Images of Tradgardland part 1

In my imagined mental landscape of the 18th century Duchy of Tradgardland I have been influenced by many images.An evocative picture has said as much to me as pages of prose .Today I found this image by Anna Maria Garthwaite.It is a late 17th century/18th century papercut-

Please click on the image to enlarge it for even better viewing.
To me it pretty well sums  up for me life in my imagination.It fact it could be the basis for tales told and games played.I love the detail and the little vignettes of life.I hope you enjoy seeing it too.
P.S Feeling a tad better today.We had an enjoyable trip to Perth and lunch out with the family.I am going to enjoy the fine weather with a Harry Sidebottom novel which has been in the "To read" pile for nearly a year

Go with the flow & diverse matters

I have spent a couple of days going,or rather not.,with the flow & dealing with District Nurses ( all of whom have been excellent) possibly having to visit A&E and now the Doctor. To cut a long story short I am on antibiotics for a urinary infection and feeling a tad fed up.
My Interwar Norwegian conversions lie abandoned on the table  but are proceeding well. Hopefully I will pick up the challenge soon.
 As energy and enthusiasm allowed I have been reading around the '45 in general , a couple of superb Ospreys arrived - one on Cumberland's Army and one on the Jacobites themselves. As ever I am enchanted by the work of Gerry Embleton and his son (?) Steve especially the illustration of some litttle boys pretending to be Hessian troops whilst a yellow clad hussar looks on with a long pipe. My recent Duffy purchase has re-enchanted my enthusiasm for the 18th Century in all it's Baroque military wonderfulness. To read of Hessian hussars skirmishing around Dunkeld and other places I have visited,marching through towns where I have lived has all added to the fun. Prof Duffy has come up with another blinder of a book-don't miss it! The sunne has been a real tonic to morale here.Off for a wee seat and read...

A different sort of day ...

Plans are a great thing but sometimes they go adrift.Thought I was off to the hosp am for a very quick check-up but ended up unable to pass water at all at it and was there for hours.Have come home with a catheter and an op in 6-8 weeks looming.Have come home and lain prostate (pun intended) reading an Osprey book that the post had delivered and listening the cricket on Radio 4.

Parasol weather

Tuesday Morning...

It has been unseasonably hot here in the Duchy of late- much to our surprise and delight. Much of my days have been in the garden pottering,reading or just enjoying the sunne. I don't recall a summer like this for years!
On the hobby front  little has been done but-
I have bought a green felt cloth to game on at last.
I have started reading around an 18th century campaign( partly inspired to do so by a watercolour of a castle which was given to my late father and which we will hang here soon) with a view to using it on the tabletop.Two Osprey books on it are in the post as I write as well. I have assembled some forces for it from the Lead Mountain ( a work in progress) and I found some flagsheets still unused circa 1996 in a book too.I want the project to reuse current lead as much as possible to save expense from the Ducal Warchest.
I am working around Interewar gaming potentialities with my Swedes and a potential opponent- probably Norwegians. Anyone know section/company  organisation for them around 1930?
Off today en famile to the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh . Let the sunne shine on...
p.s will post piccies of finished kitchen extension soon

Interwar Norwegians - how to model them?

Found these paintings, amongst others on the web -

Any suggestions on figures to convert to make these in 28mm. I thought I could use an Interewar Swede officer as  the Norwegian one with boots converted to trousers?However any ideas for the rest would be apreciated...

Into the depths

Yesterday the kitchen was finished and some work was started in the garden room.As part of the moving process I began to tackle the LEAD MOUNTAIN.

Here it is.Vauban fortification,samurai house and loads more emerged from the boxes.I began to sort the unpainted mountain into appropriate piles.The job has begun but will take some time.So far I have not come across my Mythical Earth Elven King ( although I did find a yellow painted hobbit circa 1976) or some treasures from my youth which I now feel for certain have gone.For example my 40mm  viking and roman Elastolins and my father's Dinky tanks AA gun etc.They have been lost/mislaid along the way. I did find some interesting figures-

I photographer them this morning.A old Garrison (?) peasant with scythe who will look great painted, a Citadel (?) knight who has had a kite shield glued on years ago and who looks brave with a splendid moustache, a bard (Ral Partha?) who is a lovely medieval figure complete with harp and finally an enchantress (?) from Ral Partha (?) who should paint up well too. IF you know better as ro the fantasy figures origins please let me know. They will be useful in some games of Song of Blades and Heroes I think...

Painting options?

The hols have begun and I have had a busy day in the garden etc. My thoughts are turning to my 30 interwar Swedes on the painting table - actually an upturned biscuit lid! Some time ago in another blog I explored interwar Tradgardland -http://interbellumimaginations.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Tradgardland
and some troop ideas etc. I am now thinking of painting the Swedes as the aforementioned Tradgardlanders.They will engage in a Very Ducal Civil War with a variety of Duchy based factions and beyond. BUT and it is a big BUT,is this just a vbcw with different uniforms? Should I paint the Swedes as Swedes or my Lutherans for the League idea.What do you think?