on a mini motorbike for our son.  My daughter actually got me into miniatures a few years ago.  She's 18 now but back then she found the little 1:24 Chinese kits which, despite most of the instructions being in Chinese, were challenging but huge fun.  I was hooked!  Daughter is too busy now to do much, she has her own hobbies which include Cosplay etc but she's an electrical engineering apprentice so works full time.  I wish we'd started when she was 13 it would have been so much fun to have done a big project together!  We home educated and crafting has always been a big thing in our household!  Have fun and do realise that at times, it will be frustrating!

WOW!  He was majorly committed!  In my family carpentry goes back about 4 generations.  My grandfather who passed in 1947, worked building field hospitals in WWII.  My Uncle (my mum's only brother) has been a sort after carpenter most of his life - working on the old houses in the city doing restoration work.  I wonder sometimes if that's where my love of wood has come from - certainly one of my favourite things to do in minis is woodworking.  My dad had just started getting into woodturning as he started his retirement before he passed suddenly at 64. When I searched your kit I came across some directions for the kit - but assuming you'll have those?

Thanks all.  I bought wigging from Sherri when I bought Val and Norm as kits.  Their hair is okayish......but of course Master Raymond is all about the 'powdered wig'!  After having a look at Carrie's blog and the video I actually could enjoy the challenge....maybe..... Thanks!  I think it'll work too!!  Certainly the closest I've seen at this point....

We bought a 3D printer as a Christmas present for the kids a few years ago.  We've had mixed results from it.  It wasn't the best back then and technology moves forward so quickly so even the cheap ones of today are probably better than the one we have!  So saying Jack has made some amazing things with it and I've had a go at a few miniatures!  It really is amazing how quickly technology grows and changes!  Even the thought that there was no Youtube before 2005 and when the kids first wanted to go on I wouldn't let them as I didn't trust it!  Yeah, my Dad would have been so interested in my mini hobby.....

As so many have already said, I've really missed you around here as well and have been thinking of you!  I do wish you'd had better news for me - however a 'heads up' is a good thing and hopefully we can counter some of the issues you have mentioned with the forewarning.  Meanwhile - what a bugger about your hands!  I'm glad you're still up to typing - because it really is lovely to hear from you.   I hope you get the answer you need from Santa - maybe the insurance will cover the chimney damage if you get a confession from him? Don't be a stranger - but if you're not back on before, Merry Christmas!  Enjoy that turkey! xxx