Nearing the Finish with Batch #3. . .

Having a "No Day" this Saturday, as my late mother would have put it. Just saying no to everyone, everything, and enjoying some me time. What better way to do that than to continue brushwork on the current batch of 16 figures? I thought you'd agree.

This time around, I tried taking pictures with my iPhone. I think they are marginally better than those taken with my now venerable Sony Cybershot although I am not quite sure. In any case, PixlrX still is not cooperating and refuses to open any of my images, so these are the raw pictures without any autofix, adjusting for brightness, or cropping.

Still, they provide a reasonable idea of where things are at the moment.

Remaining tasks include the queues at the back as well as highlighting visible hair and curls at the temples, mustaches, and metallics (musket barrels and firelocks plus brass fittings, cartridge pouch badges, and the few visible buttons), plus the inevitable touch-ups. And then I will be free to forge ahead to the final 13 officers, NCOs, and musicians plus the ol' mounted officer and horse before flags, glossing, and permanent basing.

With the start of school on September 1st for yours truly, maybe we are looking at another month's work on the current unit? We'll have to see, but I am eager to finish these, so The Young Master and I can return to his battalion of Prussian garrison infantry.

I'd also like to tackle a couple of mounted generals or perhaps a couple of guns with crew in time for Young Paul's 12th birthday at the end of October, or Christmas if time becomes scarce in the meantime. The latter is probably the more realistic view if we are honest.

Beyond that, another squadron or two of cavalry followed another regiment of line infantry, this time an Austrian regiment with some wonderfully striped flags is the plan. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here! Quite a bit in the planned queue before that particular project takes shape.

-- Stokes

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!

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down h...

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...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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