How are we getting through it?

[Leon]

With the continued lockdowns across the world I thought it would be nice for us all to post some positives about spending more time at home / inside.  Maybe you've ploughed through the lead mountain, or got that back bedroom decorated finally.  Post pics pics if you've got them and let's all use this as a little corner of positivity while we get through this together.

For me, a day at home today meant that I could get the garden done and remove a particularly stubborn bush that was starting to tip our wall over...!

[O Dinas Powys]

Well... 

I've actually managed to get some painting done - even if it is mostly not 10mm stuff 

We also got into the garage and pulled out a couple of boxes of board games and books - which have been in there for over a decade - to put on our new shelves (and a few old figures).

...and I dug out the piles of flotsam which had accumulated in front of said shelves in only a few short weeks, so we can access them... 

Switched our weekly D&D game to Zoom, which has been working very well so far 

Back to work tomorrow, not sure I'll remember what I do for a living... 

Cheers!

Meirion

PS Just putting in a modest order to Pendraken for a few 'essentials' 

[Leon]

In another bright note, our eldest has got so bored during the lockdown that he's started washing the pots, loading the washing machine and ironing the clothes...  We're using it as training for when he goes to Uni in a couple of years time.

[O Dinas Powys]

In another bright note, our eldest has got so bored during the lockdown that he's started washing the pots, loading the washing machine and ironing the clothes...  We're using it as training for when he goes to Uni in a couple of years time.

Maybe there's hope for ours yet... 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Lot of figure painting, bike rides with the youngest, attempts at home schooling (insert irony here) and we built a tree fort.
Stay safe all.

[Leon]

Maybe there's hope for ours yet... 

Yeah, it took us a bit by surprise!  He's even ironing socks and tea towels, which no sane person should ever be doing!

...attempts at home schooling (insert irony here)

We've been a bit lax on that front, mainly as we're both still out at work for most of the day.  The youngest has been doing a couple of hours most days though, so he's doing a little bit at least.

[FierceKitty]

A bit of a bright spot for me in this ghastly business has been that, with egaming, I've renewed contact with two old gaming buddies, an agreeable Englishman and a really pleasant Australian (redundancy - Aussies are seldom anything but lovely people). And, as my various posts must have made clear, I've got an awful lot of improvement done on bases.

[John Cook]

With the continued lockdowns across the world I thought it would be nice for us all to post some positives about spending more time at home / inside.  Maybe you've ploughed through the lead mountain, or got that back bedroom decorated finally.  Post pics pics if you've got them and let's all use this as a little corner of positivity while we get through this together.

For me, a day at home today meant that I could get the garden done and remove a particularly stubborn bush that was starting to tip our wall over...!

Well, now, Sunday was very exciting.  I removed our 25 year old wooden compost bins which were only supported by their contents and replaced them with some nice new plastic ones, which will still be around long after I'm compost.

The only thing that really ticks me off at the moment is the constant negativity and bellyaching in the media, and the anti-social behaviour of some elements of the public, who never disappoint.  Other than that, self-isolation is not much of a challenge to be honest.  It is not that different from being retired - every day is a 'Sunday'.  I can do it indefinitely, so long as I can get my wine delivered when I need to.

In the interim I have persuaded the 'sergeant major' to wargame.  Her only proviso is that it must be with "pretty armies".  What will I do if she wins?

[Shecky]

So far I've completed 111 SYW figures, from start to finish in the past 4 weeks. 

The picture is of the latest - Russian infantry which will be used for "Twilight of the Soldier King" and/or, "For King or Empress".
In the background you can see their theoretical sons and grandsons.  I'm switching to Napoleonics next and have another 150 figures primed for painting.

]

[Techno]

Those are very spiffy, Shecky ! 

Cheers - Phil

[Norm]

I am painting daily, which has always been a promise and never a reality! :-)

I have become involved in another person's game by sending that player orders for the army and then he plays it out while doing a video while playing over a couple of days. That is a new thing for me and although my investment is relatively minor, I find myself waiting with some anticipation for the next video to appear.

Finally, I had a Don Featherstone scenario and simple rules on the table on Saturday ..... a nice revisiting of my youth!

[Steve J]

Having taken voluntary redundancy a month before the lockdown, life seems pretty much the same except for the social distancing in the house and having to queue at supermarkets. The lovely weather has allowed me to do an awful lot on the garden, which I love. Painting has been sparse to say the least, except for the next few days of painting the back of the house! So the weather has so far allowed us to carry on fairly normally, which is nice. Trying to get some games in but evenings are becoming family times as much as we, giving trying to keep 2m apart when watching telly, which is easier said than done.

[fsn]

I'm still working, but from home. I'm trying to keep a routine, so I'm "in the office" by 8am, and work through till 4.

I've found that I have become something of a nature watcher. Over the last few weeks I have watched the tree outside my window come into leaf and have noticed the many different types of birds that are around.

2020 was supposed to be a year of Napoleonics for me, but I've spent more time reviewing and revamping my 1944 Europeans - hence the upgrade of the British. I have now turned my attention to the Germans and finally got around to painting the 4 Tigers I bought years ago.

Since my office is my Games Room, I try and make sure I have a game set up at all times. Currently, a squadron of He111s escorted by Me110s is being stalked by a trio of Hurricanes and some optimistic Blenheims. Helps me through the day.       

[paulr]

John ask FierceKitty about losing to your wife

Shecky

Norm 

Steve J alot of people are spending more time with their families

Fsn routine is good

For myself I normally work from home two days a week so am now doing an extra 3 days from home
Plenty of painting and lots of video chats with various wargamers plus I'm involved in issuing orders for a Spearhead game being played by 8 players and the umpire who has the troops at his place

[mmcv]

I'm still working, but from home. I'm trying to keep a routine, so I'm "in the office" by 8am, and work through till 4.

I've found that I have become something of a nature watcher. Over the last few weeks I have watched the tree outside my window come into leaf and have noticed the many different types of birds that are around.

Same, I'm also working from home and as I'm set up in the kitchen, so have enjoyed watching the birds come to the tree outside the window and its colours change from green to white and pink. I'm sure people wonder what I keep glancing at in video calls as the birds flit by. I suspect with less . Between that and the dog splitting his time between me and my wife, it can be quite peaceful.

[Big Insect]

My life is actually not too bad ... dare I say that ...

I work from home a lot of the time, when I am not on trains to London, or planes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and a number of European capitals - all of which has been replaced with video conferencing. We are lucky pretty much all our 120,000 staff globally are either now working from home or in lock-in (with client staff in key fascilities - such as nueclear power plants) or are providing critical services for H.M.Gov and the NHS (we have teams on-site at a lot of the big hospital trusts and providing break-fix onsite in the new Nightingale hospitals). So my working weeks is actually much busier than normal - so I count myself lucky.

My wife has taken herself up to stay (for at least 3 months) in lock-down with her 89 year old mum, who is very frail and has dementia. I do their shopping and leave it in the garage - waving my hello's through the patio windows. So I am left alone with 2 mad cats for company.

Both my daughters - in their early 30's - have had the virus and are now out the other side - and that included my son-in-law and my 7 month old grandson (who started coughing for the first time ever and it caused him endless giggles). Eldest daughter is working from home - she looks after Sainsbury's for her company - so really busy and my son-in-law's firm is also able to keep him working full time at home. So we thank our lucky stars all round.

I am using my spare time to 'exercise' upon my allotment - I have 250 square of glorious self-isolation - and that Mr Gove chappy has stated that going to the allotment is perfectly acceptable activity - so who am I to disobey a government directive. And it has never looked better or gotten more attention.

I am also spending my evenings attacking the lead pile - and I am 2/3rds of the way through painting up a massive 28mm Early Carthaginian army - 1st Punic & Syracusan Wars - but it is slowly morphing into 2nd Punic Wars as I just couldn't resist the elephants.
NB: I must also set aside time to finish off CWCII and also a couple of other new sets of Pendraken rules - even in lock-down there is never enough time.

So all in all I cannot grumble - especially now the panic buying seems to have died down. Thank goodness.

It is a glorious day today - on 20th April 2020 - my 60th Birthday - one to remember 

Keep your spirits up folks.

Mark

[paulr]

Happy Birthday Mark

even in lock-down there is never enough time.

So very true

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

A mere youth Mark !

[Big Insect]

A mere youth Mark !

60 is the new mid-life Ian - but I had my own mid-life crisis 20 years ago - got divorced, bought the sports-car etc. - I wouldn't want to do it again - seriously overrated IMHO !!!

[Orcs]

In the interim I have persuaded the 'sergeant major' to wargame.  Her only proviso is that it must be with "pretty armies".  What will I do if she wins?

I think FK is  the person to go to in that case. He is used to being defeated by the fairer sex. (on the wargames table at least)