Future Wars are bright -I should've worn shades!

Wed 21st Wed

             For a long time I've been looking for a good set of skirmish rules which are simple to use and also can be fit on the side of an A4 sheet of paper.Haven't come across the latter yet but Chris Peers 'Future War' rules go a long way to solving the first request.

Downtown East Lothian

                I picked up these rules at the Partizan wargames show in August and I found they seemed pretty easy to read and looked simple enough to use in a few types of games.On finding that Colin Jack also had a set of these rules we decided to try them out this evening.Finding figures,scenery and even vehicles for these games is not hard for Colin amongst his huge collection.Another good thing about these rules is that you can combine all types of scenarios,be it post apocalypse,alien invasions or even good old gang warfare as all ingredients are all combined.

Windowless houses

               Bill Gilchrist and myself headed out for Sleepy Hollow(sorry Garvald) for an evening of gaming and were introduced to a nicely set out games table although smaller than usual looked as though it was going to make for a good evening's gaming.

The McGuffin

                  Colin had conjured up a nice village with narrow alleys and roads heading towards a harbour.Moored alongside the harbour was a boat which contained some form of booty guarded by myself and some local militia.Colin and Bill's squads basically had to commandeer the boat.
                   I provided my militia and civilians and true to form because they had never been used before they followed the usual trait of not giving a good showing.

My militia with the wrong camo!

                   Bill's forces were made up regular soldiers whilst Colin's forces -surprise surprise-were made up of females albeit ones who could kick ass.

Bill's bully boys

                     I deployed my defenders with my militia facing off against Colin's femme fatales and my three civilians given the task of holding up Bill's lads.This was going to be easy-aye right.
      The thing about these rules is that in order to do something significant your figures have to be motivated and to do this you have to be within eight inches of your leader or else your figures are just swatting at flies which my civilians were doing.

The deserted streets-not for long.

                        Colin's girls hoped to use the buildings in order to manoeuvre around my militia only to find that he hadn't set up the houses to his advantage as a lot of the buildings didn't have doors and windows so therefore had to creep around the buildings right into my killing zone.

Typical women-sneaky!

                        Killing zone my arseum.Colin gained first initiative and wasted my two ambushers making me fail a morale check-three and I was off to the pub.
                           Bill's forces-no doubt socialist inclined were slowly edging up the other flank due to the vagaries of the movement rules as well as the swamp that Colin had conveniently placed in front of Bill's initial set up.My civies were taking potshots at them but due to them  being to far away from their leader  could only make them keep their heads down.

Rush hour.

                        Colin's girls finally crawled around my hapless militia with their usual womanly guile and engaged my forces from the rear doing some serious damage.My forces retaliated but even with the use of grenades couldn't make any serious headway.Once again due to the movement process which was down to the rolling of dice I couldn't move my men into better firing positions.

'Are my seams straight?'

      Bill's forces meanwhile had reached better firing positions and started to snipe away at my men guarding the loot on the boat forcing my men to cower behind cover.

'Oh look'

Harry Palmer not having a good time-not a lot of people know that.

              Colin's girls on the other flank went for broke and albeit taking a couple of casualties inflicted another morale check on my militia meaning everybody was pinned and therefore due to the fact of my men could due b****r all except paint their toenails it was game over.

A good way to rip your tights.

                         An enjoyable game and hopefully first of many as I really these types of games.Bill,the rule guru,has taking the rules away to digest hopefully making the next game more straightforward.Scottish Civil War anybody?

'Hoy,where's your orange vests'

                 Thanks to Colin for an excellent meal and Bill for a glass of fermented grapes.    Nipping to Japan for a couple of weeks(no pun intended)so I hoping to be putting some small blogs out whilst I'm there and more expanded ones when I get home.
                See you when I see you.

I've seen the Elephant!

'And not a lotta people know that'

Tuesday 13th September

          After suffering writer's block for a few weeks I decided that it was maybe time to get my nose back to the grindstone and get some practice in before heading to the Land of the Rising Sun to celebrate my thirtieth plus birthday.

           To give me some subjects to write about we headed for Lady Watson's second home namely London.We set of in one of our red and white chariots of diesel and headed south and after being suitably pampered arrived into a very warm Autumnal London day inspiring us to head towards the River Thames in search of a nice watering hole.

An oasis by the Thames

       We found it in the shape of the Rutland Arms hostelery where a few flagons of Twickenham brewery's finest ale were dispatched very quickly complemented by Lady Watson's demolition of a couple of large pinos infused with copious amounts of ice .

Still walking straight after a few wines

 The Rutland Arms is in the shade of Hammersmith bridge and is used as a watering hole in New Tricks tv series  but alas Sandra P wasn't in attendance.Woe is me.

   After being suitably refreshed we sought out somewhere to eat and found it in the form of a Chinese buffet run by Poles-nuff said. I was half expecting stuffed cabbage with a sweet and sour sauce.

From there we headed back towards our accommodation in the Elephant and Castle area of south London.This area was chosen due to it being in the neighbourhood  of tomorrow's first destination-Imperial War museum.The Elephant and Castle is a diverse area of London,home to a multitude of races living together without any outward show of hostility towards each other.During the day it is not the quietest place around with a combination of underground trains running into the station complimenting the sounds of aircraft coming into land at nearby Heathrow airport.It can be a bit nervy walking under these landing planes praying that they don't stall.

After a suitably night of rest -not!it was still over twenty decrees during the night,,we walked along towards the museum which emerged into view after about fifteen minutes with the view of the fifteen inch naval guns to the fore.
                  I had last been at the Imperial War museum about five years ago and then it reminded me of a giant Airfix catalogue.After much needed renovations it has evolved into a nice open plan museum with more displays and more exhibits to keep one and all amused.

Especially for Bill

                     We arrived at the museum passing a monument to all the Soviet dead in the second world war in the process and after Lady Watson took a couple of hundred pictures in the peace garden

.Acting as a form of gateguard are two 15inch gun barrels.One from HMS Ramillies and one from HMS Resolution. We ventured into the museum itself being met by the sight of a Spitfire hangjng from the ceiling side by side with a Harrier.

Just like Airfix kits

Complementing these two aircraft were V1 And V2 rockets.As we moved further into the museum I caught sight of a T34 peering out from behind a pillar.Nowadays the sight of a T34 tends to make me think of our Shug who sadly passed away in April.His coffin was covered in picturesof T34s and at his eulogy it was stated that he wished everything in life was as simple as a T34.On the ground level also was a 13lb Qf gun complete with limber which has been around this museum since the end of the First World War and with the help of the occasional lick of paint still stands out.

This has been here for ever

                           As always Lady Watson and I went our own way and I first headed up towards the second world war exhibits which also included films and newsreels from both sides showing the difference in the propaganda issued by all involved.

                            There was plenty of equipment from both sides on view backed up with documentation and original maps.

Wreck of a Japanese aircraft

88mm-beautiful

                                  Moving on through the exhibit we ended up in the modern exhibits portraying conflict both external and internal.

The 'Humble' Pig

                              There were exhibitions about the home front during the second world war showing life in London during the blitz centred around the Allpress family and their existence throughout the war.

The Allpress family

                  On the ground floor were exhibits from the First World War and when I was there it was infested with school kids drawing pictures and filling in question sheets.I think it's a good idea to let the kids learn about past conflicts but sometimes the way the kids are educated demeans the actual events and gives the children a false impression of the seriousness of these conflicts.

The Kaiser's coat given to him by his cousin the Tsar-ironic.

                                  There were more exhibitions concerning post war conflicts including an exhibit entitled Ebola to Isis telling of the threats our lads face today.

Ebola to Isis

A nice wee Ferret

                                   My favourite exhibit was the one devoted to our secret wars from our involvement with the French resistance through the SOE,helping out in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean,with mention of the kidnapping of General Kriepe by Patrick Leigh Fermor,W Stanley Moss and the lads of the Cretan resistance which inspired the book and the film 'Ill met by Moonlight'.

Popski's Private army's antics in the Western desert also get a deserved mention.

Before moving on to the antics of the post war secret forces there were exhibits about SOE in north west Europe and their actions in the far east with a nice little example of a 24 hour ration pack with the standard spam pack.Lovely!

Actually looks ok

                                        Post war actions in southern Arabia right up to the Falkland War were mentioned before the exhibition culminated in a film documentary of the SAS action at the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate in South Kensington in May 1980.

SAS in Southern Arabia

                                     

And in the Falklands

 I met up again with Lady Watson and we headed off towards the cafe to indulge in a couple of home made sausage rolls in order to revitalise us before we headed for the last exhibition on our visit which was the 'Real to Reel' a century of war films.Oh baby!Right up my street.

Anyone for popcorn?

               On display were references to films starting with the factual 'Battle of the Somme'right up to the latest 'Eye in the Sky'.There were clips,costumes,memorabilia and souvenirs including a genuine Oscar.All major and a few minor films were represnted.The Great Escape was supported by Steve Mcqueen's motorcycle.Peter o'Toole's costume from Lawrence of Arabia was on display along with David Niven and Clark Gable's actual serving uniforms were on display.All my favourite war films were on display Bridge To Far,Guns of Navarone,Where Eagles Dare(complete with Clint Eastwood's German uniform and model cable car),Battle of Britain and even a mention of The Green Berets which I like and sod the goody goody comments.
                                         A good day was had by one and all and I would thoroughly recommend it for a day's entertainment especially as its free with a nominal charge for the 'Reel to Real'exhibit.

Monument to the WW2 fireman

                         After leaving the museum Lady Watson decided that she wanted to see the Great fire of London exhibit at the London Museum so we headed for the nearest Underground station and made our way to the museum situated near the Barbican.

The Great Fire of London exhibit was contained within the museum and was an excellent display showing the origins of the fire through the inactions of the mayor,the hesitancy of both the king and the gentry through to the eventual extinction of the blaze and even thrown into that lot was an invasion scare that the French and Dutch armies were about to invade London.Fantastic exhibition.

When we left the exhibition we were left short of time to visit the rest of the museum so we decided to come back the next day for a longer visit.Any place that has Cromwell's death mask intrigues me.

I wonder if this is where David Hasselhof stays

                  After leaving the London museum we decided that food was on the agenda and Lady Watson surprised me by deciding that we would go for either a KFC or a Macdonalds.I was that stunned that we had to go into a pub to calm my nerves,especially one that sold Doom Bar.Suitably refreshed we headed for St Paul's cathedral before heading for the Millenium bridge stopping off to take a photo of the College of Arms.

Straight out of O.H.M.S.S

Globe Theatre

We crossed the bridge and headed for Southwark passing the Globe theatre in the process and in that time we didn't pass one KFC or Macd's-typical!After a while we ended up back at the Elephant and still couldn't find either joint.We actually ended up with a couple of healthy salads albeit washed down by some Old Speckled Hen,a very nice beer especially at £1 a bottle.
                    Chilled for the rest of the evening by consuming the salads washed down by ale and wine and complemented by two episodes of To The Manor Born-can't beat it!

Claymore 2016

Sat 6th August

                          Be there or be an equal sided rectangle.

                         

Konnichiwa Cornwall

Thurs 23rd June.

     "Do you want to go to St Michael's Mount?"

     "Not really"

    "There's a samurai suit there."

      "Hold me back"

        Breakfast conversation this morning.As you can tell I'm not easy to persuade.

        "So what's on St Michael's Mount?"

        "Plenty of history,suits of armour,s**tload of cannons,oh and a stack of Chinese!"

   Just when it was going well.

    So off we headed to St Michael's Mount just off the village of Marazion(which I'm led to believe is Hebrew for Jewish market).Due to the village having narrow streets parking was outside the village and from there we headed,on foot,towards the pier where small boats were ferrying people across to the island.This was due to the tide being in and by the time we had finished our tour the tide was out meaning we could walk back along the causeway.

Mini Dunkirk

       We clambered into a small boat and ventured onto the island and headed along the pier towards the entrance .

"And I will walk 500 miles"

        The island is managed by the English Heritage meaning our Historic Scotland passes meant we had free entry.Once again people these memberships are a god send providing you're not one of Scotland's millions of couch potatoes.

Mousehole in the distance.

        

Cannons to the left of her,cannons to the right.

Have to pay for the holiday somehow.

Very well spaced out gardens before the steep walk to the castle which culminated in some nice well planned rooms and exhibits making for a very pleasant morning.This all came together for me with the samurai suit and complementing Japanese swords.

Ah Tim san.

     

Looks like a good uniform for checking tickets on my train.

  There is plenty of history in this place from it's conception in medieval times right through to it's modern form as a tourist attraction and haven for Chinese tourists.

Early 16th century armour.

Various rifles including a Martini Henry

             

English Civil War armour

 After a very nice morning visiting St Michael's mount we headed back over the causeway towards Marazion in search of some nice hostelery which we found in the shape of The Rosario offering very nice fresh crab sandwiches washed down by Diet Coke as I just wanted something cold and quick.

Memorial to H.M.S.Warspite

                       We headed back through the village towards the carpark passing a memorial to H.M.S. Warspite on the way.This old girl survived two world wars only to come to a sticky end on the rocks of nearby Prussia Cove whilst on its way to the breakers.The irony is that it took all the German's threw at her during both wars only to come to grief in a place with a Teutonic name.

According to this sign Charles II stayed in this house before heading for the Scilly Isles after Battle of Naseby.

                                     While enjoying the very tasty crab sandwich Lady Watson came up with her next starter for ten.
                                             "How do you fancy going down a mine?"
                                               "Whit!(Scottish for pardon me)"
                                              "There is a Poldark mine not far from here"
                                              "I might have guessed."
                           

Which do I choose?

   The Poldark mine,once again where scenes were shot,is situated in the village of Trenear,near Helston.We got into the car and headed for Helston passing R.N.A.S Culdrose on the way.I've seen more of this naval base more in the past two days than I've seen in my puff'.The good thing was that the mine was well signposted.The only sign they didn't show you was the one that said that it was just closing as we arrived.Guess I'll be back here tomorrow.

Like me -Lost and forlorn!

                                                     Since that plan had been scuppered I suggested a trip to Falmouth for a spot of dinner and a wee peruse round the town.Oft we toddled and drove to Falmouth which in my opinion is that it's just one great big marina which had me drooling like a rabid dog with all the boats on display...Sure enough the whole town seems to be directed towards a life on the ocean wave with pubs right up to the water's edge.We parked in one of these new fangled car parks were you have to phone up to pay for your space if you have no change.Daylight robbery.As we headed into town we passed one of Rick Stein's Fish and chip shops.£8 for a fish supper.Nightime robbery.

"I must go down to the see again"

                            We walked through the pedestrian precinct looking at all the souvenir shops(very pricey)wondering what kind of meal we fancied when I spotted a nice local restaurant,Chinese!In we trotted and enjoyed one of the best Chinese meals we've had this side of Honk Kong.
                                    Suitably fed and watered we returned to the car ready for the drive home when I spotted a sign for Pendennis Castle.Looks like the evenings entertainment was taken care of.

"Knock knock!-Who's there?

                          Pendennis Castle is situated on the southern outskirts of Falmouth defending the Carrick roads waterway on the River Fal..It was built by Henry VIII as one of the defences against France and the Holy Roman empire and has been updated since then and is now home to a coastguard station.Being evening we couldn't get inside so had to content ourselves with a walk round the now dry moat which led us down to the sea passing a WWII battery complete with a preserved Bofors gun and some heavy gun barrels which could have come straight from Navarone.

Primed and ready for action.

                         

The last bastion.

  A good end to a very busy day.Looking forward to tomorrow's trip down a mine-not!
                See you when I see you.