tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71110539854789997342024-03-18T21:16:50.754+00:00Prometheus in AspicHobby blogMSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.comBlogger1593125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-70417149424765976052024-03-15T14:45:00.001+00:002024-03-15T19:20:08.809+00:00Hooptedoodle #458 - Le Mot Juste<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsxe6WyO5KXhsS0dK0LE1Ucg9VthKI38O7gho86lbvNz8pd9PFOms3LPxGXik1jPthSo5Y3M4-TKKqn0A3jbhv_f_MlvyoWPxNjmCpWwjN9LuUUc4JjQafcrjVVRTtFMnXwuIDASURmAm0yJeUAPYO02IxhTq1B4WlJaTqAf7L4zlQNkhu9M_7IwWuauZ/s1300/Guys-on-Clothes-Guenther-Krabbenhoeft-Oe-Magazine-IIIII.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="855" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsxe6WyO5KXhsS0dK0LE1Ucg9VthKI38O7gho86lbvNz8pd9PFOms3LPxGXik1jPthSo5Y3M4-TKKqn0A3jbhv_f_MlvyoWPxNjmCpWwjN9LuUUc4JjQafcrjVVRTtFMnXwuIDASURmAm0yJeUAPYO02IxhTq1B4WlJaTqAf7L4zlQNkhu9M_7IwWuauZ/w263-h400/Guys-on-Clothes-Guenther-Krabbenhoeft-Oe-Magazine-IIIII.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /> There are words which don't quite mean what they originally meant, or what I think they used to mean. It's complicated. What is understood depends a lot on the perception of the listener, general usage varies from place to place, and the relentless churning of fashion will also result in there being subjective differences between people of different ages. <p></p><p>It's all fine; like everything else, language moves along (though I miss a few old friends, and there are many things which I no longer dare say, since the meaning has changed).</p><p>A few evenings ago, I agreed with my son that we would go out later on to pick up a takeaway from the fish & chip shop in the village. We went along there about 9pm. The shop was quiet; since our order included a scratch-built pizza, we had to wait about 10 minutes. Two middle-aged couples came into the shop, very pleasant, maybe a little loud (drink had been taken, but nothing unseemly). I would guess they were visitors - North of England accents (I am something of an expert on the North of England), and they got into a slightly complicated exchange with the counter staff, all around the products and terminology you find in chip shops, which vary from area to area. Best not order anything unless you know what it is.<br /></p><p>I got briefly involved in offering views on exactly what is the meat constituent of a scary local speciality known as the "King Rib"; which I think is a slab of ultra-processed pork heavily flavoured with something like BBQ sauce. Not recommended, anyway, except after about 4 pints.</p><p>Once the preparation of the orders was under way, one of the ladies - very polite, dressed up a little for an evening out, silk scarf, all that - said to me,</p><p><span style="color: #990000;">"If you don't mind my saying so, you look very..."</span></p><p>...and she paused for a fraction of a second, while she searched for an appropriate word - it seemed quite a long fraction of a second...</p><p><span style="color: #990000;">"...dapper!"</span> she said, <span style="color: #990000;">"Yes, that's it: dapper!"</span></p><p>I wasn't at all offended, neither did I take the comment any more seriously than she meant it, though I have to say that I was surprised, for a number of reasons.</p><p>(1) People who know me will be aware that my mode of dress is usually warm and comfortable, and, though I hope I do not look completely disreputable, "dapper" is a long way down the list of words I would choose myself. Last time I wore a suit, for example, was at a funeral, and I'm confident the next time I wear one will also be at a funeral, unless I have to appear in court in the interim.<br /></p><p>(2) "Dapper" is rather an old-fashioned word, and I associate it with gentle put-downs of older men attempting to dress up. Originally it was used to describe someone who was making a genuine effort to be up-to-date, and I suspect that in the US, for example, it may still have that meaning. I am confident that this lady was not trying to take the piss out of a complete stranger, so this is a usage thing. In a similar vein, if I ever said to a friend that he was looking "with it", he would certainly be quite an elderly friend, and my comment would be (deliberately) an example of British sardonicism, since even I know that nobody says this any more.</p><p>(3) "Dapper" has thus, in the UK, become a word used in connection with old men. It is not offensive, but it is one of a number of words which, though generally positive, might be viewed with a little apprehension. If the lady had, for example, stated that I looked "very clean", I might have been nonplussed by the implied parenthesis, "<i>[all things considered]</i>" or similar.</p><p>Anyway, I thanked her. Thinking she might have been impressed by my cloth cap, I said something oafish about starting to dress like my father, and we parted with lighthearted laughter. Oh, what fun. The truth is that I had intended to wear my fisherman's beanie hat, which is much warmer, but couldn't find it, so defaulted to the old bunnet. If I had worn my beanie I doubt if I would have been considered dapper. I might have been told I looked like a pile of dirty laundry.<br /></p><p>When I first lived here, my next door neighbour, Old George, who was well into his 90s, used to wear a blazer and smart tie on Sundays when he went to the church in Whitekirk, and his trouser-creases were freshly ironed, and his shoes were polished to a frazzle. Now, he was dapper.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmpUJCbqCMeoyRjPSLTWV_64ZXutYR4VIAailqBEPZE99Lzs8YPgywibKvizDMutUEe3sKaGAmT_bl3w62R1CtJn3N74LaSH8tk3Zpv5PZdQiVn5bCFbwH3kRVmn_FXp-z_J_e5MTFnuFjWm0mRos4EvuTHPD3LLC00YWDEn_77oPCTTT7zcmIkJWERIV/s1200/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%2014.31.57.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1200" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixmpUJCbqCMeoyRjPSLTWV_64ZXutYR4VIAailqBEPZE99Lzs8YPgywibKvizDMutUEe3sKaGAmT_bl3w62R1CtJn3N74LaSH8tk3Zpv5PZdQiVn5bCFbwH3kRVmn_FXp-z_J_e5MTFnuFjWm0mRos4EvuTHPD3LLC00YWDEn_77oPCTTT7zcmIkJWERIV/w400-h278/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%2014.31.57.png" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Battered King Rib supper - don't ask <br /></i></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-83657400306340481702024-03-11T12:56:00.002+00:002024-03-11T20:06:13.316+00:00WSS: Test Campaign Decider - the Battle of Borgloon<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGnEWfbpoeFvgnPuKoKbujNnOe_keQi75f6_OsFV9PJO6U5CfOA8hfXr6nNPp-kTRe9suK6QQhJVFPvbjngj-uq1ADJC9NhZbwn-ezMyfWq6g7C50Wta8Fy_CB8oxS4pWL9rYYdUn95Xi4gSuI5QR53zO27_4MxwNMXR9uh8v4f1pvGNEc-PLULH4pjNj/s1200/P1130318.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1200" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGnEWfbpoeFvgnPuKoKbujNnOe_keQi75f6_OsFV9PJO6U5CfOA8hfXr6nNPp-kTRe9suK6QQhJVFPvbjngj-uq1ADJC9NhZbwn-ezMyfWq6g7C50Wta8Fy_CB8oxS4pWL9rYYdUn95Xi4gSuI5QR53zO27_4MxwNMXR9uh8v4f1pvGNEc-PLULH4pjNj/w400-h284/P1130318.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Last night I hosted the Zoom game to settle the campaign. At this point the Allies (that's me, folks) were leading by 3 points to 2, having won an encounter battle (1 pt) at La Bienveillance (2 Divisions a side) and a medium-sized set-piece (2 pts) at Waremme (at which I defended, with my 3 Divisions partially dug in against 4 Divisions of Franco-Bavarians), while the French (JBM) won an off-table siege (2 pts) at Rijnsburg. <p></p><p>Last night we had arrived at a large set-piece (worth 3 pts) at Borgloon, near St-Truiden, where each army had 4 Divisions. Because my army was rather smaller, I chose to defend. Thus the winner of this final bash would win the campaign outright. Alas, I forgot to switch off the spellchecker in Word when I took the screenprints, we have some unwanted extra colour in the presentation of the OOB...<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3aLlDwGQfcvFJM0Ae9tYIBxJXTmpASI-ek0Y9NoNRhm_F5_bjuADq-ybuQscdd791Zu_Al7eBA-gGw6yJmT7m_lxmdWeSMpbQeHzNjrI1JhSATArTPmo1goWfpkTNPFqcFPJ4f9tazoSLDeE4nRK385ZqWa538SmKnpFej1YCP80n9M6nkNIRMsXinNH/s1443/Screenshot%202024-03-11%20at%2009.49.30.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1443" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3aLlDwGQfcvFJM0Ae9tYIBxJXTmpASI-ek0Y9NoNRhm_F5_bjuADq-ybuQscdd791Zu_Al7eBA-gGw6yJmT7m_lxmdWeSMpbQeHzNjrI1JhSATArTPmo1goWfpkTNPFqcFPJ4f9tazoSLDeE4nRK385ZqWa538SmKnpFej1YCP80n9M6nkNIRMsXinNH/w333-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-11%20at%2009.49.30.png" width="333" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3uhMZ5cbCVOlsudxhx00sWhM6WIjShNqNJl0PKVLdTj_6DnIP4EBkxa2CUAl1fjZmIrJVyI281llpiJP6sy89Ag73La-tk1GgFoLDp2GYwzcP8IMZhyphenhyphennMhXxA3QUlqa4Utta8gLsalJvuEPx4nVxzNFuUoDCE1lgX7tdt40_y4l91M1LnQb6ZSuC4g8v/s1200/Screenshot%202024-03-11%20at%2009.49.52.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="1200" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3uhMZ5cbCVOlsudxhx00sWhM6WIjShNqNJl0PKVLdTj_6DnIP4EBkxa2CUAl1fjZmIrJVyI281llpiJP6sy89Ag73La-tk1GgFoLDp2GYwzcP8IMZhyphenhyphennMhXxA3QUlqa4Utta8gLsalJvuEPx4nVxzNFuUoDCE1lgX7tdt40_y4l91M1LnQb6ZSuC4g8v/w400-h329/Screenshot%202024-03-11%20at%2009.49.52.png" width="400" /></a></div>JBM (Marshal Marsin) withheld Chatrier's cavalry as a reserve, the location of their arrival a secret.<p></p><p>The action was predictably hectic. The Allies had a ridge and some woodland to defend on their right, the village of Bommershoven in front of their centre, and a more open area on their left, which was held by General Vielgluck, with Austrian cuirassiers and a brigade of infantry from Hessen-Kassel. </p><p>The French arrived, and after a fairly unproductive preliminary bombardment the various artillery batteries withdrew, and Marsin used some very fine Command cards to order his whole line to advance. The Allies had expected the main attack to fall on their left, but hadn't imagined it would arrive quite so quickly!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9355KioY0Tc1SVrxJM1MbNcFVlDtQIC9Lde-82HpGWTMObdoNuMQ1eiWuU08Hl-wav0MYdRwGXalZyZ8s0XE_n8RPiWpr_IwGTu2fbxtHEXhrv-p5SP-34y0E9y8tkJEHocOjlJTVDfN3OyNvDDMcKM_XjT_Cy3xSKHVFiOrD703E4DNZsI4-ursd8sSx/s1200/P1130297.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1200" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9355KioY0Tc1SVrxJM1MbNcFVlDtQIC9Lde-82HpGWTMObdoNuMQ1eiWuU08Hl-wav0MYdRwGXalZyZ8s0XE_n8RPiWpr_IwGTu2fbxtHEXhrv-p5SP-34y0E9y8tkJEHocOjlJTVDfN3OyNvDDMcKM_XjT_Cy3xSKHVFiOrD703E4DNZsI4-ursd8sSx/w400-h263/P1130297.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Initial view from the French left; in the foreground La Bonne's infantry surround the little village of Oude Haren, with its neighbouring orchard; in the centre are Arco's Bavarians, with Bassinet's Division at the far end making the main attack. The larger village of Bommershoven is visible in the distance, commanding the main highway to Maastricht<br /></i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXgxeSQb2uPQ9xjRQxqHcr3nzG6AReC6VA9w9gIiTmD77L9ZIQEdSFuQRNeiVZcstKvd-Oq7k8Vzs4CtIH-Yyh8JEvwQhy45DtQ5qPoFfKw3uIerQ7NnggEX1Kv6g2MDx61TrXwrIDcMSXq14eZuOM3Lp73tbhPA3imf6gMyFN5QK2sepbZ5V5CXx7-OJ/s1200/P1130302.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXgxeSQb2uPQ9xjRQxqHcr3nzG6AReC6VA9w9gIiTmD77L9ZIQEdSFuQRNeiVZcstKvd-Oq7k8Vzs4CtIH-Yyh8JEvwQhy45DtQ5qPoFfKw3uIerQ7NnggEX1Kv6g2MDx61TrXwrIDcMSXq14eZuOM3Lp73tbhPA3imf6gMyFN5QK2sepbZ5V5CXx7-OJ/w400-h210/P1130302.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>From the French right, we get a view of Bassinet's command</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUc6gyG9pu3hI5hT9N5jTgmBuP2nSa8oZXe68u2znduOsD-caGqMX6pSq02hpR64qRkVmxGI5NLm9lwkW_aWZHVYIKfuMJKtn5iaviaeU3YuL1hniZaXKmnHsBD4LoPjM2B3r32UEYT3B11e3Dp2_Piqd0eqiymTkGfh7WkdnDXFVNUu4X_K18-zz9q0E/s1200/P1130303.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUc6gyG9pu3hI5hT9N5jTgmBuP2nSa8oZXe68u2znduOsD-caGqMX6pSq02hpR64qRkVmxGI5NLm9lwkW_aWZHVYIKfuMJKtn5iaviaeU3YuL1hniZaXKmnHsBD4LoPjM2B3r32UEYT3B11e3Dp2_Piqd0eqiymTkGfh7WkdnDXFVNUu4X_K18-zz9q0E/w400-h300/P1130303.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Continuing around the table, we are now behind the Allied left. In the foreground is Vielgluck's mixed Division, Austrian cavalry and Hessian infantry, none of which performed very well...</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR9vdJD9Iyq64UznprBT2ahY11EHbpqkrKq1iVGFDnYFG-qQAiPbT4CvIOTF0eUdGV38NOlcPbma9wVuKJJhX_h1cuEMc7if5FFzOGVrAIdkEERhwileVPIMbZ_GFYXnu_4qTMmChcu2JNBBmOBgb9Qq3BXyfkLZgZRPsyh_SnpRUUL5Eui8q1_AJaSsn/s1200/P1130309.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1200" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeR9vdJD9Iyq64UznprBT2ahY11EHbpqkrKq1iVGFDnYFG-qQAiPbT4CvIOTF0eUdGV38NOlcPbma9wVuKJJhX_h1cuEMc7if5FFzOGVrAIdkEERhwileVPIMbZ_GFYXnu_4qTMmChcu2JNBBmOBgb9Qq3BXyfkLZgZRPsyh_SnpRUUL5Eui8q1_AJaSsn/w400-h264/P1130309.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The French advance very vigorously, right across their front, with the main attack going in in the distance, on their right flank</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAJVPBffbykodcSi_JiDht6zSx6kLqTdZrRcKPSAKGEVQlLhCLDWMt987twxZvD7jW7DBHzi9WLqW_O8Q1m5ba8WXGBraHkPELqEoXZiN73yyzmJoGXlr2GhDRPDL7GSl4EXIOJcyP_UXLVrDS_x-Lw5gZmRrVySP2aGLAtnTcntHthJQKHaE7lfJC4ah/s1200/P1130311.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="1200" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAJVPBffbykodcSi_JiDht6zSx6kLqTdZrRcKPSAKGEVQlLhCLDWMt987twxZvD7jW7DBHzi9WLqW_O8Q1m5ba8WXGBraHkPELqEoXZiN73yyzmJoGXlr2GhDRPDL7GSl4EXIOJcyP_UXLVrDS_x-Lw5gZmRrVySP2aGLAtnTcntHthJQKHaE7lfJC4ah/w400-h371/P1130311.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Vielgluck's boys get ready to hold off Bassinet. Vielgluck is encouraging one of his cuirassier units</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-bhWUxQb5cR7gAS9nR0PTxhjUNT_0qe1FBo825us9djT_euqaCZPI4poeIqC3RjJ5DKrsJQiTzrGN_PcEukqcbDoSbLaJKzEVomknw55YJO5fXmXXJ1UaKromMC8LFhXPX3eSkcqKE0HrqbpsLe3mdHMePJZBbMtnt9rNkKDIkzO4aup1xZcWH-c3bBh/s1200/P1130312.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-bhWUxQb5cR7gAS9nR0PTxhjUNT_0qe1FBo825us9djT_euqaCZPI4poeIqC3RjJ5DKrsJQiTzrGN_PcEukqcbDoSbLaJKzEVomknw55YJO5fXmXXJ1UaKromMC8LFhXPX3eSkcqKE0HrqbpsLe3mdHMePJZBbMtnt9rNkKDIkzO4aup1xZcWH-c3bBh/w400-h300/P1130312.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>In the Allied centre, at Bommershoven, Marlborough's Regt and the Royal Regt of Ireland made a very nervous effort at holding the village, repeatedly being pushed back by some of Arco's Bavarians, but scrabbling back<br /></i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mAIc2RGQezG8MVXEs9fprGsVXFvxZdSypOU1d0LoIu7n4jXOsrGIkCTR04Z-WGqDdAYmOGLe_-9lslqFLcuicPl_DjSNAcaVyiNTS1BamLgBItOFnqmZ0ei2owH65M0Qz8SHxNfjqUJEMu1nAb1P9foUo3O7DPjiaQal1-CnYMQEiesDjgcv1epleFJW/s1200/P1130314.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mAIc2RGQezG8MVXEs9fprGsVXFvxZdSypOU1d0LoIu7n4jXOsrGIkCTR04Z-WGqDdAYmOGLe_-9lslqFLcuicPl_DjSNAcaVyiNTS1BamLgBItOFnqmZ0ei2owH65M0Qz8SHxNfjqUJEMu1nAb1P9foUo3O7DPjiaQal1-CnYMQEiesDjgcv1epleFJW/w400-h300/P1130314.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNizWIkb-0qgGv4e-DZNbIPZgMLRS0FsC1I0pQceodWysuGV2PotFsUsIbSekVBanx2BaoQMhTKnL4yfmCzBkardsVfJHwskrYf7ax77Vde8R5QR-9PRXce7oksaNqMynG_OkJfnuTuDccVGt4Is0LxFd7EEehPdC6QPKGlfht_Vo5vciSGye4oxHKTBFX/s1200/P1130317.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1200" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNizWIkb-0qgGv4e-DZNbIPZgMLRS0FsC1I0pQceodWysuGV2PotFsUsIbSekVBanx2BaoQMhTKnL4yfmCzBkardsVfJHwskrYf7ax77Vde8R5QR-9PRXce7oksaNqMynG_OkJfnuTuDccVGt4Is0LxFd7EEehPdC6QPKGlfht_Vo5vciSGye4oxHKTBFX/w400-h238/P1130317.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Arco's cuirassiers in the centre, including two very shiny newly-painted regiments, had a very quiet day - there was a lot of bloodshed, but it was elsewhere</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFyIdcReBowjRWrf-oLt4lHEpOZjF9X_KkAXk8ZAS6HsIu2J9be0uuqQIl7LpzZ6_c9RXL65YgcIkf-0-1DBSTxjJdytDUeiCZWXBGzQVL_jb7law07d4jGUbRVW-J2ZGM_QgxnJfpUPR1dC90ZjKvWu6iRb7uJgBB6HQR1LWqj1ysqUTb7x57xsTPSnY/s1200/P1130319.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFyIdcReBowjRWrf-oLt4lHEpOZjF9X_KkAXk8ZAS6HsIu2J9be0uuqQIl7LpzZ6_c9RXL65YgcIkf-0-1DBSTxjJdytDUeiCZWXBGzQVL_jb7law07d4jGUbRVW-J2ZGM_QgxnJfpUPR1dC90ZjKvWu6iRb7uJgBB6HQR1LWqj1ysqUTb7x57xsTPSnY/w400-h300/P1130319.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Both sides taking a breather at Bommershoven; Marlborough himself was called into play a few times, encouraging his regiment to please go back and re-take the village</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3XKmv6iPNUf_3xcf4sa2mWWn3lQiA6bF-4vZsKJfKP81S6eS7NoHdc05rMjSbEUpRA5AzhWwPjNqUL157486wXuoFdzExwxAimmJQ8ox7LfNeOLfzTZ_6m9nMZIW1Fc1l9MALnEpgf_TgeAzYh2KvIGmBmzPGxTzEGD1_miKadiRZoWkwTKl7Lvj2YGi/s1200/P1130321.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3XKmv6iPNUf_3xcf4sa2mWWn3lQiA6bF-4vZsKJfKP81S6eS7NoHdc05rMjSbEUpRA5AzhWwPjNqUL157486wXuoFdzExwxAimmJQ8ox7LfNeOLfzTZ_6m9nMZIW1Fc1l9MALnEpgf_TgeAzYh2KvIGmBmzPGxTzEGD1_miKadiRZoWkwTKl7Lvj2YGi/w400-h300/P1130321.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>On the Allied right, the British have no intention of coming out into the open, while La Bonne's lads opposite mostly stand and glare at them</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX0GrXUwlrSw2eae9MkDdR8T5c0XBNfBsI-qXMgQw4cPIppX63icyldjOpZ5Zfx0YnEZtIqZ54dNzHpQLP5IbCc8zQS3qKiW65W4oHiNYpFMnTG1sJYhEbtCZ3t7sOHI1vG0l7glR-hoMNhUzQIjQg8yH8D0jT6YX8KtAqB18yN_eepPrXKg7c1Zmd33-/s1200/P1130323.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYX0GrXUwlrSw2eae9MkDdR8T5c0XBNfBsI-qXMgQw4cPIppX63icyldjOpZ5Zfx0YnEZtIqZ54dNzHpQLP5IbCc8zQS3qKiW65W4oHiNYpFMnTG1sJYhEbtCZ3t7sOHI1vG0l7glR-hoMNhUzQIjQg8yH8D0jT6YX8KtAqB18yN_eepPrXKg7c1Zmd33-/w400-h300/P1130323.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>On the French right, Bassinet brought up the Gendarmérie de France - all 6 squadrons of them! - and the Austrian cavalry were outmatched</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8-Hyknqj6ETm3idCd90QHPyiiqmyJz-GWnPMUrRn41P-uPIKpFhjGa12Yb1MQi3q-l4mdNCPS26bIiDl_KKVKSdlqfMtpO8Kvx5NXvI6Ujx_cG0ShzP1Nadqhb3yRluMXNZl_DL_djvleu2VWh0xqZfSVL4ZYk6o0MyOcJXnSTHW10VeDEgWjkwYBzud/s1200/P1130324.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8-Hyknqj6ETm3idCd90QHPyiiqmyJz-GWnPMUrRn41P-uPIKpFhjGa12Yb1MQi3q-l4mdNCPS26bIiDl_KKVKSdlqfMtpO8Kvx5NXvI6Ujx_cG0ShzP1Nadqhb3yRluMXNZl_DL_djvleu2VWh0xqZfSVL4ZYk6o0MyOcJXnSTHW10VeDEgWjkwYBzud/w400-h300/P1130324.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A general view after about 2 hours</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz1rfeXkVJteRlSQ3P2UQTB7zor2EPfU0B7p0j0sXadIUFuPGv-s6-_Zcr-7QvmzXEnKZ9qfeNDoW6mokP_7uNPstjAeX_asveWE_6UjqbuhEsN_ekF01Tyh0YJPYyNK0NCOdZmk7NIAOiLmHAZWlQyUWg5AhsiAfFovEvnGWJURfpb0dSYrixf-FteqG/s1200/P1130330.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinz1rfeXkVJteRlSQ3P2UQTB7zor2EPfU0B7p0j0sXadIUFuPGv-s6-_Zcr-7QvmzXEnKZ9qfeNDoW6mokP_7uNPstjAeX_asveWE_6UjqbuhEsN_ekF01Tyh0YJPYyNK0NCOdZmk7NIAOiLmHAZWlQyUWg5AhsiAfFovEvnGWJURfpb0dSYrixf-FteqG/w400-h300/P1130330.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>At this point the British have taken back the larger village, but it didn't last...</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyL3ZoY3IVkfKL5uUQndwbOw_NzPjOTYAI9ky2ZcO4tIq7szVe3RDCmkKyZo_K22A-EEJ_y7iZA4Fk4K_t4FhCATVX1YJI_FjERLkOB17xVzWGhFzNDEwJIjISA4Q4zfvU9_5_4METdFkuN7y5tmCeY7-K-E2LkwNhhsC2P0C723criKBJjLeJdhwRfJ0/s1200/P1130332.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1200" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyL3ZoY3IVkfKL5uUQndwbOw_NzPjOTYAI9ky2ZcO4tIq7szVe3RDCmkKyZo_K22A-EEJ_y7iZA4Fk4K_t4FhCATVX1YJI_FjERLkOB17xVzWGhFzNDEwJIjISA4Q4zfvU9_5_4METdFkuN7y5tmCeY7-K-E2LkwNhhsC2P0C723criKBJjLeJdhwRfJ0/w400-h286/P1130332.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>With 12 Victory Points required for a win, the French got to 5-1 in fairly routine fashion, substantially helped by the apparent inability of the Austrians and Hessians on the Allied left to stop retreating when they were required to do so</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ERElsKV852tbdmTZLVYjjPaPLZyZpino5IhVatRpTqkLBn_oMfxvXLvvlWyTXbYO1Yba_ISG46dVbhT1RXj6kY0aewt1tf0XPhfxqMhMHo-yhdVTOPktG3FH6tr_cOX5Oj3v7vBltDDOa2vZDROEq84vPMiKTA_qYzH6eofvwUpw5cBI0dO71_VX62ac/s1200/P1130337.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ERElsKV852tbdmTZLVYjjPaPLZyZpino5IhVatRpTqkLBn_oMfxvXLvvlWyTXbYO1Yba_ISG46dVbhT1RXj6kY0aewt1tf0XPhfxqMhMHo-yhdVTOPktG3FH6tr_cOX5Oj3v7vBltDDOa2vZDROEq84vPMiKTA_qYzH6eofvwUpw5cBI0dO71_VX62ac/w400-h300/P1130337.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>With the Allied left pretty much wrecked, mostly by the (elite) Gendarmes, and Bommershoven now taken permanently by the (elite) Bavarian Leib Grenadiers, the value of top quality troops and excellent dice rolls were becoming very obvious</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQnouLy0zuSYCJ85qhU4tGK-25RV5CZcSrtkECOvfNK003J5T86BRdKsHHVfhK-7jhouFLdhSAmO5zBnoiQOMCJpsczMo4XHURqc_bwW0H2uKCl0cjh3SKToAe6g2Wef96yKS_nCyx7DsiCgTHCgeVNVIxdVnexGmnXVJUP-OfXpi2pqCIQRasE9QIg9A/s1200/P1130338.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQnouLy0zuSYCJ85qhU4tGK-25RV5CZcSrtkECOvfNK003J5T86BRdKsHHVfhK-7jhouFLdhSAmO5zBnoiQOMCJpsczMo4XHURqc_bwW0H2uKCl0cjh3SKToAe6g2Wef96yKS_nCyx7DsiCgTHCgeVNVIxdVnexGmnXVJUP-OfXpi2pqCIQRasE9QIg9A/w400-h300/P1130338.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>At this late stage, the Allied right flank emerged from their woods, determined at least to give some kind of showing. They had a few very helpful Combat cards at this point (including the much-prized Infantry Bonus card) and James Ferguson, now commanding Charles Churchill's old Division, suddenly made such rapid progress that Marlborough wondered why he hadn't tried this earlier. The situation is pulled back to 10-6 at this point, though it stabilised more than somewhat once the fancy cards ran out...</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk9p99QSC2E2xKAgZZw4-9JPLh2PGbljzoTCgFRhFqVyMlFeI5AU2MY5CcZR8pKG3ABMVhdDtsDlnbfhrwLiSHJbEyNUJkasvCKLKL-ByYzZCva2mJNiR71Wwy-ZnQjGrujWElbW6wKOhTtJ5anvofYqp0o-1TDBj5lqEwuuBZ6b09rwDbM89DKdw9nvg/s1200/P1130339.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk9p99QSC2E2xKAgZZw4-9JPLh2PGbljzoTCgFRhFqVyMlFeI5AU2MY5CcZR8pKG3ABMVhdDtsDlnbfhrwLiSHJbEyNUJkasvCKLKL-ByYzZCva2mJNiR71Wwy-ZnQjGrujWElbW6wKOhTtJ5anvofYqp0o-1TDBj5lqEwuuBZ6b09rwDbM89DKdw9nvg/w400-h300/P1130339.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>So the later stages of the game were dominated by this infantry combat near the orchard and, inevitably, the French managed to eliminate enough units to clinch the day.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6I5ODewT-a0D13Le_621PuXrD-kx1QaXbhlOdEmHhRMitwPqv5J7HBkfwN5bnCUFgLEFAdZZ2iSB4Qrz1NaEsWTqK8PgqP0wvBDKaZ1PsnxW84N_66dd84jEMKphJaFezHZ-mq5MabqbZEDxhJqA06XaxAH9GfWHJcplj6lJRgvABgc4eb6pwKxIgJq0/s1200/P1130346.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6I5ODewT-a0D13Le_621PuXrD-kx1QaXbhlOdEmHhRMitwPqv5J7HBkfwN5bnCUFgLEFAdZZ2iSB4Qrz1NaEsWTqK8PgqP0wvBDKaZ1PsnxW84N_66dd84jEMKphJaFezHZ-mq5MabqbZEDxhJqA06XaxAH9GfWHJcplj6lJRgvABgc4eb6pwKxIgJq0/w400-h300/P1130346.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>12-6! A decisive victory indeed, which also meant that the French won the campaign, 5-3 on points. Very well deserved too, my hat is appropriately doffed to the victors. Each army lost one general on the day, seriously wounded - Vielgluck and Bassinet were carried from the field. In case you are wondering what happened to the French cavalry reserve, it turns out that they were to come on behind their right flank, but they weren't needed - there was no-one for them to fight at that end of the table!</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdjCMCGwU2Do_422NiiVCaZH4da1DruQXbxHOQ58gQr0IRAGmATpnsr5hpaV_tXSfDyr6S1-it8T-BtgP8eUmM-uAAuHxtJDgkQPnNnQXEhwufhr5JroHLBL7KvKI5nJiSwwIv72oOQtX22X-XM0xe2q8mppJpkPcddF84YvGR2jvf5YACxNnPOtFcqNz/s1200/P1130353.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdjCMCGwU2Do_422NiiVCaZH4da1DruQXbxHOQ58gQr0IRAGmATpnsr5hpaV_tXSfDyr6S1-it8T-BtgP8eUmM-uAAuHxtJDgkQPnNnQXEhwufhr5JroHLBL7KvKI5nJiSwwIv72oOQtX22X-XM0xe2q8mppJpkPcddF84YvGR2jvf5YACxNnPOtFcqNz/s320/P1130353.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>For Neil's benefit, this is what a trouncing looks like on my old scoreboard! I produced some army flags for the occasion. The personal arms of Louis XIV (top) seems sound enough, but I have failed to find any record of a flag for the Grand Alliance - not even the League of Augsburg, so just put up an Austrian flag. Just out of interest, does anyone know of a flag for the the unified army of the Alliance in the WSS? </i><br /></div><p></p><p> The tabletop rules seem to have settled down nicely, and have coped with everything, including occasional memory lapses, without drama. The campaign rules are a little odd, but worked effectively. If I got anything wrong, I think it was in making the recovery rates for "legacy casualties" too generous. Attrition didn't really bite hard enough as the campaign went on - this is easily fixed, so I'll make the rallying rules more miserable!</p><p>My thanks to JBM for his help and wisdom, and for his companionship during the games.</p><p>A good time was had by all, but I really do want to know how much we are paying for these Hessian mercenaries...<br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-69006035302869257012024-03-10T00:49:00.002+00:002024-03-10T00:49:54.324+00:00WSS: Test Campaign - the Last Battle - Borgloon - Getting ready<p> The eve of a fair-sized battle.</p><p>We know fighting will take place tomorrow. I have the table more or less ready, my Allied army is in position, waiting for the French to finish their <i>petit-déjeuner</i> and rock up for action. Although strictly I have the initiative for this battle, I have chosen to defend because my force is rather smaller than the enemy.</p><p>The field artillery is out front, ready for the official preliminary bombardment. You will see that 3 of the British infantry units also have battalion guns. My senior field commanders are in little groups of 3 figures; Marlborough (overall C-in-C) is on the prancing horse, Prince Eugène in more sedate posture.</p><p>The French and Bavarian troops are boxed in OOB, ready for laying out when they arrive. I still have to get the movie cameras set up and find all the dice, cards and counters, but everything is in hand. I even have time for some photos, just to prove we were here.<br /></p><p>What could possibly go wrong...?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-DfthkbFvINBHs48ZwFVfJP8v5wj9nehOEvQ6pE60nnZzSsyEphfz4THK6zyhIlhngjJM_RGvf83ccxIUCb004dfPKYDP0EDDz61vASf_uxHOsSj0sUjV4QflXkG9frHi70HYYHrMJ3ixD4uMFNLgDXrhoTdefVHd7hd0sWDZ-Lxqdozkjdl7syb0rY9/s1200/P1130286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1200" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-DfthkbFvINBHs48ZwFVfJP8v5wj9nehOEvQ6pE60nnZzSsyEphfz4THK6zyhIlhngjJM_RGvf83ccxIUCb004dfPKYDP0EDDz61vASf_uxHOsSj0sUjV4QflXkG9frHi70HYYHrMJ3ixD4uMFNLgDXrhoTdefVHd7hd0sWDZ-Lxqdozkjdl7syb0rY9/w400-h221/P1130286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrJpMx9gFcj4jP9HoFbfLDFv6HeWgkqDb-eUS_m4oQ6bDoFduMR2PQf7FaHFUqk_oytQ3NLiIt_kmEy_eSMNZKruum558yFZr6Kpg4oRH-7Ic4RXXsbkqNAe4IivnyXpqQYNfilp0p13want_5X4ac-bnB4Kw2uQ23gJwU9PI9-PYDY7A3-taEsRWMC-A/s1200/P1130289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1200" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrJpMx9gFcj4jP9HoFbfLDFv6HeWgkqDb-eUS_m4oQ6bDoFduMR2PQf7FaHFUqk_oytQ3NLiIt_kmEy_eSMNZKruum558yFZr6Kpg4oRH-7Ic4RXXsbkqNAe4IivnyXpqQYNfilp0p13want_5X4ac-bnB4Kw2uQ23gJwU9PI9-PYDY7A3-taEsRWMC-A/w400-h364/P1130289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjk7N6h7Zi9549Vr3VygXzPdHpTHYeDDuzw9b9xee_yLOa7BJG5df1mDQMlUiUDp4wwiiqza99IPw5tWQbiCdXRlweLRzwCXL6NcmVD7K-kqmrRwI2a9lLhebfSHZJe6F89rte_XXT0jTQ9S2zr30fJqk3dFK4O1eZpptpGLUeq5vcBYLrzET9ZlyPfQ_/s1124/P1130291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjk7N6h7Zi9549Vr3VygXzPdHpTHYeDDuzw9b9xee_yLOa7BJG5df1mDQMlUiUDp4wwiiqza99IPw5tWQbiCdXRlweLRzwCXL6NcmVD7K-kqmrRwI2a9lLhebfSHZJe6F89rte_XXT0jTQ9S2zr30fJqk3dFK4O1eZpptpGLUeq5vcBYLrzET9ZlyPfQ_/w356-h400/P1130291.JPG" width="356" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEVoinuJkm6YWpoFunOxh3hHBt7tOcvYdOqTZH_vtD23Yl8Qix6GbQbBwAHPJy3WlxF9NBeNc7AR18K2gplUvccjr3v31a95nUbBhyEeXSAvmpw-L0qnqNu4pNxr7t4ldcBwQk46euuiC7JVQ9qk0hFqKA_H3WHcsGdbGcv4SvoDbTZH9uwaKN4ZA8Lm6/s1200/P1130293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="747" data-original-width="1200" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEVoinuJkm6YWpoFunOxh3hHBt7tOcvYdOqTZH_vtD23Yl8Qix6GbQbBwAHPJy3WlxF9NBeNc7AR18K2gplUvccjr3v31a95nUbBhyEeXSAvmpw-L0qnqNu4pNxr7t4ldcBwQk46euuiC7JVQ9qk0hFqKA_H3WHcsGdbGcv4SvoDbTZH9uwaKN4ZA8Lm6/w400-h249/P1130293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LXDMzS4HmRsMjJ29yRGB1vgr6zyO4chMZHK-1ZQBRysK5HZBdjiGEO5IlGwa1YGtbJhcBFNLS5nuqd9jZy1DM-y09PLJYGJRzlBbbCOH5RiZPCF_GPGl228MPVdy0KCT0m7vJSjtWIQXJf35QxFYXcopRaIaCcCVZEsL2glVQ92m5CsbFDkBn0uYMmqG/s1200/P1130295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1200" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LXDMzS4HmRsMjJ29yRGB1vgr6zyO4chMZHK-1ZQBRysK5HZBdjiGEO5IlGwa1YGtbJhcBFNLS5nuqd9jZy1DM-y09PLJYGJRzlBbbCOH5RiZPCF_GPGl228MPVdy0KCT0m7vJSjtWIQXJf35QxFYXcopRaIaCcCVZEsL2glVQ92m5CsbFDkBn0uYMmqG/w400-h389/P1130295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-41819629734375013082024-03-09T18:15:00.002+00:002024-03-10T00:52:29.736+00:00WSS: After You with the Sticking Plasters<p> A couple of years ago, while setting up a little photo-shoot with my British WSS army, I managed to break off an officer's sword blade. These are Les Higgins figures, and the bayonets and swords are famously fragile, so I did a patch-up job with superglue, and got my photos taken.</p><p>I have always known that I'll have to make a better job of the sword repair, but to tell the truth I rather lost track of which unit it was. They all looked reasonable, and there is always a small chance that a quick repair might last indefinitely...</p><p>Nah - I didn't really believe this, and this afternoon, while I was sorting out the troops for what will be the last battle in my current campaign. it was suddenly made clear to me which sword blade it was, as it fell off again! </p><p>Righto - today was the day fate had lined up for the proper repair, before I managed to lose the detached blade (it has happened), so I drilled out the officer's hand, carved a little tang on the hilt-end of the blade, and superglued it in properly. Job done. I still have to touch up the varnish a bit, once the superglue is cured, but I'm pleased with the result. The boys are all ready for a fight tomorrow.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMRMoMyiTJGhyphenhyphenJoLRHgkbeCQmnmwk3lsloVsZZdQ58licGgZ2mgQ8CtLYh1ecl6_JU1x6kxNJAaTi8vz9-H64qAQzv32-u_C14PmDIrlro7_OD6OYc_Yh4l8nXZL5QUWs_dQ9Mk5TxDbz-Nuptu91upMRudn2TXyaPpXgD7JKk-jh58NGB-ufuH4zAs0C/s1200/P1130278.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1200" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMRMoMyiTJGhyphenhyphenJoLRHgkbeCQmnmwk3lsloVsZZdQ58licGgZ2mgQ8CtLYh1ecl6_JU1x6kxNJAaTi8vz9-H64qAQzv32-u_C14PmDIrlro7_OD6OYc_Yh4l8nXZL5QUWs_dQ9Mk5TxDbz-Nuptu91upMRudn2TXyaPpXgD7JKk-jh58NGB-ufuH4zAs0C/w400-h324/P1130278.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Grenadier stand of Scrope Howe's Regt, now repaired. The extra superglue is a bit obvious, gleaming on the officer's hand, but I'll sort that out later, once I am confident I am not going to wreck an expensive brush with superglue which hasn't cured yet!</i></div><p>The campaign is very close, but the last battle is tomorrow evening, and it's a 3-pointer, so the winner of this battle will definitely win the campaign. I shall write up some form of report (unless I lose, of course).<br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-23918852211458931482024-02-23T22:06:00.003+00:002024-02-23T22:09:12.209+00:00WSS: More Bavarian Cuirassiers Ready for Action<p> I showed a glimpse of these chaps in the Refurb Box a week or so ago. I finished the painting a couple of nights back - they are now based and flagged, ready for duty</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07zSJGqC-wPcgFQILjelcijIuTgDs88gtHjEPe6IkHe9sIvqurwQzFT3rBk4h24qjJ_oAHVSK2kYvWSzFuyx8cLcfTP5czWr43OSVWfOAN2x5XGgsh0a2DOhsdH_TmtQS6XEXoSaxxRW56VkcYdHOnjN3pqLnwkksOGf59NaS_x5LGfhUwSxCGAyJAHOi/s1200/P1130259.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1200" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07zSJGqC-wPcgFQILjelcijIuTgDs88gtHjEPe6IkHe9sIvqurwQzFT3rBk4h24qjJ_oAHVSK2kYvWSzFuyx8cLcfTP5czWr43OSVWfOAN2x5XGgsh0a2DOhsdH_TmtQS6XEXoSaxxRW56VkcYdHOnjN3pqLnwkksOGf59NaS_x5LGfhUwSxCGAyJAHOi/w400-h233/P1130259.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Costa</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQVdJNC7v465VRt9k-6HR46_FApjuj1OnaBnwpzfUT5Q7PWT16nLD-LBZPb2oITgu57iekBLdtN21ZW9KAkV6BBYc6vohuRBooLcO6N87iLU-vAds7RN_ki7qENK75H8ApUFEeIeb5frnuKOKzk1jv-kEwGEhhFyZGPpvjDmWNE3CfwOWyyzaLqy7Kmfs/s1200/P1130264.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1200" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQVdJNC7v465VRt9k-6HR46_FApjuj1OnaBnwpzfUT5Q7PWT16nLD-LBZPb2oITgu57iekBLdtN21ZW9KAkV6BBYc6vohuRBooLcO6N87iLU-vAds7RN_ki7qENK75H8ApUFEeIeb5frnuKOKzk1jv-kEwGEhhFyZGPpvjDmWNE3CfwOWyyzaLqy7Kmfs/w400-h259/P1130264.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Wolframsdorf</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>These are ex-Eric Knowles figures, repainted and with new command. The officers and standard bearers are <i>SHQ</i> ECW castings, modded a little, the trumpeters are from the <i>Irregular</i> Marlburian range, the troopers and all the horses are by <i>Les Higgins</i>. They've been in the Refurb Queue since Nov 2019, though, since they were rather battered, they've been back down the queue a bit until recently.<br /><p></p><p>I'm glad they are finished; this has been a fiddly refurb job, and on a few occasions I heartily wished I'd stripped them and started again, rather than trying to preserve their original (1970s) provenance. Happy with them now, anyway. They can go into the French OOB for my campaign, where they'll be balanced by the arrival of 2 new Hessian infantry battalions in the Allied line-up. <br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-56058356179311046612024-02-20T16:21:00.001+00:002024-02-21T11:36:59.407+00:00Hooptedoodle #457: A Stuffed Lion in Yorkshire<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmr4mmetsVAeLOCVrvlpGHxNvT4t7uCz8-NheD9NXQ2tHDKY6_g5j_UaP0GSalEy4K0UQ425HfU4NVnGI-tNIL_y8ke-jSqrz0hccPotbkpi7Ha1ksBxzV6aR_goZwI997Rgf2vZel3mujwaYD4VEggzLBFplTAuXF-WcmlX79CyYAyJabPyNCci5h8I_/s312/h1.jpg.gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="312" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmr4mmetsVAeLOCVrvlpGHxNvT4t7uCz8-NheD9NXQ2tHDKY6_g5j_UaP0GSalEy4K0UQ425HfU4NVnGI-tNIL_y8ke-jSqrz0hccPotbkpi7Ha1ksBxzV6aR_goZwI997Rgf2vZel3mujwaYD4VEggzLBFplTAuXF-WcmlX79CyYAyJabPyNCci5h8I_/w400-h329/h1.jpg.gallery.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> A tale from long ago, prompted because I was discussing it with my wife recently, and I had some difficulty believing that it actually happened.<p></p><p>In the late 1970s, I was busily collecting information about the Napoleonic Portuguese army (as one does). I chanced upon some excellent contacts - in particular the very supportive curator at the Lisbon Museum, and a splendid old chap named Herbert, of São Paulo, who became my penfriend, and who had almost unlimited access to the old colonial archives in Brasilia, thanks to his son, Norbert, who worked there. Altogether, I stockpiled some great material on uniforms and flags, including some sumptuous watercolours by Old Herbert, who was a splendid artist; for a while I shared information and sources with Terry Wise (another splendid and generous chap), and he published some things for Osprey, sometimes working with Otto Von Pivka.</p><p>The name dropping stops at this point. For reasons I can't really remember now, I wrote a booklet on Portuguese uniforms for the Napoleonic Association. I gained nothing from the experience, apart from an invitation to their Annual Dinner in 1980, which was held at the Dower House Hotel, in Knaresborough. I drove down from Edinburgh (in my Mk.III Cortina - the worst car I ever had...) with my first wife and our 3 sons, the youngest of whom must have been 4 years old, now I come to think of it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOO8BNf6XW4D0ueBqJ_oVtTHNE12WkfHEyk6oiLZndFjaorapi8gKGuYdKcZqIr3ucA5qXzez3Lucm7Kcpo0Ch02FvoapQ3OtUUiJHlmgIKgtPFAQRh_OPS7HYaiAPcNm8HfxQg_Ey1IEz9emyTw-ciDp7VYxtUgc-RAdMpPsb_Vx8xmYJO8APYLYHCSY/s2402/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2014.09.22.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1610" data-original-width="2402" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOO8BNf6XW4D0ueBqJ_oVtTHNE12WkfHEyk6oiLZndFjaorapi8gKGuYdKcZqIr3ucA5qXzez3Lucm7Kcpo0Ch02FvoapQ3OtUUiJHlmgIKgtPFAQRh_OPS7HYaiAPcNm8HfxQg_Ey1IEz9emyTw-ciDp7VYxtUgc-RAdMpPsb_Vx8xmYJO8APYLYHCSY/w400-h268/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2014.09.22.png" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Dower House Hotel (now the Knaresborough Inn, I believe)</i></div><p></p><p>The Dower House was a bit pricey for our family budget in those days, so we stayed just one night. I recall that the manager at the Dower House was a perfect doppelganger for Basil Fawlty. The dinner was loud and boozy, and the sound of axes grinding was very distinct. The re-enactment section despised the wargame section, and the main mission for the entire Association seemed to be to mock, and otherwise irritate, the deities of the wargaming establishment of the day.</p><p>To be honest, the dinner was not very memorable - I was, in any case, a total outsider, since I wasn't even a member of the wargaming section. My most vivid recollection of the night, beyond the forced laughter and the cigar smoke, was of Tim Pickles in the full - and I mean very full - dress uniform of an officer of Napoleon's Guard Chasseurs à Cheval, including sword, pelisse and fantastic plumed colpack. A spectacular production, and the quality was faultless. I recall that I and another drunken guest studied Tim's magnificent uniform in some detail, and the gold lace piping on his breeches gave rise to a fleeting joke about the Order of the Golden Haemorrhoid, which was promptly awarded to all and sundry, with copious toasts.</p><p>My wife and the kids had nothing to do with the dinner, and had very sensibly gone out on the Saturday. I promised that on the Sunday we should have a look around Knaresborough before the drive back up north.</p><p>It was suggested that we might visit the zoo. Not many people know that there was a zoo in Knaresborough; as far as I can deduce, not many people knew about it at the time, either. If you can be bothered, I recommend that you check it out in Wikipedia, which will reveal that its short history was so odd that I am confident that the story would not be believed if I told it here. </p><p>We arrived at the zoo at about 10:30am on Sunday, and found the entrance booth closed. It said "please ring" on the door, so that is what we did. A rather harrassed-looking lady appeared, quite friendly, and she said:</p><p><i>"He's not here at present, he's busy somewhere. Just come in and look around - if he is here when you leave you can pay him then."</i></p><p>Fair enough, we went in and it was, to be sure, a small and very dilapidated zoo. The layout was confusing. There were small reptiles, and some rat-like things. There may have been a monkey. There was a lion and, in the same enclosure, there was also a stuffed lion - apparently a former resident. It seems that the previous owner had studied taxidermy as a hobby, which maybe explains why it was stuffed, but not why it was still on display. I would rather not think what psychological damage this could potentially do to the live one.</p><p>There were a few further weirdnesses about the place, but our visit was cut short. At one point, my youngest son laughed loudly at the antics of one of the small animals, and a furious lady with a clip-board appeared, and said we would have to leave at once, quietly. For a moment I thought we had finally met the Enjoyment Police, but in fact the zoo was in use that day as a set for a TV crew. There were cameras, masses of young ladies with tight sweaters and clipboards, director-type people and hangers-on, and there were even a few actors. It seems that Knaresborough was doubling for the day as Prague Zoo, for a very short scene from a contemporary British TV drama series (which, predictably, I had never heard of, though my wife at that time knew all about it).<i> [A friend, all these years later, suggests that the scene might have been for The Sandbaggers, which was a Yorkshire TV series from this period, but I can't find sufficient clues to form an opinion!]</i><br /></p><p>We were duly escorted from the premises. Since the entrance kiosk was still closed, we did not disturb the owner, or our budget, any further. <i>[If you do look at Wiki, you may learn that the owner was also a little strange.] </i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mfVveWhzZ4WuvitPCHLBryBwbEgsGaiy_FTy46EDI145EqDg69R7MDFn7GNbrVOTwoehyphenhyphenFMyEGMghZ6Z7vq-4lUWhc1fslncKV5Hgfo1XsZWMI7t89MY-dBhbrVtAqVt3hy8tRYK6UMLzcQUjCSzbnX0IZwPq-phbO9n7PJJMTvK7oMd617S0MFjtN7E/s2002/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2015.26.59.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="2002" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mfVveWhzZ4WuvitPCHLBryBwbEgsGaiy_FTy46EDI145EqDg69R7MDFn7GNbrVOTwoehyphenhyphenFMyEGMghZ6Z7vq-4lUWhc1fslncKV5Hgfo1XsZWMI7t89MY-dBhbrVtAqVt3hy8tRYK6UMLzcQUjCSzbnX0IZwPq-phbO9n7PJJMTvK7oMd617S0MFjtN7E/w400-h189/Screenshot%202024-02-20%20at%2015.26.59.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Apart from the <i>Twilight Zone</i> zoo, Knaresborough was a fine little town, and I am reminded now that I always promised myself a return visit, but never got around to it. We didn't have a lot of time that day, since we had to get on with our journey, to see if the Cortina could make it all the way to Scotland without boiling or forgetting how to charge its battery.<br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5663VNtgGgKS5XhjcAlurgKXFNTA3hzvgdd5AtlctfFPp6DIHDnchanJB-jMZ7owVwsVL0rGTjWSu5KwxoBjK3kPnO5OXZoQRQAFrZu5rt4EmyyTEUe8MbcyG4Ym7DBPX40smJYkYdQnvAzgecLwmkgAeZVX6R03ffq2wXik2ulXFdEogdt6Cj7rFveK/s1200/Ford_Cortina_MkIII_1300_early_one_first_registered_September_1971.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1200" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5663VNtgGgKS5XhjcAlurgKXFNTA3hzvgdd5AtlctfFPp6DIHDnchanJB-jMZ7owVwsVL0rGTjWSu5KwxoBjK3kPnO5OXZoQRQAFrZu5rt4EmyyTEUe8MbcyG4Ym7DBPX40smJYkYdQnvAzgecLwmkgAeZVX6R03ffq2wXik2ulXFdEogdt6Cj7rFveK/s320/Ford_Cortina_MkIII_1300_early_one_first_registered_September_1971.JPG" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Passengers travel at their own risk...</i></div><p></p><p>I subsequently left the Napoleonic Association to get on with their squabbles. I met and liked a few of the guys who did the uniform booklets (well-intentioned amateurs, just like me). Howard Giles and Rob Mantle were very pleasant fellows, as was Peter Hofschroer (whom I'm not allowed to mention these days).</p><p>My remaining, abiding memory of the trip is that stuffed lion, pretending to be alive. There are official denials that it ever existed; I am here to tell you, my friends, that I saw it.<br /></p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-75515402024236702712024-02-17T01:02:00.005+00:002024-02-17T01:21:46.790+00:00WSS: Battle of Waremme - Test (Solo) Campaign<p> The days were accomplished, and on Thursday evening it was time for my Zoom game with JBM. I <a href="https://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com/2024/02/wss-solo-campaign-test-ready-for-waremme.html" target="_blank">posted a description</a> with an initial photo a few days ago. Subsequent discussion confirmed that we should switch from my extended table (17 x 9 hexes) to the standard size (13 x 9); the big disadvantages of having an oversize table for a Commands & Colors type game are:</p><p>* There is a temptation for both generals to stretch out their forces to fit the space, which is historically inappropriate for horse and musket warfare, and </p><p>* The Command Cards and the Centre/Flank table sectors don't work properly if the armies are grouped in the centre, leaving the flanks empty!</p><p>Scenario? Well, this action was triggered by my (beta-test) campaign system, the vehicle for a try-out campaign, with which the Jolly Broom Man is very kindly giving me a hand. The game generator indicated that this particular event was to be a "medium-sized" set-piece attack & defence situation, with a Franco-Bavarian force under Marshal Marsin attacking an Austro-British Alliance force commanded by the Duke of Marlborough. Preliminary dice-rolling gave Marsin 4 Divisions, while Marlborough had 3; since the defending force was outnumbered, some further dice-rolling allowed the Allies to bolster their defensive position by spending the night before the action digging some modest breastworks on their right flank.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WlKPyw_i0l7slGSqc9O8sZquUwjhICaO6Gjv8Qa_puIhypZlxRFMMzwtq8HKk-fqeuiMk3GGQlWoyWji4Ke_sGGoNi1gI8lhjofqRm5n09cDvlalHb3dMDA73YWc6gEUzXDNEnKiGnFpXQPM5rT5Tev1Rxv19hqQrOuYZqCBSgAbQZur4me1QDTzCUYU/s1200/P1130205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1200" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WlKPyw_i0l7slGSqc9O8sZquUwjhICaO6Gjv8Qa_puIhypZlxRFMMzwtq8HKk-fqeuiMk3GGQlWoyWji4Ke_sGGoNi1gI8lhjofqRm5n09cDvlalHb3dMDA73YWc6gEUzXDNEnKiGnFpXQPM5rT5Tev1Rxv19hqQrOuYZqCBSgAbQZur4me1QDTzCUYU/w400-h196/P1130205.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Start of the day's action; one of the Bavarian guns engaged in the preliminary artillery bombardment</i></div><p></p><p>The action took place at the farm of <i>Oude Wieg</i>, in open country outside the Wallonian town of Borgworm (Waremme in French).</p><p>I've posted the OOB previously, but here it is again. Some form of narrative should emerge from the photos.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8j_MCyXvsqKnlzTG87gXyXivR9nMIwxSYzqN4njS8AouTkrzCnj9UyfrQ6J2nlrIIF3OJBuW_MgumZ3vRoc-LLfl6sbctM77JZArFZ6y8uX7c4yHsBVKM2ArvowXdgqdOl73IZhrM9cFTusJtlfFbGwGOAezuskHBeq8m5B0wZqsYfndBmtQDP-jtuBJP/s1623/OOB%20for%20Waremme.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1623" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8j_MCyXvsqKnlzTG87gXyXivR9nMIwxSYzqN4njS8AouTkrzCnj9UyfrQ6J2nlrIIF3OJBuW_MgumZ3vRoc-LLfl6sbctM77JZArFZ6y8uX7c4yHsBVKM2ArvowXdgqdOl73IZhrM9cFTusJtlfFbGwGOAezuskHBeq8m5B0wZqsYfndBmtQDP-jtuBJP/w296-h400/OOB%20for%20Waremme.png" width="296" /></a></div><br />Victory required 10 Victory Points (there are no bonus VPs for strategic objectives). <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD1jfuYYEEEpVXy7XiAoIcUyEdJV55S3hX0NBwqqrg6zyTNmZUQIrX2z_1v_L-NiMk7l48ymiRAkVyvioIMMUla2IqOKOWwKWurU5M-dmoNxsvzAmy_Gkt0p_aVojXbwYtJHzOgKAwatqa4BVTFQ3aAX-ZMqPGN0aBYnNC-talwN5Cv0ZBB_T9Mf8dBw_/s1200/P1130206.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiD1jfuYYEEEpVXy7XiAoIcUyEdJV55S3hX0NBwqqrg6zyTNmZUQIrX2z_1v_L-NiMk7l48ymiRAkVyvioIMMUla2IqOKOWwKWurU5M-dmoNxsvzAmy_Gkt0p_aVojXbwYtJHzOgKAwatqa4BVTFQ3aAX-ZMqPGN0aBYnNC-talwN5Cv0ZBB_T9Mf8dBw_/w400-h266/P1130206.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Right at the start the French advanced all along their line; here you see them on the left of the picture and the Allies on the right, racing to occupy the central farm. Marsin has the French Division of La Bonne at this end, Lützelburg's Bavarians in the centre and Maffei's Bavarians extending into the distance; he kept his reserve Division (that of Bassinet), off the table at the start. On the Allied side you see Handschuh's Austrians in the foreground, with Charles Churchill's British at the farm and Lord Orkney's British holding the earthworks at the far end.</i> <br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZyu4JMtWvkrmYOEPQHS22HevXB8lHIb7QJ9bU2yRWbi1rtWAPpx3EUkfaCHw_FAkqXNkMXKhVx2PnsAwHNu1s5nuQJkbD-QfLfjjAqEN7vsRYHy3eRj-QOt1_c_P_FnoxxP9d0no6MtTmFVkvdRiiLdYpsb-RjNSW7F5ZhtbSwDLXc1TyBCPR_p41u4D/s1200/P1130210.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZyu4JMtWvkrmYOEPQHS22HevXB8lHIb7QJ9bU2yRWbi1rtWAPpx3EUkfaCHw_FAkqXNkMXKhVx2PnsAwHNu1s5nuQJkbD-QfLfjjAqEN7vsRYHy3eRj-QOt1_c_P_FnoxxP9d0no6MtTmFVkvdRiiLdYpsb-RjNSW7F5ZhtbSwDLXc1TyBCPR_p41u4D/w400-h300/P1130210.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Early fighting was mostly around the farm. The Bavarians gained an early foothold, but were driven out fairly quickly, and from that point, though there were repeated attacks by Marsin's forces, the British held the farm for the rest of the day.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps9uuYr5oouJF2lNgBn4JN1hMWUEwm6O200cZJJAZ9qZwSrlrKHPt5h1oTOcNIGmU5ZUzC6VWqvommdUgl_fs0_ExrbBEFycv7SwEnB6RGLYd_3MKy41cs2STzYsVWBIWK6f-FCCdthu14zWsC3oLUBY0urnmnXN4ScFzKlQwVGPU4ErHde9zZqA_a02H/s1200/P1130213.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1200" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjps9uuYr5oouJF2lNgBn4JN1hMWUEwm6O200cZJJAZ9qZwSrlrKHPt5h1oTOcNIGmU5ZUzC6VWqvommdUgl_fs0_ExrbBEFycv7SwEnB6RGLYd_3MKy41cs2STzYsVWBIWK6f-FCCdthu14zWsC3oLUBY0urnmnXN4ScFzKlQwVGPU4ErHde9zZqA_a02H/w400-h315/P1130213.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Attempts to take the farm and its fields cost the French army a lot of casualties; in very little time there was a large gap in that early French line. At this stage the Allies have accumulated 4 VPs, as indicated by the counters at the end of the table!</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX2HRGVZ-YC3vtRw2iE2dJy8Qlsa72lI2RAjrR9NDfcR4W28Achukt-kUyBRgd7PA0bUiq99qIEZOyjht4fPZtA5WHpq0CldjhBvpUj-OEg08x-uMtAV9Zpu38lsP_BCBOU9f9kdB1eu63jGpP4EK7vgvJRwJClVaXBrmOu0D_B4qbW1D64gpoCpSDDFy/s1200/P1130215.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1200" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKX2HRGVZ-YC3vtRw2iE2dJy8Qlsa72lI2RAjrR9NDfcR4W28Achukt-kUyBRgd7PA0bUiq99qIEZOyjht4fPZtA5WHpq0CldjhBvpUj-OEg08x-uMtAV9Zpu38lsP_BCBOU9f9kdB1eu63jGpP4EK7vgvJRwJClVaXBrmOu0D_B4qbW1D64gpoCpSDDFy/w400-h308/P1130215.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Tragedy for the British, quite early in the day; General Charles Churchill, the brother of the Duke of Marlborough, was mortally wounded by a musket ball at the farm, while encouraging his own regiment (the Buffs). The fatal dice are shown here...</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho01C8mjW8vbidnQnQCkbjed3XS6EpC9ACprUCOaMIklihghMbY15wz0nHl85nisUQucE6o-OQ-sC0dPFc4taEzVVCNWDUS26AJ6jOO0du1lMVwx7maagNRjD-bi8QeR6hXjyB1t2eiwNcI6jrBctfr1sAGj_VgoU49JvBZ755dvNqtlnO431drQE2vP-Z/s1200/P1130217.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho01C8mjW8vbidnQnQCkbjed3XS6EpC9ACprUCOaMIklihghMbY15wz0nHl85nisUQucE6o-OQ-sC0dPFc4taEzVVCNWDUS26AJ6jOO0du1lMVwx7maagNRjD-bi8QeR6hXjyB1t2eiwNcI6jrBctfr1sAGj_VgoU49JvBZ755dvNqtlnO431drQE2vP-Z/w400-h300/P1130217.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Still contesting possession of the farm, the Boismorel Regiment (Bavarian "Red Grenadiers", who were mostly Frenchmen) are here hanging on to the kale field in the foreground. It was certainly vicious while it lasted.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9YdH8e4I_CYYAdImgfMKysJEEer_EX9NE1itdk2ynhSY3AFlV387VLR4FFlMLC2mWrIt-lQlTvFApKxrborABt6VjpRy0oQex6ULFIoPNkGDsapaxRFRomDmQFteOtsd6DYwPthnWqvmcMJ2hspx0aogaqISfJSfDgU4_hVpBjh8oTszl0SKuIpIHZ58/s1200/P1130221.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9YdH8e4I_CYYAdImgfMKysJEEer_EX9NE1itdk2ynhSY3AFlV387VLR4FFlMLC2mWrIt-lQlTvFApKxrborABt6VjpRy0oQex6ULFIoPNkGDsapaxRFRomDmQFteOtsd6DYwPthnWqvmcMJ2hspx0aogaqISfJSfDgU4_hVpBjh8oTszl0SKuIpIHZ58/w400-h300/P1130221.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>General view from the Allied right gives a clear view of the earthwork.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraB8seNiBOHkCHPtNpof4GGMe8LMbsUzXxAcfen-IhN39n26SdRwf6MhNy0c8ZGJuTJlJmjDX7QYE_gmT3Q3J6IuAUrJrgmdrarpI8wHmfUsE7qcUOIw1UWzI0cRCEn1PuMizgAH368_x7Mul_3dzkifwDQHMu1Y4PvgPRg3yuvZlC-8N9w35hAGIKDTo/s1200/P1130222.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1200" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgraB8seNiBOHkCHPtNpof4GGMe8LMbsUzXxAcfen-IhN39n26SdRwf6MhNy0c8ZGJuTJlJmjDX7QYE_gmT3Q3J6IuAUrJrgmdrarpI8wHmfUsE7qcUOIw1UWzI0cRCEn1PuMizgAH368_x7Mul_3dzkifwDQHMu1Y4PvgPRg3yuvZlC-8N9w35hAGIKDTo/w400-h254/P1130222.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>After a couple of hours, it was revealed that Marsin, who was concerned about the extended Bavarian division on his left, had committed Bassinet's reserve Division to appear on that flank. Here they are just starting to arrive, while Bavarian dragoons nearer the camera have a good look at the British earthworks, and wonder what to do about them.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydwRa0qvUZ13NyjcpObOUteX8PiS_Q-puBcv7Im48q00JqBcjpahM_m3NhUjEsyC906ahH9rohmqeQBt1bwNvTqQ-MEVa941pEzK5rPO-ONDHrUIvdX5ma4KZp-DrgBApZ38HSfnPmXE92dVWNhfccv9p7Qy-C2oz78MQ2al3-Ba-KY7Lg8ko3jguGdiA/s1200/P1130224.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydwRa0qvUZ13NyjcpObOUteX8PiS_Q-puBcv7Im48q00JqBcjpahM_m3NhUjEsyC906ahH9rohmqeQBt1bwNvTqQ-MEVa941pEzK5rPO-ONDHrUIvdX5ma4KZp-DrgBApZ38HSfnPmXE92dVWNhfccv9p7Qy-C2oz78MQ2al3-Ba-KY7Lg8ko3jguGdiA/w400-h300/P1130224.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>And still the scrap at the farm goes on, but is just about decided. The Boismorels have been driven out of the kale field by Ferguson's Foot (Cameronians).</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvqgm8_S5OErzERwFC0ZYCkViBkS6oBoJGvb_UqSraHrc2T9upydIBunXJaFKx9eoh97WS66E1KJkYbuGhkzYXGt1RA0s-Alp9DOgZcEBPxW49tqpJDQ6E0EPbCBpPU_YmjMiTRXV0dnm3pRN2zdxPNp3x98lzXnlcvBRcDUYU5729w6do2rloAHnY13m/s1200/P1130228.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvqgm8_S5OErzERwFC0ZYCkViBkS6oBoJGvb_UqSraHrc2T9upydIBunXJaFKx9eoh97WS66E1KJkYbuGhkzYXGt1RA0s-Alp9DOgZcEBPxW49tqpJDQ6E0EPbCBpPU_YmjMiTRXV0dnm3pRN2zdxPNp3x98lzXnlcvBRcDUYU5729w6do2rloAHnY13m/w400-h300/P1130228.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Concerned that he might have to shift troops to his right to oppose the French reserves coming on, Marlborough deployed his limited cavalry to threaten the infantry on the French right, to buy a little time while the other flank developed.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOoi1yycKHqPExG0pc21gzKiijHe_25R9UMfag5P98JDiYN3ivNqASqPpq1xLf4znGl2i7_2YyEOV7YvwoeAzfL4ACpQmAhy-DHFAPXDEqTAq_AODYyv0iZkXOPtAW8-YulEVaUWLHsxXyZdWI7kKkzmfsYsyvjn8B155cqn8Tlz-BbdYcF5lpdT4GINQ/s1200/P1130230.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1200" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOoi1yycKHqPExG0pc21gzKiijHe_25R9UMfag5P98JDiYN3ivNqASqPpq1xLf4znGl2i7_2YyEOV7YvwoeAzfL4ACpQmAhy-DHFAPXDEqTAq_AODYyv0iZkXOPtAW8-YulEVaUWLHsxXyZdWI7kKkzmfsYsyvjn8B155cqn8Tlz-BbdYcF5lpdT4GINQ/w400-h269/P1130230.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A general view after about two and a half hours shows that the French had done very little with their right flank, had suffered heavy losses at the the farm, and had avoided the fortified flank at the far end, though the reserve troops coming on Marsin's left were worrying Marlborough.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtorDZ6J_GsBRmtVkxpxG9kWoDU8sN4RQwOPCRP2tZRzXw-F-BawIpR-AGrmMCmvZWmAEvj80_Cmp3L1em8hkob21ObIcpFY27tXmhIi527Ij1E2ZaGgECELE3XTzPQRA8JjnV2N_bC8tBahFiblwkJ3Shpe47uBJvjZrcgzyK0ObbLvz_ODrOxyCm22N/s1200/P1130232.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtorDZ6J_GsBRmtVkxpxG9kWoDU8sN4RQwOPCRP2tZRzXw-F-BawIpR-AGrmMCmvZWmAEvj80_Cmp3L1em8hkob21ObIcpFY27tXmhIi527Ij1E2ZaGgECELE3XTzPQRA8JjnV2N_bC8tBahFiblwkJ3Shpe47uBJvjZrcgzyK0ObbLvz_ODrOxyCm22N/w400-h300/P1130232.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Around the same time, here is a better view of the other flank.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcQuzgFTMj4aAFMmL13eyH_721riLr6mVt_tatBXR7YzzJaBzd7ZLnBIXHFa2VbU3hzJ6Cz24HZ72I_xRbY2qiK95fNYsGtGEs4iF7PjGzxjkfMaw-EB5LwY_qtIGpuldaT02sNwLWRub_DSHYehFpRKBlnBFEWMXmwvGU7RjykZLzhit0nBYq-7PsgPQ/s1200/P1130241.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="1200" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcQuzgFTMj4aAFMmL13eyH_721riLr6mVt_tatBXR7YzzJaBzd7ZLnBIXHFa2VbU3hzJ6Cz24HZ72I_xRbY2qiK95fNYsGtGEs4iF7PjGzxjkfMaw-EB5LwY_qtIGpuldaT02sNwLWRub_DSHYehFpRKBlnBFEWMXmwvGU7RjykZLzhit0nBYq-7PsgPQ/w400-h259/P1130241.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Bassinet's reserve troops now clearly visible reaching the battlefield on the French left, but this part of the field was relatively quiet throughout.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRpL4seIbAKlyHRd00RZw4TRAKl_9wG5_bnGHOPFXR8X1UksGIQq3MoOP6q1o8rSXqpUb3-OD2IgQuZQHs2oRnmJYZKVH520dPW0HRDG73TIvDRpDnO8MWTtYsC1jwgVaMjWyhRTgKbNgXjhNkG3HUNoWmonYsr0p02jvlDvS1JbGzbC-x2lN15CVqRBw/s1200/P1130242.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRpL4seIbAKlyHRd00RZw4TRAKl_9wG5_bnGHOPFXR8X1UksGIQq3MoOP6q1o8rSXqpUb3-OD2IgQuZQHs2oRnmJYZKVH520dPW0HRDG73TIvDRpDnO8MWTtYsC1jwgVaMjWyhRTgKbNgXjhNkG3HUNoWmonYsr0p02jvlDvS1JbGzbC-x2lN15CVqRBw/w400-h300/P1130242.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>With the VP score now 7-5 to the Allies, Marsin began an offensive on his right, against Handschuh's Imperial troops.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDm2y0XTHLJSRgeKH55trLHEf0m-oW6_-yAkgVSd5FENuJLb4L4uMipE7W75E5YGavoMBxOvRPY2GKxjVI7B0XfudWilwrQ48_87PtqbPNBSGtA8x_rHpFeq2rKHSTb3lII9nhKFLstUDckEhQ9YfyX_H4Y41B8kmLCv8GXCoTJQWXuWYWnrpnQmLIIgO/s1200/P1130250.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoDm2y0XTHLJSRgeKH55trLHEf0m-oW6_-yAkgVSd5FENuJLb4L4uMipE7W75E5YGavoMBxOvRPY2GKxjVI7B0XfudWilwrQ48_87PtqbPNBSGtA8x_rHpFeq2rKHSTb3lII9nhKFLstUDckEhQ9YfyX_H4Y41B8kmLCv8GXCoTJQWXuWYWnrpnQmLIIgO/w400-h300/P1130250.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Then it became 9-5. </i><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmtruNDh2LOE0joJ8fLIBBQEKRpZzZh9r2iZjqoOg1jPvgzhpu4fDBNeWeemOZ-lBBcL1cDtSSrpxQjwRE-MLZVt4eBbyxmadaRV_ktNY5FzamQ4ft5OjUzFpqhsWkzX60d8xPa_tCK-PE9HyWy1mpTdTX5aSb-1N-Mala9bktL7-9hV4S0ZKS1FKGlsN/s1200/P1130252.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmtruNDh2LOE0joJ8fLIBBQEKRpZzZh9r2iZjqoOg1jPvgzhpu4fDBNeWeemOZ-lBBcL1cDtSSrpxQjwRE-MLZVt4eBbyxmadaRV_ktNY5FzamQ4ft5OjUzFpqhsWkzX60d8xPa_tCK-PE9HyWy1mpTdTX5aSb-1N-Mala9bktL7-9hV4S0ZKS1FKGlsN/w400-h266/P1130252.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>And still Orkney's little redoubt is under very little pressure.</i></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvdzqLe-vNNh5VjadeiymEuQzYZGfpj0w0IFolGr36PUozg3Ul_Y7n7nKRRoNnAAaInNsjd5JmQ09lqhxEB3k5qhsn1rlCdFn9-ltBtOb6vbuSLyqkTtJ6TUoUXZGAoUhYBab_As0Ww-iaRuCVmb7DDJ6XPMINw7DefzPHz0DvZ9AJ17xORC1omWeQd_Z/s1200/P1130256.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOvdzqLe-vNNh5VjadeiymEuQzYZGfpj0w0IFolGr36PUozg3Ul_Y7n7nKRRoNnAAaInNsjd5JmQ09lqhxEB3k5qhsn1rlCdFn9-ltBtOb6vbuSLyqkTtJ6TUoUXZGAoUhYBab_As0Ww-iaRuCVmb7DDJ6XPMINw7DefzPHz0DvZ9AJ17xORC1omWeQd_Z/w400-h300/P1130256.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The attack by Marsin's right late in the day once more got Marlborough anxious, as the VP gap started to close. In a lengthy game, the luck is always likely to swing at some time, but the game ran out with a 10-8 victory for the defenders.</i></div><p></p><p>I feel that my account maybe doesn't do justice to what was really an exciting little game. JBM (Marsin) and I had a productive discussion at the end; we agreed, I think (entirely with the advantage of hindsight on my part!), that he had probably been over-cautious around the earthworks, and that if he had committed the reserve troops to appear on his right, instead of the left, he might have had the weight to drive the Austrians from the field.</p><p>The campaign will continue in a week or so. Great fun - thanks again JBM.</p><p>We came up with a few slight wrinkles in the rules covering how artillery are handled if they come under attack, and one or two areas where the problem was that I didn't quite remember the details of the rules. All fine - a little pondering and some further discussion should sort things out nicely. </p><p>No problems. Nice game.<br /><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-11005363058394092732024-02-14T17:14:00.011+00:002024-02-14T17:26:16.529+00:00WSS: Solo Campaign Test - ready for Waremme<p> My Assisted Solo Campaign is trotting along quietly in the background. I have benefited a lot from the Jolly Broom Man's preparedness to help me through this - the testing of a home-written solo game cannot possibly be carried out solo, or I can convince myself that anything at all is OK. I was about to make a resounding statement about JBM bringing the sanity to the party, but then I remembered that the man himself would make some joke about this being a measure of how desperate things are.</p><p>The facts, then, are that we have already had one small(ish) encounter battle, which the Allies won (just), and there has been a small siege, in which the French captured a Dutch-held town with very little effort. Next step is set for tomorrow night, when we are to fight a set-piece battle, in which the Allied force (that's me, folks) will be attacked by the French (who are led by JBM). </p><p>I have set up my army; I have a day to prepare for the arrival of a rather larger Franco-Bavarian force. Because the scenario gives me something of a disadvantage numerically, I am allowed to do a little digging, and some breastworks have been thrown up on our right flank.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAiXvX2XgRclBx7dl4_9H-7-nhNakba1nUzi9YrZVN5Wfy_xNwvR5HVFn2sZXopfU8squfumiGe-MBegK4OtiC54SFuuY8r3f-qhYPAL_WZ0vP8wvpr8HHMpZDVA3M9j77knjIUSU4Z7ZeU5PQ5FYluT43Ckex7oOUEY64pj_nzEx_vLsXFygWLzBJjdj/s1200/P1130192.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1200" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAiXvX2XgRclBx7dl4_9H-7-nhNakba1nUzi9YrZVN5Wfy_xNwvR5HVFn2sZXopfU8squfumiGe-MBegK4OtiC54SFuuY8r3f-qhYPAL_WZ0vP8wvpr8HHMpZDVA3M9j77knjIUSU4Z7ZeU5PQ5FYluT43Ckex7oOUEY64pj_nzEx_vLsXFygWLzBJjdj/w400-h359/P1130192.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV050xCCd738meykRCnS6VLh2L_-00t2abKrbPbo6AqW4_Ddq3pcGsuZMou6r0sKgQVfW2LKaL5UM6LwPSV2OftF5dWQ6aOeH1C8bErot8pFCkL1qne-F7tidwM8NuJvhrsXo4p3iS5hzSLwlKjh3zdzxcwqw88zbYNHP3cv7lJLZKjg7o_-HIm30u4AP/s1200/P1130195.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="1200" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrV050xCCd738meykRCnS6VLh2L_-00t2abKrbPbo6AqW4_Ddq3pcGsuZMou6r0sKgQVfW2LKaL5UM6LwPSV2OftF5dWQ6aOeH1C8bErot8pFCkL1qne-F7tidwM8NuJvhrsXo4p3iS5hzSLwlKjh3zdzxcwqw88zbYNHP3cv7lJLZKjg7o_-HIm30u4AP/w400-h309/P1130195.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Here you see my chaps, all ready for tomorrow evening, in the open countryside near the small town of Waremme, not far from Liege. I have the British Divisions of Lord Orkney and Charles Churchill, with the Imperial Division of Graf Eberwald Handschuh on our left. We have a total of about 10000 infantry and about 1000 horse and, as you see, our field artillery is deployed out front, ready for the preliminary bombardment phase allowed by this scenario.<p></p><p>Marshal Marsin will arrive tomorrow evening. <br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-84780404021379400952024-02-13T11:13:00.006+00:002024-02-13T14:28:38.327+00:00WSS: Back in the Toils of Refurb Work Again!<p> ...and enjoying it enormously, to be honest!</p><p>And, of course, I am laughing at myself as yet again I make the amazing discovery that a simple refurb job expands beyond belief as you work on it. What started out as a 3-session touch-up job on some figures which were quite nicely painted (albeit 50-odd years ago) has grown before my eyes; after a week of evening sessions, I reckon I still have about 4 sessions to go to complete them.</p><p>Just freshen up the white paint, fix the chips, tidy up the horses, change facing colours, humanise the faces, varnish, rebase - fit new flags. Easy-peasy.</p><p>Yeah, right. I've gradually rejected almost all of the original work - it has become a re-paint, and as such is in many ways more laborious than a fresh-metal job from scratch. I have spent a lot of time working round existing paintwork that I subsequently replaced. All good fun, of course; in the time-honoured principle of the executioner's axe, these will still be Old Eric's original figures (Gawd bless 'em), though the laboratory would struggle to find any trace of Eric's 1970s paint.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIOgkg-G224bUAk97Ck4kSAsC_cmWHIws8gdNP2y_DcWmbO7B3sI1QN7jM2HU5pa9PO2s2mWQ6Mqvgw9VnulyFJ-guHQYe4FyL1PPaQ6pUHp1Qk5qAFv_N4OniqSegqBIOGRurTASAA8zW03_jmMsmozEujj4i3bN1AS4KskHPT0F6Zl4iVR1No24WM0c/s1200/P1130183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1200" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIOgkg-G224bUAk97Ck4kSAsC_cmWHIws8gdNP2y_DcWmbO7B3sI1QN7jM2HU5pa9PO2s2mWQ6Mqvgw9VnulyFJ-guHQYe4FyL1PPaQ6pUHp1Qk5qAFv_N4OniqSegqBIOGRurTASAA8zW03_jmMsmozEujj4i3bN1AS4KskHPT0F6Zl4iVR1No24WM0c/w400-h338/P1130183.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />So - one week in - here's a work-in-progress shot which is actually more satisfactory than it might look. I am now halfway through the black, which will be followed by white, blue officers' sashes, lots of leather straps and harness, gold, silver, a touch-up of the edges of the coat colour, then varnish. Maybe 3 more sessions, say 4, for traditions of Estimate Creep.<p></p><p>When they are based and ready I'll post a proper photo. These will be the Bavarian cuirassier units of Wolframsdorf and Costa. Figures are mostly <i>Les Higgins</i>, vintage 1970 or thereabouts, the officers and standard bearers are <i>SHQ </i>figures with some small tweaks, the trumpeters from <i>Irregular</i>'s Malburian range; all the horses are <i>Higgins</i>. I did some work with Plastic Putty to add neckties, to try to update the ECW figures by half a century or so.</p><p>All good fun. I know all about diminishing returns, and how there is a very definite limit to how good a job I can do on these, but I also have this growing conviction that in a few years I will not remember how quickly I got them finished; the important criterion, in the end, is how much I like them. I'm working on it.<br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-38385898700690637602024-02-08T07:48:00.002+00:002024-02-09T14:51:26.118+00:00Guest Spot - More of Steve Cooney's 20mm ECW Collection<p> Steve Cooney occasionally shares photos of his fine 20mm ECW collection. This week there are some shots of the artillery. All sorts of goodies on view, featuring Steve's legendary conversion work; from great big demi-Culverins to little Scottish frames and horse teams. I particularly like the fellows loading a big mortar <i>grenadoe</i> with a shoulder-yoke.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhQ6h4WRnPSIGCNRIRPJo5NfadA0nwJJbIeo-XLTxwzteFcTYNTYlaMdl8Xy8-snwSHFZwSpIqNHDDsgAaOSKiYUbTPZkZXDzdMDTAWHsyKTHx5P6pyW7U7F6wgWCyKSWlbLjZi255jpI4iRRiiepCnk-0Ny2D2ECydplLrF_Ny3lpbOf9Q1d9pbQVR15/s1200/SC01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhQ6h4WRnPSIGCNRIRPJo5NfadA0nwJJbIeo-XLTxwzteFcTYNTYlaMdl8Xy8-snwSHFZwSpIqNHDDsgAaOSKiYUbTPZkZXDzdMDTAWHsyKTHx5P6pyW7U7F6wgWCyKSWlbLjZi255jpI4iRRiiepCnk-0Ny2D2ECydplLrF_Ny3lpbOf9Q1d9pbQVR15/w400-h400/SC01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR9AAm1B77xmjUlUwEd4G3m56fuGdxq_pRltHR-5WXjOwHE_e2SSWiZgpSCoRkYqQzElcJYODFV8QtrlMeozQZX4B4_KJfdq1WMg1qyT9hlLFQNWRkdmX-rrI2hzF81zESu0P09j9S_Q6Su5fvn_jJedfkZYEg-mccTUntSJ4ycXUy8d06VrN-KvdmkNn/s1200/SC02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxR9AAm1B77xmjUlUwEd4G3m56fuGdxq_pRltHR-5WXjOwHE_e2SSWiZgpSCoRkYqQzElcJYODFV8QtrlMeozQZX4B4_KJfdq1WMg1qyT9hlLFQNWRkdmX-rrI2hzF81zESu0P09j9S_Q6Su5fvn_jJedfkZYEg-mccTUntSJ4ycXUy8d06VrN-KvdmkNn/w400-h400/SC02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6a3q7Yl7qa836w4Y0ODoPjMTuxxfx56BMALcwe1SgjfaQQyQZpWTeUMtkjZ3yMe7JehT-nXP_QniMYEiuwPoHiz25nr192PctRle7NbuL6_jfsFhzEgr4fzds6s13IOY_kNBUpyNbBhUekRFjT0toIFDvrb04UvNAH-KrjkEq0QryJtRzJo_RT3NtCYX/s1200/SC03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6a3q7Yl7qa836w4Y0ODoPjMTuxxfx56BMALcwe1SgjfaQQyQZpWTeUMtkjZ3yMe7JehT-nXP_QniMYEiuwPoHiz25nr192PctRle7NbuL6_jfsFhzEgr4fzds6s13IOY_kNBUpyNbBhUekRFjT0toIFDvrb04UvNAH-KrjkEq0QryJtRzJo_RT3NtCYX/w400-h400/SC03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Steve writes:<p></p><div style="color: black; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<i style="color: #990000;">Attached photos of ECW artillery , figures are Hinton Hunt with a few
Les Higgins conversions and Demi-culverin cannon are mostly Hinchliffe
20mm range .</i></div>
<div style="font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><i><br /></i></span>
</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="color: #990000;">
Hope you like them</i></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="color: #990000;"> </i></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"> Thanks very much Steve; I like them very much</span><i style="color: #990000;">!<br /></i></div><p></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-87065479474580298852024-02-02T13:10:00.001+00:002024-02-02T13:12:26.188+00:00WSS: More Hessians - eventually!<p> Two fresh battalions, ready for the duty boxes. As mentioned previously, these have been marooned on the painting bottletops for about a year, so they are as relieved as I am.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJ_vlAnq1SdQvISWj61HKhf289mGy_bJdg0KBAvcv8PR7ceaIFpiJgGs_mLfaONxqvJsK910wqi98E6ZA18TSE2yJ47VxzYlgDY0P_gviwADfnqsqZ4r6dm51YsNc2rVkq5kjDXb3O6MWyieutaJCOx2JZv7_fpL3B2QROQ-WVVHpIQsvvlgoX0swWk1i/s1500/NewHess_Feb2024.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1500" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJ_vlAnq1SdQvISWj61HKhf289mGy_bJdg0KBAvcv8PR7ceaIFpiJgGs_mLfaONxqvJsK910wqi98E6ZA18TSE2yJ47VxzYlgDY0P_gviwADfnqsqZ4r6dm51YsNc2rVkq5kjDXb3O6MWyieutaJCOx2JZv7_fpL3B2QROQ-WVVHpIQsvvlgoX0swWk1i/w400-h295/NewHess_Feb2024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Hessen-Kassel. These gentlemen are the <i>Leibregiment zu Fuß</i> (red cuffs, at front) and the <i>IR Prinz Wilhelm</i> (blue cuffs, at rear). As usual, they are mostly Les Higgins/PMD castings from the 1970s, with a few Irregular friends to fill out the command roles.<p></p><p>I was reading about Hessen-Kassel this week. The first and most important thing to know about the history of the army of that state is that it was complicated. My own WSS armies started life when I acquired the relevant 20mm bit of Eric Knowles' collection, so I was off to a flying start with Bavarians and Austrians, and there were also some French. The other nations in Eric's collection had been in different scales, so I spent the next few years hunting down compatible figures to bulk up the French army and build a British one. When I reached the "Phase Two" stage, at which I planned to decide which was to be my fifth army, the Dutch were an obvious choice, but the prospect of another mass of grey infantry caused me to think again. I eventually plumped for Hessen-Kassel, as a nice colour contrast, and maybe some Hanoverians. My subsequent reading reveals that this has not necessarily been a major change of plan, since there were plenty of Hessians and Hanoverians in Dutch pay after 1702.</p><p>Hessen-Kassel was one of a number of nations at that time which hired out their regiments to other armies. For example, Prinz Wilhelm was the colonel of two regiments bearing his name, the first of which (which had yellow facings) was formed for the Venetian service. The second was the one which appeared at Blenheim, possibly in Dutch pay, possibly British. Anyway, as long as they were paid, that's the main thing.<br /></p><p>This morning's heroic rescue came when I realised I had mounted one of the flags upside down (I've only done this once before), but, miraculously, the glue was still wet enough to allow me to slide it off and refit it. That is probably all my good fortune for the next month used up in one dose. I refuse to say which flag it was, to avoid everybody looking for traces of damage. [There isn't any].<br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-56324948871275595352024-01-30T13:25:00.002+00:002024-01-31T09:34:31.048+00:00Strolling Along Nicely<p> Soldier painting is progressing quite well - I'm keeping the sessions down to a couple of hours, since my eyes get tired, but I'm happy to be getting back to it. I have a couple of units close to being finished, and that will be an important step psychologically, apart from anything else; if I have a problem with a painting job, or if it gets stuck, this has always discouraged me out of all proportion to the seriousness of the issue. Energy sapping! This week should help a lot, in a number of ways. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlJAxo32p24jyKV4XDKF8RuA2qJiuVbUHkA6_dG8hgGSmlOvn3zorKYxk3pIljjbweFqgw4u6NDTGQ16GxuGKTKYjU0XUtvsIcBoP9PGIR3y79HcJ5hTkEKKLGVtOMG6NxixYDxCQfqeTgg6_Xi8GN-PLS8FlCRL4BZiW2ccH8uVgg93E461YDmc5BTcj/s1200/P1130162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlJAxo32p24jyKV4XDKF8RuA2qJiuVbUHkA6_dG8hgGSmlOvn3zorKYxk3pIljjbweFqgw4u6NDTGQ16GxuGKTKYjU0XUtvsIcBoP9PGIR3y79HcJ5hTkEKKLGVtOMG6NxixYDxCQfqeTgg6_Xi8GN-PLS8FlCRL4BZiW2ccH8uVgg93E461YDmc5BTcj/w400-h272/P1130162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p> I've also had a chance to get back to testing my solo campaign rules for Corporal John, which are coming along very well. </p><p>Last month I got as far as the first tabletop battle in a fictional campaign. this was the <a href="https://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com/2023/12/beta-test-solo-wss-campaign-system-1st.html" target="_blank">action at La Bienveillance</a> that I featured in a post at the time. I'm pleased that the Jolly Broom Man has been able to provide some very useful help and support via Zoom. To restate an idea about which I have become convinced, I believe that it is impossible to test anything original on one's own. Even if it is a solo game, we will always read the rules as though they say what we meant them to say, so the testing is invalid right from the start.</p><p>The bold JBM appeared last night, complete with a very intimidating set of whiskers, and we advanced the campaign a little without too much effort, and with no real problems.</p><p>We managed to start a background siege running, for the first time. It didn't last very long. The French laid siege to the small town of Rijnsburg, sending the siege train and the divisions of Lützelburg (Bavarian) and Bassinet (French). Rijnsburg was selected, not least, because of the mediochre reputation of the Dutch commander, Colonel Wiegman, and the result was the quickest collapse we have seen yet in a test siege. The investment was only 3 weeks into the job when something bad happened to the garrison - Wiegman asked to surrender, unconditionally, and the remains of the garrison and poor Wiegman were sent off to the hulks. The French now hold Rijnsburg, and obtained 2 Campaign Points for very little effort. They will have the job of repairing about 30% damage to the fortress.<br /></p><p>We also got to the initiation of the next field action, which will be a biggish set-piece in the open country outside the town of Waremme, in Wallonia. The French will be attacking, and the Order of Battle will be:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIXiijSQl1BS3ryZEwLTRMH4H74aS3VCAxDoiFzg1Txnuh3L45e5_tt0jBUlSoPpDVBkwVODUbaXXgpR4fyaUMcXGacKS_BRRRPWwLzhkqdHicf3EA1JlPxmZwM4MNFAcb2bSITA9i6DeS6qAhDZLUWO7l18_gNAiCctbsONkvLIbE7ar4zPvpQ8E-VMg/s1623/OOB%20for%20Waremme.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1623" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIXiijSQl1BS3ryZEwLTRMH4H74aS3VCAxDoiFzg1Txnuh3L45e5_tt0jBUlSoPpDVBkwVODUbaXXgpR4fyaUMcXGacKS_BRRRPWwLzhkqdHicf3EA1JlPxmZwM4MNFAcb2bSITA9i6DeS6qAhDZLUWO7l18_gNAiCctbsONkvLIbE7ar4zPvpQ8E-VMg/w296-h400/OOB%20for%20Waremme.png" width="296" /></a></div><br />I have to send some choices of battlefield terrain to JBM, and we can have a crack at it when opportunity allows. I also have to remind myself where to position the Zoom cameras for the extended version of my table - it should be OK, since I have done it before <i>[hands up if you are convinced]</i>.<br /><p></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-6493590054617379732024-01-25T10:53:00.000+00:002024-01-25T10:53:51.279+00:00Any Day Now<p> Been a bit distracted lately - no complaints really, just things to be getting on with and the odd storm to add excitement. The storms are losing novelty value now - maybe that's a good sign; if they become interesting again, it will probably be because of damage, so I'll settle for boring. Boring is good.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv05h26QTiWJPnLzku55x-KGSRv6TIbjRqdhmnT-iA4U0KKN_DF5_BXKM0L43XMj_sINPTF2J4AJ-qkmdxY1UqORWjkNSo_kzEBHz_1ACuuVnTjq3ckIUWs1PypgcRpnR6TMWeq2NImSkfEn7RKUGsrY5gboMXYoYW9ktjjuraZ9oLawykSwnH0mMubTpA/s1200/P1130156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv05h26QTiWJPnLzku55x-KGSRv6TIbjRqdhmnT-iA4U0KKN_DF5_BXKM0L43XMj_sINPTF2J4AJ-qkmdxY1UqORWjkNSo_kzEBHz_1ACuuVnTjq3ckIUWs1PypgcRpnR6TMWeq2NImSkfEn7RKUGsrY5gboMXYoYW9ktjjuraZ9oLawykSwnH0mMubTpA/w400-h300/P1130156.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Boring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>I've done hardly any soldier painting over the last year - a couple of jobs touching up bought-in figures, other than that I have two boxes of not-quite finished WSS chaps that have been hanging around since the start of last year. That seems a sensible place to get started again; I can work up to the freshly-reorganised boxes of raw metal later. As a token of good faith, I have put my painting mugs in the dishwasher, and am about to wash out my wet-palette container. If I make a flask of tea, tidy up my brushes, shift the small electric radiator into the painting room and try to get the DAB radio working, it should be just about bedtime.<p></p><p>Ha! - caught myself. No, I'll sit down with a couple of unfinished infantry units this morning, have a good look at them and decide what needs to be done to get them ready for duty. I suspect the house base-green paint may have gone off again, and I'm not confident about the state of my current pot of gloss varnish, but I can get on with the job until I reach the last stages. </p><p>Right.</p><p>I have been working recently on the development of a campaign system (designed to work for solitary gamers, such as myself) to accompany my WSS rules. This has been time usefully spent, I think. The testing is presently on hold, another thing I have to get back to. I had a New Year exchange of emails with my friend Dominic, and he was very interested to learn of my campaign ideas. He was enthusiastic, in fact.</p><p>He asked, how was I dealing with sieges in my campaigns? I said that I wasn't really addressing sieges at this stage, though I intended to come back to them later, and my current target was just to be able to generate miniatures battles. Wrong answer. Good Old Dominic sort of snorted (via email), and pointed out that a WSS campaign which ignores sieges is a poor show. He was correct, of course - I have known this all along.</p><p>Thus there has been a two-week blitz on developing a siege add-on. If you are alarmed at the potential quality risks of adding sieges to the system in two weeks, I must explain that the siege game-within-a-game is a close relative of something I developed 12 years ago, so there is an underlying thread of sanity in there. Looks OK, anyway - it's added to the testing programme.<br /></p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-43027418080645863132024-01-12T22:29:00.000+00:002024-01-12T22:29:10.470+00:00New Year Quiz - Answers and Challenges<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2lojTvv6FR3AA1HuTG4Db2y6iObZpmzzGxrKcCMMwsf-O32lv6MVAXBh7x_VRSype5LR1a5oIL43s3Q5zkqlWk9q8h1wwwINPjF4KKjLq1KRp8mAPVSlx2minWZcxqC4ewHWxgCyvf7rVOS4aLzTTUYFExfjVPkwuaK3egYERqw1gPFMLzOyT7yuctdY/s3648/P1020969.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2lojTvv6FR3AA1HuTG4Db2y6iObZpmzzGxrKcCMMwsf-O32lv6MVAXBh7x_VRSype5LR1a5oIL43s3Q5zkqlWk9q8h1wwwINPjF4KKjLq1KRp8mAPVSlx2minWZcxqC4ewHWxgCyvf7rVOS4aLzTTUYFExfjVPkwuaK3egYERqw1gPFMLzOyT7yuctdY/w400-h300/P1020969.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I received a pleasing number of responses to my quiz, some complaining that it was ridiculously difficult, some that it was too easy, and some (correctly) identifying that the photo is misleading. On the other hand, the actual history involved is also very misleading, so I shall attempt to explain the background story, hopefully without causing unnecessary further irritation!<p></p><p>Straight away, let me announce that the city is Regensburg, which has been a major strategic river crossing on the mighty Danube since ancient times. Nowadays it is in Bavaria, though at various times in the past it was a free city. It has also been known as Ratisbon, which comes from an old Celtic name, Radasbona. The Romans built a major fort there in AD90, which they called CASTRA REGINA [fort on the (River) Regen].</p><p>My photo shows sections of several buildings, all with different dates and histories of rebuilding. This whole area is known locally as the <i>Altes Rathaus</i>, though which bit was the actual working administrative HQ of the city varied from time to time. In the picture, on the right, the pale-coloured buildings, including the foot of a tower, are the site of the very first <i>Rathaus</i> for the city, which was built in the mid-13th Century, close to the Roman fort and the commercial centre. The building on the left, which is a sort of mustard colour and was later known as the <i>Reichssaal</i>, was built as a posh new add-on to the Town Hall in the 1320s as a big assembly and function hall, appropriate to the dignity and aspirations of the thriving city.</p><p>The building in the angle of these two older buildings (with the ornate doorway) is called the <i>Portalbau</i>, added in 1408, and upgraded in the 1560s, to provide covered access between the two buildings. At this point, the story becomes easier to follow if I produce another picture, borrowed without permission from Google Maps.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwotZPj1UGJ-HaWI2yZbun-cl0TxT4SMLbgDfn5fZW2oT-qYFooeAIr6tmQik80oEtng2mg6he-BDQrYXlXdKJ5LdSxmSEm5BVxhDD_Au-75JLdP6SCmw8ZuWLB2YRe5z45mlYAFm3hwV9x10ANfdQHW9araGyXTSmfWL07p80wMlU9MGPHSj1rZpE_9B/s2688/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2009.43.08.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1746" data-original-width="2688" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwotZPj1UGJ-HaWI2yZbun-cl0TxT4SMLbgDfn5fZW2oT-qYFooeAIr6tmQik80oEtng2mg6he-BDQrYXlXdKJ5LdSxmSEm5BVxhDD_Au-75JLdP6SCmw8ZuWLB2YRe5z45mlYAFm3hwV9x10ANfdQHW9araGyXTSmfWL07p80wMlU9MGPHSj1rZpE_9B/w400-h260/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2009.43.08.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Here you can see the <i>Reichssaal</i>, on the left, with its distinctive balcony looking onto <i>Rathausplatz</i>, and the original <i>Rathau</i>s location, along to the tower (which was rebuilt in the 1360s after a fire), with the <i>Portalbau</i> in between. <p></p><p>During the 16th Century the <i>Reichssaal</i> became the preferred venue for the assemblies of the Holy Roman Empire, and from 1594 these <i>Reichstag</i> meetings only took place here. From 1663, the Perpetual Diet of the Holy Roman Empire was in permanent residence here, until Napoleon put a stop to the Empire.</p><p>To allow space for a functioning Town Hall for the city itself, the two wings of the Baroque town hall which you can see in the lower right corner of the Google aerial view were built in the 1660s and the 1720s. In this period, this was the <i>Neues Rathaus,</i> though in the 1930s a complete new administration centre for the city was built some distance from this site; this modern building, then, is truly the New Town Hall now. The <i>Altes Rathaus</i> now houses a fine museum and the main Tourist Information office for Regensburg.<br /></p><p> Apologies for the complicated story! In summary, the answers to the 3 questions in the quiz are:</p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(1) Regensburg</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(2) The city built a new Town Hall next door to the old one because from 1663 to 1805 the Holy Roman Empire's Perpetual Diet was in constant session in the existing buildings! </span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(3) My original photo shows several constructions, of different ages; they all form part of what is known as the Old Town Hall, though the location of the actual city management function changed from time to time under outside pressures!</span></i></p><p>For completeness, here is the modern <i>Burgerbüro</i>, some distance to the east:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7y8KdUhW1NxC8HAaHmapodf6WQreqcifZrOoI7MGoJ_OxK8N1YRWVHYDzBYKV-aBzOyZPHTSc7fRuP1bp_1uyUwnGfWNq6qdEdk8zqvOv-b0wBZerIWRShl8DtZEtG7XuQdRutmkt8Bsm9PisqTI1sQ06VZmakgKjje3LF_BseCsH56clhgMf3D9SO72/s2428/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2023.16.57.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="2428" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7y8KdUhW1NxC8HAaHmapodf6WQreqcifZrOoI7MGoJ_OxK8N1YRWVHYDzBYKV-aBzOyZPHTSc7fRuP1bp_1uyUwnGfWNq6qdEdk8zqvOv-b0wBZerIWRShl8DtZEtG7XuQdRutmkt8Bsm9PisqTI1sQ06VZmakgKjje3LF_BseCsH56clhgMf3D9SO72/w400-h283/Screenshot%202024-01-09%20at%2023.16.57.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>My thanks to everyone who responded, in particular I received excellent answers from Jon Freitag, Dan Sarrazin, Martin S, nundanket, Cec Rhodes, Rittmeister Krefeld and Rigor Mort; after due deliberation, I decided that the best answer of all came from Count Goya - a splendid effort, with accurate historical information and humorous modern political analogies.</p><p>The noble Rittmeister also drew attention to the crossed-keys symbol, which appears in my photo at the top of this post, above both archways. Here's a close-up:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEBHIoM81Z7L_kU5eG1XAxyilNxdb7EVU3MpFL_HxBCrsxrylpO9rPPhsKNeAsWVGLK1hK88FpfbYcn0BZWUW78NI7HKP2F_YvpmEgOOAEg3FBPW6o9gem9mDHT8LmZl3qY3HBTGHgTb6W-WgWMmUf-KOzZsizQAFzXAn4yB-0jWaf22KvTa4oJvubrjK/s2206/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2022.10.54.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1612" data-original-width="2206" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEBHIoM81Z7L_kU5eG1XAxyilNxdb7EVU3MpFL_HxBCrsxrylpO9rPPhsKNeAsWVGLK1hK88FpfbYcn0BZWUW78NI7HKP2F_YvpmEgOOAEg3FBPW6o9gem9mDHT8LmZl3qY3HBTGHgTb6W-WgWMmUf-KOzZsizQAFzXAn4yB-0jWaf22KvTa4oJvubrjK/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2022.10.54.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />This symbol is a traditional Papal cipher, associated with St Peter and the Keys of Heaven (St Peter is the patron saint of Regensburg), and it has been in use as the arms of Regensburg since the 13th Century, so it is a useful clue. The slightly bad news is that it is also featured on the arms of well over 400 other towns and cities, including York, but no matter. <br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRtBMRJNuR1Yzjpv9JAvLuOTxmkDiHoBomoIWuJn7qXzEro8rLw3SBg0pQ08YfC0e8luW0LQgcPGgabdqGGhQ33fREwzWMwkx9DfWl5C7ipOQtpeP5bv5cs8hizEl-FnSJQnZ8HDEpwSjtWIGOktQ8UQ5CBgM0SEALD91pX0pxXCuCcCHUsLdRnRhlp5m/s750/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2022.12.53.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="696" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRtBMRJNuR1Yzjpv9JAvLuOTxmkDiHoBomoIWuJn7qXzEro8rLw3SBg0pQ08YfC0e8luW0LQgcPGgabdqGGhQ33fREwzWMwkx9DfWl5C7ipOQtpeP5bv5cs8hizEl-FnSJQnZ8HDEpwSjtWIGOktQ8UQ5CBgM0SEALD91pX0pxXCuCcCHUsLdRnRhlp5m/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2022.12.53.png" width="297" /></a></div><br />Interestingly, nobody who submitted an answer was interested in the prize, so the mugs will go to our village charity shop! I am alarmed to note that 4 of the entrants either have Covid or are recovering from a recent bout, which only increases my admiration. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PVE4ciSierf79SqyEWHcFXkrgO0viZPa43SIKWgVhirD4U_kRPeDSAxY-a6Hlp3fVmocREWpggtkZmnuBCkMd7Yi34T_7SWAznczNSDo-ntwsEbyLQ11gl63dMec1eI4sR14VFgj1Lnw95UR9pj_GoLxZxaoVMMycOhCA3_WvDD6AgdRma43mceAFElx/s570/Banner2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="570" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PVE4ciSierf79SqyEWHcFXkrgO0viZPa43SIKWgVhirD4U_kRPeDSAxY-a6Hlp3fVmocREWpggtkZmnuBCkMd7Yi34T_7SWAznczNSDo-ntwsEbyLQ11gl63dMec1eI4sR14VFgj1Lnw95UR9pj_GoLxZxaoVMMycOhCA3_WvDD6AgdRma43mceAFElx/s320/Banner2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Thanks very much for your time and interest, everyone who read the blog post and/or took part!<br /><p></p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-29538869609336729042024-01-06T22:22:00.004+00:002024-01-06T22:32:26.194+00:00Max Foy's Underwhelming New Year Quiz for 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK3HO2nZUD5-CupaqTijP-7bwbvPxLV-tIgpdfHQtA0k1SBl1B1BS317WdOrDVN8jvXzoVhZf9Bj_5xNx_IoYzqn8hypiYMB1qK4ZOUp7eK1_CiJP4q32FIMZUqMW1v2rL0tKpHMscJ_tfIGNmeMNWkq7voDfhW4D523UVMjhX6Ottv-RCSXFGwlJR-7P/s570/Banner2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="570" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK3HO2nZUD5-CupaqTijP-7bwbvPxLV-tIgpdfHQtA0k1SBl1B1BS317WdOrDVN8jvXzoVhZf9Bj_5xNx_IoYzqn8hypiYMB1qK4ZOUp7eK1_CiJP4q32FIMZUqMW1v2rL0tKpHMscJ_tfIGNmeMNWkq7voDfhW4D523UVMjhX6Ottv-RCSXFGwlJR-7P/w400-h281/Banner2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> It's a while since I did a quiz post. This one, I confess, is primarily an attempt to unload some more clutter, but someone might fancy the prize, and the quiz might offer a little amusement, if only for me.<p></p><p>I bought these in 2019, and even publicised them here. I had great ideas that they would make a useful conversation piece for coffee and tea breaks when all my wargaming friends came to visit. Ah, well. What with pandemics and a few other set-backs, I believe that they may never have been used, and my current enthusiasm for clearing the decks and the cupboards resulted in my gimlet eye falling on them.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQPWIN9NkZ1Xpv3zPsgUBDHP0ABDj7y04gc30A_sHX8euY0zhDmxNw7ZDu0VW7KD_IsBcgWdkoyCV9zC2D9xNG71OQVAq7VSIDhC_1xA5rXEqB4lDo6cHjOx3k0ceZB3Fy8GCAKk_zB0e69a4U_RHLLibklubrU1evnjPVN3cDtCGE_l-zjw-egZtGpYu/s1200/P1070978.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1200" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQPWIN9NkZ1Xpv3zPsgUBDHP0ABDj7y04gc30A_sHX8euY0zhDmxNw7ZDu0VW7KD_IsBcgWdkoyCV9zC2D9xNG71OQVAq7VSIDhC_1xA5rXEqB4lDo6cHjOx3k0ceZB3Fy8GCAKk_zB0e69a4U_RHLLibklubrU1evnjPVN3cDtCGE_l-zjw-egZtGpYu/w400-h255/P1070978.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don't know the maker; they are cute, but of moderate quality, and you will probably recognise that the subjects depicted are Napoleon and his staff at Eylau, Napoleon in Egypt, Napoleon's Old Guard Grenadiers and a Napoleonic infantry flag (complete with dodgy spelling). Just the thing in which to enjoy your battlefield tea, and they are especially useful for putting at the front of a suitable bookshelf, or you could even give them away in a daft quiz on Blogger. <p></p><p>I offer the set of 4 as a single prize. To win them, all you have to do is study the photo below and provide answers to the questions. Accuracy is welcome, of course, though I am likely to offer more marks for humour and entertainment; the scoring system, as ever, will be shamelessly unfair.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaSzP3LWuBpEXsa_m2cLB3Dpt-bPR0-7IrGKo3GroOZCksISZcnCVpzBjr8pDCp45OEhRDntUumqZ9cxL7Casf5yER18I6LoQqBGgIwsa_ft6LmzqWs1VMt5rribaaKn1nxuAZKyyBtXZmk224FvAyvHJtCeK7tLbA5R-Xz0AU7sOHhchsHeUmHaq3MSC/s3648/P1020969.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizaSzP3LWuBpEXsa_m2cLB3Dpt-bPR0-7IrGKo3GroOZCksISZcnCVpzBjr8pDCp45OEhRDntUumqZ9cxL7Casf5yER18I6LoQqBGgIwsa_ft6LmzqWs1VMt5rribaaKn1nxuAZKyyBtXZmk224FvAyvHJtCeK7tLbA5R-Xz0AU7sOHhchsHeUmHaq3MSC/w400-h300/P1020969.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Here we go - this is a photo taken in a European city, some years ago. It is not a published photo, so Google may not help very much. The scene shows tourists visiting one of this city's two town halls. Having two town halls is not uncommon, usually an old one and a better, newer (or less ruined) one, but the reason why this city needed two halls is unusual.</span></i><p></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">My questions are:</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(1) Which is the city?</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(2) Why did they build a second town hall?</span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">(3) Which one is in the photo? <br /></span></i></p><p><i><span style="color: #38761d;">The country is German-speaking. Religion is relevant.<br /></span></i></p><p>If you send a comment containing your answer then I shall keep it on file until the 13 January, when I'll pick a winner and publish the results. If you do not want the prize, and are entering merely for glory, please say so. I regret that sending this prize by international post seems a very bad idea, so it is possible that prize entries are for the UK only, though I would be interested in any ingenious ways to make the offer less restrictive.</p><p>If you would like some extra information, send it in a comment which does not contain any answers. It is very likely that I shall refuse the extra information - it depends what it is, and what mood I am in.<br /></p><p> All the best, if you have a go, and thanks very much for reading this nonsense anyway. <br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-19786025292913424692024-01-04T15:11:00.001+00:002024-01-04T18:33:31.397+00:00Hooptedoodle #456 - Very Quiet Start to 2024; More OCD, plus Von Richthofen & Falstaff<p> Happy New Year to one and all! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the holiday.</p><p>The weather here has not been very good, it put paid to my customary New Year's Day drive in the Scottish Borders, and walking (squelching) through the countryside nearer to home didn't appeal much. Never mind; I've spent a useful few days sorting out cupboards and tidying up some of the accumulated clutter.</p><p>I've chucked out some things that should have been gone a while ago, and re-organised most of the lead mountain in large plastic boxes which slide neatly under the couch in my soldier-painting room. This frees up a lot of useful space in my other cupboards, and I've even updated my lists of what is in each box, so that is all gratifying in a rather specialised way!</p><p>Other than that I have spent my evenings watching DVDs. First off, I watched a BluRay I obtained of <i>Las Aguilas Azules</i> - it may not be obvious that this is <i>The Blue Max</i>, which I hadn't watched since it was released in 1966 (which is not yesterday). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlyOWvmJXvKATkEo6nj13teKeIKfD4jv9vqBrCJ7E01LxRseY4e5dk15ZinmC2piTyNeC98tWl2OaeCRsboJKpzabeVMH-dx4BWeuxnflzSVo7FW_jkbpXGhmJ8IOgv0WWS-fDbksne3GOC7vKzz6v35QubT3KK-C8YlpqKAOFY-gR0eKPgopX2GhB_Kg/s1122/Screenshot%202024-01-04%20at%2014.12.47.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlyOWvmJXvKATkEo6nj13teKeIKfD4jv9vqBrCJ7E01LxRseY4e5dk15ZinmC2piTyNeC98tWl2OaeCRsboJKpzabeVMH-dx4BWeuxnflzSVo7FW_jkbpXGhmJ8IOgv0WWS-fDbksne3GOC7vKzz6v35QubT3KK-C8YlpqKAOFY-gR0eKPgopX2GhB_Kg/w289-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-04%20at%2014.12.47.png" width="289" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I spent some time fumbling with the Spanish instructions to get it to play back in English, but all was well eventually. Apart from the necessary alliteration in the Spanish title, it is not obvious why this was considered an acceptable translation; I assume the marketing people didn't know what it was about..</i></div><p></p><p>Visually, it is a delight - I spent a lot of time wondering how they had filmed the in-flight sequences. It is not a period I know a great deal of, so I will bow to those who are offended by the inaccuracies in the 'plane conversions or the uniforms, but it looks terrific. The script is woeful; there was a novel somewhere in the background, I understand, but it has been well dumbed-down to ensure that audiences will understand the plot. The dialogue is frequently embarrassing - budgerigar level - and the stereotypes on show, the class issues and the general treatment of female characters are fairly moronic; I guess that "of their day" would be fairer. </p><p>Having said all of which, I enjoyed it; two and half hours well spent. I recall that back in 1966, for some reason I can't really remember, I watched it in a mid-week afternoon matinée at a cinema in Galashiels. The audience consisted largely of pensioners, I recall, and it seemed to be acceptable to converse at normal levels of volume in the theatre during the show; I was probably glad that the dialogue didn't need a lot of concentration.</p><p>I am, of course, continuing with my alphabetical Shakespeare campaign, working my way through the BBC's colour TV series circa 1980. Since Xmas I have watched <i>Measure for Measure</i> and <i>The Merry Wives of Windsor</i>, both of which were really very good. <i>Merry Wives</i> in particular is a riot, and the BBC deployed many excellent actors (in 1982); Richard Griffiths, Ben Kingsley, Alan Bennett, Prunella Scales and Michael Bryant, along with some lesser personal favourites of my own, including Richard O'Callaghan and the magnificent Elizabeth Spriggs.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f4i4zBd5n99Es2WWyxNDRK3CtBHjm0L54xVq69TA3bCiTVoiHXpHl71SudRItd7PlSOWp0RWvcdbv_XPwN5BDQ3u7_bt7clecX0LSgJ54vNSrWbiEvWSde9ANTQz5WxJTC81bc15B3i0VfW_NanxQeqw891YZms1WtOBQZOkk9V-64hyphenhyphenvTV2aqTwnvfF/s1674/Screenshot%202024-01-04%20at%2014.52.54.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1674" data-original-width="1178" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8f4i4zBd5n99Es2WWyxNDRK3CtBHjm0L54xVq69TA3bCiTVoiHXpHl71SudRItd7PlSOWp0RWvcdbv_XPwN5BDQ3u7_bt7clecX0LSgJ54vNSrWbiEvWSde9ANTQz5WxJTC81bc15B3i0VfW_NanxQeqw891YZms1WtOBQZOkk9V-64hyphenhyphenvTV2aqTwnvfF/w281-h400/Screenshot%202024-01-04%20at%2014.52.54.png" width="281" /></a></div><br />I got through <i>Merry Wives</i> in a single sitting, hugely entertained, and reinforced only by a quart of black tea and the odd Digestive biscuit. Great stuff indeed, though the end does get decidedly weird, doesn't it? <br /><p></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-58850224225551743682023-12-22T09:39:00.000+00:002023-12-22T09:39:57.344+00:00Season's Greetings<p> I wish everyone a warm, peaceful Christmas.</p><p>I am choked up with my reaction to the state of the world at present, so I send no messages, other than this wintry shot of one of my favourite cities; a personal reminder of how privileged I feel to have spent so many years of my life as a citizen of Europe.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rh4ZOMV8-cMBimm69-MKXR1eSmGCMVXveZi43JKgkqizw2bU83r_XOXfU1Y3vU8EtdCgFA7aVU-dQ9GZCiMzRiJnKxC2tXJgUhXG4EUSI0kb9uLDc-cIcl-vSlgq-vRcyptxq5WQZR-kQrvzDHShCgmQ4HT281d5KBN2nTHaP8VaRV7Goc43W2bIJzAw/s1876/Screenshot%202023-12-22%20at%2009.21.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1876" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rh4ZOMV8-cMBimm69-MKXR1eSmGCMVXveZi43JKgkqizw2bU83r_XOXfU1Y3vU8EtdCgFA7aVU-dQ9GZCiMzRiJnKxC2tXJgUhXG4EUSI0kb9uLDc-cIcl-vSlgq-vRcyptxq5WQZR-kQrvzDHShCgmQ4HT281d5KBN2nTHaP8VaRV7Goc43W2bIJzAw/w320-h400/Screenshot%202023-12-22%20at%2009.21.10.png" width="320" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Regensburg, and its ancient bridge over the Danube</i></div><p></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-16364272512753578792023-12-15T20:24:00.002+00:002023-12-15T20:50:00.930+00:00Hooptedoodle #455 - Everything in Order <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q7H1j1zLOxwWKVjwY16LHqXGEeaQAEoAocI6bfi6y9sVc5g19ZtlbBQFhyphenhyphendedyrLdNhHbvGrgIo2hZ4F3VOTpTIoS5X1D-XeUTOu8BSBoaokCPjKmOtkECmEhNhyphenhyphenmLBvePsOZ-Pty3llPNbVq58FoR0ompB8N7MBXdnfNT_YlBuU2GMYw5OP7CKHnaW4/s1224/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.47.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Q7H1j1zLOxwWKVjwY16LHqXGEeaQAEoAocI6bfi6y9sVc5g19ZtlbBQFhyphenhyphendedyrLdNhHbvGrgIo2hZ4F3VOTpTIoS5X1D-XeUTOu8BSBoaokCPjKmOtkECmEhNhyphenhyphenmLBvePsOZ-Pty3llPNbVq58FoR0ompB8N7MBXdnfNT_YlBuU2GMYw5OP7CKHnaW4/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.47.42.png" width="275" /></a></div><br /> Many years ago, maybe 40 years ago, a relative of mine, whom I shall call Wilson (since that was his name), told me in the pub that he had invested in a personal project which he hoped might change his life. <p></p><p>Wilson had until recently been one of the older students at a Teachers' Training College (Alnwick College, in fact), and among his age-group peers he made some close friends who were very seriously intellectual - at least they seemed so to Wilson. He enjoyed the company and the elevated chat, but secretly was always rather humbled by his own lack of learning.</p><p>The week of our pub conversation, he had signed up for a new, weekly-instalment colour magazine which would build up, week by week, into a fine encyclopedia. Wilson was smart enough to realise that having an encyclopedia sitting on a bookshelf gave the chance to look things up, but didn't necessarily make you any wiser. However, a weekly magazine was a different thing altogether; if he read each magazine as it arrived then, in a large (but finite) number of weeks, he would eventually know everything there was to know. A superb plan, you must admit.</p><p>Sadly, it didn't work out. He paid up his subscription, bought the special binders which would hold his collection, and proudly showed me the first few instalments as they arrived. After about 7 weeks the magazines stopped, the company went bust, and Wilson and a load of other unfortunates were left with very little to show for their brave investment.</p><p>During a subsequent pub session, he told me that it was especially frustrating, since everything had started so well, but he ended up knowing an awful lot about aardvarks, abalone and Aberdeen, but not very much more. As he said at the time, he would have to pick his conversations carefully.</p><p>This story has nothing going for it at all, except that I remember it with affection and it impressed me at the time with the futility of owning part of the first volume of an encyclopedia, and I liked the idea of knowledge and enlightenment arriving in alphabetical order. <i>[If anyone reading this doesn't know what an encyclopedia was, suggest you look it up on Google.]</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwY2FZ7CTKPJCtNKhzHQexbegXaLKdfM3jPAIXipZrffZcRg84tXpHqA6bdvWrOTsw8rRRlBb_MpAOpwbURO_BDiss-t-4NardT_6GctH1NwCL6kH70HH8UY8t7qH_o5YjDWZxpy1vKCBQlw5qcstltmpIFnpwdN5AutV6rBMh4ePA5D167bzbOrVjzF0/s2016/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.46.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="2016" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwY2FZ7CTKPJCtNKhzHQexbegXaLKdfM3jPAIXipZrffZcRg84tXpHqA6bdvWrOTsw8rRRlBb_MpAOpwbURO_BDiss-t-4NardT_6GctH1NwCL6kH70HH8UY8t7qH_o5YjDWZxpy1vKCBQlw5qcstltmpIFnpwdN5AutV6rBMh4ePA5D167bzbOrVjzF0/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.46.33.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I had a recent reminder of Wilson.<p></p><p>At the end of last year I treated myself to a few BBC DVD box-sets - they were on special offer - and one of the things I bought was the complete set of Shakepeare's plays, which were filmed by the BBC between the late 1970s and the mid 1980s (I think), with really excellent casting. I had seen a couple of them over the years, but I really fancied buying them in, and the challenge of living long enough to watch them all was another driver. I'm actually getting through them pretty well, and enjoying them - well, most of them. I've filled in a lot of gaps in dodgy periods of my historical knowledge, been absolutely thrilled by some of them and had some good laughs. The only plays which I have given up on thus far have been <i>Coriolanus</i>, <i>Julius Caesar</i> and <i>Love's Labour's Lost</i>, mostly because I didn't find the actors sufficiently engaging. </p><p>I don't propose to attempt my own spotty reviews of Bill S's back catalogue, which seems to be generally regarded as OK. The important point here is that there are an awful lot of DVDs in the set, and they are packed very cleverly in some special plastic cases which require careful handling. Since the plays are arranged alphabetically in the packaging, and I have already had a few minor disasters dropping DVDs all over the floor, I decided that by far the easiest way to approach this challenge was simply to watch them in the same order. That's the punch line - that's as amusing as this gets, though personally I find it very funny indeed. I am so delighted by the hysterical idea of "doing Shakespeare" in alphabetical order that I am sticking with it. I've just finished Part 1, which gets me up to <i>Macbeth</i>.</p><p>I'm going to have a week or two's break before I carry on with Part 2, but am looking forward to it. In the meantime, my specialist topic for <i>Master Mind</i> could be <i>"Shakespeare's Plays, from A to M". </i>I think poor old Wilson would have been impressed.<i><br /></i></p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzLzH_C4pD5m6JNMvyRR2-P2QrO20IN11dMy4xAtjXjXxRWZcjQ8UTjY-ZxfimV26HrFbXV0uftBnkg0prjalRij5WC_ANypIV48__jEOfZcKSRIUnQudhWTUcBJkmrmdIQBu1R7fomSUzFKNuqQv7VdT5T4CD_-oVvDmYzTm_NAbfFIGsytxDbSTAcdw/s2692/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.43.44.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="2692" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzLzH_C4pD5m6JNMvyRR2-P2QrO20IN11dMy4xAtjXjXxRWZcjQ8UTjY-ZxfimV26HrFbXV0uftBnkg0prjalRij5WC_ANypIV48__jEOfZcKSRIUnQudhWTUcBJkmrmdIQBu1R7fomSUzFKNuqQv7VdT5T4CD_-oVvDmYzTm_NAbfFIGsytxDbSTAcdw/s320/Screenshot%202023-12-15%20at%2019.43.44.png" width="320" /></a></i></div><i><br /> </i><br /><p></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-73283363914816353792023-12-09T12:51:00.002+00:002023-12-09T12:53:00.194+00:00Beta-Test Solo WSS Campaign System - 1st action<p> I've had to rationalise my hobby time lately because of some Real-World stuff, so I've taken the opportunity to do some work on my solo campaign system, to be used with my <i>Corporal John</i> rules. The great advantage of doing this on an informal basis is that I can fix it on the spot if it needs it. That's right, I can inflate the tyres while I'm travelling along.</p><p>Yesterday the campaign threw up an encounter game - fairly small. I must give the Jolly Broom Man a grateful shout for his help in doing sanity checking and quality testing on walk-throughs (walksthrough?) - thank you sir, and God bless you.</p><p>This first fight was the Action at La Bienveillance. An interesting mix of army types; the Franco/Bavarian force (under Feldmarschal Graf von Arco) fielded a predominantly cavalry force, the Allies (under Generalmajor Wissenstein) had a more traditional mixture of arms, but were secretly very scared that the hordes of French cavalry would sweep them away!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvxepK-dt12oLzK8C3bAooMh8_zgU3ZRyYk3ttGFTJN-A8qHf7bfitSAAUxfyvZ9VYzSVsGU3AkK-mhQ27isAR6BQnu1al5blRT9Hx4JHm0Kxv_1TmEeUcr6sjLd29g29HXGipNb1hhikCztB1EYdJmN2W5l-q6ZuuBmcKI9u4T7Zxr_gKstVB-zD_LFE/s1200/P1130095.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1200" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvxepK-dt12oLzK8C3bAooMh8_zgU3ZRyYk3ttGFTJN-A8qHf7bfitSAAUxfyvZ9VYzSVsGU3AkK-mhQ27isAR6BQnu1al5blRT9Hx4JHm0Kxv_1TmEeUcr6sjLd29g29HXGipNb1hhikCztB1EYdJmN2W5l-q6ZuuBmcKI9u4T7Zxr_gKstVB-zD_LFE/w400-h280/P1130095.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Austrians in nice straight lines await the arrival of the enemy</i></div><p></p><p>A win required the accumulation of 8 Victory Pts; there were no positional objectives giving bonus VPs.</p><p>Some form of narrative should emerge from my photos; a quick spoiler is that the Allies were surprised to win by 8-6, but it could genuinely have gone either way. As is customary with <i>Corporal John</i>, and all other members of the <i>Commands & Colors</i> family, units absorbed early losses without much effect, but as attrition and morale failures built up the excitement grew and units were eliminated more rapidly, resulting in not a few surprises.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg95WijjOvK71koWaFOUIIrF9iqa1h54hoJ5TLZrqDp1Yfj-Ls7K7OIqOAN3pcdjhmoczlk_CB3A88bswvmXX7c8X-llq32zagXjTF9M_4lZd4WzSraW0O0ftiGSw9eMlupIrsrJY7rpNK8Be6QZk8NELx_jzWR-KyutMJwd0AII-PVoByVM7YWWpXz1X/s1200/P1130098.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="1200" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxg95WijjOvK71koWaFOUIIrF9iqa1h54hoJ5TLZrqDp1Yfj-Ls7K7OIqOAN3pcdjhmoczlk_CB3A88bswvmXX7c8X-llq32zagXjTF9M_4lZd4WzSraW0O0ftiGSw9eMlupIrsrJY7rpNK8Be6QZk8NELx_jzWR-KyutMJwd0AII-PVoByVM7YWWpXz1X/w400-h283/P1130098.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>View near the commencement from the Allied right flank. Wissenstein has command of his own Infantry division at this end, while Vielgluck has a mixed command of infantry (some Hessian) and cuirassiers on the Allied left</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNgnxM0MPbGSo4FoDnIdC9TzAi-3wH-vni-GKu_pV_sjrJDy-JxcGo9Np40zYonLzT6Sv6N1vFR_iE2dAXlxayIztF3JJ_JD30zUSOY5kpSupORO4M6KBBxFd2niMb1zpUoIUbrW2Qqa8ot3rnagqU9j6swb3hWPuhXCaJto5QMWUZsL0zIO69mII5mdw/s1200/P1130099.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1200" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNgnxM0MPbGSo4FoDnIdC9TzAi-3wH-vni-GKu_pV_sjrJDy-JxcGo9Np40zYonLzT6Sv6N1vFR_iE2dAXlxayIztF3JJ_JD30zUSOY5kpSupORO4M6KBBxFd2niMb1zpUoIUbrW2Qqa8ot3rnagqU9j6swb3hWPuhXCaJto5QMWUZsL0zIO69mII5mdw/w400-h304/P1130099.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>From behind the French left, we can see that the Allied infantry made a rush to take the woods to their front. On the French side, Arco commands a mixture of Bavarian cavalry and infantry at this end, while General Chatrier has all the French line cavalry for the entire campaign army at the far end</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP78CNDgweHJgL73W0dAmoQRogPRi2-zP9nxibGZoEDGVYdMULG7GcQY5BiOq5yFD66TSRUEcpj7fPvYK4jP7g7pnH4dIrgPRWZ_P8G75sNje2a_6IaLtYHiV_zZ-Xzl39sWSf1aZZ7sRht8hFeC1K5Wvx1A_mITOj8Li0p4EEOD3su7qzjw6KorshhJY/s1200/P1130101.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1200" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWP78CNDgweHJgL73W0dAmoQRogPRi2-zP9nxibGZoEDGVYdMULG7GcQY5BiOq5yFD66TSRUEcpj7fPvYK4jP7g7pnH4dIrgPRWZ_P8G75sNje2a_6IaLtYHiV_zZ-Xzl39sWSf1aZZ7sRht8hFeC1K5Wvx1A_mITOj8Li0p4EEOD3su7qzjw6KorshhJY/w400-h259/P1130101.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Here's Chatrier himself, leading some of King Louis' finest into action on the French right</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWQRjIM6wQZBIyIGqc8f7_LM04S1aiWl7X47I8p1Usca6QuewBR545aizlt57quV5G9ImhSOmcXr2XIHK8hKTWNhhf_FU2EqFVBQ2OhK2kQRMpoGtNudxHcRB3jCF2JEJmOe5UHxZq1ewSUz3EZgXkZCB1jtwvnnogeXIQ4Gd9tU-paP5UVA-3gBPlk-w/s1200/P1130102.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1200" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWQRjIM6wQZBIyIGqc8f7_LM04S1aiWl7X47I8p1Usca6QuewBR545aizlt57quV5G9ImhSOmcXr2XIHK8hKTWNhhf_FU2EqFVBQ2OhK2kQRMpoGtNudxHcRB3jCF2JEJmOe5UHxZq1ewSUz3EZgXkZCB1jtwvnnogeXIQ4Gd9tU-paP5UVA-3gBPlk-w/w400-h293/P1130102.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>On the other side of the hill, the Austrian cuirassiers await the onslaught, more nervous than they look</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_QnKI-wIQio3nZS8rbvwCVDueJvPhyphenhyphenYrqXv6xfFC2qU4zErSAg9ifr_eJL2hoN_0RyHTWwXCyiIy32rPDrOi3zTfDFuc2m6h2HeB04tUS3mlr1P1-EsLSKQbzLTh0t6u-IyYypjPGcFHsPuupsVLwUL5ec6L7f2gNxO7TgWSe1BKdHhMSegGBahtJrNe/s1200/P1130103.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_QnKI-wIQio3nZS8rbvwCVDueJvPhyphenhyphenYrqXv6xfFC2qU4zErSAg9ifr_eJL2hoN_0RyHTWwXCyiIy32rPDrOi3zTfDFuc2m6h2HeB04tUS3mlr1P1-EsLSKQbzLTh0t6u-IyYypjPGcFHsPuupsVLwUL5ec6L7f2gNxO7TgWSe1BKdHhMSegGBahtJrNe/w400-h240/P1130103.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Austrian infantry stayed safely in the woods near the village of La Bienveillance; this was the cat & mouse period at the start, when casualties were few. The elite Bavarian grenadiers suffered badly from being exposed to Austrian artillery fire</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cHmym-H4sxBylOF_6o5Jf_HiKZ14UTfFhRzinWP6oU4xdxUMzqOVQ5SZFb0H0qTCeOj8wst31iKkD6CTgNr8bFALin5cCBgfBQk05xVtRmJawlrSYxbU0N46CkpYWFBWpGoeClH0gk8c3bFpYMAvQQSwWA5g_AqGFnuBNA19n9ec1aZ2GTrsRWMd9TYp/s1200/P1130104.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cHmym-H4sxBylOF_6o5Jf_HiKZ14UTfFhRzinWP6oU4xdxUMzqOVQ5SZFb0H0qTCeOj8wst31iKkD6CTgNr8bFALin5cCBgfBQk05xVtRmJawlrSYxbU0N46CkpYWFBWpGoeClH0gk8c3bFpYMAvQQSwWA5g_AqGFnuBNA19n9ec1aZ2GTrsRWMd9TYp/w400-h300/P1130104.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Chatrier's attack goes in; he had a big superiority in cavalry on this flank, but the fighting went on all afternoon. Inevitably, the Austrian horse were eventually worn down, but the French suffered too, and this sector of the fighting probably tied up more French troops then might have been expected</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzErWizX_slC-61EmLwBj7Rpodfa5mmtxd_CNN9GwCw0DJoCYZF30r-BW-Qb1jBOWarOSx1l3fhFsoEJvpW-QK1b3O-IR5kmDh7h0dFoXe8UCDBz4THTnO1qhs1UKEEbkmF8_srE6Gjyjum7B54XM8EjkhlAUMF8lweOrsPCzc347inUp-jRS3Zfws1z18/s1200/P1130111.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzErWizX_slC-61EmLwBj7Rpodfa5mmtxd_CNN9GwCw0DJoCYZF30r-BW-Qb1jBOWarOSx1l3fhFsoEJvpW-QK1b3O-IR5kmDh7h0dFoXe8UCDBz4THTnO1qhs1UKEEbkmF8_srE6Gjyjum7B54XM8EjkhlAUMF8lweOrsPCzc347inUp-jRS3Zfws1z18/w400-h300/P1130111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdxlIkcVvXzJlvP1fqfNib15-rah12OeDmEX-IpQCypKdGiGa93jTNPw7yE_3JsD20tkW98N4SOcgxfGfGesVULSgiaJeadC-QXYb3nbO-a8K7hUmTNyNmNr39IZSTy6MpeKyuoEeujR_PJ7CFHe6LE2U_T9-lJ6Qzj2nFN-_8NYInHdSNOmA55CHvfaX/s1200/P1130112.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1200" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdxlIkcVvXzJlvP1fqfNib15-rah12OeDmEX-IpQCypKdGiGa93jTNPw7yE_3JsD20tkW98N4SOcgxfGfGesVULSgiaJeadC-QXYb3nbO-a8K7hUmTNyNmNr39IZSTy6MpeKyuoEeujR_PJ7CFHe6LE2U_T9-lJ6Qzj2nFN-_8NYInHdSNOmA55CHvfaX/w400-h231/P1130112.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>On the other flank, Wissenstein is under attack in his wood</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgnmOIvx28oraPbOsDvjd8xecwH8w2sRONXTeYsq_NDOgWCXSYGzVH-CD9O8Ya4L6yMCv6ewss9WdhJr1rkLYSVFmFZtjw_vlPHOUzx_BC8iuCNZy6aCQDIyxMYN7T19InGsRC95IJCQ403gRvos4JghouNGrSNBspoZfJqWns0uNqw8jhaTL2hy4hoav/s1200/P1130114.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgnmOIvx28oraPbOsDvjd8xecwH8w2sRONXTeYsq_NDOgWCXSYGzVH-CD9O8Ya4L6yMCv6ewss9WdhJr1rkLYSVFmFZtjw_vlPHOUzx_BC8iuCNZy6aCQDIyxMYN7T19InGsRC95IJCQ403gRvos4JghouNGrSNBspoZfJqWns0uNqw8jhaTL2hy4hoav/w400-h300/P1130114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7yDp4cP5nsYTzdUib97louuTmEyFulaTBXWnOADb4FF-5ZGqdAehLU6udlL5SuMv-8-TkZa0D8IsQPl0vTcrt9j40DPccyqj02nqGGElWjz99rMaDxXXiY09TNyIX4oU-Sg002uDuv_M9h1iWeYDe0LJdPo8sNoawJdGyAJNrEbZ9_VvG0SO_QHreUjO/s1200/P1130115.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1200" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7yDp4cP5nsYTzdUib97louuTmEyFulaTBXWnOADb4FF-5ZGqdAehLU6udlL5SuMv-8-TkZa0D8IsQPl0vTcrt9j40DPccyqj02nqGGElWjz99rMaDxXXiY09TNyIX4oU-Sg002uDuv_M9h1iWeYDe0LJdPo8sNoawJdGyAJNrEbZ9_VvG0SO_QHreUjO/w400-h330/P1130115.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7go_W40v2ytEvTKIxMbBrazo3waO4n5T4Fa_OJR4FRBfTNy3YtzUvehErgMFT3DfmQRCmwrZJvMz9473V8IrFtHaRmA1hK0_TFRbWjrp4WTOhlySI33imVqXhq8HBzS8oWn5m_Mbi9ny21WdklwOI5aYcTExLKHNeYJlJ1Yo61DcvqzYKIB7y62VGbRAr/s1200/P1130120.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7go_W40v2ytEvTKIxMbBrazo3waO4n5T4Fa_OJR4FRBfTNy3YtzUvehErgMFT3DfmQRCmwrZJvMz9473V8IrFtHaRmA1hK0_TFRbWjrp4WTOhlySI33imVqXhq8HBzS8oWn5m_Mbi9ny21WdklwOI5aYcTExLKHNeYJlJ1Yo61DcvqzYKIB7y62VGbRAr/w400-h300/P1130120.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWPfCGP2bla3JPhsaFCimTRYJVPtc1mtygYtQ7LC3ASalnzvUpFuvmyAo1Wz44Y2tqEGEkrQhiTUAGae8X87MhYCXDyUGXuIwuqBe3mZmVcTfSYe4nsVyA1IhK4f5h_8S7l0Y5_rujNWliw9UH-9IiJXD2y3YvzEEs6du_y2A-oi2Q6Dltp0roJMKnss_/s1200/P1130125.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWPfCGP2bla3JPhsaFCimTRYJVPtc1mtygYtQ7LC3ASalnzvUpFuvmyAo1Wz44Y2tqEGEkrQhiTUAGae8X87MhYCXDyUGXuIwuqBe3mZmVcTfSYe4nsVyA1IhK4f5h_8S7l0Y5_rujNWliw9UH-9IiJXD2y3YvzEEs6du_y2A-oi2Q6Dltp0roJMKnss_/w400-h265/P1130125.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBEG9D9RQhOrfRcmZyfGfnBbSSmPWJsV5e88XRQlgkz71_YG1TZOWajFzBFlyNknIOF7vYm7O0sFXt8-0wKOrzUDCdMNMugawDqKDKvguUUuEhNaz7-QosJCK8OG9kpSmWeUH68GJZPFPsORrgqYZvKAKdcHM6qlbEDK3tlnHa2Q4NcgXBUpv8byiwWIV/s1200/P1130127.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBEG9D9RQhOrfRcmZyfGfnBbSSmPWJsV5e88XRQlgkz71_YG1TZOWajFzBFlyNknIOF7vYm7O0sFXt8-0wKOrzUDCdMNMugawDqKDKvguUUuEhNaz7-QosJCK8OG9kpSmWeUH68GJZPFPsORrgqYZvKAKdcHM6qlbEDK3tlnHa2Q4NcgXBUpv8byiwWIV/w400-h214/P1130127.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNSpNwrqJMHyLWW9ASAk2I-OagRnj4T5yvb-WZnj4V_PIfbAjkkVtPCm7xxYYJocS72JVQF3WmVjGEBvuPEPg5CBUGqV0dxG5sj8-dbN8-WTgsWxNEFdZGtGLdtcpen6aa4klPX2aXvXlur2AsYQj2pIAZKRZK9tYY7reYFHi-g3LD7H3dkTExIFEVVGp/s1200/P1130131.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNSpNwrqJMHyLWW9ASAk2I-OagRnj4T5yvb-WZnj4V_PIfbAjkkVtPCm7xxYYJocS72JVQF3WmVjGEBvuPEPg5CBUGqV0dxG5sj8-dbN8-WTgsWxNEFdZGtGLdtcpen6aa4klPX2aXvXlur2AsYQj2pIAZKRZK9tYY7reYFHi-g3LD7H3dkTExIFEVVGp/w400-h300/P1130131.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjOlIhHMWbePzoYpl3J8DpIPj6uajIFOOhunmWRIJ8zsGDQvaeG60RttOcp43Zv7O8a5t1SAC38DkOciRl9xyGpLPYkd5KlYIJex3y5p073q9mJimQb_PNZ-fSjJrFsI2M_DmY1i2MStHZ95fY0ErFDKYTfjVKF1V1bU8fX3BdPjqPq_oYu0HbrE29MWw/s1200/P1130132.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1200" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjOlIhHMWbePzoYpl3J8DpIPj6uajIFOOhunmWRIJ8zsGDQvaeG60RttOcp43Zv7O8a5t1SAC38DkOciRl9xyGpLPYkd5KlYIJex3y5p073q9mJimQb_PNZ-fSjJrFsI2M_DmY1i2MStHZ95fY0ErFDKYTfjVKF1V1bU8fX3BdPjqPq_oYu0HbrE29MWw/w400-h305/P1130132.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL91kpk9cRdAmAdY_HlIJRsLnCU9y7lJ91Q8r09N9kFoH5DZ0_hfKViKlJn_XaiHTvtKXvjzz_gBUH-EzzUUOiQNsiV2Rqw33vBdlhaugjl3HCf536YrGmcb970F1bv-FJh4aiacmH6EzFFs_wDeEJtMLILe1MT5IqNoqjI_fnZ_qLie9tzR_-8-siAL08/s1200/P1130133.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL91kpk9cRdAmAdY_HlIJRsLnCU9y7lJ91Q8r09N9kFoH5DZ0_hfKViKlJn_XaiHTvtKXvjzz_gBUH-EzzUUOiQNsiV2Rqw33vBdlhaugjl3HCf536YrGmcb970F1bv-FJh4aiacmH6EzFFs_wDeEJtMLILe1MT5IqNoqjI_fnZ_qLie9tzR_-8-siAL08/w400-h300/P1130133.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M0cWXJTyYqU8eeLz20zHbFc_DfgxtffYEwq9qRVKwlsz8Wkw5McaxOEyt9zn4YP-8xASqkuoK5Z2Nw20XUeOEgrN-RERVUKDfjMlmLVguHEdsYC9vhgxaW_q4HCjLlE4KaMvfx-M6enh7dq6CP2rjVsU2XKf3opHMZJ5biRaut_Qqwepc32mLP_5fvJy/s1200/P1130135.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M0cWXJTyYqU8eeLz20zHbFc_DfgxtffYEwq9qRVKwlsz8Wkw5McaxOEyt9zn4YP-8xASqkuoK5Z2Nw20XUeOEgrN-RERVUKDfjMlmLVguHEdsYC9vhgxaW_q4HCjLlE4KaMvfx-M6enh7dq6CP2rjVsU2XKf3opHMZJ5biRaut_Qqwepc32mLP_5fvJy/w400-h300/P1130135.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Time for Wissenstein to emerge from the woods</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWKa5Vp4G8ZPZhTFiyhcmZBX7D_vObnidSJHRlNAOtquOXpGx5SVWGplfeIC0hZG91ZNiV50Oh66IB6Qj5qBpYImsEPNkLC2tFKKIg-C_sCyiTRLF3hr1hXXq6lL_x5jqmrqmWBNf3l0y9ySoGVlO3OOKYCLfe2fBC9bwx6Cg8yn9kZHvIjBEoiB81h7L/s1200/P1130137.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1200" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWKa5Vp4G8ZPZhTFiyhcmZBX7D_vObnidSJHRlNAOtquOXpGx5SVWGplfeIC0hZG91ZNiV50Oh66IB6Qj5qBpYImsEPNkLC2tFKKIg-C_sCyiTRLF3hr1hXXq6lL_x5jqmrqmWBNf3l0y9ySoGVlO3OOKYCLfe2fBC9bwx6Cg8yn9kZHvIjBEoiB81h7L/w400-h244/P1130137.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>1st Bn of IR Thürheim seized one end of the village</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWJ1WSXRV5RfElra6B4pAEe5tLmuYXAf30Ml9CZY99Fnq_xwcFXbNxkg7kkWhf3PszcIpC0aPmVu4olYu5yxCbPWwaaDNVEOvNDnmZNabYe13zIv8zOfK2lHBGvcjV3aX5elTR4uRRwLjQjDmZiT7nKOCv0oqmOO8omEb507H82kuMboPzwaV2HdwH5qJ/s1200/P1130138.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1200" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWJ1WSXRV5RfElra6B4pAEe5tLmuYXAf30Ml9CZY99Fnq_xwcFXbNxkg7kkWhf3PszcIpC0aPmVu4olYu5yxCbPWwaaDNVEOvNDnmZNabYe13zIv8zOfK2lHBGvcjV3aX5elTR4uRRwLjQjDmZiT7nKOCv0oqmOO8omEb507H82kuMboPzwaV2HdwH5qJ/w400-h229/P1130138.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Around this time, the French cavalry overran one of the Austrian batteries, though they lost a lot of men in the process</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vJPw0RdhtzpKHzXm2aEtoNK3WQddrdrgTElfbPA28stGNXCrC_ewiu7hdF5jkgeOUTGv_O8Zb8MU_xFt2iYx3XzMvGtuW10ibcu3Xd_AWW1fRxiXUzPHXJh7t8jA0m7dYiOa4uCsB3KTn92hkpIDeiYXmqO1ld0AYEOySOe6FxSxMkM-4hjmAGkIPY2q/s1200/P1130139.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1200" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vJPw0RdhtzpKHzXm2aEtoNK3WQddrdrgTElfbPA28stGNXCrC_ewiu7hdF5jkgeOUTGv_O8Zb8MU_xFt2iYx3XzMvGtuW10ibcu3Xd_AWW1fRxiXUzPHXJh7t8jA0m7dYiOa4uCsB3KTn92hkpIDeiYXmqO1ld0AYEOySOe6FxSxMkM-4hjmAGkIPY2q/w400-h338/P1130139.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Wissenstein's boys are out of the wood, and advancing bravely...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEAXv2yyzJ4i6HX5HRhkjzsBv0MNYugkwZYsq_nfNvGdxvcff-AUOeFwiYqvO3yWfXsmw4UUPxhybP2Ltjqp7_Y8ZlEouZGaewsSLgyWI1axZhEYZ6lNnlscW0PNXYKsAZcHmZKMQ6hns3_3YpNk1ar89E6ZAY9arkDOjA6kk1WyQI4EOGCnOaXoFRSzj/s1200/P1130142.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEAXv2yyzJ4i6HX5HRhkjzsBv0MNYugkwZYsq_nfNvGdxvcff-AUOeFwiYqvO3yWfXsmw4UUPxhybP2Ltjqp7_Y8ZlEouZGaewsSLgyWI1axZhEYZ6lNnlscW0PNXYKsAZcHmZKMQ6hns3_3YpNk1ar89E6ZAY9arkDOjA6kk1WyQI4EOGCnOaXoFRSzj/w400-h300/P1130142.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecyHlBdTvjtkdkiL1Lt9_gM2MDTRemvDIrVMDdKIq8wnV_D-OEzZIy2mkzdt1JTj3oNcqV72zIiTM1UkXF_s99E6TPYbqJYgr3dMKNpNoE1-MI-zAo0zVzAQ2dRke50F0cKjJHZxcZt9RMuAUkdWjlgMqj3u_zLQyxmBdALEgNu8pM0vLV7EKM6uMytZb/s1200/P1130144.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="879" data-original-width="1200" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjecyHlBdTvjtkdkiL1Lt9_gM2MDTRemvDIrVMDdKIq8wnV_D-OEzZIy2mkzdt1JTj3oNcqV72zIiTM1UkXF_s99E6TPYbqJYgr3dMKNpNoE1-MI-zAo0zVzAQ2dRke50F0cKjJHZxcZt9RMuAUkdWjlgMqj3u_zLQyxmBdALEgNu8pM0vLV7EKM6uMytZb/w400-h293/P1130144.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The field is pretty empty on on the French right now</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuQjQGuFmw5wdzwCJ1Ni2H5VqOjNRw1V3e1qq3mJcsvWkumFNSFCgskl6Is303mMpPz6JyIX4mkKqn0oqktVi8GGKkEh9qlmrxT0Vjc6CCzD98qSiKwJg6soivWYx4nvU-LqI4HTYBU4PkUg6j1yjSZGDvGrM39Z5XCjBkk6Cz43cr1bhCpBYhWtjkI3P/s1200/P1130145.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1118" data-original-width="1200" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiuQjQGuFmw5wdzwCJ1Ni2H5VqOjNRw1V3e1qq3mJcsvWkumFNSFCgskl6Is303mMpPz6JyIX4mkKqn0oqktVi8GGKkEh9qlmrxT0Vjc6CCzD98qSiKwJg6soivWYx4nvU-LqI4HTYBU4PkUg6j1yjSZGDvGrM39Z5XCjBkk6Cz43cr1bhCpBYhWtjkI3P/w400-h373/P1130145.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...back on the other flank, Wissenstein's infantry are withstanding the efforts of the Bavarian cavalry, and causing them much loss...</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_CzeyBzEjNLh7jdAOAquhfN7ZtowKnQFbfuCHA0CQVtxzw0gukiquhDTt7aN8PZnOKxNOBUpR8RzUL26BvYU-kKfbvzXiyPWk2wnHCS_rWXwxZK9cQRKCRenYBMav82dxoDPFb-euHp_lYYaM_cyQbtvEAQysGFW-SKa6GqO_YLchd8f5-BK91D4nIQb/s1200/P1130146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_CzeyBzEjNLh7jdAOAquhfN7ZtowKnQFbfuCHA0CQVtxzw0gukiquhDTt7aN8PZnOKxNOBUpR8RzUL26BvYU-kKfbvzXiyPWk2wnHCS_rWXwxZK9cQRKCRenYBMav82dxoDPFb-euHp_lYYaM_cyQbtvEAQysGFW-SKa6GqO_YLchd8f5-BK91D4nIQb/w400-h300/P1130146.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>...though there was a major reverse when the 2 battalions of the Bavarian Leibregiment took back the village in devastating style. In particular, the 2nd bn of IR Thurheim retreated a total of 600 paces in one move, and were so upset by the experience that they just kept going</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCrE0v5nui6cfT5pk76FZ35v-OY9rtvza2wN82cGKITIO1sKvKtX1LWptPJ9tJrcFycEjjh5eNx8505O2sc-P9dm35gdpIV560CurHjClCzGj2r-jo1TqjCmgONjxn7mAii1QKRpqX-fQEd0GPiVS3z-ANl1qouruwBjmsHtUGNNOaaRg0e0cD6HzKiY6/s1200/P1130147.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1200" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCrE0v5nui6cfT5pk76FZ35v-OY9rtvza2wN82cGKITIO1sKvKtX1LWptPJ9tJrcFycEjjh5eNx8505O2sc-P9dm35gdpIV560CurHjClCzGj2r-jo1TqjCmgONjxn7mAii1QKRpqX-fQEd0GPiVS3z-ANl1qouruwBjmsHtUGNNOaaRg0e0cD6HzKiY6/w400-h314/P1130147.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Back on the French right, Chatrier with one of the remaining French cavalry units stood and glowered at the last of the Austrian cuirassiers, neither unit having the energy to put paid to the other and potentially win the game </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoBiwmvzj9-pWE-6xWm_iJhyphenhyphenhlm6cVdHf-5ef9PBRVf7FM_UYuhV68pgT6Y3WCOhtu4NTMh_0CubWhlnfyMIgfVKuLivQXEXyVgO1EVdexMd2pXFtGB3w3PQptU092YvIejUK4MZOiU538ly7KrDGpP0OGAHxzMnSt1NGv2L7tk0avcm2JtOy8RtA2C5g/s1200/P1130149.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1200" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpoBiwmvzj9-pWE-6xWm_iJhyphenhyphenhlm6cVdHf-5ef9PBRVf7FM_UYuhV68pgT6Y3WCOhtu4NTMh_0CubWhlnfyMIgfVKuLivQXEXyVgO1EVdexMd2pXFtGB3w3PQptU092YvIejUK4MZOiU538ly7KrDGpP0OGAHxzMnSt1NGv2L7tk0avcm2JtOy8RtA2C5g/w400-h274/P1130149.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Wissenstein's infantry - notably a couple of battalions from IR Lothringen and one from IR Scharfenstein, finally eliminated another of the Bavarian cuirassier regiments, the VP score became 8-6 and the Allies had won</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ7qKOlawUm_tALm4AMW7Q8c6z_a27zOHOtjAie7aiOkkRh0jhSHjWbp5kTzYLMbnj1UgdQN3ETfqjLYtrfvMNh1FRRYMbsC7Hb_Q6S2ynD7EjFZRr2jhgeybxi89GPQKkXMI7Vgw8ot4YQ-xVro61N68eEJhvpF5vD9LXrY_g_sAx5ngIO00meHbiDiL/s1200/P1130150.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1200" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJ7qKOlawUm_tALm4AMW7Q8c6z_a27zOHOtjAie7aiOkkRh0jhSHjWbp5kTzYLMbnj1UgdQN3ETfqjLYtrfvMNh1FRRYMbsC7Hb_Q6S2ynD7EjFZRr2jhgeybxi89GPQKkXMI7Vgw8ot4YQ-xVro61N68eEJhvpF5vD9LXrY_g_sAx5ngIO00meHbiDiL/w400-h291/P1130150.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>And these were the cards that helped to do it!</i></div><p><br /></p>I now have started the bookkeeping exercise of working out what proportion of each unit's losses will rejoin the ranks after the battle, to carry forward into the next steps of the campaign. I have a couple of notes about things in the rules that might need a tweak or two, but pretty good so far. I will probably be a couple of weeks before I resume my efforts, but I can pick up and put down this little campaign as time allows, so it's a useful little project.<br /><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-8040683225999197622023-12-02T10:54:00.009+00:002023-12-02T11:27:48.465+00:00Guest Spot - More Big Higginses!<p> Many thanks to Albannach, who sent me photos of some additions to his fine collection of 30mm "Jason" figures by Les Higgins. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53eHfUtiIeuqUInHlf4xd5xya-19c-ud3NiH5aau9NTwvEVuQSJOvTo7ZVJFsDDxmxv9tSxOFw9DGkTqTvK8pdW0h-CDZVLboCgnWHJB6Hd5kYoHxKf4BJkv44zxx2Eloe2_6yQ1I6dlS4oEqPJvVmYsnhT13GJKkUVeUZNjM3ZT0ftgsFe9ND7tm9Q8L/s4080/PXL_20231202_111510248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53eHfUtiIeuqUInHlf4xd5xya-19c-ud3NiH5aau9NTwvEVuQSJOvTo7ZVJFsDDxmxv9tSxOFw9DGkTqTvK8pdW0h-CDZVLboCgnWHJB6Hd5kYoHxKf4BJkv44zxx2Eloe2_6yQ1I6dlS4oEqPJvVmYsnhT13GJKkUVeUZNjM3ZT0ftgsFe9ND7tm9Q8L/w400-h301/PXL_20231202_111510248.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSREzvTgCHhWOaDsAVNER-oZSSDYeE1Fy6dOw1k3KvaNlqs2zKIosrYm5Y-8PSCoLuxpxC97duIcB1gxfRK4mqU9Vhp6VU7QgoSkD1JFX6aU5yQtctitBx4NTVV_SiNTExl9HznwDM3mS_x5E1OVWZ8XA8o-8AaDE2fJ_pcBz9iuOVaQXd2EEW81tVT8eb/s4080/PXL_20231202_111523512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSREzvTgCHhWOaDsAVNER-oZSSDYeE1Fy6dOw1k3KvaNlqs2zKIosrYm5Y-8PSCoLuxpxC97duIcB1gxfRK4mqU9Vhp6VU7QgoSkD1JFX6aU5yQtctitBx4NTVV_SiNTExl9HznwDM3mS_x5E1OVWZ8XA8o-8AaDE2fJ_pcBz9iuOVaQXd2EEW81tVT8eb/w301-h400/PXL_20231202_111523512.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwqszQj9f_4FrwwOIgWPVFsvFZdMWTamQFCDPl-2K6hF34BntS3GeUVB1_jcrWA-D9r-sqScT-KoOa5ch6coiR1BJnmJ0S6AuYBbkeTb88FJlyeE7wUNEmSYJtO-Wt6kta2LcmzjX51djBnBApw_GEHnY7rTpVGLm2x1J852kJ94QZt1eUlPdykgo6KFM/s907/DSC01437.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwqszQj9f_4FrwwOIgWPVFsvFZdMWTamQFCDPl-2K6hF34BntS3GeUVB1_jcrWA-D9r-sqScT-KoOa5ch6coiR1BJnmJ0S6AuYBbkeTb88FJlyeE7wUNEmSYJtO-Wt6kta2LcmzjX51djBnBApw_GEHnY7rTpVGLm2x1J852kJ94QZt1eUlPdykgo6KFM/w400-h300/DSC01437.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0jqeWKNP1vkWRCoYSSoKWklULoRBCIWM9loPgXHJW6yGNCUHDZcqXKQg0qaAiFBU4MRAzhbAGXTN47oQ7a4OXlImaQv_RAYaa492yp7ZZNGaJk9tEKRych4r61eRn9BHnC5BuJkbsKM-juNResfDmsnWbbCWCB0YUyI5NHS0UKo-xn1XPYOXWhEVDDs8/s907/DSC01438.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0jqeWKNP1vkWRCoYSSoKWklULoRBCIWM9loPgXHJW6yGNCUHDZcqXKQg0qaAiFBU4MRAzhbAGXTN47oQ7a4OXlImaQv_RAYaa492yp7ZZNGaJk9tEKRych4r61eRn9BHnC5BuJkbsKM-juNResfDmsnWbbCWCB0YUyI5NHS0UKo-xn1XPYOXWhEVDDs8/w400-h300/DSC01438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzdlzSJhADXrbxYcjYsHKWCsEmONHHXcBqMgxFbol42zwkYal5M1rDQyoz8mGdHvlpzTIP2lGA9ZZuhzLqouPu2NokqlpYZ_FRDteFyL1SCiIxDlNSJx0MqN-H4zCN76seMUKachTT-y201JymjKxS5mcaNlfY7zb4L4mBzSVWP2xfq2bxun-so03C-GX/s907/DSC01439.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzdlzSJhADXrbxYcjYsHKWCsEmONHHXcBqMgxFbol42zwkYal5M1rDQyoz8mGdHvlpzTIP2lGA9ZZuhzLqouPu2NokqlpYZ_FRDteFyL1SCiIxDlNSJx0MqN-H4zCN76seMUKachTT-y201JymjKxS5mcaNlfY7zb4L4mBzSVWP2xfq2bxun-so03C-GX/w400-h300/DSC01439.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPfgXAbx4xJW-IkczW9I4frHuxX2ZiFjR97AvEwOwNb36FHUi658BzkjX9mYHE2IkkN_SQaLMz2EYVHnvAkR9zD5Y5QBq3zbusVQiLrIVOJ_Px7zs7P6TLHqmAKobFqdCXZjBjiSPmaWMg9XzLXndAWBplWzm2A5M8hBkO9m0KnVbUnP1MdlzumW2m1jY/s907/DSC01440.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPfgXAbx4xJW-IkczW9I4frHuxX2ZiFjR97AvEwOwNb36FHUi658BzkjX9mYHE2IkkN_SQaLMz2EYVHnvAkR9zD5Y5QBq3zbusVQiLrIVOJ_Px7zs7P6TLHqmAKobFqdCXZjBjiSPmaWMg9XzLXndAWBplWzm2A5M8hBkO9m0KnVbUnP1MdlzumW2m1jY/w400-h300/DSC01440.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lyZuvRKlte2Wq4oc_iiGQHrZC5iCR3Z4_C7es2lxNgYwJCR1DZT5N_rOqeKUAf17xtzm6t5E0VajoB62mEXBPVgCkNEBLwMHvIMGurmyE10fUivUWLmXMzNSf74MkPiUNI9g7cIqJ7HJV-4NLwZwBrfuSRugSaIqdirTvEVjeTQFyneaoeWrFJBKUXTG/s907/DSC01441.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lyZuvRKlte2Wq4oc_iiGQHrZC5iCR3Z4_C7es2lxNgYwJCR1DZT5N_rOqeKUAf17xtzm6t5E0VajoB62mEXBPVgCkNEBLwMHvIMGurmyE10fUivUWLmXMzNSf74MkPiUNI9g7cIqJ7HJV-4NLwZwBrfuSRugSaIqdirTvEVjeTQFyneaoeWrFJBKUXTG/w400-h300/DSC01441.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Mf5MTECA1kFnA0ev6vCv_7fCh7RH6YZ4VidpwCEHtOOtCEeJqi-4c1f_oydtBa0j9M9haPhkA9YgJXgFVVpxAT_BbjkTVXqqL4D2I4HoGBwNfv2jPRwVrRFNCL1ebCAex1hxW6o2OsTKLaRZcOVEaUvzJLP7mcejCe3MoeCyPceevqxR4jK1BZmo020S/s907/DSC01442.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="907" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Mf5MTECA1kFnA0ev6vCv_7fCh7RH6YZ4VidpwCEHtOOtCEeJqi-4c1f_oydtBa0j9M9haPhkA9YgJXgFVVpxAT_BbjkTVXqqL4D2I4HoGBwNfv2jPRwVrRFNCL1ebCAex1hxW6o2OsTKLaRZcOVEaUvzJLP7mcejCe3MoeCyPceevqxR4jK1BZmo020S/w400-h300/DSC01442.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />He says:<p></p><p><i style="color: #38761d;">"Attached a few photos of my latest haul of Higgins 30mm, plus a
Stadden mounted general. Just finished basing them after having got them
back from being painted by a very talented chap at the club. </i></p><p><i style="color: #38761d;"><span>The painter is a chap by the name of Will Sykes – I don’t think I
could get to that standard myself, and I wanted them to look as good as
possible."</span> </i><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-779106492831229032023-11-29T12:55:00.000+00:002023-11-29T12:55:09.407+00:00Hooptedoodle #454 - Clearing Up after Babet [2]<p> What hedge?</p><p>The boys came back this morning and finished the job in about 90 minutes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityrxJIQNkZ20O4BQg640DshqwNtKTRskB_XMa4VpHQxO7l5CBIR2oARuruKOz2V5RzaljxQAyb8LL7svscd5_KGl2or7KCKi4x7ZH-HWIWhCuYE3DPrmHGhGbst9WYxKOJsX7_X6OEbx4ZRdifaO0oxncLL2S8URfjiCO6eDz4YQAZSF3cp28fEwUCcXR/s1200/P1130072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEityrxJIQNkZ20O4BQg640DshqwNtKTRskB_XMa4VpHQxO7l5CBIR2oARuruKOz2V5RzaljxQAyb8LL7svscd5_KGl2or7KCKi4x7ZH-HWIWhCuYE3DPrmHGhGbst9WYxKOJsX7_X6OEbx4ZRdifaO0oxncLL2S8URfjiCO6eDz4YQAZSF3cp28fEwUCcXR/w400-h300/P1130072.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp6AbsUBVgpDVxLQ0z7KzE11b_X-LC390_BPRl7UW4XX5l_jnUjaJZE84Z69OzLKN85noXlZqejoE8VTLO3IY03XynRziSaJ7wMMC0TidBOJloP74fbQXEwTky4tt7-g3sMA5IyR6DUsXUKNBMFkfQaIaDHJzJ506xIH4e2FYdzPMg45xaI15OriZkxZ9/s1200/P1130075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp6AbsUBVgpDVxLQ0z7KzE11b_X-LC390_BPRl7UW4XX5l_jnUjaJZE84Z69OzLKN85noXlZqejoE8VTLO3IY03XynRziSaJ7wMMC0TidBOJloP74fbQXEwTky4tt7-g3sMA5IyR6DUsXUKNBMFkfQaIaDHJzJ506xIH4e2FYdzPMg45xaI15OriZkxZ9/w400-h300/P1130075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwkRxWLdvH5HVmGTOP3iziyliU-hBc6JjffZF6w9VvttQbqwnNzY_y0b985oxTGt6iRdiT6mms4g-IF1kb96hTfR0292V3OgKmbIO5aAx6V8GJwt_Sw-LYUaADit4bJUMFf9VIxXExw8FzfHN6nNTl371-IuT3DZUI612fWLcKyACsXGh19xW4Xn4cGPB/s1200/P1130076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwkRxWLdvH5HVmGTOP3iziyliU-hBc6JjffZF6w9VvttQbqwnNzY_y0b985oxTGt6iRdiT6mms4g-IF1kb96hTfR0292V3OgKmbIO5aAx6V8GJwt_Sw-LYUaADit4bJUMFf9VIxXExw8FzfHN6nNTl371-IuT3DZUI612fWLcKyACsXGh19xW4Xn4cGPB/w400-h300/P1130076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Not a wonderful view, but better than a bombsite. Onward and upward.<br /><p></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-74591058685568910622023-11-29T06:52:00.000+00:002023-11-29T06:52:35.567+00:00Hooptedoodle #453 - Clearing Up after Babet [1]<p> This follows from my <a href="https://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com/2023/10/hooptedoodle-450-babet-takes-out-hedge.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a> about Storm Babet wrecking our hedge in October. I wasn't really expecting them until next month, but I got a phone call from the Tree Men yesterday afternoon to say that they were on a job in a nearby village, and had been obliged to stop work rather earlier than planned, so would it be all right if they came round and made a start?<br /></p><p>Well, of course. Some quick opening of gates and shifting of cars and we were ready to go.</p><p>The guys didn't have all the gear with them that they might have needed (stump grinder, for one thing), but it didn't matter, since there was not a lot of daylight left, and they were only gong to manage to get some of the work done in any case.</p><p>As usual, they were fast - they do not take prisoners - and they were extremely noisy (that gives a little payback to my neighbour who insists on using a chain saw to cut up logs every Sunday morning).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqgeYbMJksE1MJiE5C-gH8aNGzW_UmcEg5yfIrQc7g4BQ2_Qodv_nAxSlhvhW5y9ynY6ExBPlFIysvJQRvS32agDsABqFuyMwmgqilAhb2kS84Hvu3Ypj-hClvQ13a0_upKLV4lrg9t29mUCxm7-HfgnkEBR0OOZJeI5KzqcHq0IB95eTUND4N9zMqZs5/s1200/P1130068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1200" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqgeYbMJksE1MJiE5C-gH8aNGzW_UmcEg5yfIrQc7g4BQ2_Qodv_nAxSlhvhW5y9ynY6ExBPlFIysvJQRvS32agDsABqFuyMwmgqilAhb2kS84Hvu3Ypj-hClvQ13a0_upKLV4lrg9t29mUCxm7-HfgnkEBR0OOZJeI5KzqcHq0IB95eTUND4N9zMqZs5/w400-h296/P1130068.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFC2dJ0IjGfbEjc2czu5eNcQbeFBNDjOer3BoAQtvqP6OiPrRtv4hqvt0HqAh-hSJ9CcIaeQoJle-eTIvzAubjnHdir_SvP9_v8kiVA-4zobJTWODJ18AoEpVaFI5f21C46bcdGihnoLIY7IcHLtcdOSBC0AiCyzvDdaugjLBmtMRkXYeTKU9-KgfL3ax/s1200/P1130067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFC2dJ0IjGfbEjc2czu5eNcQbeFBNDjOer3BoAQtvqP6OiPrRtv4hqvt0HqAh-hSJ9CcIaeQoJle-eTIvzAubjnHdir_SvP9_v8kiVA-4zobJTWODJ18AoEpVaFI5f21C46bcdGihnoLIY7IcHLtcdOSBC0AiCyzvDdaugjLBmtMRkXYeTKU9-KgfL3ax/w400-h300/P1130067.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I had wondered how many wagon loads would be needed to shift a 40ft x 12ft hedge 4ft thick. The answer, of course, is not very many. In about an hour, this machine reduced 3/4 of the hedge to a layer of chippings about 8 inches deep in the bottom of the truck. Some racket though. Come on now, if you thought of the movie </i>Fargo<i>, even fleetingly, please go and stand in the corner </i></div><p></p><p>They'll be back within a couple of weeks. I know I have their full attention, since I haven't paid them anything yet. Things are pretty messy, but we are getting there. Having had years of grief from my neighbours about the hedge, it would be ironic if I also got grief for removing it. Whatever, things are moving.</p><p>Without wishing to get ahead of the game, I have been looking at possible varieties of evergreen hedges; I have an open mind on the subject, though I have no intention of allowing a Leylandii anywhere on the premises ever again. There are some nice laurels.</p><p>Hmmm. <br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-36422839780454134772023-11-24T18:59:00.003+00:002023-12-06T23:01:30.242+00:00Hooptedoodle #452 - All they that take the sword<p> For the sake of my mental well-being I have been avoiding getting too caught up in the latest adventures of the 45th President of the United States. What I have seen suggests that there is something fundamentally flawed about the Constitution and the legal system, in the sense that it never seems to have occurred to any of the lawmakers over the years that there could ever be anything like the current situation. The courts and the government appear to be powerless to control someone who sets out to be sufficiently bloody-minded; the whole edifice is in thrall to that badly-behaved boy who is prepared to set fire to the classroom, here and now, rather than admit that he hasn't done his homework. The scariest bit is that he derives a lot of strength from the rapt applause which greets all this foolishness.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayo_Yaa6dJ1DHcwAp91yb_nUJN5CClkTamcQJXO0oghKI2t4NXJRMKl9n36cOJOn4TCpzdv5bQtViTwq8yqSSrnZE2symp5cLRSJ2meW0czjSu_bWY-W-nv11STKH0OQJbwlnSrMyukfip5cL2pAqMdpIuhv4aGn0u_ykyGhDEzvK0DwjAmMpQjHwXqfT/s1128/Screenshot%202023-11-24%20at%2018.42.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1128" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayo_Yaa6dJ1DHcwAp91yb_nUJN5CClkTamcQJXO0oghKI2t4NXJRMKl9n36cOJOn4TCpzdv5bQtViTwq8yqSSrnZE2symp5cLRSJ2meW0czjSu_bWY-W-nv11STKH0OQJbwlnSrMyukfip5cL2pAqMdpIuhv4aGn0u_ykyGhDEzvK0DwjAmMpQjHwXqfT/w400-h351/Screenshot%202023-11-24%20at%2018.42.45.png" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Spare us the tough face, mate - you're too fat and slow to hurt anyone</i></div><p>It is not particularly astute (or original) to see parallels with German politics in the 1920s-30s. I have been reading (again) about the interwar period in Europe, and one thing that I was struck by (again) was the enormity of the change in public opinion in Germany over a short period. From being a rogue troublemaker, viewed primarily as a temporary nuisance, Hitler somehow became an unstoppable force. Against the odds? OK - we could debate this in the pub, but was it inevitable, after all? It seems to me that there must have been some key moments in his progress where Adolf might have fizzled out - disappeared from view. Unlucky breaks? Complacency? Propaganda? There must have been some identifiable points where he was lucky to get away with it.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCBI_FCDapowjGWOpgmSV0mm-lQ7NEh7ZCLTu7NF1vJvK-_-5H7y-tcQD2zknYjsCcg5lPgUocIAh7DZAvp7DsDPzGPAWPdMnQ9X41uXljA_THJ8d1kuXC2csgDJJxP91yiykDn52KEiz5Cp2yrZBei1gcFRfwf_cg2zblUiIeQaJ1O40Zq2SQEDOhSNu/s1034/Screenshot%202023-11-24%20at%2018.44.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1034" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGCBI_FCDapowjGWOpgmSV0mm-lQ7NEh7ZCLTu7NF1vJvK-_-5H7y-tcQD2zknYjsCcg5lPgUocIAh7DZAvp7DsDPzGPAWPdMnQ9X41uXljA_THJ8d1kuXC2csgDJJxP91yiykDn52KEiz5Cp2yrZBei1gcFRfwf_cg2zblUiIeQaJ1O40Zq2SQEDOhSNu/w400-h344/Screenshot%202023-11-24%20at%2018.44.42.png" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>"Leider habe ich heute meine Ukulele vergessen..."</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> </i></div>I'm not looking for a learned analysis of German socio-political history from the period, just some suggestions about where it could have worked out differently. Any thoughts? There were definite actions which no-one dreamed were possible - execution of Ernst Röhm and the leaders of the SA might be an example. That's just a start.<br /><p></p><p>In his own career since his failed attempt to burn down the Reichstag on Jan 6th, the aforementioned 45th President, a known student of Hitler's speeches, seems to exhibit no awareness of how what goes around comes around. If he succeeds in normalising all this talk of violence, leaving vaguely expressed threats online to be fulfilled by the more stupid of his followers, I would have thought it might just occur to him that someone from the other side might, in turn, decide that the world would be a safer, better place without him. If I were in his position, making all those public campaigning appearances (in the fabulously glamorous school gymnasiums of the marginal States), I would certainly be a bit nervous.</p><p>Just saying.<br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-87017521031234418362023-11-19T14:21:00.000+00:002023-11-19T14:21:47.987+00:00Hooptedoodle #451 - Accidental Progress: a celebratory but extremely boring post about computing<p> I'll keep this brief. It may seem an odd topic for a blog post, but someone might find it useful, so here it is.</p><p>I've been a Mackintosh user since 2014; I'm on my second desktop Mac now, and I like them, though I have become suspicious of the customer-support politics over this period.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxF1XqbBrSq7vEjKYR2nkYPnel6B1qcD5-uJNv8nXtg5OQPnzhlvfwtKwqKlJaRycPMDGEkrY0_ORzBGdy_Y1OUoanjRM2swtNQvVX19VL6-EjtZaNsKL5q5MMy5ywRo2iCAyRonh20gdhxhBae-OYVet1ZWmiRk9EQsp9GoNTZGBZeO4rNQB6ZbxVdyW/s1200/Screenshot%202023-11-19%20at%2014.06.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxF1XqbBrSq7vEjKYR2nkYPnel6B1qcD5-uJNv8nXtg5OQPnzhlvfwtKwqKlJaRycPMDGEkrY0_ORzBGdy_Y1OUoanjRM2swtNQvVX19VL6-EjtZaNsKL5q5MMy5ywRo2iCAyRonh20gdhxhBae-OYVet1ZWmiRk9EQsp9GoNTZGBZeO4rNQB6ZbxVdyW/w400-h200/Screenshot%202023-11-19%20at%2014.06.35.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />After I'd had my first Mac for a year or so, I was notified that there was a new operating system. As I recall, I was using <i>Mountain Lion</i> at the time, and the new upgrade was <i>El Capitan</i>. Being a lifelong Windows user, I requested the update immediately, and so it came to pass.<p></p><p>Good news and bad; the new MacOS worked very nicely, but 3 non-Apple applications which I had bought and installed on the machine no longer worked. One was a rather good pdf editor, one was the Mac version of a graphics editor which I had used and relied on for years. I can't remember what the third was, but there were three. I contacted Apple's customer support people, and was told that they had no responsibility for other people's software, and I should complain to the originators. Right - message received, loud and clear. I coped, but my view was readjusted by the experience. Thereafter, I tried to hold off on MacOS upgrades as long as possible.</p><p>My latest machine is running very nicely. I've had <i>Monterey</i> running since I got it, and I've been badgered fairly constantly to upgrade to <i>Ventura</i>, almost from the outset. I've just been deleting the notifications - I have sufficient investment in <i>MSOffice for Mac</i> and a couple of other things to be nervous about a repeat of the <i>El Capitan</i> experience. Also, I have to say that I had read some criticisms of <i>Ventura</i> on-line which were not encouraging (though, of course, I mostly didn't understand them).<br /></p><p>Yesterday I was notified that there was a new version of my installed <i>Monterey</i> available - version 13.7.1, I think. I had no objection to a version change for the existing OS, if it delayed the arrival of the dreaded <i>Ventura</i> for a while. So when it offered to update my system overnight, I took a deep breath and clicked <i>OK</i>. </p><p>What happened next was a bit of a surprise. The machine set about installing the new system immediately, not overnight, and told me that it was <i>Sonoma 14.1.1</i>. Good heavens, I thought to myself, what the bleep is <i>Sonoma</i>?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudzw5XeUBFsR8CYyqjJtYVbDELEASK9RQq3shqRQrJjnE34wabV6Rb9H7qnlyzkiI0F-662sPAlRSrGOYKzRt30DfreQnISgF2VIRugBeN_FHd7jsG4lWTAwrNfY5RiOMPL3QGfQJWIdgqYP0g5KWJAR4rSqp5j6_Gkz4RzwRO5biEflX1cZpWhxVuD4i/s1200/wallpaper-macOS-14-Sonoma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1200" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudzw5XeUBFsR8CYyqjJtYVbDELEASK9RQq3shqRQrJjnE34wabV6Rb9H7qnlyzkiI0F-662sPAlRSrGOYKzRt30DfreQnISgF2VIRugBeN_FHd7jsG4lWTAwrNfY5RiOMPL3QGfQJWIdgqYP0g5KWJAR4rSqp5j6_Gkz4RzwRO5biEflX1cZpWhxVuD4i/w400-h250/wallpaper-macOS-14-Sonoma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It took about 2 hours to download, prepare and install the new software. <i>Sonoma</i>, apparently, is newer even than <i>Ventura</i>, so I was expecting the worst. Well, I have to say that thus far I find no problems - I've not lost anything, as far as I can tell, and some of my existing app software is running much faster.<p></p><p>Perhaps my trust should be restored?</p><p>Nah...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkLbNqVxwiTyD0n7CoKQaISezT3jk_AOoXbvbRy25JGE7IuqSiv36dxcvog0W39_sEBqtz9VkLQD1PsPPs9T_9e3X75Lp15ZfoMGB0Fi5YG2h0w7pixGShBvVreXQFSgOmYoJtnTCZKkH6FUmV4paf4QzNSZnPTheHXiWXzDSPgz62IKPnErroAtjFpKv/s1120/macos-sonoma-wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1120" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkLbNqVxwiTyD0n7CoKQaISezT3jk_AOoXbvbRy25JGE7IuqSiv36dxcvog0W39_sEBqtz9VkLQD1PsPPs9T_9e3X75Lp15ZfoMGB0Fi5YG2h0w7pixGShBvVreXQFSgOmYoJtnTCZKkH6FUmV4paf4QzNSZnPTheHXiWXzDSPgz62IKPnErroAtjFpKv/w400-h225/macos-sonoma-wallpaper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111053985478999734.post-37632579895279478702023-11-14T00:05:00.001+00:002023-11-14T00:05:49.090+00:00Oh Well<p> On yet another wet and stormy day I went into Edinburgh this morning for a hospital appointment.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0I8dh6wflYUEs1a4tw2jPHRVLVlAlGkNyjSJw3fTDDIBMo8uYZthPvsj-h2mbiIs5ln1XDa7-oYjdmuzgMJ7KLOJ7FlGnJp22stWZPekSd1kiQGn6_R3S3N6RHvnjIFohh2YHUr7tq0vagatocUaGlwo5M_Ujb4JW5blX9ECYaosu9d7A_5-7ILHgjv/s1370/Screenshot%202023-11-13%20at%2023.53.51.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1370" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA0I8dh6wflYUEs1a4tw2jPHRVLVlAlGkNyjSJw3fTDDIBMo8uYZthPvsj-h2mbiIs5ln1XDa7-oYjdmuzgMJ7KLOJ7FlGnJp22stWZPekSd1kiQGn6_R3S3N6RHvnjIFohh2YHUr7tq0vagatocUaGlwo5M_Ujb4JW5blX9ECYaosu9d7A_5-7ILHgjv/w400-h304/Screenshot%202023-11-13%20at%2023.53.51.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />I've been increasingly concerned about my eyes for a while, and today I got some definite news. Not particularly uplifting, but something I needed to know. <p></p><p>It was confirmed that I have glaucoma, which has been suspected for some months. No need for an immediate life-change, but I shall regard it as a line in the sand. The damage (just to my left eye, thus far) is not hugely extensive, but it has appeared quite quickly, and is, of course, irreversible. I hadn't really noticed much difference in my vision, so must be grateful to have got off relatively lightly.</p><p>I started a regime of eye drops today, which may sound a bit tactical, but should help to slow down the worsening of the condition. I began reading the list of side-effects of the drops, but stopped rather quickly. I shall read that more thoroughly in a day or two, once I am feeling more bullish about the whole business!</p><p>I can carry on driving and doing what I do, and am determined to make a sensibly-paced return to the soldier-painting queue once I am used to the medication. My priorities may change a bit.<br /></p><p>Please don't anybody send sympathetic messages of support, or best wishes - I appreciate the sentiment, but to me that always confirms that I need them! </p><p>Take care of yourselves, everyone. We fight on.<br /></p>MSFoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com25