SELWG show

Finally managed to get to a show this year, in this case it was SELWG at Crystal Palace. Had a good time, didn't but too much, only 10 bags of precut bases of all different sizes -because you never know when you need an odd size, two pots of paint and the Osprey book on Pavia 1525. That was it, quite pitiful really but when you consider the only 6mm traders there were Baccus -I prefer H&R and Irregular- Brigade Models and GZG and at the moment I have no interest in doing SciFi.

Took quite a few pictures though, some of which are further down the post.

Met up with a few people and had several good old chinwags. Mick Allen, Iain Burt, Postie, Lee Hadley, Ray Rousell by name and Mr. Levied Troop and Brendan from the Loose Association of Wargamers forum. Also spent an interesting 20 minutes talking to John Treadaway about Salute and associated subjects.

So, the stone that is new period has started to roll. I found a bag of H&R 100YW pike on Fleabay the other day so the figure tally for the Condottieri has started rising.

Now the SELWG pics. I took loads more but these are the only ones 'doctored' as yet.

What I have got up to recently...plus the launch of my little venture.

Yes, I know it’s been a long time between posts but sometimes you think, shall I, is it worth it or whatever, I’ll write one tomorrow. And so it goes on and on, procrastination reigns supreme therefore bu**er all gets done.

So, catch up time. I’ve been keeping reasonably up to date with all the wargaming worldly affairs by the various internet sites, including reading other people’s blogs and thinking my focus is cr*p and Bookface with all its wargaming pages. But outside of that most of my spare time has been focussed on two things, football and trying to write a book.

 Being the Secretary of the Youth Programme at Sittingbourne FC is a complete eye-opener. Not only have the responsibility of making sure that all the relevant league paperwork –I have to with four different leagues- is in the right hands by the right time, I also am on the committee for the First team and am one of the three official club photographers! So, nearly every Saturday afternoon and sometimes on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening I am out ‘with the football’ as Ma Subs eloquently and succinctly describes my wanderings across the south east of England. Luckily, as I cannot drive, my mate is the designated driver as well as being the Youth Chairman and on the main committee. But talk about unlucky. Most of our youth teams play their matches at the ground in Sittingbourne about nine miles away. This Sunday our U15 team are away to…yes, you guessed it, Maidstone… and the ground is a 10 minute walk away from the house! Of course, after a swift mental argument, common sense won the day and I will be at the SELWG show at Crystal Palace instead.

On the other topic, I spent a while getting my book in a position where I can hawk it out to publishers. It’s with one at the moment and I am expecting a rejection at any time. But perseverance is the order of the day and I will carry on. Not saying too much about it at the moment but if someone takes it I will shout it across the rooftops. Well, you have to your own trumpet occasionally, don’t you?

In other, breaking news. (More shameless plugging.)

I have just started a new venture –ready made and painted 6mm buildings. 

The current ranges are:
Dark Ages -can be used across Europe.
Northern Europe - both rural and town and most are suitable from the Medieval to Modern periods. 
Central European and Russian rural. Medieval to Modern.
Desert -Adobe/Middle eastern style.
Ruins -late Nineteenth Century to Modern. 
Jacobean and Stuart -half timbered style. Can be mixed with 
European half timbered -different construction style and colours. Both are suitable from the specified period forwards in time. 
Mediterranean -Spanish types with terracotta roofing tiles.

I have also just started a range specifically for the modern period with a mix of commercial, town and rural building types. 

Please have a look at and leave a comment on my page at:

https://www.facebook.com/hmbuildings/

It is with the Northern Europe Range that I am using for a small FPW solo game that I am running at the moment.

Just a few pictures to show the basic terrain layout. 

Yet another new period idea.

Now I am a great admirer of World2Dave and his blog especially his 6mm setup.
 http://themedetianwars.blogspot.co.uk/
 Every so often I will have a look at some of his pictures especially the ongoing Imaginations games between his two pseudo-Renaissance countries of Fleurie and Medetia. I have often thought of doing something like this but without being accused of copying so the Renaissance per se was out. Ancients was too much and far too varied because I really fancied something where both sides were not necessarily evenly matched but their equipment and weapons were on a par. Lace Wars, naaawww -too involved; 19th Century, nope -I already had ACW and am working through the FPW. I wanted something that was not too involved or extensive where I could pick it up every now and again and add bits and pieces when I wanted.
    Long story short, I happened across a programme on BBC4 a couple of weeks ago all about the Condottiere of Late Medieval/Early Renaissance in Italy. It wasn't until afterwards I realised I didn't need to invent nations or armies because this period had it all. I could make up factions of my own size and composition -up to a point- who could face off against or fight with each other whenever I wished and they would be as historically accurate as I could make them but with a definite Imaginations style background. Perfick! So now, not only am I researching early WWII but also checking out the Condittiere. As usual I am only looking to do this as a sideshow rather than a major enterprise but in 6mm who knows where it will end.

Nothing to do with wargames at all, just about other interests namely local football and photography.

You may notice dear reader, that I have amended the profile spiel to reflect the fact that I now have an interest in Sittingbourne FC, the local non-league football side. Through various contacts that we have my friend and I are now on the committee to help raise the profile of the club through social media...in fact my friend is more knowledgeable about that than I am so I just throw in ideas and take some pictures of the games.  Here are a few of the lads in action against Carshalton FC last weekend. For the benefit of those who don't follow non-league football, Sittingbourne are in red and black.

Sorry about the wait.

For starters, I just want to say that I have been extremely lapse in my postings of late and that is due to a number of factors, not least of which was being diagnosed with the dreaded ‘D’ –Depression. Not only did this take a long before it was recognised for what it was by myself but also time for the prescribed medication to take hold. So it was late December before I more or less had the damn thing under control but it wasn’t until I had to change my medication –with a two week lay off period to shift the old lot out of my system- that I concluded that some of it may have been psychosomatic in as far as I was on medication for Depression therefore I must be Depressed. As soon as I came off the first lot I started feeling better so the new lot are still in the bag, unopened, unused and happily to say unloved.
Because of all of that I have painted next to nothing in the last 6 months or so but I have been doing other stuff, albeit extremely slowly. The writing has been coming along in fits and starts, I am now on my third draft/re-write/proof read of the manuscript and am on the last couple of chapters now.
Also in the intervening period I made a couple of visits to mainland Europe, both in the guise of a holiday. My friend found a little place in Flanders which is absolutely perfect for chilling and forgetting the world in general. It’s near Wormhoult in Flanders and the first time the four of us went (my friend and his missus, Ma Subs and myself) we travelled to Ypres and we had a look around the WWI museum there (photos duly taken) before finding our place.
Now call me daft or militarily ignorant if you will but I didn’t realise that Wormhoult and the nearby town of Bergues (a Vauban fortress by the way) were on the retreat route of the BEF on its way to Dunkirk and the only reason I found out was because there is a local church in the village where not only are locals buried but there is also an area which is protected by the War Graves Commission and there are the graves of 61 British servicemen. The regiments are known as is shown by the carving on the headstones with the Welsh Guards being predominant but the individuals are not. Very sad place so I thought I would take a picture of the sun going down behind the gravestones as my mark of respect.

The small but very poignant graveyard in the village of West Capell, nr. Wormhoult in Flanders

On our second visit we had more time so we went to Bergues, which is a lovely place. As I said, it is a Vauban fortress with all the wall trimmings but what interested me the most was the Abbey in the centre. Now consisting of only two impressive towers and a marble gate, the place was destroyed during the French Revolution, damaged by fire in 1940, destroyed by dynamite in 1944 and rebuilt again in 1961 and is now a World Heritage Site as of 2005!

The Abbey Tower in the front, a dovecote in the centre and the belfry in the middle of town at the back.

I decided not long into our five day break that I would quite like to do the Early War period, specifically, the war in the Flanders region so I took photos of nearly everything that looked old enough to have been there in 1940 for future reference. Mind you, apart from farms, hedges and trees, other terrain will be a doddle –the place is as flat as a pancake, so the hills can stay in the draw! The only tricky bit could well be the drainage ditches that are along most of the rural roads but I might just wing it with them. Dunkirk and Bray Dunes were also given a visit and more pictures of the local architecture were duly taken. We arrived back in the UK yesterday evening after a great rest with very warm weather and after a lengthy wine-necking period. After all, at €1.59 a bottle (about £1.25 at the time of going to press) it would have been churlish not to, now wouldn’t it?
   So now to the wargaming side of things. Early last week I had an FPW itch that I felt needed scratching and before the holiday I had painted and based 8 blocks of Confederation troops with another 24 half way through. Then it’s the remainder of the commanders, artillery and cavalry and I reckon I won’t be far off done with them…for the time being anyway. And now I’m to do a little research on the BEF and Wehrmacht in 1940.