Classes are over here in the Grand Duchy of Stollen!

What the heck! Let's have a little more of Saint Nicholas today. No reason not to, you know.

Classes concluded for yours truly yesterday afternoon, and I have a few easy days before collecting final papers to read next week and determining final course grades for students in my three courses the last few months. The Grand Duchess arrived home from her final class meeting for the term a little while ago, and already a peaceful December calm has settled over the house. Ahhhhh. . .

The Young Master and I spent a delightful morning together today. Following breakfast, he returned to his room on the second floor (his decision) to play with his Matchbox cars and other assorted vehicles, while I had a second cup of coffee and wrote a bit in my sadly neglected journal at the dining table. We followed that by bundling up and going for a nice long walk together around the neighborhood. The day is perfect for early December. Chilly, gray, and damp. I love it, and the Young Master is particularly taken with minivans, ~~busses~~ buses (thanks, Jim!) and, dump trucks at the moment, so it was a win-win situation.

After we returned home, and before I fixed us lunch, I spent a bit of time paging through some uniforms books for several specific examples of Prussian generals and officers with regards to facing colors, lace, and the like. With the current crop of 20 RSM, Minden, and Fife & Drum figures, I aim to provide a visual feast for the eyes despite the preponderance of rich Prussian Blue.

Which brings me to my final point for the day. I spent a lovely couple of hours last night here in Zum Stollenkeller, applying thinned (with Original Liquin) flesh tone, Prussian Blue, Cadmium Red, and Sap Green Winsor-Newton alkyd oils to said figures. Still not much to look at, but they are getting there slowly but surely. "Poco a poco" as they say in Spanish. And best of all, that comforting aroma of oil paints still hangs in the air this afternoon. I've included a couple of progress photos below for your perusal.

Two photographs of the current project on the painting table for the December 24th Friendly Painting Challenge deadline: 20 general and staff figures by Fife & Drum, RSM95, and Minden Miniatures. Funny, but once you start, high quality castings almost seem to paint themselves!

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

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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