Morecombe 1

 I fulfilled a long held wish on Saturday by seeing this Art Deco delight-

The Midland Hotel.

We had coffee in here before having a wander.

Close up of the ceiling.

Parcevall Hall and gardens

 Visited this lovely place yesterday-

Find out more here-      https://parcevallhallgardens.co.uk/

West

 Instead of going to Skipton via Leeds I went via Lancaster.

Lovely scenery from the train.

Can I recommend the recent Prom with Florence and the machine, well worth a listen!

Interesting stations, especially after changing at Lancaster. This one featured in a most famous film.

Solo , small and simple

Interesting video showing what can be done on a 2 by 2 foot square area with the One hour skirmish rules and solo too. Potential for small matched forces to play with…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sm3eVFdJhhM

 https://youtu.be/3SyTDv2NBCA

Dryads, Amazons and other matters

 My Amazons arrived and I must commend Eureka on their charming figures-

I am pleased with them, fascinated by the shields with half an arm on them ( never seen this before) but there is a slight issue. I had not expected them to be slot  base figures. So I am asking the collective mind for advice about how to attach such figures on to normal bases. I feel there must be an art to this…

In other matters I have been trying to locate dryads to my taste and it has proved to be a tad difficult. Most figures l have seen are either horrid, contorted creatures or rather, what will we say , buxom.  Neither extreme appeals. So after some time l found this figure on eBay-

I liked the photo and am pleased with the figure which arrived today.

Can anyone identify the figure and tell me the manufacturer?

Old Friend

 I took this old friend to town on Sunday. It will be sent away to the maker for repairs and rewax. Staff were really helpful in the shop-

I have had the coat for years now and am very fond of it.. The label below shows when it was last dealt with. 

Finally an interesting article about Barbours in the Falklands-

https://putthison.com/barbours-in-the-falklands/

Rules etc

 I’ve been reading some rules recently-

I bought the ones on the right years ago and found them interesting. I based up my Renaissance Irish on 60mm bases for them and had some solo games that were full of fun , not to mention period flavour. In a moment of madness l rebased the army in DBR style bases to conform to my regular opponents forces. Needless to say they have not been out of the box since. Memo to self, take a deep breath before rebasing.

The rules on the left are an extension or rather a new set , with similar mechanisms,altogether for fantasy, medieval and ancients. They are interesting rules especially the way they define troops. Well worth getting hold of . The author reminds us rebasing is not necessary to play and any consistent basing will work. Well worth a look be your interests Sassanids or Saurians or everything in between. 

We are about to get back to regular face to face wargaming with my two opponents here hopefully soon. I’ve been looking for a wee divertissement for playing here on my dining room table involving simple rules , small area , minimal forces and maximum fun. I am considering these-

I have the ones on the right but never played them. They read well and l fancy giving them a go , perhaps even solo. I  have watched videos , both reviews and games.I will probably use my VBCW figures. The book on the left l have ordered and l await its arrival with interest. As to troops , we will see, probably fifteenth century or Bronze Age.

Finally l am just not getting into series 2 of “ The Rings of Power” at all. Not entirely sure why but not vibing it. Thoughts? 

Dreich Duchy

 At the workbench this morning trying to bring a little sunshine, sylvan vibe to a grey day-

Friday

 The sun was shining in these parts yesterday, a pleasant rarity this summer. As I pottered about in the garden l rescued these frogs that had got stuck in a plastic trug partially filled with rain water, releasing them into the pond-

In the afternoon l attended an interesting talk on Alasdair Gray , his art and the murals here in Abbots House  Dunfermline-

In the Abbots House garden before the talk.

Yesterday

 It was a very cold start to the day in Fife but the sun was shining lifting spirits and morale. After an early breakfast I began to take stock of the previously mentioned shed haul-

Firstly to take some notes from the book and begin to organise a little. It will be a flexible project based jointly on the Grant book and also on what figures l have. Rivet counters look away now, not that many of those kin will be ever found here I imagine. Currently l am thinking 8 figures per company, 4 or 5 if lights. As for cavalry it will be 5 or 6 per squadron.

Here are the figures ( all 40 mm semi flats) awaiting sorting, repainting possibly ( to add to the range of units l want/need to represent ) and finally rebasing. Currently figures are mainly, if not nearly all , based in fours for infantry and twos for cavalry. The infantry will be transferred to 2p sized bases and l have yet to decide for the cavalry. A useful start was made.

I had arranged to meet friends for coffee and therefore the project was put on hold. By then it as a lovely hot day. Coffee in Prost  in the garden of Abbot’s house was followed by a walk around The Glen. After that we had lunch on the terrace of the Glen Pavilion with this uninvited but welcome guest-

All in all a pretty good day.

Sunday

 The day started well with me successfully doing some home admin stuff, including booking a weekly art history course for this term. I then left to walk to church only to trip up on a raised bit of pavement. Thankfully no one was around to witness my skinned knee, loss of dignity and ripped favourite trousers.

Later in the day instead of tidying the shed l took a deep dive into it  and came up with what I had been looking for ages ago. Was delighted to be reunited with another half finished project. Later in the day I discovered this purchase of June 2020 which I got at the time to lift the spirits.

A most enjoyable read . 

Post script- here is a link to the 2020 project-

http://tradgardland.blogspot.com/search/label/SYW

Interesting to see what I did then but I think I am going to take it in a different direction…