Here goes - the Diamond Railroad!

Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted one. But I was a girl. And I don't think my Christmas requests were taken that seriously by Santa. For a while, I conformed to stereotype and tried to get excited about Sindy and Tressy dolls (Tressy was the one whose hair grew when you pushed a giant button on her stomach), but my interest in them lasted just a few weeks. Then I was back, in my cousin's playroom, standing enviously in the corner as he showed off his steam train that burped giant puffs of smoke when you put a special pellet in its chimney.

Sadly, they don't make those anymore.

But hey, I can still build my dream model railway.

I've been thinking and planning all weekend. In the end, at about two in the morning, I thought - why not build it now? Right now - to give me an idea of what it could look like?

So I started cutting up cardboard boxes - and I came up with this - a miniature version, in cardboard and pink tissue paper, of my ideal layout.

Now to go out, buy some wood for a baseboard, and build the real thing.

Watch this space.