COLONEL TOM ESSEX'S REGIMENT

Made the finishing touches to these chaps this morning before dashing off to another busy day at work. Colonel Tom Essex's regiment of foot fought at Lansdown and then probably was destroyed at Roundway. The Officer here is Lieutenant Colonel Theo Paleologus, a descendant of the Byzantine emperors

The officer is from Replicants, and all the other figures are A Call to Arms with Ensign Miniatures heads. Although the Lobster Pot was supposedly a cavalry helmet, it's the classic Roundhead hat, so I had to do at least one foot regiment wearing them. I hope to make a start converting some musketeers to dragoons next, so will crack ope the milliput.

AN ARCADIAN IDYLL

What a wonderful day. Even though I have been at work the entire day, all that really involves is chatting to the good people of Bath about their gardens and wandering about a particularly nice garden centre making sure the plants are well and healthy, so not really a job at all (no wonder I have done it for 15 years). It was incredibly busy today as you might expect, and I did find myself going a bit hoarse at about 11.30 this morning but luckily we had a lunctime lull.

Inspired by Alfront over on his new blog War Diaries of a little Englander
http://alfront-wardiariesofalittleenglander.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/little-england.html

I have to agree with his views on our magical Island, and in particular my little corner of it, the Summer Lands (or Somerset if you prefer), although I fear I am not lucid and erudite enough to put my true feelings for our land down in writing. Suffice to say it doesn't often look much better than it did today, and I consider Rhodes to be spot on "Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life."

Here are probably my most enduring personal icons of England, which I visit as often as I may

Glastonbury Tor

The Uffington White Horse

(Epona's Summer by Gina Holland)



SWORDS FOR THE BOYS

I have been promising to make Robin, my oldest lad a new sword for a while now, and finally he drove me into the garage to get busy. I had to make one for Arthur as well so he didn't feel left out . Luckily we had a few suitable bits of wood about, and I picked up some brass screw today

I have now been asked to make a double headed battle-axe.

THE BIG CHEESES

Continuing with some FLW figures here are a couple of Black army Generals from Dolp Figures.

I hope to cast up some figures myself soon and am scouring my old 28mm boxes for candidates to melt down. Does anyone know the best place to get good casting metal, as Prince August is rather pricey (I wish to remain on good terms with the Vicar, so Church roof is out).





ARMY BLACK STARTS IT'S MARCH

At the start of the year I swore not to undertake any new projects, but within days I was captivated by the shiny soldiers on the Tin Soldiering On blog, and the whole idea of actually firing cannons at them to knock them over, just as I did umpteen years ago. The idea formulating is to build armies for The Invasion of 1910 as written about by William Le Queux.

First off some Germans

The bodies are White Metal Mail and the heads Irregular.



TREES FINISHED

It's been a funny old fortnight with mundane reality intefering with soldier fun, but last night I actually managed to clear off the wargames table and lay out the ECW figures I have finished with the terrain recently completed too.

Apart from coming to the conclusion I need to paint some more figures, I also found 54mm figures fill up the table nicely, and as I am finding them more enjoyable to paint than other scales now I think I will stick to this scale for the forseeable future, thus avoiding straining my failing peepers on 1/72 figs.

I have also decided to collect historical armies rather than random ECW figures, so will base my collection on the armies of Waller and Hopton at Lansdown (with perhaps a few less cavalry),  so I have a goal to aim for now, kicking off with the forces at the skirmish in Chewton Mendip.



"GRUB UP MEIN LIEBLINGS"

Fraulein Migginz brings the hungry troops the Trompenberg national dish Pelzpastete to the troops after a hard days practice drilling

Figure from Forty-Third.

I had an interesting trip to Croome Court in Worcestershire today pursuing my interests in eighteenth century landscape gardens. Croome was the first landscape Lancelot Brown undertook as a freelance designer, for the sixth Earl of Coventry.

Here is the Rotunda, situated on the hill behind the house