A FREE Sunday. . . finally!

Helped by the fact that it’s unseasonably cold and rainy outside, so the backyard will have to wait until another day where leaf raking is concerned. That means -- hold on to your hats guys – I’m going to fire up the old paintbrush and apply a base coat of gesso to those RSM French musketeers sitting over on the painting desk in just a little while. Funny how something so mundane can, nevertheless, get the blood boiling and make the hair on the back of one’s neck stand to attention!

Last night, the Grand Duchess and I had two couples, with whom we are friends, over for dinner and drinks yesterday evening, and it was a resounding success. Lots of good conversation and laughter along with my Algerian couscous recipe followed lots of fresh, strong coffee. Sonja and I slept in this morning and enjoyed a late breakfast at the dining table, during which we discussed the events of last night. In fact, I only just arrived here in Zum Stollenkeller a short while ago, and it’s just after 2:30 in the afternoon. Lazy Sundays are great!

Now, many of you will, no doubt, enjoy this next bit of news that I’ve meant to tell you for some days. Yes, I have come into a huge amount of 1.5” to 2.5” Styrofoam sheeting, in which several new bookshelves (that we purchased for our library) were packaged. Big pieces of the stuff that are about 6’ long x 2‘ wide. Lots and lots of material with which to create hills, earthworks, redoubts, and maybe even some Vauban-inspired fortifications over the next several months. I mean there’s an incredible amount of packing material just outside my doorway here. . . much to the chagrin of the Grand Duchess. In short, it’s a packrat’s dream! Well, Mom always said that I am easily entertained! I guess she is right. ;-)

I’ve also been rereading a short chapter on the activities of engineers in wargames by Donald Featherstone from, I think, Advanced Wargames. Just haven’t had the energy in the evenings to get back into that Martin Amis novel I began last month. Anyway, very interesting stuff in Featherstone since I want to be able to use engineers/sappers/pioneers more than only occasionally on my table. From what I’ve gleaned about these specialist troops during the last few months from David Chandler’s wonderful book on Marlburian warfare, I think that there are all kinds of interesting possibilities, which might spice up horse and musket era wargames rather nicely.

Thank to everyone who sent me suggestions and pointers for wargaming tables over the last few days. While something along the lines of Brigadiers Young’s huge table with a trapdoor in the center is sorely tempting, I think I will try something a bit more practical and: 1) Either look for a second-hand ping pong (table tennis) table, or 2) visit a store like Office Dept or Office Max and purchase a few of the 6’ long folding tables over which I’ll place pieces of 1” thick particle board. Green cloth would be easier and cheaper, but I want to paint the table surface Grassy Meadow, a shade of green latex paint produced by Olympic Paints here in the USA that is almost the same shade as GW’s Goblin Green – the color I use to paint the bases of my figures. Well, that’s the idea anyway.

Finally, I see that the new issue of Battlegames – Issue #12 – is due before long, so that’s something else to look forward to. I’m especially eager to see the article by Stuart Asquith on a battle from the 1866 war between Austria and Prussia. And there are always several other interesting pieces too, regardless of period in question. Sadly, it looks like the article I sent to Henry in late 2006 has not made it again. Sigh. Well, maybe next time.

Ok, I should stop writing now and get over to those RSM musketeers. And you too – Get those brushes out and get painting, men! Those figures won’t paint themselves.