Spring 2021 Update On Wargaming & Other Hobbies

Like most of us I'm sure, it's been a very long Winter under lockdown and now that Spring is (allegedly) here and we can begin to emerge from our homes and resume some semblance of normal life, it's time to take stock of the past few months. It's been a mixed bag for sure on the wargaming front, for a variety of reasons as you will see, mainly due to other hobbies and interests that I have. So without further ado and in no particular order:

Gardening

Since retiring I've been able to spend a lot more time out in the garden which is something I absolutely love. After a career in the design industry for over 30 plus years, being able to work outside in the fresh air and at Nature's pace is such a refreshing change. No silly deadlines or awkward clients to deal with, just slugs and the vagaries of the English climate. Having plenty of daylight after workshops with little natural daylight is fantastic and so good for the soul! 

 

However this love does impact on my wargaming as this time of year is somewhat hectic with getting seeds planted, beds ready for sowing etc, that there seems to be little time left for anything else. Of course this is all weather dependant and this year the Spring has been more cold than for many a year, which has caused a few problems, but that's part and parcle of gardening in the UK.

 

The back garden looking a bit sad due to cold winds from the Arctic, which is unusual for this time of year in Bristol. However potoatoes are in pots as well as peas, so things are progressing, albeit rather more slowly than I would like.

A mix of tomatoes, lettuce and flowers waiting for it to warm up transfer them to pots and to harden off outside.

 

 

Woodworking

Another of my hobbies that I love, but time is often hard to find given I'm also now a full time carer for our son, who has Autism and Learning Difficulties. One of the benefits of the recent lockdown is that with my wife at home, I've been able to pop out into my small workshop (a rather grand title for some space in the garage) and have a play. I'm lucky to have this space for a start as well as a collection of wood I've accumulated over the years with which to make things. Having had a rather nice workshop in Nigeria when I was a VSO and then when working prototyping, I've had to adjust to an almost complete lack of machine tools, which took a bit of getting used to. However the lack of noise and dust and making most things by hand has been rather refreshing. 

To kick things off I knocked up a simple box to see what I could or couldn't do at home with the tools at my disposal. Most things are achievable but just take longer to do. I learnt a lot from this which I can take forward to other projects, of which I have plenty planned. Now all I have to do is find or make the time!

Made from pine taken from a Victorian coach house where my old company used to be based, before they moved premises.

Half the fun is choosing the timber to use and how best to make use of the grain and natural knots etc within each piece of timber. Nothing fancy for sure but a start.

 

 

Reading

For once I've made more time to read this Spring which is something that I really enjoy. It certainly helps when you have books that really grab you. Luckily so far I haven't encountered any 'bad' ones, which is good. My reading consists of pretty much military history these days, with the odd foray into travel literature for something different.

The 'Report of Foreign Manouevres 1912' is an eye opening read having just finished Max Hastings excellent book on the first year of WWI. You realise how completely unprepared all sides were for the type of warfare that occured, despite the lessons learned (or not) from the ACW and the Russo-Japanese War. The 'Case White' books is my current read and is a must have for anyone with an interest in the Polish Campaign. Full of fascinating detail, I'm learning an awful lot that other books on the conflict haven't covered, which is perfect from a wargaming point of view.

 

 

Wargaming

I've struggled to game as much as I might have wished to, but the above has frankly taken up more of my time and interest so far this year. At least I've managed 10 solo games so far, some with input from friends, so not too bad really. I've also been planning plenty of games and scenarios which I enjoy doing. Painting I've pretty much failed to do anything so far, other than some basing and priming of units. Evenings are when I usually paint but under lockdown this has become family viewing time which is far more important! Still I'm looking forward to finding some time soon to paint and hopefully easing of lockdown might force me to pull my finger out and get stuff finished before FtF hoefully resumes in the Summer!

Cycling & Walking

Both of these took a big hit as we all had to stay within our local areas for most of the first few months of the year. It's pretty hard to find new routes that are free of people and are fun to cycle or walk on with such a restricted area within which to operate. Also the weather didn't help as after cycling cum wind, rain or shine for nigh on 30 years to work and back, I fancied a break from this. I think I've become a fair weather cyclist now! Fitness took a hit but things are picking up now that we are allowed further afield. I'm still being careful but hope come next month to really begin to spread my wings, all being well on the Covid front of course.

 

Let's hope that the next three months are better than the first, so until then stay safe and keep healthy!