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| An rather charming vintage German greeting card for a happy new year, featuring a gnome, the good luck pig, and a sack of good fortune. |
Before all of us get too busy with New Year's celebrations, in whatever form those might take, allow me to wish all visitors to the Grand Duchy of Stollen blog a Happy (Happier?) 2025.
Many similar wargaming hobby blogs have fallen by the wayside since the initial rush of enthusiasm back in the first decade of the 21st century, but we're still here in the capital city of Krankenstadt clanking along as and when time and real life permit. The early kernel of thought that became Grand Duchy of Stollen will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the start of December 2025 with the blog itself turning 20 years old in early Fall 2026!
That hyper focus and Johnny One-Note-ism notwithstanding, these upcoming anniversaries provide perfect occasions, now that I think of it, to keep the painting and modelling fires burning. I've already drawn up concrete plans -- progress charts really -- to keep things on track over the next couple of years with, hopefully, more actual battles taking place than has been the case during the last few years. In any case, I hope you might continue along with me for the journey as and when your own schedules permit.
More immediately, I can report on another painting session last evening, about 90 minutes, during which I applied my preferred 'charcoal' highlight to various harnesses and reins on the current 16 horses ridden by the first squadron and regiment staff of these blasted Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. Slow going, yes, but with only one minor brush mishap, which I was able to wick away quickly before the paint splotch dried. Later this afternoon, I'll sit down again to tackle the rather more complicated bridles, and then the part that most of us dislike about painting miniature horses will be finished. Whew!
We're now getting very close to completion of everything that I can manage before the necessary touch-ups and acrylic gloss varnish. And while I have managed their shoulder thingies pretty well, the two musicians' sleeve chevrons, however, have continued to elude aging eyes, painting skills, and patience after several attempts. Sigh. So Max and Moritz will just have to make due with plain white sleeves. Possibly another Kodak moment update on New Year's Day though.
On a slightly more subdued and somber ending note for 2024, I hope we can get through the coming year(s) with a minimum of the now daily discord, strife, willful ignorance, and general ugliness that we have come to expect in what now passes for acceptable sociopolitical discourse. As that fantastic British band The Kinks intoned 40+ years ago, and I may be misquoting their song a bit, I hope we'll find better days for 2025 and beyond.
-- Stokes
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