Song Lyrics…

What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?

Well I used songs to give to my younger self I. An earlier prompt… At least it wasn’t an expressive dance!

So ever since I heard these they have stuck with me…

Those who feel the breath of sadness
Sit down next to me
Those who find they’re touched by madness
Sit down next to me
Those who find themselves ridiculous
Sit down next to me

And if we want to go back a bit to my younger days…

Streets of London

Have you seen the old man
Outside the seaman’s mission
Memory fading with
The medal ribbons that he wears?
In our winter city
The rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero
And a world that doesn’t care

Funnily enough, it was originally going to be the Streets of Paris.

This verse is the one I can’t sing without having a little wobble in my voice.🥹

Rewrite the Ending

If you could rewrite any book’s ending, which one would you choose?

You know this is actually quite hard, there are a few books that bug me. Maybe not so much of the ending, but recurring, nemesis,  characters in a series. I am thinking of Obadiah Hakeswill in the Sharp series here.  I don’t know why but his reappearance bugs me.

But in reality what right do I have to change someone else’s story.  I wouldn’t change things, but I might like to see another few chapters…

I have just finished Jurrassic Park… There could have been other survivors… What happened when the military arrived. Oh and why did the film kill off Muldoon?  How long were Grant and Saddler kept against their will…etc, etc,etc.

Talking of Jurrassic Park, the one thing that really, really bugs me is Michael Criton’s overuse of the word ‘said’!

I was teaching six and seven year olds to use words instead of ‘said’…

I actually read a few other people’s ideas and I did like this rewrite…

https://greatthingstaketimebepateint.wordpress.com

So maybe write my own additional chapters, or possibly write my own book.  Twenty or so  years ago I started doing so accidentally. I set homework for my kids in my class  to write the start of a story and said to make it fair I would do the same. The kids loved mine so much that it became my homework every weekend to carry it on.

I have a hard copy of about 20,000 of the 40 odd thousand words that I wrote. One day, ha ha, I will get it finished!

Bottom, Willy, Bum and Poo!

Well as you know I have made a start on the Florentine forces. In the back of my mind I thought I had got some of the new Militia.

I decided that I hadn’t bothered as they were pretty much the same as the mercenary troops, but with a leather jerkin and no feathers.

Evidently I was wrong… Whilst looking for my ‘Death of the Landsnekht’ book…(I spent so long looking for it that I forgot why I wanted it!).

But I digress… Whilst mooching through my crap I came across a box….

I swore!

I have just about got myself motivated to paint the originals. So I would seem to have a pike block of nine bases. Some form of command set and the rest are shot ( four bases of close, or two and three of skirmish/two close).

One of halberd and two of sword and buckler men.

So basically another sixty miniatures to paint. I am once again a bit disappointed by the quality control. Considering this is a brand new mold it’s a bit of a mess.

Some of the bases have holes in them and the vent on a lot of them will need a file taken to the bottom.

Somehow I was beginning to persuade myself that I really needed some Spanish, French or possibly a Papal army. I must be off my head.

Luckily Claymore is on the first so no doubt I will find lots of new shiny things to add to the pile of crap.

Is Random really Random?

So, if you remember yesterday I painted the trousers and hose of my Pikes and ended up getting cramp so had to pack in.

Well I needed to finish three bases out of the nine. Now I thought I had chosen them randomly… Earlier when I went to finish them I came across this conundrum…

One front rank and two back ranks. So was my random actually actually or was there some form of unconscious choice being made.

I am now trying to remember, exactly how I placed them and picked them up.

To avoid wasting paint I got the arqubusiers clothing done too and used up the rest on random stuff off the tray

More clothing looking colourful…

Now because there are only sixteen miniatures their random trousers colours are less than random when compared to the pikes. I suddenly realised there was one colour left to do and not enough miniatures…

I will carry on later on.

Oooh Second Breakfast

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?

Well if I could have Dinner with a fictional character… I would have to decide between a couple of books.

First would be Lord John Roxton from the Arthur Conan Doyle Books. In fact my first ever Blogger post was about Roxton in the Lost World.

Second would have to be one of the Fellowship of the Ring from the Lord of the Rings…If I had to choose one then probably Legolas.

If I actually had to choose between the two, then Roxton would be my choice.

Whoops!

Well I was having a bit of a search for something in the shed and came across a box that said Aztecs on it…. Indeed it was full of Aztecs….

Black Hat Miniatures don’t exist anymore… So I had a look at the postage date…

Evidently I have too much shit…. Perhaps an eBay listing or ten should get underway… Especially as I am off to Claymore show on 1st!

If it was easier I would take it all to the bring and buy table and get rid of it there, but sadly I am on the ferry and a bus.

I Saw Red

Wellll I was painting some more of the Florentine Mercenary forces…

That is all of the troops with a red coat.

I suspect we don’t know what they actually wore, but in my mind if you are employing a lot of well paid people to fight your battles then I suppose you want people to know who the money is coming from. Secondly when push comes to shove it is helpful to know who not to poke with a pointy thing and finally in other earlier conflicts the use of a jack or tabard was used to denote allegiance. Not exactly perfect, but they are mine and as the (at the present) Florentine Doge then I have decreed a uniform of sorts.

The trousers are going to be various colours to give a less uniform look… But knowing me I won’t be able to help myself and will sort of make a unified look on the lower body.

They definitely won’t look like these…(I hope)

Book to inspire travel

What’s a movie or book that inspired you to travel?

Well if I honestly had to choose a book that would make me want to head across the pond then it would have to be “The Last of the Mohicans”. Never managed it yet but it is Definitely on my bucket list to visit Fort William Henry and into the great lakes.

The film with Daniel Dat Lewis, definitely helped me want to visit more.

Maybe one day…

I love “Carry on up the Khyber” and have held that gate against the imaginary Burpa Horde.

Bases, sort of based

Yes I actually got up early this morning and used my Vallejo basing stuff on the bases I had painted.

When it was dry I shoved some GSW dipping inks onto it.

I also did another sky thingy  with the oil pastels.