A Stollen Moment on Christmas Eve. . .

The 2024 Stollen just out of the over as the Grand Duchess butters it generously. A heavy dusting of confectioner's sugar followed, courtesy of the Young Master. I'll share a photograph of the finished artwork once Sonja bounces the photo to me.

My contribution, while not quite as spectacular as Sonja's annual stollens, is the cherry pie, which is her favorite. I experimented with the top crust this time, something I have thought to do for many years. It worked out reasonably well I think.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! And pardon the bad pun, Just a quick post before Young Master Paul joins me at the breakfast table for some Raisin Bran and cantaloupe (for him), and stollen with coffee (for me) while we listen to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge via BBC Radio Four online. How things have changed since I used to tune in to BBC World Service via the shortwaves 20+ years ago!

A shower, shave, and dressing for the occasion will follow breakfast with Christmas dinner mid-afternoon, so we can attend Christmas Eve service at Saint Katherine's Episcopal Church just up the road from us. The fact that this particular church is less than five minutes from us was, possibly, a sign for us to purchase the house we did given my own long dormant Episcopalian background.

I would like to think my late maternal grandparents, both of whom were quite active for many years within their own congregation (Saint Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Douglasville, Pennsylvania) smile down on us when we attend. And possibly the rest of the time too.

Ok, much to do before dinner and church, so I will sign off for now. I bid you Merry Christmas however you might celebrate the occasion with possibly a few moments for peaceful contemplation.

Warmest Compliments of the Season,

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!

And It's the End of September!!!

Saxony's Ploetz Cuirassiers, an illustration lifted from the Kronoskaf website, which has thus far guided my spectacularly glacial painting of 30 28mm Eureka Saxon cuirassiers purchased all the way back in October 2016. A gray, cool Saturday here in Mid-Michigan with rain in the forecast. The Grand Duchess is away at a conference, so it's just "The Boys" here at home. The Young Master (almost 15) has retreated to his room for something or other following breakfast while I have stolen back down here to Zum Stollenkeller (masquerading as my office) with a second mug of coffee and both cats comfortably ensconced nearby. Enjoying the late morning and still in my pajamas! Not much planned for today beyond designing a couple of promotional flyers for workshops my department is presenting (small parties we will throw?) in October and November. With maybe a bit of on the next podcast script. More important, I am toying with the idea of returning for an hour or...

Happy September 2nd!!!

T his weekend, the question of what, precisely, constitutes an "imagination" came up in an online forum of which I am a part. To be fair, the issue originates from further afield in a Facebook group that I am not a member of, but I weighed in with my own view. The following was in response to the question posed yesterday (Sunday) morning by an exasperated member of my own rather more gentlemanly town square, who had been met with a strident response to information he shared about his (admirable) hobby activities on said FB group. Here is, more or less, what I wrote: To my mind, the concept of imagi-nation(s) is a broad one. It can range from historical refights or what-if scenarios/battles/campaigns between armies of a particular era, to completely made up combatants operating in a quasi-historical setting, to the rather generic red and blue forces of the Prussian Kriegspiel that examine a particular tactical problem, task, or exercise. ...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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