It's (almost) Christmaaaaaaas!

 Christmas is fast approaching and I have just 12 working days left until I put away my brushes for a month. And, it cannot come too soon a I am somewhat burned out this year, with what has been one of my most technically demanding year in the almost decade and a half I've painted full time. That said, I've done some seriously nice work for some awfully nice clients, so it's been worth it.

My Christmas shopping is all done, and I've got several bookings in place with restaurants across Yorkshire & Derbyshire, as well of course, as tickets for Kate Rusby and Geddy Lee. 

I'm starting to set up for the first of the Christmas games, of which there will be not the usual one, but three this year. 

Roll on the festivities!

Speaking of Geddy Lee, I've finished the book in both printed and audio format. It's an amazing read and very candid. The pictures in the book are a real joy and at the end of the audio edition there are two songs which were left off Mr Lee's 'My Favourite Headache' album. I can't help but hope we'll see some more music from the surviving members of Rush.

I'm also reading 'Clubland' by Pete Brown, which is a history of the Workin Men's Club movement in the UK. It's a fascinating history, even for someone like me who has no interest in or connection to those institutions. The politics which led to these clubs, in turn leading to regulation of the working week, are something I'd never read about before. It's quite an eye opener.

I'm not particularly political, but understanding that the country is still really no different to how it was in the 1860s came as a surprise. The politicians are a collectively a bad lot, despite their labels.

At this time of year I also love to go back and read a book I loved as a kid - 'The Giant Under The Snow' by John Gordon. If you want a great escapist story, set in the fens (I've been to a lot of the locations over the years and have seen the gold belt, featured in the stories) and involving long dead Norse warlords and wonderfully creepy bad guys, look it up. It's set in the run up to Christmas and so, is a perfect read. Even as an adult, I love spending a couple of sesssions reading it - a simple festive pleasure.

Gaming wise, I have a few irons in the fire for 2024 already. I am now in the final stages of finishing the purchases for my fantasy project. My wife has bought me a few boxes of the new Oathmark Elf cavalry as part of my Christmas loot stash and I have a few Ral Partha bits to buy and a set of proceeding monks. Then it's done.

I'm considering the new 'Legions Imperialis' game from GW, because it is supposedly a direct descendant of the 2nd ed 'Space Marine' rules which in the early 90s we played to death. If that's the case, then what's not to like?

A few historical projects are taking shape too, as my ECW skirmish is almost done too. The new Bloody Miniatures cavalry are lovely, and there is a growing movement of Once Upon A Time In The West Country players some of whom I've not gamed with for years. The whole skirmish thing has reignited the interest in the ECW at the 'local' level of conflict amongst several old friends and bucko's. 

I am still mooting another ECW era set up based around the Corsair raids up the Gannel Estuary, but I'm not sure whether to go this direction or a little later and play some more traditional 'Smuggler' games a la Jamaica Inn.

Well, the sun is rising and the day demands I earn my keep...

TTFN