Happy Hogswatch Everyone!

For the last three years, at least, I have read Terry Pratchett's "Hogfather" every December. This year however I wanted to share it with Helen. We have been reading a few pages every night for the last month. With 30 more pages to go, we should be done in time for Hogswatch!

So, to coincide with enjoying the Hogfather again, I wanted to make a little Hogswatch display box. If you are familiar with my blog you'll know that a few years ago I painted up the Hogfather miniature from Micro Art Studios. I had picked up Elf Albert at the same time, but never got him completed. This year I would right that wrong.

I used a baseball display box for the diorama, and balsa wood with planks carved in it for the floor. The tree was re-purposed warhammer terrain. I used some beads I had lying around from an old necklace for the ornaments. The backdrop is just a fireplace picture I found.  All in all it came together fairly quickly. I would like to redo the backdrop and format it to fit properly though.

Hobbies this Week, in review:
 - Elf Albert (I am very happy with the 5 o'clock shadow)
 - Built a few models to be secret late Christmas presents (which I will have a mad rush to paint)
 - made my self dizzy playing Star Wars Battlefront

Space Marines, Batman, and X-wing in the near future!

Kevin

"You can't give her that!' she screamed. 'It's not safe!'
IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather.  THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
'She's a child!' shouted Crumley.
IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
'What if she cuts herself?'
THT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON."
 - Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Same Bat-Time

Batclaw to the top of the building followed by a Batarang to drop the thug

I was able to get in part of a game of Batman this week at Lords of War Games and Hobbies. My dynamic duo went against Chris and his very nicely painted Joker Crew led by Harley Quinn. Despite being able to play only 3-4 rounds, the game has me hooked!

The game is very dynamic. There is a lot of atmosphere and it really captures the feel of Batman (especially the Arkham video games). The Action Point system will take a bit to get used to. You have to plan out your character's whole turn before you activate them. There were a couple of times I wish I had placed my action counters more strategically.

My big takeaway from this first game: know all of your characters traits, items and specials.  There are some awesome combos if you plan it out.

This week, in review:
 - Started painting Batwoman
 - Started to build and paint a Discworld Christmas display box (pics next week...hopefully)
 - Started to paint Discworld Elf Albert
 - Built a unit of 10 Blood Angel Space Marines (I can now blend in when painting at LoWH)

Until next time, same Bat-channel
Kevin

“Don't wish, Miss Tick had said. Do things.” - Terry Pratchett

na na na na na na na na BATMAN!

It has been a productive week for painting.  I managed to complete my Arkham City Batman and Arkham City Robin models for the Batman miniature game.  They where a blast to paint.  They are simple and have alot of character that captures the personality.  I am hoping to get my first game in later this week.

Hobby this week in review:
-Painted Batman and Robin
- Started Batwoman
- working on some Batman Counters
- Played a few rounds of "Letters to Santa" (Christmas version on the Love Letter Card game)
- Completed "the Gutter" level and "The Rotten" boss in Dark Souls 2 (with some help from a few friends)

I think next I will be working on a holiday painting project for myself.  A few years ago I posted about finishing up the Hogfather Discworld model.  I have had his trusty manservant Albert dressed as an elf sitting by the painting station for a while.  No better time then the present.

However with all the excitement over the new pre-heresy marines from GW, and talking about the game with the guys at Lords of Wargames and Hobbies...maybe you will see some new Blood Angels soon...

Kevin

"Death in person did not turn up upon the cessation of every life.  It was not necessary.  Governments govern, but prime ministers and presidents do not personally turn up in people's homes and tell them how to run their lives, because of the mortal danger this would presents. There are laws instead."  "The Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett

So We Begin....Again...

Sadly, I have had another prolonged hobby break.  I can't believe it has been a few months since my last post. Sometimes life gets in the way of living.

I want to make a habit of making new posts more regularly. I find when I give myself a deadline (like getting a model finished for the next blog post) I get more accomplished. So, taking a page from the "Hobby Night in Canada" podcast, I think I will do a weekly post about what hobby stuff I got up to during the previous week.  This may be new painted models, works in progress, terrain, or games.  

This week's Hobby, in review:

I have had some of Knight Models - Batman the Miniature Game figures sitting on my painting tray for a while.  One of the reasons I had not started to work on them was due to the gaps in the figures that needed to be puttied.  Knight Models make some beautiful figures, but they can also be a pain to put together.  My modeling skills are quite rusty (I have not used green stuff for many years).  

I dropped into The lords of War Games and Hobby and Jay let me try out some of GWs liquid Green Stuff.  It was awesome.  It is great for filling in the little lines around joins.  For larger gaps regular putty is still better (with maybe a thin coat of the liquid stuff to smooth it out?).  So I have spent the week getting Batman and the Joker crew ready to prime.  

While the green stuff and glue was drying I started work on another little project.  It is no secret that I love Christmas.  Helen and I have started our own ornament collection.  I even have a small 2 foot Nightmare Before Christmas tree.  Hallmark and the Disney store both produce collector ornaments every year.  

The Disney store put out a Jack Skellington Santa Claus ornament.  It is one of the worst repainted figures I have ever seen.  It was riddled with paint overlapping other paint.  So I decided to repaint it.  

Here is the original

And here is the repaint:

Next week...Batman...

Kevin

Thoughts From Places - Day Eleven: There and Back Again

Home sweet home.  For some reason the last two hour drive home seemed to take forever!

I am glad to be home but I am also a little sad that it is over already.   It seemed to fly by in a blink of an eye.  Time very well spent though.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this blog over the last week or so.  I enjoyed sharing this journey with all of you.  This blog will return to its "hobby" theme now.

However, stay tuned to my new blog "Greenhorn Stories".  I really enjoyed writing every night.  I am going to continue to do it.  I will update this new blog with some rough short stories I penned.

I am feeling a little drained tonight, so it is time to sit in my recliner with a nice whisky, reflect, and watch the  Blue Jays.

I save my "Royal Route" whisky to toast to a successful trip

I will leave you with something I heard on a podcast once,  "Be an explorer and not a tourist".


Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Ten: Homeward Bound

Powerful rainstorm last night. At one point I touched the bottom of the tent and it felt like a water bed.  Nothing like a midnight tent move to complete our camping experience.

The morning was kinda nice.  With it being the last long drive, we did not feel the pressure to get on the road.  We let the tent dry out.  Made a hot breakfast and a nice cup of tea, then sat on the beach for a while and watched the waves.

It was a good morning.

We made it to my sister-in-law's cottage right as dinner was served.  Perfect timing or what?  We went from solitude for a week to a house full of kids, 4 boys under the age of 4.

It was a good evening.

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Nine: There is always time for Pooh.

On trips, especially road trips, we have a tendency to focus on the destination and less on the journey itself.  Take today for instance.  We left Quetico, about an hour north of Thunder Bay, and drove to Pancake Bay near Sault Ste Marie.  It was about a 10 hour drive without stops.

That is a daunting drive.  We just wanted to get there, no distractions.  It also did not help that is rained all morning so I wanted to get the tent up and aired out/dried before we went to bed (by the way, it has only rained twice throughout this whole trip and both times in Ontario, not feeling the weather love here).

In this situation, does this make the destination more important?  I guess that it is  dealers choice.  So we missed out on a few scenic lookouts we probably should have stopped for.  But on the other hand, we got here and set up our tent in the light and even got a bit of a sun over the bay.

We did make sure to stop in a small town of White River to check out a Winnie the Pooh statue.  The loved animated character was named after a bear from the London zoo.  That bear was adopted in White River in the early 1900 and named Winnie after the city where the Captain was from, Winnipeg.  Another interesting fact about Canada's history I did not know.

Tomorrow, family reunion.

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Eight: Up North

We crossed into Ontario today, heading for Quetico Provincial park.  It was a good drive.  There is always good driving scenery in the north.

We were worried about some bad weather in the area.  There was even a snow warning where we stayed last night.   So far so good.  Nice and warm with a chance of rain now.

The highlight of the drive today (and one of the trip so far) was seeing a mom black bear and her two cubs running down the street.  It was on a nice quiet highway off the trans Canada, no one was around.  It was awesome.  Sadly they scampered into the woods before we could get the good camera out.

The trip is almost over.  It has flown past.  I am looking forward to getting home, but I am definitely going to miss the journey.  

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Seven: The Lone Prairie

When I was really young, my family would drive out to Winnipeg, Manitoba.  My maternal Great Grandmother lived there.  She was a school teacher in a "one room" school house.  She passed away when she was 96.

I have several clear memories of the house.  I remember the layout; the only bedroom adjacent to the living room.  The kitchen was a hallway that attached the living room to the dinning room.  And of course the oddly smelling basement which I was terrified of.

I wanted to try and find the house as we drove through Winnipeg.  The landmark that I was looking for was a large statue of a white horse.  That horse always indicated we were almost at great grandma's house.  We found that horse.

We drove down the road toward her old house.  So much has changed in the two decades since I have been here last.  My mother told me what drive way to look out for.  Nothing looked familiar.

Now I don't know if this was a good thing or not.  My mom had always been on the side of never going back to old houses.  She wants the memories of that house to remain as she remembers them.  She does not want to see what other people have done to it.

I totally get that.  I have no interest in going back to my old house.  On the other hand I do get some joy from seeing how someone else has taken a home that we loved and shared as a family, and changed it into something that they love and share with their family.

This was a day for reflection.  We set up our tent (our mobile home as it were) in Whiteshell provincial park in Manitoba.

Tomorrow, Ontario.

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day six: Middle of Canada

Today we left the badlands behind us.   I hate leaving Dinosaur Provincial park.  There is always another hike or another Hoodoo to see.  I was very happy that I was able to share this special place with Helen.

We are now staying in Regina.  I always associate my family history with Manitoba, but it is actually from Saskatchewan.   My maternal grandmother was born here.  However she moved to Winnipeg with my Grandfather.

Downtown Regina at 7pm is a ghost town.  It was really odd.  We have now been from ocean, mountains, desert and now prairies.  

Tomorrow we try and find my Great Grandmother's old house.

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Five: DINOSAURS!

We had a nice light day of driving today.  Only about two hours.  The rest of the time was spent Dino hunting.

I love dinosaurs.  It was the first true passion that I can remember.  My mom used to say that if there was one thing in a store with dinosaurs on it, I would find it.

Drumheller is awesome.  There are dinosaur statues out front most businesses.  Plus there is the Royal Tyrrell Museum.   It is an incredible collection of prehistoric life!  I could never get tired of it.

We are now in Dinosaur provincial park.  My favorite park!  Nice camp sites (which remind me of old Clint Eastwood movies).  The red deer river runs along it.  There are even partially excavated dinosaurs along the hiking trails!

I must really thank my fiancée Helen.  She has indulged my Dino fascination.  When planning this trip she made sure there was ample time to spend in Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial park. I think she has even caught a bit of the Dino fever.

Kevin and Helen 

Thoughts from Places - Day Four: Why is everything on the Rockies closed?!

We woke up this morning in our tent to a nice crisp -2 degrees.  I  can say with confidence that MEC sleeping bags work pretty well.  Today's trip was a drive through the rockies, from Golden all the way to Drumheller.  In three days we have gone from ocean coast line to snow topped mountains and now badlands desert.  Times like this I realize how unbelievably awesome Canada is!

We had a nice stop at Lake Louise, a beautiful mountain lake.  Still frozen with snow on the ground.  This was followed by lunch in Banff and a little shopping.

I love driving through the mountains.   I don't think I could ever get tired of it.  I do have one bone to pick though.  Why is everything closed!?  We make good time driving because there is no place to stop.  All the rest stops are closed, all the hiking trails are closed, and to top it off even Moraine Lake was closed.  I had the same problem last time I drove through.  Do they ever open?

On the bright side we are now in Drumheller.  This is easily one of my favorite places in  Canada (second only to Dinosaur provincial park).  We got here late so we are going to do the Royal Tyrrell Museum tomorrow.  I am like a kid on Christmas Eve.

I am going to keep an eye on this guy...

Kevin and Helen

Thoughts from Places - Day Three: What's Golden

We hit the road a little before 9am.  We had a long drive through the mountains to do today.  Our original plan was to leave Vancouver and stay in Revelstoke for the night.  However when we got to Revelstoke we where a little more ambitious and pushed on for another hour or two.  Finial we pitched our first tent of the trip in Golden.  In the shadow of the mountains behind us.

All I could think about during the drive was how un forgiving the terrain was.  Steep mountains, rocky cliffs and rushing white water was in abundance.   We at least had a nicely paved trans-Canada highway; how in the hell did the settlers manage it?  The land scape really made me want to play "Red Dead Redemption" again.

I love westerns (as you can probably guess from my hat).  I love the hollywood image as well as the historical fact.  Trying to cross the rockies by foot, wagon or horse seems to me to be next to impossible.  Canada defiantly must have had some trail blazers in her past.  I should find out more about it.

For now I am going to enjoy a beer, sit in front of the fire and gaze out over the mountains.

Kevin and Helen