While I had plans for a game or two and some serious time at the painting table before year-end, life blew a fastball right passed me and left me swinging into a void and gasping for breath. With family descending upon us for the holidays, Nancy and I both were stricken by COVID just as guests were arriving. Since Nancy showed symptoms before I did, my isolation period spanned Christmas Day, itself. That situation prompted a change of lodging arrangements, a move of dinner location and new cooks. That also left me Home Alone. Although not present for this year's festivities, my dear sister sent along her best wishes with the hashtag #IntrovertsDream. She is very funny. Today, she tells me that she has tested positive for COVID as well. #Karma.
Anyway, games were cancelled and plans to reach 1,000 painted figures in 2023 dashed. I will be close but not close enough. Finally feeling well enough today to pound out a short blog post and maybe even put a slap of paint on a few figures before nap time.
Up for show today are the latest units to muster out from the painting table. Sticking with a SYW/WAS theme, two, 23-figure Hanoverian infantry regiments march off. Regiments are Hodenberg and Stolenberg with foot from Old Glory and mounted officers from Eureka Miniatures. |
| Stolenberg IR |
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| Hodenberg IR |
Adding to the holiday excitement, Nancy attempted to drive through the closed garage door last night with her SUV. This morning was spent getting a service tech to come out and make a few "adjustments" to the door to get it into an operable state using a BIG hammer and power tools. Details of this episode are better served cold another time...
Happy holidays!
Lovely units Jonathan, but all my best wishes to you and Nancy in the hope that fortune smiles favourably on you both soon. Get well quickly. Nearly 1000 figures is an amazing achievement... not to mention all the joy you bring through your posts and association.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Thanks, Richard! You may see some of these Hanoverians on a table in the New Year. I appreciate your well-wishes. I hope for a speedy recovery too.
DeleteThere's nothing like Christmas memories . . .
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about the COVID contraction. Here's hoping that you and your better half (no offense) recover quickly and experience no long-term effects.
Thanks for all you do for the wide world of wargaming. I don't think it's going too far to suggest that your posts are rather like wonderful presents that each follower, or casual reader gets to enjoy.
Best wishes for 2024. May you match your output of 2023, or better yet, paint and play even more.
Your thoughts and encouragement are most welcome and your endorsement flattering. Nancy would not contradict your ‘better half’ conclusion.
DeleteWhile I have not made a final tally of games played, I expect 2023 to see the most games in a year, ever. For 2024, I may need to dial back the gaming frequency a bit. Some of that reduction is likely forced since the long-running Tuesday UK remote game, that was a staple during COVID lockdowns, is gravitating toward in-person play.
Glad to see you well enough to 'slap' some paint on figures and get two more fine looking units done.
ReplyDeleteLove the bit about your sister!
These Hanoverian fellas were finished before illness struck me down.
DeleteA very "exciting" Christmas Jonathan! Sometimes all you can do is laugh. I am glad you are all better, you, Nancy and the garage door. 😁
ReplyDeleteA fantastic group of figures to end the year on.
Thanks for all your blog posts and comments throughout the year. They are great inspiration and entertainment and I appreciate all the effort you put into them.
While state of the garage door has improved, we are not yet out of the woods from sickness.
DeleteThanks for your kind words on my blogging efforts. Always much appreciated.
Oh dear, at least Christmas 2023 will be a memorable one for years to come although doubtless you would have preferred a more standard end to the year Jon! Some nice-looking infantry added to your WAS collection is hopefully some consolation!
ReplyDeleteThis Christmas will go down in the Christmas Annals, for sure. Seeing two more units reach the storage bins before year-end is a bonus.
DeleteA rough patch (understatement) at any time if the year, but exacerbated by the disruption of the holidays. Sounds as if the COVID going round the clan, if no fun, at least is of the mild type. Hope everyone is feeling well soon. (PS. My better half backed out through one of our garage doors;I feel your pain).
ReplyDeleteEd, not sure if classifying this strain as mild is correct. We both have been laid quite low by it. Of course, avoiding hospitalization might be considered mild. The garage incident may be influenced by COVID Fog.
DeleteI was reaching for a term and "mild" was what I wound up with to mean exactly what you suggest.
DeleteI suppose any strain you survive could be considered “mild.”
DeleteNice looking unit. It sounds like fate served up a couple of double 1’s with COVID.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, we rolled poorly this holiday season.
DeleteGreat looking unit. Shame the Christmas festivities were hit by Covid
ReplyDeleteThanks, Neil. It is a shame, no doubt.
DeleteBeautiful looking unit Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michal!
DeleteSorry to hear that the plague put the kibosh on your Christmas plans. The wee fellows look the bees knee's, most splendid.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the Hanoverians! Not all holiday activities were wrecked but most of them.
DeleteSorry to hear about all of your family's travails with Covid Jon and coming at about the worst time possible. Glad to hear you're on the mend though. I think we had a touch of covid in November, which laid us low like a mild cold for about a month, but luckily nothing worse than that. Nice to feel normal again though.
ReplyDeleteAnother fin unit and hope oyu get some painting in soon if you are up to it. For us life is almost back to normal as our daughter leaves for London today, so I'm hoping I can get some prep time in on some units for my proposed Normandy campaign...
Slight detours from the prescribed route, for sure, but we made it through Christmas. Now, we can relax and recover. Good to see that you have recovered from your cold and life returns to normal. One month seems a long time to have a cold linger around.
DeleteGood wishes for your sister. It's still difficult.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to your new regiments. I have chosen my last Hanoverian regiments just to look cool like the regiment Hugo. I almost always compared the uniforms on Kronoskaf with my favorite source by David Morier.
Thanks! I have a few more Hanoverian infantry to field. I will look at your suggestion.
DeleteSorry to hear of the Covid trials and tribulations.
ReplyDeleteBefore Xmas I developed a cough and tightness in the chest; I've wondered if it was Covid. The problem was in the run up to Xmas I've been exhausted anyway from work, so being tired was the normal state of play....
It seems to have run its course but I'm still a bit lethargic and struggling to find enthusiasm.
Keep well and keep painting!
Neil
Neil, I am happy to see that whatever slowed you down over the holidays has moved onto another place. Especially as we age, it can be difficult distinguishing "normal" states of play to something else. Remember the Old Days when our bodies seemed to operate on autopilot with little intervention?
DeleteYou have had quite the lousy few days! Covid is bad enough, and hopefully you and yours will be able to carry on without long-term effects. Garage doors can be repaired, ours was when I hit it a few years back.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand the Hanoverian troops are a spiffy addition to your collection.
But I suggest you change your Christmas movie from Home Alone to Diehard!
I have made a note to put Diehard on holiday rotation in place of Home Alone. Great suggestion!
DeleteHopefully, we will be back to full speed shortly. I mean, really, the figures need painting!
Lovely pair of units to see the year out with. Your ‘almost 1000’ painted figures is still a very good output.
ReplyDeleteHoping that Christmas woes clear in time for a much better New Year.
Thank you, Norm! "Almost 1,000" is good output, for sure.
DeleteGood to hear you are on the mend, and it is very nice to see some lovely Hanoverians on show, the OG figures are not to everyone's taste but the look great to my eyes, plenty of movement about them, lovely addition to your collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donnie! You are quite right about animation of the Old Glory figures. Some like 'em and some don't. I think they add life to a stand of figures and many of the ranges are really quite good. The infantry and artillery mix very well with the other manufacturers I use in this project.
DeleteGreat to see you stopping to leave a comment.
Quite an 'eventful' Xmas! Hope you (and the garage door) are on the mend. Lovely Hanoverian figures - of course - and don't worry about missing the 1000 target, just celebrate the 900+ you completed!
ReplyDeleteEventful, indeed! Garage door is not much worse for the wear and tear. Wish I could say the same for me.
DeleteI should be satisfied with 900+ figures painted. There is always next year…
Beautiful Hanoverians Jonathan. Sorry to hear about the COVID. I got my first dose on Christmas Day itself last year, and I too was left in isolation and couldn't get off the couch for a week. Very frustrating and every time I thought I might be able to pick up a brush I had to lie down again.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lawrence! I am having great difficulty in finding the energy to pick up a brush.
DeleteSorry to hear about the COVID; I have yet to get it, but my daughter, who lives with us, might be getting it via exposure at work. Thus far she is keeping her distance...
ReplyDeleteYou new troops are handsomely holding Hanover against a handover, even if you're feeling like a hangover! I have been very impressed with the attractiveness of them as a small force!
Get better, and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024!
I thought COVID skipped this house but it finally caught us. Of course, holidays bring lots of people together for large social events so it is bound to happen eventually.
DeleteThe small Hanoverian Army is useful for many theaters.
Wow! What a way to end the year, Jonathan! I pray you and your wife get well soon. For the record, my wife and I got it in the summer. I think I caught it at a gaming session. Gave it to my wife the week before her trip to Scandinavia. She took some Paxlovid and tested negative the day before the trip and got to go. Everything was fine. My symptoms weren't so mild I thought I only had allergies. Anyway, best wishes for the new year!
ReplyDeleteYeah, going out with a whimper this year. With some luck, I will begin to improve soon.
DeleteSUperb Hanoverian Infantry Jonathan...Wish you and yours all the best for the end of year, glad to read you'll feelling better...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil!
DeleteOh dear Jon so sorry you have had a rough time. Hopefully you are on the road to recovery. The infantry are lovely though 👍 and hope you were well enough to get some hobby time. Family time here so only limited progress on projects.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt. Eventful holiday and not all in a good way! I managed a short painting session yesterday and hopefully a little bit longer session today. The figures don't paint themselves, you know.
DeleteDreadfully sorry to hear of the arrival of the Plague - hope you are both fighting fit again soon. The soldiers, it goes without saying, are super. Thanks for the great games in 2023.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tony! We can expect more gaming in 2024.
DeleteLovely units JF. I think next year I will do Hanoverians for my WSS. There were a lot at some of Marlborough's battles. Thanks for your posts this year and your comments on my blog. All the best for 2024!
ReplyDeleteThank you, John! I found the Hanoverians quite useful in many WAS/SYW theatres. My Hanoverians will see more units in 2024. I may even expand my WAS/SYW projects to include the Jacobite Rebellion.
DeleteSounds like a fun Christmas Jon!!! I hope everyone's well soon. Great figures BTW!
ReplyDeleteWe seem to be on the mend. Some of us (Nancy) more quickly than others (me!). Of course, she had a three day head start.
DeleteGlad you approve of the Hanoverians.
Great looking unit, sounds like a tough Christmas! I do like your sister's sense of humour though, hope you're properly on your feet soon!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you, Iain! Christmas was more challenging than usual. My sister (Sister #3) is a funny one although all three of my sisters can be quite funny.
DeleteWell done on the past year's painting, gaming and encouragement to others. Best wishes to you for 2024.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kim! Annual recaps coming up.
DeleteYet more lovely toys Jonathan…
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to here about your Christmas Covid woes…
I am sure you will be back to painting machine mode soon…
All the best for 2024… Aly
Thank you, Aly! I am still in recovery mode and the process back to normal is slow.
Delete