Friday 18 March 2022

Not dead, just resting

Had a few problems with the old noggin of late and gaming interest has been virtually zero. In the space of the last four weeks I’ve only managed to produce the twenty four figures shown below - which is about as many as Lee would do in an afternoon I reckon. Lol. 

Penda, centre of right front stand and Raedwald centre of middle left hand stand. Only another 15 stands to go to complete the two armies. Should be done by mid 2025 at this rate.

Being nuts is not easy but as a musical representation of the condition I’ve gone from this…(don’t click on it, it contains cuss words!)




…to this in just three weeks! 

Apart from being full time bonkers I’ve been dabbling in Victorian submarine warfare a bit, (possibly more on that when I’ve finished the models) and looking to using Norm’s Tigers at Minsk rules for my own VBCW project set in a post general strike Britain, circa 1926. (With Pendraken 10mm forces). It’s been interesting researching the pre Mosley fascist groups from the 20´s and how they managed to infiltrate the governments volunteer strike breaking force. This « lady » and her group were certainly new to me.

Rotha Linton-Orman, leader of the British Fascisti…

…when Oswald was still pretending to be a socialist.

I like the published AVBCW thirties stuff a lot, but I’m not keen on some of the more outlandish factions or its general « war’s a bit of a lark » theme. I’ll be pitching it as a straight up communist / fascist struggle I think. Again more on that when the models arrive.

Since I’ve labelled this post as «blether » it’s probably about time I swerved off on a tangent, so here goes.

On a visit last summer one of my grandchildren remarked that the sign for the nearby Preseli hills actually looked like it said the Presley hills. Naturally I’ve been attempting to exploit their naïveté (I’m a very bad Grampa) and I’ve been trying to convince them since that Elvis (who was actually Welsh and not from Memphis) is still alive and scampering around up on the high moorland as a sort of feral character clad only in a rhinestone encrusted loin cloth. I’ve now got pictorial proof that he’s also been secretly canonised… as per this sign on the Pembrokeshire coastal path.

If you squint a bit at the sign you’ll see it’s not a stairway to heaven but a pathway to St Elvis. The truth is out there! Follow the money…erm…and so on. 

On the old blog I documented my very own « operation dynamo » in which the wife and I packed up and moved back from France - for a more certain post Brexit life. I’ve now given it two years in Wales but there’s not a day goes by that I don’t regret the move and so the initial planning has now begun on our version of « Overlord ». 

Even as I type The Current Mrs Broom is busy crocheting a massive net for us to go house hunting in Finistère, Cote d’Amor or Manche. We’ve booked a ferry etc for mid September so we’ll see what happens. Thank God for her Irish roots (and passport). Hopefully at some point next year, or even the one after, I’ll be wading ashore on Gold beach with all our worldly goods. Lol.

Wales eh?!

I’m not saying it’s backward out here…but we’ve still got a Spud U Like. 


Case closed.


Toodle ooh

18 comments:

  1. A return to France? I want to hear more.

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    1. In my heart I never really left the place Jonathan. There is a maturity, an intelligence, an openness there - all of which seems to now be lacking here in the disUnited Kingdom. France has its problems, no country is perfect, but I found the population (in general) to be more literate and more informed than those of the UK (where public discourse is routinely infantile in scope and nature).

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  2. Sorry to hear you’ve not been in the finest fettle. I was thinking that at least you haven’t invaded another country, but then it looks like you are intending to after all!

    Spud-u-like. Can’t help but think of Victoria Wood. “How do you pronounce that. Spudooliké?”

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    1. Hi nundanket, this time of year always seems to be the worst for me, something to do with the never ending low light levels (Pembrokeshire suicide grey) or some such. Who knows? As for Spud ooo like, I thought they’d disappeared years ago like Tie Rack. Maybe no one in Wales got the memo. Lol.

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  3. Here's hoping that the old noggin is back in fine fettle ASAP. TBH the events of the last four weeks have been enough to put anyone a bit off kilter. I'm liking the chance for more tales from darkest Francia, you do have a knack for seeing the humour in the oddest situations.

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    1. Hi matey, I was going to use Norm’s rules for the eastern front as he intended but somehow playing games that rely on massed Russian armour seems a little off colour at the moment. As for humour and odd situations, hell, that’s my USP right there.

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  4. I assume the fact that you have posted on your blog is an indication the head shed is back on the right track....moving to France though, you've got to wonder.....
    Of course, if there IS a country that the leaving of would make moving to France a logical and attractive proposition, it would be Cymru - however you are supposed to pronounce THAT mouthful!
    Nice figures by the way :)

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    1. Hi mate, yeah the head shed is back in some sort of equilibrium thanks. A move back to France might still be a little distance off but it’s now a distinct possibility. As for the country itself, I’ve lived in both and I know which I prefer. Cymru is pronounced cumree by the way…at least until you say it in the presence of a Welsh speaker - whereupon any attempt is automatically adjudged to be wrong. Interestingly a lot of the Welsh language nouns are French influenced like pont (bridge) église (church) etc. I blame the Normans.

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    2. Fair enough too. the Normans are to blame for a lot of the worlds ills and, of course, aren't even French - they are just Vikings with a different accent! BTW, strange coincidence - I went down a rabbit hole a few nights ago on VBCW type researching and came across this very sane lady - I must say, whatever you may think of her politics, she cuts quite a striking figure in that portrait! As is common with me, I just glanced at lots of stuff and did not go into any of it in great depth but one recurring theme seemed to be the large number of Suffragettes who ended up in quasi Fascist organisations, including the BUF...a bit odd I thought - but it didnt worry me enough to read any of the articles!

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  5. I'm glad to read that the old noggin is settling down again JBM. It's a big transition, especially where it was kind of forced on you by circumstances beyond control so not surprised that you have not been able to settle. Reference to my painting speed made me laugh :) I'm going to drop you an email in a bit.

    Lee.

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    1. Thanks Lee, the volume and quality of your output always puts me to shame.

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  6. Glad to see the noggin is back in form and that you’re butterflies are contemplating another rabbit hole to wander down. A return to France? Well I don’t blame you, I never quite got there in the first place and now I fear it’s too late. Envious, me ? Of course I am and I hope all goes well.

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    1. Hi Graham, consider the move to be a statement of intent rather than a done deal. There’s many a slip twist cup and lip! This time I’m going to demand that any new house has floors in it, oh and electricity too!

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  7. I’m glad to hear that the black dog has run off to chase it’s own tail for a while and leave you in piece…
    The figures look great…
    I think that young lady used to be my English teacher… she certainly dresses the same.
    A Spud U Like… you lucky devil…
    The local hipsters would kill to have such a Retro Post Modernist Ironic On Trend eating establishment in the area….
    Our finger is so not on the pulse… we don’t even have a Nando’s 😱.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. No Nando’s! How very third world Aly. I shall count myself lucky hereinafter. Lol.

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  8. Good to hear all is pretty well with you and a return to France, what's not to like? We have pondered moving abroad but due to family issues I doubt this will ever happen. Maybe a holiday home there is the best we can hope for. Nice figures and some AVBCW stuff too:).

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    1. Hi Steve, holiday homes are a very expensive way to do it mate. Best to just book a gîte for a couple of weeks every year and save yourself the steep property taxes and the on costs of property maintenance.

      The first Pendraken 10mm British soldiers arrived this morning, so the AVBCW project is now officially underway.

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  9. Good looking dark age types ,my sisters still ot in the Loire valley, I'm off over there for Christmas, she has to pay an extra tax if non EU nationals stay with her,oh how we laughed, I look forward to further tales of cess pits and domestic disaster! Proper ray of sunshine me!
    Best Iain

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