VBCW rules

Got home to find that the brigadier rules are available to pre-order at

http://solwaycraftsandminiatures.webs.com/

I have seen a copy during the development phase and they are indeed excellent ,filled with period flavour and great fun too! Without hesitation I have just ordered them and look forward to them landing here in the Duchy around the 25th!

Well worth a look gents!

p.s utterly splendid cover Panzerkaput- well up to your usual excellent standard!

1938 background reading and decesions to be made...

On my arrival late home from work ( a terribly stressing day was had by me there but that's another story) yesterday I found my wife off upon the maiden cycle with her new bicycle and this superb book arrived for me. I neglected to buy it when it was first released,forgot to pick it up on Saturday at Claymore but remedied the situation buying online. A most inspiring book it is well thought out and illustrated too.

On Saturday my regular opponent Phil was buying reinforcements for the Liverpool Free State in the shape of militia and ww1 Russians. I resisted more lead but am at the point at which I need to either concentrate on my Welsh Nationalist flying column or Royalist ldvs assisted by regulars and volunteers units. I will need to decide very soon. As ever your thoughts are welcome as to which way I should turn.

The weekend in Tradgardland...

It is the back of six in the morning on Monday and already the sun is shinning...
It was a good weekend on the whole apart from walking to on Sunday to the shops and getting soaked to the skin on the way back by a heavy shower. Yesterday saw Jan buying a folding bicycle for her journey to work and hopefully she will get it today or tomorrow. She saw one recently that she liked and has gone for it.
Saturday was the annual Wargames Show Carronade in Falkirk. An excellent show in a high school , it is fast becoming one of the best shows here in Scotland. Myriad traders were there and some excellent looking games. The magnificent 1938vbcw game rightly won a prize- beautiful figures and superb terrain. However the most important part of it all was meeting old and new friends- friends from my uni days club and my current one here in Fife amongst others. It was good to catch up enthuse,reminisce and hopefully make plans to meet up sometime.
I managed to resist starting a new period ( always a worry for me) and picked up a few sample bases in order to rebase my syw chaps for the coming campaign season in The Disputed Valley. They are made by a local friendly company who give superb service and are excellent-
http://www.warbases.co.uk/ . The new set of dark age skirmish rules by Gripping Beast sound interesting and may be a Autumn project.
Sunday saw painting of 40mm chaps for the ongoing project as well as watching Sir Ian Macelleran as an amazing Richard III in 30's kit on dvd. hopefully some more bases will be purchased this week and sorting out and collating will continue. I had better close and go for the train. I hope you have a good day at work or whatever you are doing

Spring has Sprung in Umstrittental...

Spring has come to the Disputed Valley (an independent region betwixt the Duchy of Tradgardland and the Imperium) and the new campaigning season will soon be underway. The tented camps have survived a fierce winter and the troops are ready for action. Uniforms are darned, muskets checked and all await orders...
The Syldavian ambassador ( perhaps dear reader someone from Syldavia might post a comment here telling us more of him and his uniform so he could be depicted here by me on the tabletop-hint,hint...) is currently being escorted across the arduous terrain from Tradgardstadt. He is charged with a mission of some delicacy. Meanwhile the Imperium is sending orders from Wein for courier to brief her general on his next moves diplomatic and martial. Finally across the valley in Uhwerkhausen the Burgomeister's watchmaker is checking the mechanism of the clockwork peacocks recently brought out from their winter storage. He looks up disturbed by the sound of the Militia mustering upon the heath and firing its cannon ...
Finally if you have a spare moment could you vote in my poll at
http://armyredwhite.blogspot.com/ regarding uniform colour schemes-thanks in anticipation!

Slydavians and gardening...

An excellent day was had in the garden-potatoes ridged up,plants divided and moved ,seeds planted and general horticultural fun had by the Duke and Duchess of the Household today aided at times by our youngest . Two other members were busy revising with days to the first exams! I did mange to spend a few minutes moving forward a unit of Syldavian troops- those who wish further details are referred to look here to a previous post- http://tradgardland.blogspot.com/2010/12/disputed-valley-syldavian-factor.html I hope you all had as much fun on your May Day holiday whatever you were doing .Back to work tomorrow...

Planning indoors and outdoors...

It has been excellent weather here in the Duchy this weekend,although now at the time of writing seven am on Monday, it is a tad overcast for my tastes. We have spent much of the time gardening and improving the garden both for flowering plants and vegetables too. I know from your blogs that quite a few of you enjoy your gardens or allotments too.My wife Jan ,who has an excellent eye for design inside and outside ,keeps coming up with excellent tweaks,changes and enhancements for the garden.After this we work together to execute them.

One of the joys of gardening is the time it allows for reflection and a chance to think one's own thoughts- be they profound or otherwise. The same can be said with regard to ironing- something I find is in much demand here...

Planning ,dreaming & thinking are some of the greatest joys of the hobby. It is free ( albeit with the potentiality to give the Ducal Warchest a nasty dent...) and can be done in odd moments anywhere- garden,railway station or even speeding over the Forth Rail Bridge on my daily commute. For some years now I have used Dodo pads for combined hobby and work use. They are fun to read well laid out and entertain others at meetings who stick to pedestrian diary formats. I always keep mine as I am a hoarder by inclination. It is good to keep one's hobby/work ideas to look back on even if they never come to anything...

I have enclosed pictures of the Dodo Pad weekly format as well as an example of my jottings - in this case a map of my Parent's garden circa 1986 drawn last year from memory. It is styled as it could have been used (but sadly never was) for out door gaming in the style of that tremendous chap John Ruddles . His garden was filled with concrete houses,54mm figures ,buildings and much more. Last June I was musing upon using the garden in some way for al fresco gaming. I have posted a photo also of the garden taken yesterday which gives some idea of the layout here. Soon the Beech hedge will come into it's glory and provide a discrete barrier between ourselves and passers-by for around half the garden. This area with the three small Apple trees in it is the one I was thinking of with regard to outdoor gaming this July and August. I am still at the thinking stage and no doubt when the gardening boots are donned today more thinking ,planning and jottings will taken place. I'll let you know any more developments and perhaps even post more photos.

Re Stylish Blogger Award...

Good Morning All! The sun is shining here in the Duchy and it is the back of 7.00am on Sunday Morning. I'm delighted ,if somewhat surprised, to have got nominated for this award and my first task is to thank Conrad for his kind words.I often feel that the Duchy is full of loose ends ,uncompleted projects and a few good ideas amongst the aforementioned ones. His link is- http://joyandforgetfulness.blogspot.com/





My second task is to tell seven things about me:





1)I met my wife at a church flower festival. Her presence there was due to a series of circumstances which are most baroque indeed but I am so glad that she did go...





2) My father was a lawyer with a great interest in the Romans and archaeology .He took me to Vindolanda and Hadrian's Wall as a boy,bought me Roman coins and other souvenirs. I think this early influence ( coupled with Ladybird books ) sparked off my love of History which has accompanied me throughout my life.





3) As a boy I always played games whereby the Britains toy soldiers fought the Timpo ones. Needless to say the Timpo ones were made to lose all the time.





4) I was a Sergent in the C.C.F at school ,loved it and thought about joining the Army but asthma soon put the idea out of my mind.





5) When my middle daughter was in hospital near Christmas around eight years ago some celebrities came round the ward. They were from Heart of Midlothian F.C - she wasn't interested at all but I was extremely excited and asked for autographs for myself. Anna wished she had been in the year before because the band Steps had come round the ward...





6) I love arty films and a highlight of my student days was getting into the Edinburgh Filmhouse for 50p on Wednesday afternoons. My favourite films are "Fanny and Alexander" by Ingmar Berman and Peter Greenaway's "Draughtsman's Contract"





7) I worked full time for a Church for 10 years and belong to another one now where I feel I more fully belong.





Enough about me ,now for some nominations:


http://gatheringofhosts.blogspot.com/ A fantastic ancients orientated blog...





http://oldschoolacw.blogspot.com/ Old School ACW gaming at it's best...





http://sharpbrush.blogspot.com/ Inspiring gaming indeed...








http://panzerkaput.blogspot.com/ The blog of an excellent artist





http://funnylittlewars-gardencampaigns.blogspot.com/ paul's fantastic FLW garden wargaming blog...

http://morts1938scrapbook.blogspot.com/ An interesting VBCW blog...

http://warsoflouisxiv.blogspot.com/ Always interesting information and inspiration...

http://threwdishways.blogspot.com/ A superb D M Cornish wargaming blog...

http://soweiterleague.blogspot.com/ Always worth a read...

http://syldavianchronicle.blogspot.com/ Well thought out and inspiring ideas...

Well thanks again Conrad and to the rest of you for reading...