Here's another neat nutcracker. . .

Gentlemen, it’s official – I am caught up in the Christmas spirit! Time to set aside my usual veneer of cynicism and pessimism for a few weeks and treat myself, along with everyone else ;-), to a rather more jolly spirit than is usually the case. With my unabashedly joyous feeling in mind, here’s another wonderful example of a nutcracker. Enjoy!

Today’s schedule will include reading several student papers, tallying of final grades, along with a few errands this afternoon, and maybe some time on my bike (indoors, of course). After dinner, the Grand Duchess will attend her weekly yoga session, so I will have a couple of hours for continuing work on the Spencer Smiths.

I’ve also got to prepare 13 Revell 1/72 plastic artillery crew and an officer’s horse in a jar of vinegar and quickly assemble two 25mm MiniFig cannon. If I get into high gear, I might be able to get enough finished for my first imaginary 18^th century battle just after Christmas when things calm down just a bit – The Action at Zollamt Bridge. The planned scenario will be based loosely on Young and Lawford’s Battle of Blasthof Bridge but with a few of my own additions/twists. Stay tuned for the continuing details and photos!

Comments

Bluebear Jeff said…

Aha! I look forward to reading about this "action" and to seeing the pictures too.

Pete and I will be taking a crack at Grant's Table Top Teaser #3 this evening if all goes well.

-- Jeff

12:03 PM

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!

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

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 her

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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