Musings, Mojo & Inspiration

By now I had hoped to have had some painting finished and possibly even an AAR too, but I caught a bad cold off our son last week that has really hit me for six. Man flu maybe, but this is the worst I've felt since having Covid some 5 years ago! So to try and keep the old grey cells active whilst the body tries to recover, I thought I'd jot a few things down.

Mojo

Well my interest in trying to get a game or two in and some painting done has certainly returned since my last post. First off I really need to sort out my painting desk and games room, as it's full of partially painted AFV's that I will most likely park until the Autumn. Then I can turn my attention to either my MDF armies or some ImagiNations 19thC figures. 

So far I've drafted up a couple of scenarios to play, which I'm looking forward to getting onto the table soon. The first is a BKCII one inspired by my recent read of the Malta book and the planned invasion circa 1942 by the Axis powers. Given there was no actual invasion, I'm quite at liberty to cobble together something that has a passing resemblance to what have occured, which of course allows me to field some of my favourite 'toys' such as Early War Italian AFV's.

The second is another OHW scenario that I was originally going to play using HoW and my MDF armies. But then whilst watching a tv series on Netflix (see below) I fancied giving it a go with Rebels & Patriots, using my 19thC ImagiNations forces and possibly the start of another Das Wiener Schnitzel Krieg mini-campaign. Once said tidy up has been completed, I can double check what I have painted so that I can decide upon the forces for both sides.

Inspiration

With the old noggin rather full of cotton wool due to the cold, I've spend more time than usual watching tv. I'd bookmarked 'TURN: Washington's Spies' on Netflix some time ago and actually sat down to watch it a few days ago. Whilst a tad predictable and with the almost customary evil British officer, I did enjoy it and it is certainly visually very impressive. So this got me thinking to using R&P's as outlined above for some games, even dabbling with the thought of making a start on a small AWI project. Luckily for me reason got the better of me and for the moment, I would concentrate on using my existing painted forces, but maybe come back to this another time.

My good friend Keith Flint has just posted an update on his trip down memory lane making and painting Airfix kits, which can be found here. This really did take me back to the late 1960's and early 1970's, when we used to pour over the Airfix catalogue, dreaming of being able to buy some of those kits. Seeing what Keith has been doing has piqued my interest in buying some of those kits from my youth, as a pure blast of nostalgia. When I might find the time to make them, talk less of where I might store or display them, is another matter entirely!

Reading

Despite my cotton wool head, I have been really enjoying reading Thomas Asbridge's 'The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land'. Extremely well written, it makes me realise how little I actually know about this 'period'. What is good is that he also shows the view from the Muslim side too. Not a period I'm ever likely to game, as my interest is more in the Baltic Crusades, but still very informative.

Partizan Show

I was unsure about whether to attend this year or not, but in the end decided that I would enjoy the day out of the house, alongside of the general vibe and inspiration that the show brings. It is a long day out for me, but this year I'm going to try and take my time wandering about and taking in all the games, rather than just whizzing around as I normally do.

An added bonus will be that I'm meeting David Morfitt of Not By Appointment Blog fame, and giving him a lift to the show. It's always nice to meet other Bloggers in person and of course chew the cud for part of the journey. The social aspect of the show is always important for me and for many others too.

So if you are going to the show, I will be wearing a bright orange hoodie, so will be hard to miss on the day, making it easy (famous last words) to spot me if you fancy a chat, or to avoid me as well;)!

I think that's it for the moment, As always thanks for reading and any comments are greatly appreciated!

TTFN.