It has been a busy week. Too busy to get much painting done. The insomnia doesn't help either. There has been some progress on the Halfling Blood Bowl team. Not nearly enough, but some. Realistically I have one more base colour to do and then its on to doing some detail. There isn't too much to finish so I am fairly hopeful that these guys are going to be finished by the end of the week coming.
I seem to be busier than usual. It is that time of year. My sleep patterns are pretty peculiar at the best of times. As soon as the clocks go back they go crazy. This may explain why I have been awake and farting around since 5am. This may explain why I managed three posts yesterday and October is becoming my busiest month for blogging in almost a decade and almost the busiest ever.
Given the level of insomnia, I suspect I am about to crash. Still I better make the most of it. Back to the Halflings.
Another sad day for the sci-fi nerd in me. I heard that Patrick Stewart has just died.
So back in the mid eighties, I liked to watch by horror film I could get hold of. This is back in the days of VHS and an absence of age checks. Given my height, demeanour and facial hair, I had been able to get away with renting the best horror films since I was 14. I had a few favourites, mostly involving zombies, or something like that.
One such film was Lifeforce. Not true zombies but something like space, zombie vampires. So perfect for me. This is the film where I first remember seeing Patrick Stewart. A classic Shakespearian actor in a trashy British horror film.
Images of him have featured in my blog many times. My image of him is as Mr Perdue, the maître d at the L'Idiot restaurant has become my personal motivator on many occasions. This was a character that touch a place in my head that perfectly matched my sense of humour. Rewatching him in L.A. Story is one of my favourite things to do.
This was all before Star Trek: The Next Generation. This still continues to be relevant for me down to the image of his face on a Christmas jumper, surrounded by snowflakes over the words "make it snow, make it snow, make it snow". I watched every episode of this show. Multiple times. Star Trek is the other faith from my Sci Fi pantheon but it is a pretty cool one.
He has been in a lot of other stuff over the years. Not least of which was Coronation Street. This was a bit part in a show that would mean nothing to anyone beyond the UK. As the voice of Avery Bullock in American Dad always amused me. Not to mention being the best version of Professor X.
Just as a side note, I saw the band of the Guards doing a tribute to Patrick Stewart. They did however play the wrong theme.
A bit less ranty today. I had planned for this to be my day this week. I sat down at the bench at about 07:30 with a view to getting things done. This went well until about 10:00 when the real world stepped in. Again. Still around all the stuff going on I managed to do a bit of shopping and get a haircut.
Unlike my recent past, I had a desire to finish some stuff off. This was not going to be the halfling Blood Bowl Team. I figured I could finish off the hexes I had been working on. The general idea was to finish off some edge hexes. Enough for my table at least. So this is what I did. As these are now interlocking hexes I need to finish off some more before the sets are complete. This involves roads, paths and tracks and some rivers and streams. The next project perhaps? This is just for the green scenery. There are half a dozen other sets to do although not all need as many pieces as this. Only most of them. My hex project is a long and ongoing project. There are a few more pages of hex terrain here.
Finally I did make some progress on the aforementioned Blood Bowl halflings. Not as much as I would like but still this is me heading in the right direction Of travel.
Just a little over ten years ago my dad passed. I have been thinking about this a lot in recent weeks. It seems like a long time and no time at all. He was always in good health. I recall helping him mix concrete a year or so before he died. So far there has yet to be a day I don't think about him.
Back then I was fostering. The kids were great. I loved them dearly. Having a child of my own is not quite the same. I did things for them because it was the right thing to do. For some of them it felt like I had a sense of duty to care but there was a stronger feeling for most of them.
Now, being a father, I can see that my life is different and it has perhaps given me more of an insight into my parents. There is more of a sense of propulsion. Right now most of what I do puts my daughter front and centre to what I do.
My daughter was born a good long time after her grandfather died. She will never get to know him. This is a shame as the two would have really got on. I feel the need to be there.
Miss you dad.
For quite a while now I have been looking at bits of my blog and thinking I really need to tidy somethings up. There are a few spelling mistakes and places where there are too many spaces. Or not enough of them. One of the things that narks me more than anything else has been the lazy labelling.
I am after a few more bits for the hex terrain. Edging for the round table I use. Still need a coat of paint and some tarting up.
There have been labels like Vikings and Viking and multiple ways to write board games. My inner OCD has kicked in this week. It is clearly overwhelming me as it has taken about fifteen years to work up to it. It's just a big project. Whilst sat in soft play this afternoon, I have done a bit more.
When I started blogging I think I had a different expectations. I was doing almost all 15mm painting at the time. I can't remember when I last painted 15mm now. I was also thinking that I might make a bit of money out of it. How naïve I was. So now, looking to the future, it has become more about me. This is really just a diary now. With pictures and painting. Part of me does it for me, and a bit for you. I also think my daughter might read it someday. So better get of those spelling mistakes.
In terms of a plan, the Halfling Blood Bowl team and its Ents are still on the bench, A busier than expected week last week and a week as busy as I am expecting this week, means progress is slow. Everything else is fun though. Time with my daughter and some time with friends. What more could I ask for?
I have yet to find a suitable zombie mini for the last week of Zomtober. To be honest I would like to go out with a bang. It is looking like I am struggling to find the energy to whimper right now. Somehow I am sure I will find something from somewhere.
