I am shogun.

Now I can resume painting after defeating the computer on hard. Shogun Total War can now gracefully exit stage left from my evenings.

Finding time to do a physical hobby

OK I have to admit that Napoleonics has fallen by the wayside over the course of the last few months.  The culprit for this has been my addiction to Shogun Total War 2. Ever since I pimped my PC, I have been fighting my way through Medieval Japan. STW2 is  gobsmackingly beautiful in terms of graphics and fiendish in terms of AI. I admit that I am a pretty poor player but the AI is really nasty. I have been playing so much recently that my wife has had to lay down the law a little to stop me spending all of my waking moments attatched to the pc. I promise to stop playing once I get to be Shogun. Actually, I have downloaded a few faction packs so maybe after all of the factions get a chance to be shogun I'll stop. I am going to be a camp-dad on Victoria's intermediate camp soon, so that may give me the opportunity to wean myself off ambushing samurai armies. Here's hoping.

Waitangi Day

The weather was supposed to be great for Waitangi Day but as I write the clouds are covering the sky as far as the eye can see and the city is basking in a balmy 11 degrees. Today's holiday jobs are going to be 1) Organising the basing of my British Command and finishing the first two of eight command figures. 2) Mowing the lawns. 3) Taking back my books to the university library. Althought he university library is a great source of material on my hobby, as an ex-student I only get limited borrowing time. Since I am generally busy, this means that the books that I borrow often lie unopened before I have to take them back. So it is goodbye to Mr Chandler's History of Napoleon's Campaigns and Mr Esdale's The Peninsular War.

Saturday work

On Friday the girls and I went up to my mum's house to cut the hedge and mow the lawns. The weather over the last few has been nothing short of amazing. We spent an really busy  day hacking, chopping and cutting. The end reult - a reasonably tidied up house. As I am typing, it is 8.30 and the sun is beginning to set. The garden smells delightful and the kids are glued to a rerun of Doctor Who. I have a book about the Peninsular War upstairs waiting for me and the whole evening to enjoy it. Life is truly good!

Trying to turn over a new leaf

Not that I actually do a lot of research but these books from my uniform library all have great illustrations of staff figures.

A mottley bunch of British in their basic coats. The 1/35 flag bearer is to the left with only five colours applied so far.

My unexpected 1/35 purchase. Unfortunately Hat did not model the mount for the officer!

With both of the girls back at school, we are making a push to have our evenings on homework and music practice. To that end the TV has gone west as has my PC (which has a new password that the kids don't know).

Now that I am not watching TV in the evenings and Black OPs 2 has become a little boring, I am back at the kitchen table painting.

Here is the situation as it stands now...

British Command - first 2 of 8 sprues started. I have decided to paint 2 sprues at one time from start to finish rather then follow my production line method.

Not quite sure how I will base there figures but I will try to make Wellington plus a few other generals. One horse fig plus two hangers-on next to the horse.

Russian 1/35 Command- hardly stated. I am painting the flag bearer but I am taking my time. I haven't painted 1/35 for years and I had forgotten the joy of using the medium sized paintbrush!

All up, this year I will take my time with the sundry sets which I have picked up. In 2014 I will hit the Spanish armies (if all goes well).
 

On the Eve of Work

Shirts ironed, new black shoes. Time to get back to work. Got to build a bunny run for my oldest daughter tomorrow. Bang goes the back lawn.

Time to Resume Normality

Off to Dunedin today. ALthough I technically have another week off, I will probably be at the school on Monday. Lots of planning to do and a large influx of Indian nurses to get past the IELTS hurdle. On the bright side, I am optimistic that my Christmas presents will have arrived from Australia. I have a strange urge to start with the Wurtemburg cavalry first. I have generally stayed away from the continental armies ( apart from the Frnech and the Russians) because of the plethora of uniform changes between the different coalitions. I really couldn't be buggered painting a pre-1806 Prussian and then a Confederation of the Rhine Prussian and then a 1813-5 Prussian army.  My French are a hodge podge of Post Bardin reform and 1809 and I really don't mind.

Anyway - the van is packed and the children are organised. The only thing we need to do now is head off to Oamaru to watch my wife's concert group perform and then we will all head back.