A Merry Christmas to all out there in Bloggerland

 

The Season's Greetings to you all.

Preparing for Christmas - well the Christmas Game at least !

 

It is a tradition for us to have a Christmas Game and this year we are having one on the day after Boxing day, so I have been tidying up the gaming room and setting up the tabletop and sorting out the forces ready fot the big day. My Wargaming Colleague 'S' is calling round and is even talking about bring his son 'O' with him - I have warned him to tell 'O' that we will be playing with LARGE figures so he doesn't get culture shock .

'S' and 'O's forces sorted out ready for the off. 

My General glares across the soon to be battlefield and for some reason not yet explained is accompanied by a member of the Clergy ?? - all will be revealed in the battle report after Christmas .....

Looking forward whilst looking back.

 

A somewhat sinister Father Christmas with a box of rather nice Toy Soldiers. It is about this time of year I do a brief summary of last years gaming and a tentitive look at next years, this year I have been quietly slimming down my collection of figures - getting rid of the ones I haven't used for a while and don't see myself using again - and so far I don't think I have regreted getting rid of anything ! . I find I tend to use the same half dozen sets of rules (the simpler the better) and really can't be bothered to learn new ones - however promising they seem to be . I have played a LOT of Command & Colors boardgames which I enjoy using a very simple solo mechanism - these are not very photogenic so I don't bother recording them on the blog. I think I have painted less figures this year as most of my purchases have been the Wofun 2D ranges which rapidly lets you deploy ready painted armies onto the tabletop. Next year I will continue weeding out the unused figures and probably 'round off' the collections I use regularly. A positive thing is that my Wargaming Colleague 'S' and I have started to do regular Friday morning games and trying to link them together in an unofficial campaign mode and using a collection of figures and rules for several games rather than chopping and changing which allows use to get to knw the rules so they don't get in the way of the game. I do enjoy painting figures but don't see any major extentions to collections, so painting for fun rather than necessity ....... (watch this space to see how this pans out)

Christmas Fayre and a meeting with the shades of Wellington and the Corsican Ogre !

So it's the season for Christmas 'Fayre' , Mrs K and I took ourself off to the nearby Levens Hall which is doing a series of Christmas themed weekend events and remarkably only charging under half price admission ! (which probably factored into our decision to pay them a visit as well) .

They boast the oldest and finest topiary garden left in Britain !

For somebody who hates cutting hedges this is very impressive .

I'm told it remains the finest as a change in gardening fashions caused a lot of topiary to be rooted out and the gardens re-modeled.

I could see myself making a right pigs ear out of trimming this !

A sundial - but no sun !

The topiary with the Hall in the background .

Very impressive even to a non-gardener like me .

And so indoors - all very historic-housie fancy plaster cellings and dark carved woodwork . The building started life as a Pele tower guarding the crossing of the River Kent in the 13th century and altered much over the following centuries.

This is where things get interesting - Napoleon's saddle from his less than successful Egyptian campaign - I assume left behind when he scutteled back to France and the British arrived.

My admiring of the horse furniture was accompanied by a choir of carol singers ! 

Wellington's leather gloves worn on his entry to Paris after the Battle of Waterloo (click on photo to enlarge)

Wellington's specs (from later in his life I expect) this memrobellia was past onto the Bagot's  from his sister-in-law - who was probably having a Spring clean - as you do !

A cabinet with porcelain (?) figures of the 'Corsican Ogre' and his Field Marshals .

A book belonging to Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleons brother ?) taken at Waterloo .

A blotter belonging to Napoleon taken from his abandoned carriage after the battle .

And perhaps finest of all - a clasp from Napoleons disgarded cloak found in his carriage after Waterloo (click on photo to enlarge description)

There was even  Wellington's campaign bed which he used in the Penninsular campaign ! , I was rather pleased with these exhibits , I had been around the Hall but it was many years ago and I had quite forgotten about the Napoleonic memorbilia - so it made my day !

Back to the more mundane 'Xmas Fayre' .

Another view of the great hall - the event was well attended as can be seen by the numerous visitors.

The obligatory 'Civil Warre' arms and armour - I think every stately home in the UK has these - how many are authentically ECW might be up to debate - however the wheel-lock pistols belonged to the owner of the Hall and are thought to be early examples. For more info try this site -Levens Hall :: Country House South Lakes

Just as we were leaving I spotted these on a windowsill - my wife was somewhat taken aback by my evident joy and enthusiasm - they are 18th century Grenades abandoned by the Jacobites on their retreat North over Shap Fell when they had to lighten the baggage train to get over the Fell on the appalling roads ! - the icing on the cake ! - as Wallace and Gromit would say "a grand day out"

 

The lost photos of the 'Gallant Captain Parker'

Whilst having a clean up of my stored photos I came across the following sequence of photos , which I think must date back over 10 years or more , I can't remember them appearing on my blog so I think they deserve saving and publishing .

I do vaguely remember converting the Grenadier Officer figure using a home cast Prince August 40mm mould , which obviously involved a head swap and an added musket.

And there is even an atmospheric 'period' print of the completed figure. It's a while since these figures graced the tabletop , so maybe it's time to get them out again .....

 

This years 1000 mile Challenge achieved !

 

So this week on a rather cold blustery day on the River Kent estuary we past our 1000th mile of this years challenge ! , a bit earlier than last year and neither myself or the dog (Charlie) show signs of slowing down so we will be doing it next year which will be our 8th year I think .

Toy Soldiers in Art No.21

 

Found on the 'Toy soldiers in art" Facebook group,  guessing at the early 20th century . I can't  make out the make of the cavalry figures but they don't look like typical Britains? , rather a nice castle though!