A Satisfying Painting Session. . .

The first four camp followers, nearing completion after a pleasant 90-minute painting session last night.

During our recent Spring Break vacation, which ended one loooong week ago now, I worked like a madman to begin basic painting on about 20 camp followers produced by various manufacturers. Yesterday evening, I pulled out the first batch of four to add some detailing and clean up a few tiny things. Here are the results complete with a tray of food, frothy beer, pewter mugs, and a couple of eating utensils on the tray.

I still need to tone down the white eyebrows on the menacing barkeep at left and carefully edge in his shirt collar now that I look at it, plus paint in the hair and ponytail on the loafing chap at far right, but I'm calling these almost done. Time's a waistin', and I need to get on to the next four.

The figures here include three by Reaper Miniatures and one old Suren/Willie at right, who will get a small table on which he runs a shell game, duping unsuspecting soldiers out of their hard-earned ducats, florins, or whatever they used for spending money in the Grand Duchy of Stollen region during the mid-18th century. . . before the area was caught up in the final partition of Poland and disappeared from maps of Europe once and for all.

-- 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!

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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