Oh-oh! I feel an enthusiam building!

Started by fsn, 28 November 2013, 09:10:08 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

fsn

Last week, I was engaged upon my normal household activities. With feather duster in hand, I was flciking over my books. As you may appreciate, this can take some while. Not only are there quite a few to dust (last count I had about 60m of shelving) but dusting does tend to lead to browsing. As I my wandering duster gently caressed the numerous works of ancient authors standing proudly in their black Penguin Classics one particualrly battererd volume seemed to claim my attention. It was Herodotus. The Father of History, the Father of Lies. This volume I bought when I was 15 through a scheme my school ran. (No Amazon those days.)

The years flew away as I opened the volume and began to read about the Hellenes and the Asian and how the trouble had all been caused by the Phoenecians abducting a Greek princess and the Greeks making a big thing of it.

The book naturally falls open to the role atthe battle of Platea. I felt the stirring for a phalanax - my 15mm Peter Laing one being "lost" in the divorce - for gaily coloured Medes and bow armed Persian. But no. I must resist. My powers are too weak. I need to master my techniques on drab modernity before essaying Ancients. Think Centurion! Think big, clanking chariots ... scythed ... 20pdr and how many horses? .... 4 horses ...

Eventually, I battered down this urge by painting my lovely Pendraken Flak 18/36's.

A few days later I was catching up on my podcasts, and scupper me, Tom (Persian Fire) Holland had done a new version of (yes, you guessed it) Herodotus. He talked of his favourite bits and I remembered mine. Platea – Hoplites in bronze, proud plumes nodding in the sunlight the sparkled on leaf shaped spear blades – each one marking the stand of a proud Greek.

I am weakening. I have looked again at the Pendraken pages for Greek and Persian and Mede and Scythian ...

I downloaded a copy of Herodotus for 79p onto my Kindle, so I can listen to it whilst dusting. I know this feeling, I shall soon succumb and be adding to the lead mountain even though I stall have 1944 and Korea and some Dark Age stuff to finish. It was ever thus!
Then this morning, I inadvertently put my iPod on shuffle. The first song to come up was "O'er the Fields and Far Away" ... and I recalled my now defunct British Napoleonic armies ... ranks of immaculate scarlet tipped by a streak of green coated riflemen, ...

I'm doomed. , but I suspect I'm not alone.

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

FierceKitty

Ancients have got me in their dread clutches again too.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

Steve J

Ah the joys and perils of browsing the bookcase!

Wulf

I overdosed on Ancients just by browsing the Impetus Army Lists... I now have about 16 armies...  :o

fsn

I caved in. Bought some Pendraken Greeks as "samples".

I never wanted to be rich anyway. May as well just have my salary diverted straight to Pendraken and ask Leon for pocket money.  :(
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Ithoriel

With mountains of lead and plastic to keep me busy and a tight budget now I'm retired I think I'm safe .... unless Clib or Techno wind up sculpting Mycenaean Greeks and Trojans at which point I am as doomed as Ilium herself :)
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

fsn

You do know that Mr Techno is laying aside whatever he is doing and is reaching for "The Illustrated Big Book of Myceneans", and Mr Clib has just put his favourite Brad Pitt movie into the DVD player.

Unfortunately it's "Thelma and Louise".
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Techno

Quote from: fsn on 30 November 2013, 06:36:13 PM
You do know that Mr Techno is laying aside whatever he is doing and is reaching for "The Illustrated Big Book of Myceneans",

No I'm not !.....I'm crayoning in my 'Noddy goes to Toytown" book at the moment. :P
Cheers - Phil.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

Techno

It's difficult Will.
The crayons are ever so fat. :D
Cheers - Phil

fsn

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!