Skip to main content

Es ist der Zweiterweihnachtstag!

Here is yet another version of Santa Claus/St. Nicholaus, in purple robes with fur trim, another pleasing combination of colors.  Understated and simple, but sometimes that is just as pretty as more intricate designs.

It's the second day of Christmas!  For those of you who observe, I hope Christmas Day was filled with fun, happiness, and friends/family. . .  and, perhaps, a few moments of quiet contemplation.  Here's to a jolly Christmas Week of continued celebration, delicious leftovers, sugary goodies, and eager daydreaming ahead to 2012, wargaming-related or otherwise.

Christmas Day here at Stollen Central was all about Young Master Paul, and it was fascinating to note the difference in his level of curiosity and involvement this time around versus last year.  We even managed to get all of his gifts opened in one session instead of two or three as was the case with Christmas 2010.  Another lovely afternoon and dinner for the three of us followed, neat gifts, and some goodies in our respective stockings left by Santa Claus/Father Christmas.  ;-)

Later yesterday evening, I enjoyed  some more German gluehwein with the Grand Duchess, and we had some quiet downtime together around the coffee table after the Young Master's bedtime, opening our Christmas cards to each other as quiet Austrian and German choir music played in the background, and we chatted about the day.  Then we brought up Netflix on the Grand Duchess's laptop computer and began watching the version of Auntie Mame (1958) with Rosalind Russell.  It's 143 minutes long, so we only made it through about half of the film before the fatigue of the day kicked in, but we'll finish it this evening.  A fun movie that I haven't seen in about 30+ years!  Oh, and in all of this, the tireless Grand Duchess prepared and baked us another Dresdner Stollen, so I've just finished the few remaining slices of last week's stollen and enjoyed a slice from the Christmas Day stollen with my morning coffee.  Heavenly, but I think 2012 will see me needing to get back on my bicycle in a serious way!

On the wargaming front, Santa Claus/Father Christmas left 7-8 new bottles of Citadel (ex-Games Workshop) acrylic paints in my stocking, to replace a few aging bottles in the current collection of hobby colors.   Mother-in-Law and Father-in-law also provided an embarrassingly generous subsidy to the Stollenian Tabletop Treasury for books and more figures.  It would seem that someone doesn't want me to dig out from under the pile of lead and plastic here in Zum Stollenkeller.  So, tomorrow, there are a couple of recent Charles Grant titles to order from On Military Matters as well as a 30-strong battalion of RSM95 pandours/croats from the Dayton Painting Consortium.  

After the first of the year, I just might contact Frank Hammond of Minden Miniatures to order a few of his pandour/croat figures to compliment the RSMs and provide a bit more variation for the unit.  Jim Purky did something very similar over on the Der Alte Fritz Journal not that long ago, and the two ranges of figures seem to compliment each other extremely well.  And then, who knows?  Perhaps another unit of Holger Eriksson cavalry like I was nattering on about a week or so ago in a previous post.  Or, maybe that wagon train I've been thinking about for a couple of years?  Or maybe the pontoon train and battalion of pontooniers?  Or maybe. . .  

Now, one of you Stollen Regulars asked me a week or so ago what my plans are after completion of the Sittangbad-sized project in the next three weeks or so.  Well, I'll be staying in the mid-18th Century for the foreseeable future, adding some specialty troops to the basic forces, like those I mention above.  Then, maybe a unit of uhlans, another unit of musketeers or grenadiers for the Zichenauers, or possibly some more hussars (I know, I know. . . ), and the list of possibilities goes on and on.  Watch out!  That daydreaming will get you every time.

Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, the Grand Duchess and Young Master Paul have gone a-Christmas calling today, visiting some friends an hour away, leaving yours truly to his own devices until mid-afternoon  So, after dressing, emptying the dishwasher, starting a load of laundry in the washing machine, and another mug of coffee, guess who will return to the painting desk to begin wrapping up the black lining and touch-ups on the current crop of ten Luebecker Musketeers?  Yep.  And once those are done, two more batches of ten musketeer figures each, two officers on foot, two drummers, and the mounted colonel.  Yikes! Suddenly, the January 16th Painting Challenge deadline doesn't seem so far away, so it's time to get thing cranked up again and shift into high gear here in Zum Stollenkeller.

Comments

My Dear Prinz Ulrich,

The court here in Han-gover marked the holiday by inviting many of the burghers in the capital of Pilsnerstein to share in a seasonal feast in the Ducal palace. A fine time was had by all.

Your discussion of the growth of your heir in just one short year reminds one of how fast time flies. Ah, to be young again and know what I do now....

Wishing you much joy for the New Year and much pleasure taken from the closeness of family, the nearness of friends and the availability of many new "toys" to paint.

Gerardus Magnus
Archbishop of Han-gover

(a/k/a Jerry Lannigan)
Bluebear Jeff said…
Stokes,

It sounds like you've got a lovely Boxing Day planned . . . and I hope that you enjoy it thoroughly.

Might I suggest that you look through the various Charles Grant Scenario books to see what forces you lack for playing all of the appropriate Horse & Musket period scenarios?

This might suggest some future troop acquisitions. I might suggest a particular gander at his "Programmed Scenarios" book since it is set up for Solo Wargaming (and you don't seem to have a readily available opponent).

Finally I wish some nice snowfalls for you this winter so that you can exercise on your cross-country skis with your lovely Grand Duchess.


-- Jeff
tidders2 said…
Stokes,

I'm reading Wargaming in History Vol 5 (Xmas goody) - great stuff includes sections on engineers and support; plenty of ideas stirring in my mind for 18C additions too

happy new year

Allan

Popular posts from this blog

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Taking Stock Part II: The (As Yet) Unpainted but Planned OOB. . .

  Two companies of Reichsarmee grenadiers painted back in 2017 or 2018.  Minden Austrians of course. A lovely early autumn day here in the grand duchy.  Bright sunshine and a light breeze with cool temperatures will make for some very pleasant late afternoon lawn mowing in a little while.  But first a bit more discussion of painting plans for the future. Last time, I looked back at the various and sundry units, support troops, and civilians that I've managed to paint in the last 17 years as the Grand Duchy of Stollen project has developed.  So today, let's look into the seemingly bottomless Drawer 'o' Lead to my left for a clue to the new direction.  Be forewarned, it's not going to be a quick job getting everything painted and based, but there we are. The following plans are based on the pile of unpainted figures already here.  Any future purchases will be limited to small things that might be needed to fill out the envisioned units (the odd few officers mounted o

Having a "No Day". . .

  F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day."  A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day.  I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers.  These have stood waiting  untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday a