Well, on one hand, the memsahib is on the mend after her heart failure, although it's going to be a medium to long recovery, so it's unlikely that we'll not be at any shows for the rest of 2025. That said, it will mean that my blood pressure will be lower as I will not have to witness any of the myriad concatenations of asininity which have me in a fit of blogging apoplexy. Consider yourselves spared, and I shall do likewise. The cool weather this week, made me decide to call it a day on Summer, and so, I dug out the autumnal floral display which each year, grows a little and is now almost 4 feet high and growing. If there's one thing I like more than a nice cushion, it's an autumnal floral display. I'm resigned to having to have worked 12 months without time off this year, but I hope I can manage it. I mean, I still have my best friend in the world, and the 14 restaurants we had booked, were great about the cancellations with one exception. That was quickly r...

 I know I normally do a birthday blog post, forgiving my enemies and all that jazz. Not this year because some of my 'enemies' have really made an impression on my shit list, which takes some doing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to strike back, but I can't see the point in forgiveness this week. My annual month's holiday lasted a whole 36 hours this year... A new record! Someone very close to me nearly checked out, and as a result is still in hospital, leaving me to celebrate my birthday alone,  with a bowl of spaghetti, but thankful that at the end of it all, said person will be returned to me, upright, and somewhat fragile, but not laid out in a pine box. So, all things considered, it's a fair trade off. I have just been informed that said individual dreamed last night that they were wargaming with me, and were giving me a thrashing. So, it seems that she must still be delirious... So, I went back to work last week to earn some 'grace' at a...

 When exactly, did the hobby become collectively, droolingly, retarded? Look, you go out these days, and buy a set of rules that is 70% 'padding', you buy plastic figures or worse, 3D printed (of which more anon) which in many cases are awful for several reasons, and you finish up by buying a sourcebook with lots of eye candy and not that much truly useful information and a few scenarios. And it's all nice and shiny and attractive to the eye, but then, you buy the latest, greatest thing in paints, make a spirited start on it all, and sell it on a bring and buy (if you can find a bring and buy these days) to another unsuspecting sap or worse a dealer, who will do the same at a higher profit. Then, you start all over again with the whole process, perhaps with a 'Grandmother has died' or 'bills to pay' preamble on the next sales post on Facebook, having not found a bring and buy this time. How many people have bought armies based just on some glossy pics, witho...

 Well, my month of R&R is finally upon me, so, having received a delivery of Aly Moorrison High Elves from my painter (the infantry part of my army) I set about basing them yesterday. Today, they are based and double varnished, along with a couple of human characters who were in the box with them. I asked my painter to work from the descriptions in Forces Of Fantasy, which he has done, with exactly the end result I envisaged and which, would have made the 14 year old me, get a little excited in the trouser department. Hell, the 57 year old me is barely holding steady...

                                                Photo Credit: Irregular Miniatures   After recently writing of Ron Kay of Irregular Miniatures, I am so saddened by news today of his passing at the age of 98.  I have many fond memories of him for well over 4 decades of me being part of this hobby.  Whether it was a massive army or just a few 25mm rabbits, Ron treated all we long haired, over-exuberant kids with the same friendly enthusiasm.  It is no hyperbole to say he was a genuine British wargaming legend, who will be missed by many of us of a certain age, I am certain.  My condolences to the Kay family.