Non-Hobby related, The Wedding.

Well the 'stag night' that led to the knee incident came to fruition yesterday and my pal tied the knot. This is not hobby related, I think its just a nice story.

It's a bit of a modern romance. They met playing Internet poker and fell in love. Paul's 67 and Suzzie is ?????. She lived in Australia and he lives not far from me. A couple of years ago she migrated to the UK, during that last great snow, with nothing but a pullover to keep her warm, she had no concept of what REAL cold is like. She is so lovely and bubbly she fitted straight into our life, apart from the cold and damp. Anyway two years later they went to the Town Hall got spliced.

Wallasey Town Hall from the front

I've had to use an old photo as the weather was so overcast. It's a magnificent building facing out onto the Mersey. It's only when people from out of the area visit you that you realise the wealth in your home town.

The Grand Staircase

The Happy Couple

 All the best to them both. I wish them great happiness.

The knee's better and I barely limp now, thank you for all your 'well wishes.' But it has meant that I couldn't stand at the kitchen island after work and cook this week so the Viscountess had too. As such I was able to make some moves on my colonial hamlet. Pictures later this week. However the free time did place before me temptation in the shape of some batreps for 'A Very British Civil War'. Can I resist?

Take care in the snow and from the sayings of Old Jack Burton; 'Never drive faster then you can see!' 

Lorcan. 

Un-productive Hobby Week (and a smashed knee)

Now one of the issues about the public sector cuts is that it has forced 'Estates' to rationalise the, well estate. Subsequently the garage at our place has been filled with broken furniture (that's the criminal bit, the sheer volume of stuff!) So I liberated a quad of broken MDF cupboard walls and decided to make a gaming board. I did not have a great deal of time as I was out on a stag do (more anon). So here it is.

The tools. Top middle are some Registration Plate Screws

The VRM Screws go into the base. this raises it above the table and makes it easier to move, if the games not finished and protects the dining table.

Measure and cut the railway scenic grass (about £3-4 from a model shop)

PVA glue.

Roll  out the 'grass'

Ruffle it a bit for texture

I've done 4 to give the smaller boards a bit of variety. Problem is when all together it looks a bit too checkered. But a wargaming board for less then a tenner.

That was it for the day. The stag do went too well and I tripped (?) on the way home. Now my left knee is the size of a football. Hey self inflicted wounds I can't complain, just got to get on with it.

Doubt if I'll anything done this week either, ongoing work project is maddness ('til Feb)  and the wedding is Saturday. Tie me in 'bubble-wrap' and let me loose.

Have a good week folks.

Lorcan.

Inter Festivities Project.

What can I make of this?

Well between Christmas and New Year I needed something to regain my sanity. A game was out of the question as Viscountess wouldn't let me use the dining table for a couple of days. But I was allowed to do some modelling as my work bench is more of a man tent then a man cave.

I decided to make a log cabin for my 'Long Rifle' project and for the Muskets and Zombies scenario.

Tools for the job: My new Guillotine.

I did make a plan but I didn't photo it.

The basic blanks (a barn and stable)

Roof and shingles of cardboard.

External walls of Bar-b-que sticks and stirrer panels

Just needs painting, as per 300th WI magazine (what a great read!) and it's done. The other buildings to follow and presto a Colonial Hamlet. Hmm let's see.

A Stag do to organise this weekend (he's 60+ you'd think he'd have learnt by now) will curtail any gaming. But let's hope for next week.

Thanks for reading. Catch up to you soon. 

All the best, Lorcan.

Oh Yes! Another end of year report

Time for a bit of introspection. How well did I do with my resolutions? I looked at the post for this time last year:

Well it is that time for reflection. My biggest thing for last year was joining this community. The friendship of you ALL and the pure joy of reading your blogs, batreps and adventures has been a pure pleasure. So what for the new year. Well I have a medical procedure to look forward to in April (cardioversion, stopping and rebooting your heart) which means a big lifestyle change and a regimen of drugs.

Weirdly, this paragraph is a bit prophetic. Apart from the joining bit, it's now continuing with this community. The infection I got back in November put my heart back into AF, so the rest remains the same.

But that is nothing to what I want to do: 
Blog at least once a week: I got a post in every week and some months even more. +1
An ATZ game a month: I failed in January, Sept. & Oct But over all I got 17 games and BATREPS posted so I'm giving myself another score + 2.

Sort out my figures and go with Vampifan down the card model town lane: I got no new figures to sort out (a failure for a gamer) - 1. I went down the modelling lane instead of card models. I built a shantytown, some forest scenery and a cabin (my inter Christmas/New Year Project) +1.



 I'm also torn about starting a QWIK tourney and THW's new 'Long Rifle' game: No QWIK tournament but the forest and the log cabin as well as painting all of three Native Americans I have made a start on the LONG RIFLE game + 1/2.

 A new role in work should help with all the above: This may prove to be a little harder now as we have had a change in supervision and our new Inspector is into micro-managing the office -1.

Overall a resounding 4 1/2 out of 7 a partial victory.

Next year much of the same but change the ATZ environment. However, I still have one more game to play here. Get the BATREPS written up for my 'vanity book.' Start a Long Rifle campaign, with some zombies thrown in. Prepare for retirement which comes in Feb 2014 (eek!). PS the Viscountess has some plans for civic improvements to Castillo PZ (oh dear).

Anyway, thanks for all your support, comments and friendships. Take care out there and have a pleasant New Year celebrations.

Lorcan.

For the Sci Fi gamers out there! Free Daleks

As you are aware my computing systems have all gone West. My sister and my brother-in law took pity on my plight and gave us one of their old Apple iBooks. So I'm back with blogging more frequently again.

I went to the local shopping centre today to price up a new laptop. Alas the Castillo PZ coffers are not that full 'til next month.

Anyway all was not lost, I found Halfords do a modelling tools and the main reason for this post.

This week's 'Dr Who Adventures' Magazine.

Is giving away a set of 11 plastic Daleks. From the look of them they're 1/72 scale and are fairly well detailed.

Not my scene really but some of you folk out there may be able to use them.

All the best out there.

Yours, Lorcan

That time of year

It's that time of year again. Time off with my family. Sister up with her gang. Now just for a couple of seasonal ciders at the club.

Thanks for all your posts and I wish you all a very merry festivities (lateness due to mylaptop's prossesor packing in snd my tablet playing up, the pigeons were too fat to fly!)y what's left of the holidays snd if your working 'keep your head down'.

Old Glory Exclusive by Jimmy and Grafton Street

What is happening in Purgatory?

By Jimmy Street.

Photos by Grafton Street.

The first rains of fall tumbled onto Moor City’s Shanty but that was not all that surprised the residents. As an early morning raid by members of St. Michael’s Precinct and elements of 152^nd National Guard crashed into the unofficial suburb.

Purgatory has been under quarantine for the last eight weeks as the result of an, as yet unidentified, virus. The situation had become so severe that the Guard was summoned to supplement Moor City’s finest. Rumours spread that criminal elements within the town had turned it into a virtual no go area. In an attempt to gain control the raid was organised. However this rapidly turned into a rescue mission.

The sound of gunfire alerted us to the chaos on Donkey Drive long before our arrival. The streams of refugees identified there was something more then a raid going on. Attempting to get an interview with Sergeant Al Lynch I was provide with a curt ‘no comment’. Half dead people emerged to assault and slaughter a platoon of the 152^nd ripping the flesh from their bones.  Further enquiries got a pistol pointed at my head and an order to leave. The individual responsible was identified as a British agent working for the BOI on attachment to the Moor City office!

 

But what exists in Purgatory? You decide. Why are the British interested? I do not know the answers to these questions. Ballot the town hall. The truth is out there.