Travelogue III : Drogheda A

 Then we traveled to the first of the military locations I had in mind for our little visit to British Isles and France.

the bastion fortress of Drogheda

the 'main floor' of the tower was now a general museum

the original fortress was a Norman Motte & Bailey
hill fort

the siege started during the English Civil War
and ended after the fighting in England had been
concluded

warts and all

the Cromwell artillery position was on
the hillside just beyond the stone wall seen
in the center of this modern photo taken
from the tower battlements

an illustration of the New Model Army position
firing on the battlements

The Boyne river valley is not far from Drogheda and though the fortifications could not be counted on to hold off any more siege, they were still formidable and used during the 'Glorious Revolution'

some of the displays come alive from
this time period, since more relics remain

into the Napoleonic era, things became more
formalized - even for the militia

knowing of the minis to come, this display
will likely be of value as future reference

the weapons were well preserved and some
could be directly touched in this museum

there were even full size (not cut down)
pikes and halberds

The upper floor was dedicated to the more modern history of the tower fortress, most notably the 1922 battering of the tower by WWI artillery.

Then the real hidden jewel ... in the powder magazine.

the Irish connection to Waterloo

Up next ... that hidden jewel in detail!

Travelogue II : water shrines

 Our second day included more explorations around Ireland:

a special moment for Mary

at a special place ...

Up next; we visit a military & cultural museum in Drogheda.

Panorama from the parking lot

Travelogue I : some stone age exposure

 I started out the little visit to UK & Ireland with an examination of some stone age ruins.

Newgrange seen from the bus stop

Carvings on the stones

 

Then we, my bride and I, saw a 'folly' made from the same stones:

the folly

 

carved stone at the sun beam entry

carvings over the 'lintel' of the sun shaft

The quartz stones were on the south facing side
of the stone age site

So we had our first exposure to the quartz stones that seemed to populate so much of the territory, and the tiny sparkles that came out when the sun was shining.

one final little look at the Newgrange wall

Our next day was to include more little water shrines, places and people that my bride was focused on.

Traveller returns

 Very fast adventure highlights, from the games perspective.

In both Ireland and the west country, near Glastonbury, I noticed that the ground was much more 'rippled' than we have been portraying on our tabletop battlefields.

Also that there are many many more hedges and deep lanes across fields and in the area than are typically portrayed on the maps.

the higher concentration of quartz stones
in the gravel of the area also made lanes
and unpaved roads look very bright white
in the sunshine

So this means I'll be looking to make more of the smaller hills and ridges for my terrain set.

stopped in to see Horse Guards changing of the guard

had lunch at a cafe near HMS Belfast

A little excursion and attempt to see more at Basing House ...

unfortunately the access was limited as
there were no staff on the day we could
get there - enroute to Glastonbury

 

at Avebury we were able to see more of
the white/yellow soil and tracks
that contain much quartz materials

 Glastonbury also has the 'tor', which ought to factor more into control of the ground.

the tor as seen from a private property
next to the national trust to the north of the
mound ... look closely and you can see the
fire poi dancer on April 30, 2025 just after sunset

 Then came a trip to FOUNDRY in Nottingham

the gateway at the Foundry works
(expect another posting all about this visit)

Followed by a trip to the Birmingham area and a game in person at a fellow wargamer.

play testing a set of rules first
drafted in 2019

After a quick excursion into Wales, we - my bride and I, went to Paris.

one of our stops in Wales

there was a twice yearly market happening
during our visit to Paris and I
managed to find some amazing DelPrado
Napoleonic miniatures

From the market we did the trip to the Armee Museum and Les Invalides and the dome.

yes that is the hat and sword of who you think it is

There will be a number of postings to come from this visit that culminated under the dome.

in person the tomb is most impressive

A bit more touring and walking about in Paris, then a return trip series via London and Ulster.

We then did a day trip to Londonderry/Derry

Canada making an appearance in the
replacement stained glass in the guild
hall in Derry

Finished off at 'the Giant's Causeway'

another international trust site

Part of the reason why Northern Ireland is less capable farmland is that it sits on basaltic rock that was scraped clean during the glacial period ... thus the reason why there were various pushes south on Ireland - they were seeking farmland.

There will be more detailed follow-up postings from the various locations and more details regarding games focus (yes we did other stuff, thus the large gaps and only short stops at the game focus ones)

Les Invalides is going to have many postings I suspect.

In the meantime I have a return to firefighter/first responder duties and a looming housing issue...

mural on the wall at Pompier de Paris
station 7

Going on an adventure!

 My bride long-ago visited UK and Glastonbury, before we were wed.

She wanted to return.

Now that vision will be realized.

As you read this I will already be in the air on a journey from the left coast of Canada to the British Isles and a quick trip to Paris.

We start in Ireland

A few days there (first one to shake off jet-lag), with a local 'da' to guide us.

Not much spending cash available, so only a show
and a meal are likely for London

Then a stop off in London, where we pick up a self-drive car for our UK adventures.

We will explore out to Glastonbury, where we base from the Chalice Well Trust lands, exploring the area and the Chalice Well for Beltaine.

Maybe I even get a few photos from the Tor?

One of those explorations will be to the Foundry Factory, a few hours drive, and a game with a UK based miniatures games connection.

I even have a plan to buy some mini here that I have never seen
in any Canadian shops

Then a little run out to Wales, ok Cardiff.

Then we return out self-drive and take the Chunnel to Paris.

Only two days in the city, so no idea how much we
really get to see.

 

Then a return on the Chunnel train to London, maybe a show (My Bride is very much into all live theater being a professional in the back end here in Canada), then a flight back to the Irish 'da' and a trip to the airport for our return to Canada.

No idea if I will get any opportunity to read your comments until I return, possibly after Mother's Day I will have more to share about the journey.

Have a great start to your Summer everyone!

Union Cavalry Division for Gettysburg completed

 So no more horses, except for other Division or exceptional Brigade commands, of which there are a few on both side at Gettysburg.

Division command and horse gun stand

indoor lighting

opposite view also indoor lighting

 

It was a fine sunny day, so I took it all outside to get even better lighting for the pictures.

overview of the whole Division
(plus two stands from Bull Run)

the recently painted Gamble (8 stands)

both forces have horse holders, dismounted fighting lines
and horse 'disorder' and casualty markers

For the next little while I will be away from both painting table and game table.

Details in the next post.

ACW 15mm Project - Gettysburg Union Cavalry - Gamble's Brigade

 The painting continues for the 15mm grand project, now focusing on Gettysburg.

bare metal
base coat

undercoat colors
highlights

bulk color (before inks)

inks complete and details finished

matte coating sprayed
(yes it is still wet)
this was frustrating as the baking paper did
not work out well in keeping the horses
from sticking - I'll not be doing that again

all mounted on their bases

fully flocked

Seeking a subject

 I've been seeking a subject for a while now, to put in a post here.

I have finished the First Responder course, now only need the government to finish their end of things and issue my license number.  So there's that.

I'm not immune to the news going on about the zany tariffs being banty'd about by Our American Cousins and their <ahem> current president.

It is from this news I found this item which brought me to writing here.

The 'business' of the games is ever-present, and factors into many decisions we all make in our hobby activities.

I have found the benefit of making my own miniatures, and having read the "Game Design" book by Steve Jackson, I have less resistance to making up my own games and systems.  Meaning I am less bound by the whims of a marketplace, as I have sold my minis (fully painted) in the past to pay for the ones I have kept and feel no compunction to running my own games - or even games conventions - without reference to other 'rules' or printed materials.

Still it remains that without ongoing success from commercial games makers, the future of our hobby becomes uncertain.

I'm hopeful that we shall all be able to weather the uncertain times ahead, while at the same time recognizing that time and focus for such things as tabletop games will be pulled away or even pulled apart.

May we find the time and focus to have some shared fun even with the other chaos continuing.