Excellent news!

 

Remembering

 Today would have been my 35th Wedding Anniversary. 

Anyone else take part?

 

Update

Friday saw us finishing the late medieval game-

French knights have killed their Burgundian opponents thanks to a lucky dice throw.

French archers pour a withering arrow storm into opposition Guild pikemen and then get stuck in with hand to hand.

The Burgundian Commander and his men slog it out with the Franc archers whilst an organ gun provides support 

The last of the Guild pikemen prior to their demise , demoralisation is just around the corner.

The Burgundians lose more men and become demoralised, their commander admits defeat. An enjoyable game and unusually a win for us.

I had rebased my Irish for dbm from their previous 60mm square bases. They were never out of the box so  having just finished the Reivers and opponents I decided to rebase/ repaint/ touch up the Irish to become a potential opponent. Here they are soaking off their current bases.

Mounted on 2p sized plastic bases.

The Reivers/ townsfolk etc arrayed and with banner added , ready to serve in Ireland…

Based , textured paint applied and ready for final painting prior to varnishing…

I also wondered if the Elizabethan fellows could serve in the New World and looked out this book for inspiration-

So at some point I could add some  Powhatan opponents to allow even more gaming potential. The figure basing/ finishing has gone really well. Now thinking of rules, Lion Rampant, Songs of blades variant or probably some rules like those used by Tidders, we shall see…

Off the painting table

 Finished some 28mm Border  Reivers and Towns folk/ Warden of the Marches men today.

I’ve been converting the metal figures with parts from Perry Plastics and other places.

The Reivers on the work table.

Dismounted Reivers and five foot loons- Reivers not processing a horse.

Figures based with red flower to aid identification on the games table.

Towns/Wardens folk - with green tufts to identify them. Officers and leaders have white flowers too to aid identification on the games table.

Pleased with the results. May do a few more and some highland cows and pack mules.

Local

 I always listened with a certain end to Americans and Canadians with 18th Century battlefields on their doorstep or a short ride away . Yet here I am in Fife just up the road from the scene of actions involving sloops, long boats and landings. More anon.

Yesterday saw Ronnie and I at the annual Falkirk Muir battlefield conference. As ever a fascinating mix of talks and displays . Some pictures-

A map of the Forth near the bridge at Kincardine l frequently get the bus over.

Account from during the ‘45…

The programme. Something for everyone and lots of things new to me. Every year there is something that really catches one’s interest. It is often not from a talk eagerly awaited. It is something that makes you think hmm hobby potentially or deepens interest in the period. In past years it has been a tartan expert speaking on his subject or an academic on the Irish Gaels in the 1690s conflict. This year it was amphibious warfare, redcoats in longboats, burning ships and£ the alike . Fascinating stuff and just a few miles and 280years up the road…

A grand day out indeed!

France v Burgundy in the 15th century, 28mm, Dbm,

 I was able to get away to my friend’s for the first game in ages. It was a medieval affair with the flower of chivalry on display from both sides , not to mention lots of my ropey French archers reputed historically to be hardly able to shoot a chicken. 

The view from behind the arrayed French troops looking across at the Burgundian camp. We had deployed  unit by unit alternating.

The French knights in the foreground awaiting their enemy equivalents. Message to self must get some banners for these troops!

The Ordonnance bows and halberd/bill/ partizan equipped men steady themselves and wait for the enemy…

Aforementioned French dross archers ( irreg bow (I) ) advance across the table towards the Burgundian camp and troops who refused the flank.

Flanking fire ( what should one say when bows are involved )from the above archers kills quite a number of Bungundian Ordonnance bowmen.

French light infantry ( wonderfully known as bidet) attempt to stop the knights attacking them down the hill. Sadly this vainglorious effort was to no avail.

Burgundians commanded by Antonine the Bastard come to close combat with the French.

Burgundian Flemish pike stomp across the table towards be met by semi withering fire. And that was all there was time for. We will finish it next week. A most enjoyable game in good company and with super hospitality. Viva la 28mm French!

Fun with flags

 I popped into Edinburgh to accompany my daughter who was off to a textile exhibition at the Dovecote Studios. We were to meet for coffee afterwards and I took the opportunity to go into the National Museum of Scotland to look for a BorderReiver / Warden of the Marches flag I had seen before…

Found it on the ground floor. A little before my period but l ain’t no rivet/stich counter.

Nice accompany exhibits but they rather obscure the standard!

Close up detail and the museum blurb below.

Sadly I cannot find out more about this standard online or even a drawing of the complete one . Can anyone help?

As I have a 28mm sedan chair awaiting painting l took this photo for inspiration.

Spotted this book . Looks interesting on flick through so have ordered it. Cool photo of reenactors shooting with longbow from the saddle as well as lovely illustrations by Embleton.

This week so far…

 On Monday I got the bus there and back  to Inverness to attend a funeral. I was surprised how much snow was about.

Thought of my Hessian friends camping nearby during the ‘45…

Lots of flooding too en route to the North, was across half the road just north of Blair Athol.

Had my Triple A scan this morning ( all fine , thankfully) and I would urge you to go when invited.

Basing and finishing off some troops for a Border Reivers game in a few weeks. Mine are the forces of law and order (ish) in the shape of those of the Marches Warden- 28mm and various manufacturers.

Getting ready for a medieval game and marshalling the pride old French chivalry and their chums…

Jabs big and small

 My first Shingles jab has left me exhausted. I wasn’t expecting this as l have never had any reaction to any jabs before, except for a sore arm. I haven’t been doing much just resting and drinking weak tea.

However some work has been done on the pikemen of O’Cahan’s. 

I have given them their jabbing weapons in the shape of pikes but have run out of them. The mat is just a stable surface to stand them on while gluing the pikes to the figures. It is not planned basing as the figures come with cast on bases and I have no intention of sticking them to card or anything.They will drill on their own bases and muster thus on the battlefield.

The Pikemen on the painting table with some musketeers, officers and musicians in the background. My haul of Suren figures has the musketeers with helmets so l will just run with that.

In other news l located the photo of the O’Cahan’s standard from my time-

This will be the one to be replicated in miniature.