Havelock

Gardening has kept me pretty busy lately. A spell of cooler weather means I can dig over the ground and plant seedlings without turning into a puddle of perspiration. It also led me to ponder a means of protecting my head and neck from the sun, since I tend to burn easily. A baseball cap is next to useless. That took me in turn to - the Havelock cap.

It has to be said, along with the pith helmet the Havelock cap is the iconic head-wear of the Colonial period. Designed by Major General Sir Henry Havelock for use by the British army in India during the Mutiny, it went on to feature in the armies of the Union and of course the French Foreign Legion. I think it'll be perfect for protecting the old noggin in the hot summers found here in NW Ohio, so I'm making one based loosely on the example in the photo. Not having made any kind of hat since the heady days of Junior School, it's going to be a learning process. 

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Gaming... I'm planning to resume the Darkest Africa campaign sometime soon, but have yet to decide the shape of the scenario. The Barsetshires are closing in on a town situated on the southern shores of a huge lake, their target for this campaign. Naturally they have a line of communication and supply. The G'Wunda tribe were licked but are still lurking in the area. Then there's the Arab slavers, who have their own agenda which doesn't welcome interference from the White Queen's men. Either or both could make a move against the Imperial force, directly in the field or against the LoC. Should I first play out the Imperial attack on the town, or an attack on the Barsetshire's halfway supply station at Tylers Knoll? Decisions, decisions...