Covid and ramblings

 After nearly three years I caught the dreaded Covid yesterday, I had a cough, tested on Sunday and was clear, but yesterday around 1300 hours I began to shake uncontrollably and felt like I was freezing despite my jumper and fleece, so off to bed. I actually felt much better that evening and sat through two episodes of SAS Rogue Heroes. This morning I feel like I am just getting over a not too serious cold, runny nose and slight fuzzy head, anyway, that's the club and two possible weekly games hit on the head for now.

After eight years of blogging I have hit 100 subscribers, it gave me a little lift when I noticed, I write the blog mainly for my own amusement but am happy when people let me know they enjoy reading it, like that gent at Partizan last month.

I also notice that my piece on The West has Fallen has far out stripped all my other posts with 242 hits, there are more but I have not a clue how the system works or why some are registered while others are not. Anyway I am sure many surfing for an educated article on the demise of the modern West will have been disappointed that mine refers to a wargame set around 500AD.

We were at my son's in Darlington for the weekend and FIASCO at Leeds was taking place, now I swore after the last visit I would never go near it again, almost an hour to leave the car park, however The Assault Group would be there and Yarkshire Gamer Ken Reilly was putting on an Italian Wars extravaganza. The missus gave me the green light so I ordered figures from TAG to pick up and was looking forward to seeing Ken's table, the missus would content herself in a local cafe.

It was a lot busier than the last time I was there, quite a few traders, a lot of traders actually, the games were all participation that I could see. On entering I made for the Italian Wars set up and was not disappointed, a magnificent example of the period, I managed to get a chat with Ken before heading into the main hall. Sadly there had been a mix up at TAG and Pete had not brought the figures I needed, he apologized and put them in the mail the next day, I should receive them this afternoon, again we had a chat. I also bumped into the guys at Helion, Andy at The Last Valley who had just made my poplar trees and club member and mate Rob Martin who was running a game which was proving popular. There were a few of us there but it is amazing that you can wander around a hall for hours without bumping into anyone.

Chinese v Burmese beautiful figures

More of the same

Italian Wars, well worth the visit

Inspiring

Pirates

Rob with his Mummy

Modern

I have another Italian Wars game next week but won't be able to bring a lot of new troops to the table, I should have my Stradiots ready but I really need a lot more shooters, these are the troops which should arrive today.

I shall sign off now with an amusing story, you had to be there. Seemingly when the missus and I signed our treaty 47 years ago hidden in the small print was the fact that it was my job to put the bins out. Last week I was lazy and decided to put them out in the morning, I was in the shower when an irate Memsahib informed me the bin men were outside. Not wanting to suffer her ire for the rest of the week I leapt out of the shower, struggled to put my jeans on, leapt downstairs, got out the back door into the rain, bare chested, bare feet and soaked. I confronted a startled bin man and pleaded with him to take the bin and empty it. Man or mouse, you decide.

Hopefully back to normal next week.

Oh wait. SAS Rogue Heroes, am I just a miserable joyless old so and so. It is a BBC production so that was a big warning sign for me, then up pops the West Indian pilot in an ill fitting uniform, which bore no resemblance to any RAF uniform I have ever seen, the modern heavy metal tracks grate on the nerves and the graphic novel sequences take away the gravitas of the unit. I am also not convinced by the lovely Algerian/French spy lady who is walking about Cairo like a Vogue model, which seems like a side story unrelated to the deeds of the SAS but it gets a female involved. Now I might be wrong but as I have McIntyre's book ready to go I shall find out very quickly what liberties have been taken.