Skip to main content

It's Almost Christmas in The Grand Duchy. . .

 

A suitably snowy vista across part of the capital city Krankenstadt of the Grand Duchy of Stollen, a place which bares a striking resemblance to Riga, Latvia.


Things are busier than I would like here in the Grand Duchy at the moment, further early brushwork on the first 16 Eureka Saxon cavalry has been put on a back burner, and a slight cold for a few days threw a wrench into the works.  Grrrr.  

But I am on the mend now and steaming full ahead with the few last minute details and errands out ahead of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and our December 27th departure for a week of cross-country skiing in Canada through the new year.  In the meantime, it seems like a nice idea to share a few of our favorite traditional carols here in the Grand Duchy of Stollen.  

Given the many traditional carols out there, this has been a tough call to make since there are some truly beuatiful pieces, but his long-suffering manservant Hives and I have managed to narrow the list to Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus' Top 10.  No doubt, you will recognize many.  Now, we are not certain, but witnesses tell us that these particular carols, and one more modern jazzy piece, always bring a tear to Grand Duke's eye through the beauty of their melodies,  lyrics, and quiet sentiment.  Here they are in no particular order:

 

Stille Nacht (Silent Night)

Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen

Es Wird Schon Glei Dumpa

O Tannenbaum

Ding-Dong Merrily on High

The Holly and the Ivy

Once in David's Royal City

In the Bleak Midwinter

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Here We Come a Wassailing

Christmastime Is Here (Honorable Mention)

 

In the meantime, there will be one more post here before Christmas Day.  If you have a few spare moments, please be sure to drop by for a figurative cup of seasonal cheer.

-- Stokes

Comments

Andy McMaster said…
Frohe Weihnachten und Schöne Feiertage!
3:30 PM
The Good Soldier Svjek said…
A Merry Christmas to you all , Tony
11:49 PM
tradgardmastare said…
God Jul from all in the Duchy of Tradgardland!
1:33 AM
Duke of Baylen said…
I'll look out for that next post too.
Merry Christmas
Stphen
2:29 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Eventual Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment. . .

  The Anhalt-Zerbst regiment musters in the drill square to sort themselves into platoons and companies during the coming weeks  Fall maneuvers if you will. A large dose of real life the last few days with the start of classes next Monday, various preparatory meetings, and finishing up a few other things this week.  But, I managed to sort out 60 or so Minden Austrian infantry from the pile and get 'em stuck to temporary painting bases.  Must carefully drill out the hands of several NCOs for flagpoles and pole arms this weekend before the usual basecoat.   I'm thinking of mixing the usual white gesso with the usual light gray to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.  Applying both base- and undercoat in one fell swoop as my grandmother used to say. In the meantime, the recently finished squadron of Saxon cuirassiers has been placed carefully in one of the clear acrylic boxes on my shelves until I have the suitable flag to affix.   -- Sto...
1 comment
Read more

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!
14 comments
Read more

Continued Regional Map Revisions. . .

F ooled around a bit more with the revised map just before and after dinner this evening, using the Fotor app to reinsert missing text .  I also removed a few other things using the 'Magic Eraser' function, which works surprisingly well.  Now, we're getting somewhere.  I just have to figure out how to ensure that the text is all a uniform font style and maybe figure out a way to add a few bunches of trees to suggest forested areas,  Ninja AI is not always entirely cooperative to the tune of "I'm sorry Dave.  I can't do that." -- Stokes
1 comment
Read more