What a difference a shelf makes

Now the move is over we're unpacking slowly. I put up a couple of shelves in the gaming room closet so the bulk of my figures and scenery are now safely up and out of the way of other stuff as it gets moved around. It also gave me the opportunity to examine some of the scenery for damage caused by the long spell in storage. So far the Dux Britanniarum watchtower is the only piece that needs some minor repair. Three months spent in often below-freezing temperatures didn't do the walkway much good, and it's looking rather sorry for itself. Replacing the wooden supports should do the trick.

Talking of Dux Britanniarum, I ordered shield transfers for both sides from Little Big Men Studios, and they're on the way. All being well I should have done enough unpacking by then to find time to sort out my Romano-British shields at last. I've also found a nice frame for the map that comes with the rules, and once I get some matting card for it I'll hang it on the wall of the gaming room. The next project after that will be to buy the Saxons from Splintered Light Miniatures, and to make some fortifications and even an early monastery for those rascally Saxons to attack.

Settling in

Slowly but steadily, progress is being made in the new gaming room. I managed to set up a desk so I can get back to writing, and I'm uncovering more of the floor each day. My favourite Paul Daly artwork is up on the walls. It'll be a while off before I get the gaming table set up though, but I found a batch of casters which will do nicely for the table legs.

Then there's this little lot...

The garage shelf. Two rubber snakes add a bit of menace to the scene.

The previous occupant left the garage literally piled waist-deep in stuff, all of which she declared of no further interest to her. After sorting through it, which took four days, we found a load of toys, games and stuff that soon got donated to local schools and charitable organisations. I also found what eventually amounted to a whole shelf-full of crafting materials.

The white and the nearer brown box are full of aerosol paints, most of which are white, black or pink (not much call for that colour in my repertoire, squire...), and spray adhesive. Three hot glue guns surfaced, two of which were salvageable, along with a bag of glue sticks. There's also a whole bag of craft paints, all untouched. Four LED tea lights popped up, which will eventually be turned into flame and smoke markers. I forget what's in the furthest brown box, there's been so much stuff.

I hesitate to call it all 'loot,' since it's legally ours, but that's what it feels like. Eventually, once everything's done in the house and better weather arrives, I hope to set up a work area at the back of the garage and make use of it all.

House moves are for the birds...

So then... I'm back.

The House-move from Hell is over. It took far longer to get into our new house than expected due to various shenanigans I won't go into here. Now we're well into the Marathon that is unpacking stuff from boxes, to the traditional cry of "why on Earth did we keep this?"

And I have a new game room.

It's cluttered with stuff at the moment, and the walls are a boring shade of beige (is there such a thing as an exciting shade of beige..?) but at least I can size it up and get an idea of where things can go. I have a little less space than the previous room, but it shouldn't be a problem. Once all the necessary projects like kitchen and bedrooms are done, I will get on with this.

For the boards I'm going to make a table support measuring 5 feet long by 3 feet wide out of 2x4 and 1x4 inch wood like that shown in the previous post. Martin had the good idea of setting it on casters so it can be moved around easily, which will be great for this size room. I'm going to add a gate-leg to the idea so it can support the extension piece when I want to use it. The whole kit and kaboodle will go lengthwise from the window. Hopefully it'll get enough light.

As for my figures... Ouch. I packed them well, but most didn't come off too good at the tender mercies of the moving guys. I see the need for a few touch-ups here and there. The best survivors are the Dux B gang who got rattled around a bit but are otherwise undamaged. Their village survived just fine, and is ready for them to occupy.

More news as it comes in. I've got a lot of boxes to unpack and flatten. :/

Moving Day

The general muddle has abated somewhat and today's the day we get to move into our new house! It'll be a huge relief to be settled once more.

Obviously things like everyday furniture and fittings come first. Once the dust has settled I'll get to work on my gaming room. The old table which supported my gaming boards really isn't up to the job any more, so I plan to build something along the lines of this...

I'm thinking in terms of making storage space underneath, perhaps in the shape of some kind of racks or shelving to make maximum use of the space.

I'll be back to write this blog as soon as I have something gaming or modelling oriented to write about.

Trying times

Unfortunately our house move from hell continues. After nine weeks without a home the latest attempt to buy a house has fallen through due to various long-drawn-out shenanigans on the part of certain people. My wife an I are at an impasse over what to do next. Entries on this blog will resume if/when we become settled. 

EDIT: As it happens it appears the move is back on again. A deal was reached unexpectedly at the eleventh hour (more like 11:59:59!). All being well we will finally be able to move into our new house Friday. 

My thanks to those wishing us well. More news as it comes over the next few days.

A Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to one and all!

Splintered Light Miniatures holiday sale

What it says on the tin - Splintered Light Miniatures are having a 25% off holiday sale on most ranges until the end of this month. They are nice 15mm figures, and you can see part of my collection in the photo above.

 * * *

In other news, Esther, our house move is still on hold. We're waiting for the current occupant of the house to move out, which won't be for a few more days yet - possibly mid-month. To say my wife and I are frustrated would be an understatement. This time of year, with the holiday season upon us and the onset of worsening weather will make our eventual move all the more difficult. I'd like to take advantage of the offer above, but we'll need a proper mailing address for that. As we've already discovered to our cost, forwarded mail via the USPS is for the birds...

Yes, I need more temptation...

I need more temptation today! 

Those fine fellows at Pendraken Miniatures have released the first photos of their upcoming Indian Mutiny range. The first batch back from the sculptor are the greens for the Indian contingent and very fine they look too! If you're interested in gaming the period in 10mm, take a peek.

I can see an order winging its way to Middlesborough next year. As for rules, I read good things about the Bloody Big Battles (BBB) set for late 19th century gaming. Do any of my readers have experience with these they can share?

In Remembrance

For those who served, and to those who continue to serve.

 

Hanging fire...

So, my wife and I have a house lined up - at last. The past weeks spent house hunting have been pretty hard on our nerves, especially as time wore on and nothing suitable presented itself. The housing market in this part of the world has changed radically since we last moved five years ago. 

Some of the places we viewed tend to stick in the mind for all the wrong reasons. When a house inspector takes one look into a basement, turns pale and backs out slowly, you know there's trouble in store...

Although we're not on the final straight, we are at least rounding the final bend. It's a case of 'hurry up and wait' until we can move in, probably/possibly within the next two or three weeks. I have a room marked out for my new Man Cave. It may be a bit smaller than previous, but a determined attempt to de-clutter our possessions has reduced the sheer amount of stuff I own to more manageable proportions. Seriously, I recommend everyone does this frequently. If/when it comes time to move house you'll thank your foresight for doing so.

My first priority hobby-wise will be to get my table set up. After that I hope to order the Saxon contingent for Dux Britanniarum from Splintered Light miniatures along with shield transfers from Little Big Men Studios. Watch this space...