Almost There... And A Metamorphosis Takes Place.

 A month ago, my new builder whoo; was giving me a quote for resurfacing and extending my yard and patio in Indian stone, told me that rather than wait 5 years and knock down my derelict old garage, I should consider having it demolished apart from the walls and the UPVC door that I'd had fitted 15 years ago, to at least make into a useful eyesore when we moved in.

The neighbours next door complained that my garage was 'on their land, by 2 inches' and so I gave them a key and said that they should feel free to use it to store their crap in, whereby for the next 14 years it was actually used to store the contents of a builders tool shed. Two years ago, and after consulting both my deeds and locating the actual 1961 boundaries, I simply fenced off and bought my land, allowing next door 10cms of my own land width , magnanimously telling the wife (who was the protagonist) that this was the case, in the presence of a surveyor, and telling her that she should feel free to use it as if it were her own. The garage then reverted to my ownership in full and I got the satisfaction of seing something akin to embarassed fury on her face. 

Skip forward and the husband emptied his stuff from the garage 3 weeks ago, and having been quoted 5 thousand for a full conversion as opposed to 20 thousand for an identically sized and high mantenance wood cabin, the order was in. However, this is a small part of the crap in there, and as you can see the state of repair was 'distressed':

After 10 days, I now have the old place completely re-roofed with a wood and fibreglass resin combo, that a car could be parked on - hmmm rooftop parking -, a raised 4 inch floor including waterproofing, insulation and a fully boarded top surface you could break a pick axe on, mains wiring and lighting, and the interior completed as of 4PM today.

Next week, will see the exterior similarly clad and then I just have a two week wait for the picture window in the side, due to the fact that across the region if not the U.K, made to measure windows are taking up to 4 months to fabricate at present.

But, when all is said and done, I'll shortly have a 10x20 purpose built gaming room, or as Roger puts it 'An extension for 5K! - Bargain!'

I'm off to shop for industrial grade carpet this weekend, and the two tables are on order, which will allow 12-16 foot long games, and offer 140 cubic feet of storage.

I.m hoping to get two nice armchiars, a Tassimo coffee machine and a wine fridge (red and white sections) in there, and some book shelves at either side of the table at the far end.

Here are some pics, which due to the vagaries of Apple cameras have that distorted, look, but, you can see that it's going to be a nice space, which can be left set up and act as a communal gaming area for friends.

I consider myself a very luck man indeed, and it was whilst I was reflecting on this fact, that I recalled the 80s, and the rise of the 'Cheque Book Wargamers', those well paid individual with all the trappings of that ostentatious decade.

These were the people we wanted to be and also who we loathed just a little, because when they wanted to take up a new period, they just whipped out the chequebook and paid to have it all done.

Don't get me wrong, they earned the money and as one well known 'face' once quipped, only partially in fun 'It's cheaper than golf'.

And so, I have realised that over the last few years some of my generation appear to have become the same. We work hard - damned hard - and know what we want. We plan, we shape - and I do tease certain people about being tight arsed, when I am just as bad - we price up and streamline, large but sensible collections, often without lifting a practical finger. I tend to paint generals and do the basing and flag fitting, but paint a unit? Not a bloody chance!

Oddly, I think we probably spend less by 'going chequebook' because we don't have - well some of us anyway - large piles of untouched lead that 'well get around to painting sometime soon'. 

A few years ago, Kayte and I began to repeat the maxim 'Everything we do must have value' and by that we have lived. Value is not just fiscal, but more a case of getting the most out of time, expenditure or an experience. In regards to wargaming, I worked out that for every three unpainted projects, I could instead have a completed one. Not only would I own something which was no longer 'scrap value', but it would have aesthetic value, and most importantly, would be something with which I could have the great pleasure of sharing with a few friends, who to not sound to dramatic, are as priceless as my wife, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

Indeed, the new gaming room is as much for them as I. I'm sure that before long there will be laughter, extremely foul language and some great times emanating from that room as we continue (not recreate) the times we shared as callow youths, high on rock 'n' roll, with one Hi-Tec trainer in childhood and one dipping into the world of adults.

I realise now, that being a 'Chequebook Wargamer' is not something to be scorned, when you are doing it for a greater and more communal experience, as those precious years, pass, seemingly faster, every day.

What's more, I hope that as my grandsons grow and indeed the offspring of my friends, we can collectively pass on the torch to them. We may have all lived through some odd times and even been estranged from each other as an organised group - were we ever? There were a lot of us and many sub-groups - but I do think now there are a hardcore who truly understand what friendship is and who want to roll dice with thos eof a similar mind.

Now that's what I call 'value'!