Autumn has finally begun to make its presence felt out here with a little yellowing of the leaves and a well received morning chill when I venture forth, early doors, to let the chickens out. Mists and mellow fruitfulness. You get the picture. Anywhoo, we had our log delivery a week or so ago, which means we’re all set for the winter. The caveman part of of my brain (and let’s be honest it’s the majority of it) always finds great comfort in a full larder and a heat source independant of the current worlds economic ups and downs.
The autumn and winter usually provides the added pleasure of lying in bed until I have to consider breakfast to be lunch and wiggling my toes in delight at the thought of all the poor buggers struggling out to work in the gloom and the rain outside. Schadenfreude. I reckon there’s a bit of German in me somewhere. No not like that you filthy minded beggars.
Also on the gathering in front I’ve begun collecting new toys for the winter / spring 27 projects. I’m holding back on doing anything with them for the mo though while the old left flipper is still a bit shaky. Doc says it’s nerve damage that’ll gradually heal if I stop using kango hammers and such like. Another reason to be grateful for the onset of autumn / winter with its bad weather is that it brings about a natural cessation of “work” on the property for a while.
Being the trooper that I am however, I still managed a bit of painting to finish off my AVBCW project despite the wobbly digits as you can see below.
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| RN landing party Lewis gun team. |
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| RN landing party sailors. Hi res digital photos are no one’s friend. |
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| Soldiers of Edward VIII’s Severn Valley force. |
Local news: I made the mistake of looking out over MT’s back field last week whereupon I observed two giant babies (one pink, one blue) apparently knocking seven shades of shit out of each other.
I didn’t linger.
I’ve got form… (refugees from my old blog may recall the cowboy and Indian incident).
Instead I went straight to the meds cupboard to see if I’d taken more than my usual dose by accident. All seemed to be in order and when I got back to the window the buggers were amazingly still there. Turns out the young couple who’ve just moved into our hamlet (Pradeix: Population 12: Days since last major incident: 27) are going to have a baby and this was some sort of American style “gender reveal” party. Apparently the scripted fights winner reveals the sex of the new arrival to a crowd of onlooking friends and relatives.
Yeah. Me neither.
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| Nicked this picture off the interweb by way of illustration. I don’t know…the kids of today…with their winkle pickers and their rock ‘n’ roll. Where will it end? |
Don’t worry, I’ve written a letter of complaint to president Macron. I’m sure the gendarmerie will now be placed on high alert to deal with any other outbreaks of American “culture”. Sorry Jon.
What else? Oh yes. Youngest son will be making an appearance soon and is pretty jazzed about something called “Greathelm” (28 mm knights duking it out on an A4 sized map?! This might be an opportunity to find employment for my dormant 100YW lads? I’ll post a batrep if I don’t lose too badly.
Of course I’m still buggering about with AI now and then and this picture should give a flavour of what’s coming up shortly. There’ll be steam punk tanks too btw, if that’s your bag.
Apart from a Sealion campaign I’ve been casting about for ways to utilise my Victorian Brompton buildings - and this genre might just suffice.
Right then. That’ll do for now. Time to sling my hook and toast some autumny marshmallows over a roaring log fire while listening to some Val Doonican.
Toodleooh mes amis.





Can't beat a bit of Val Doonican, well yes you probably could! Nice work on the Naval Landing party and Edwards troops, they look great. Looking forward to your Victorian Sci-Fi project, should be fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Donnie, yeah I hope the new project will work out, it’s certainly got the juices flowing and the wallet open at the moment. I don’t know about beating Val Doonican. I reckon Roger Whittaker could’ve taken him in a cage fight.
DeleteLove the Navel party.. no nothing to do with the gender reveal, the boys in blue.. 😁
ReplyDeleteHello Steve, I thought the navy lads might be a nice change from all that drab brown, but instead they’ve turned out to be mostly drab blue! lol.
DeleteMost enjoyable update on the goings on at Ye Olde Farmstead, Mark! I wish I was capable of fighting against an onslaught of new American culture too, but I am trapped and a slave to the latest fashion. Space 1889? That would be cool!
ReplyDeleteHello Jon, I’ve nothing against American culture per se, other than it seems to be creeping into every aspect of (and in some cases replacing) indigenous cultural festivals every where else. I appreciate that it takes two to tango and therefore a large part of the problem is created by those adopting these ‘alien’ customs but it has to be said that things like trick or treat always seem to end up with a large commercial aspect mostly absent from the forms they replace. I think it’s the consumption aspect I dislike the most.
DeleteVery funny.
ReplyDeleteAre you also going to wear some of Val's jumpers?
Hi Richard that’d be nice but poor old Vals been in the ground a few years now so I don’t think any of his clothes will be in very good nick.
DeleteIt is always good when a new game (Greathelm) gets those forgotten figures out for a battle.
ReplyDeleteHey Peter, I was very disappointed to discover that in larger battles it never seemed possible to beat the English in a defensive position, whatever rule system I chose to use. Perhaps a much smaller scale will do the trick and get the lads out of the box for a bit.
DeleteThe matelots and the Tommies look spiffing Mark.
ReplyDeleteScary how modern 'culture' reaches even la France Profonde (spellchecker wanted to change that to 'profaned'). Still, things could be worse. Thought for a minute that Noel Edmonds had moved to your hamlet. That pink thing looks like Mr Blobby. Your autumnal musings brought to mind that famous Verlaine poem. Hopefully this bit of real culture will balance out your new neighbours' violation.
Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l’automne
Blessent mon cœur
D’une langueur
Monotone.
Tout suffocant
Et blême, quand
Sonne l’heure,
Je me souviens
Des jours anciens
Et je pleure
Et je m’en vais
Au vent mauvais
Qui m’emporte
Deçà, delà,
Pareil à la
Feuille morte
I can always count on you for a bit of culture Chris. Thanks for that. A dead leaf is a good description of me these days.
DeleteAnd clearly not American culture this time!
DeleteGreat looking AVBCW figures JBM.
ReplyDeleteThe moon men look fun, do you have figures in mind?
Hey Ben, buried deep in the Pendraken website are some moon men that I’ll be using. Not the greatest sculpts but there’s not a lot of choice out there.
DeleteEnjoyable post, great plans and news to me re baby reveal battle. Can l recommend an old favourite of my late mum, ideal easy listening, namely Sasha Distel. I grew up to the sounds of him on the Dansette.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Hey Alan, nice recommendation mate. Very smooooooth guy. I’m feeling a lot of love for songs and singers I’d have laughed at when I was a yoof. Must be my advancing years and a greater appreciation of pure quality. I’m on an Andy Williams and Mat Munro tip at the moment - so very mellow here at chez moi right now.
DeleteAh! Matt Munro singing On Days Like This at the start of the Italian Job. Smooth!
DeleteGood Morning JB - nice job on the figures, hope a bit of winter rest will help your hand.
ReplyDeleteBack in the day 'Baby Reveal' was a lot simpler, when the darling popped out after a ten hour labour, the nurse said 'it's a boy' or it's a girl' .... it was just the same in the Blackadder sketch (series II with nursey) :-) Why do they have go and complicate things :-)
Moon soldiers sounds just the ticket!
Hello Norm. Give it a few years and they’ll no doubt introduce a third baby costume so you can announce to those that have gathered that you’re expecting a “they.” Moon soldiers will be cool but it’s the moon terrain I’m looking forward to. Western desert…but grey. lol.
DeleteGood to see oyu making progress despite the old shaky arm/hand there Mark. Sadly mine is permanent nerve damage, so very much depends upon how much I've done as to how shaky iy is come evening. Today I reckon rather shaky as a day 'dans le jardin' beckons:)!
ReplyDeleteAmerican culture, surely an oxymoron;)!? Sadly 'baby showers' are all the rage here now, which depresses me no end. It was bad enough when 'Halloween' made its invasion in the late 1970's, but to my chagrin.
At least I can calm me nerves with a bit of Val Doonican this evening accompanied by a nice cup of cocoa, or maybe Horlicks for added nostalgia...
Hello Steve, sorry to hear of your permanent affliction mate, it’s a bugger to do anything fiddly isn’t it. Maybe you’ll get a bit of garden rest once winters upon us. I remember the sudden surge of trick or treaters too. The French like most Europeans have begun to take a pretty dim view of things American these days which made it all the more strange that the newbies in the hamlet would indulge is such a show. (I’d say that I’m beginning to sound like a grumpy old man…but I’ve been that way since my thirties!). I’ll ask Solange to throw the contents of her bedpan at any trick or treaters that venture this way from St Dizier Leyrenne on the 31st. That’ll sort the buggers out.
DeleteGreat work on the naval party
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Andy
Thank you Andrew, makes a change from Tommy Atkins. Not sure which side they’ll be on. The government forces could definitely do with a bit of bolstering but in the Solway Crafts AVBCW fluff it seems a majority of the naval lads mutinied and sailed away to Canada.
DeleteA rollicking good read as usual Mark, thanks.
ReplyDeletePleased to hear that the shaky mit has nothing to do with that German in you.
Best wishes, James
Tee hee. You are a bad man, James.
DeleteGood grief - and I always thought France was the last bastion of European chauvinism in the battle against the inexorable (or should that be execrable) spread of Americana JBM - and just look at the mess they made of the beaches in Normandy! You don't just need the Gendarmerie; you need the CRS - always love seeing those boys in action with English football "fans"!
ReplyDeleteGood point about the beaches. Macron should demand some recompense from the orange buffoon. As to the last bastion of European chauvinism… seems the times they are a changin’. Have to look up the CRS in min. Never come across them before. More a rugby fan than a football fan.
DeleteNothing like a bit of good German Sausage.... I mean... Ahem.
ReplyDeleteBaby Gender Reveals are silly, but they entertain the young folks for whatever reason and I enjoy watching youtube vids of those events going awry with injuries and so forth.
Me and the wife were far too mature for that lark and just read the test results for our two with the only fanfare being "us" and whiskey. (For me, not her. Promise.)
Get those shaky hands taken care of mate and rest. That shit will happen in it's own time anyhow with the passing of years, no need to usher it in beforehand.
New minis look great! Am always a fan of seeing naval ground troops from this era and WW2. Just something about the older uniforms and lack of drab greens and browns that makes them appealing I think. That and the beards, beards on combat troops is cool.
Greathelm looks like a fun little game. I like the idea that it's just a Battle Royale free-for-all on a piece of paper. Hope you'll find time and energy enough to post up how your game(s) with your lad go mate.
- Dai, who for some reason can't stay logged into Blogger today. (Eff you Blogger!)
You are of course totally right Dai, it is just a silly bit of fun, but it must have cost the silly young sods a euro or two when they can least afford it? Still it’ll be nice to see another kid in the hamlet. The two we’ve already got help keep the area alive. It’s a great place to grow up…until you become a teenager. Looking forward to seeing my own lad soon even though he always beats me in every game we play. This Greathelm gets pretty good reviews - it’s even spurred him into painting some minis of his own ! I think the last time he had a go at that sort of thing was in about ‘99 when he discovered and then quickly abandoned Warhammer. Stay safe over there amigo.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking sailors, white knuckle is nasty, looking forward to first men on the moon, I always liked the film, Val Doonican and Roger Whittaker in a cage fight is an image I didnt need this morning!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Sorry about the cage fight image old chap, at least I didn’t bring up Andy Williams versus Matt Munro, both stripped to the waist, tied together at the wrist, and covered in goose grease while taking part in a gypsy knife fight. Oh darn it I just did.
DeleteSorry to hear about the shaky hand, especially as Mary Ann is nowhere to be found. I have a similar affliction after using power tools for any length of time. It does pass off after a while. Hope all is well down there (France not nadgers).
ReplyDeleteHey Dave, nice to hear from you. The wobbles have gone and miniature painting has resumed (after a fashion). Nads are okay and French students are rioting so everything’s back to normal I guess! lol.
Delete