Skip to main content

A Saturday Visit to the Tailor. . .


It's 10:30 Saturday morning, and I am still waking up with the first mug of coffee, and the two cats milling around here in my office at home.  A dark, wet, and dreary day outside, but I've got much activity planned since the Grand Duchess and Young Master have decided to visit Chicago for the day and left very early this morning.


First off, and following a hot shower, a visit to my tailor to take in a new three-piece suit from J. Press for the usual minor alterations.  It arrived yesterday, and was/is a gift to myself for some good news professionally speaking earlier this fall.  And since three-piece suits are generally pretty hard to find in 2023, I leapt at the opportunity after spotting this particular number on the J. Press website two weeks back.  A charcoal Donegal weave, very soft to the touch, and perfect for the cooler months, which here in Mid-Michigan are, conveniently, October through April, and sometimes well into May.  So this one should get a lot of wear.

Then, it's off to run a few Christmas gift errands.  Most of my shopping for the season long ago -- and well before Covid with its initial lock-downs -- migrated online.  Nevertheless, there are a couple of things I have spotted that the Grand Duchess will enjoy on Christmas Morning and beyond.  Once that errand is done, a few things at the supermarket, and then home again to enjoy the rest of the afternoon preparing the next batch of figures for painting, this time those 28mm Eureka Saxon cuirassiers I've nattered on about in previous posts.
 
Initially, I had planned to spend the day working through final student assignments, their course capstone projects, but that can wait until Monday and Tuesday next week.  Time instead to play hooky and take a couple of days for myself.  Sunday, I will record, process, mix, master, and post another episode of my podcast, an activity that, while time consuming, is actually a lot of fun, so not something I mind doing.  But that is putting the cart before the horse.

Back to Saturday activities!
 
This evening, I plan to enjoy some coffee and possibly a dram or two of single malt by the fireside in the library with some Christmas music playing softly in the background.  And who knows?  I might actually crack open an actual work of fiction that has nothing at all to do with work pursuits.  It used to happen now and then.  Once upon a time, I was a great reader of fiction, and that habit, I think, ought to be resurrected as we approach the Christmas break with its related festivities and downtime.
 
-- Stokes
 

 

Comments

Andy McMaster said…
Sounds a most excellent day.

And the suit sounds a great find.

I too used to have a great fiction reading habit. On the bus to and from work, at work, evenings. But lockdown killed that habit and now I struggle to finish more than one book a year...

A
4:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 18th century? What's the Fascination?

Hessian musketeers by All the King's Men Toy Soldiers of Snellville, Georgia, U.S.A. Just a quick post post today, but I thought the above question might be interesting food for thought. Obviously, there is an array of possible periods, theaters, and conflicts that might catch our eyes. But what is it about the era 1700-1799 -- either real, or imagined? Is it the commanders and politics? The fairly straightforward tactics? The myriad of uniforms and flags? The variety and scope of the conflicts? The patchwork of various and sundry petty states, (at least in Central Europe)? I'm very interested to learn your thoughts. Don't be a lurker! Please leave a comment -- or even two or three. Have a nice day everyone!
35 comments
Read more

An Early July Hussar Update. . .

  Marginally neater in appearance with green bases, girths, and ivory horse markings added, but I need to neaten up some hooves now before moving onto the rest of the tack. W here in the world did June go? While I still ponder the answer to that question, how about a quick painting update on the first batch of 14 Minden Austrian hussars and Nadasdy? Good.  I'm glad we are of a like mind. Still on the sloppy side, but I've managed to move things along, painting the green bases, white (ivory) horse markings, and beginning the miles and miles of tack adorning the various horses.  I always like to begin with the girths spanning the horses' ribs which helped hold the saddles in place.  Even with the figures mounted individually on temporary painting bases, these can be kind of tricky to access, but there we are. I've also used various Army Painter washes (Mid-Brown and Strong Tone) as well as their Speed Paint (Grim Black) to make the manes and tails of the horses a bit m...
9 comments
Read more

Basic Reds Done at Last. . .

  S till quite a way to go with the current batch of 20 human figures and a horse (of course), but they're actually starting to look like something after all of the red distinctions.  Quite a bit of painting in hour-long sessions the last week as and when time has allowed.  Mostly applying the basic dark red to facing areas and turnbacks followed by the inevitable touch-ups to clean up wobbly edges and those misplaced, minute splotches of Citadel Khorne Red.   They're looking like so many Austrian infantry regiments of the era at this point, but the eventual flags will turn them magically into the Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment, more or less, of the AWI period.  But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. One frustrating point (ahem) of sad discovery.  I've started trying to use those Winsor & Newton 'Series Seven' brushes (#1 rounds) purchased last spring, and the blasted things simply will not keep a point.  Very frustrating since I have heard over the y...
3 comments
Read more