So much to do, so much to do. . .

December is the season of toy soldiers in my book, and some brightly colored cavalry in miniature are always a stirring sight, at Christmas, or any other time!

So much to do, and so little time to do it before Christmas arrives in earnest next. Still a few gift errands to run, and one last batch of grades to submit online today. But, we did get the trees decorated last night, and they are stunning, so the first floor of the house, our front door, and front porch look bright and festive. The Young Master is on the mend today and very interested in the trees this morning. He keeps describing the various ornaments and colors that he notices. . . in English and German! Sadly, his Norwegian lags in third place somewhere, but there is still plenty of time for that to fall into place.

What about those wooden vehicles of his? Well, I got started painting his wooden trucks late yesterday afternoon, and they are looking pretty good, but I need to make a quick trip today to pick up some acrylic paints to finish the job. Hopefully, the wheels will arrive shortly, and then I'll scramble to paint those and attache them to the fleet of four trucks destined for the hearth just beneath the Young Master's stocking on Christmas Morning.

And what of soldier painting? Well, I ran out of time yesterday evening what with the Christmas tree decorating and spending some time with the Grand Duchess afterwards over warm Gluehwein followed by a glass of eggnog. And then suddenly, it was after Midnight! So, I aim to spend time this evening working on the current small batch of five officers. At this point, I fear that I'll fall far short of my pledged 20 figures when 6pm on December 24th arrives, but I'm giving it the old college try between now and then. Once the relative quiet of Christmas Week arrives, I'll have considerably more time for painting and otherwise puttering around down here in Zum Stollenkeller.

In the meantime, enjoy gazing at these two photographs of toy soldiers culled from the internet. They don't have anything to do specifically with Christmas, but as I mention in the first caption above, December is high season for toy soldiers in my mind.

A perfectly ordered row of tin soldiers (British, or Danish Guardsmen?), elegant in their simplicity.

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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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