The calm before the excitement.

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

Since the last post, things have been a little slow on all fronts. The consistently miserable weather has had quite a negative effect on my mood and motivation so I am hoping that things will get fully back up to speed soon.

With that out of the way, April is very much a month for getting ready for a few big events...

First, the charity shop where I work, has been closed for refurbishment but is set to reopen in a couple of weeks and that will mean a thorough clean of the premises, a restock of the shelves and a time for learning the new layout and equipment. As a result, I am going to have to pop in and have a good look around before taking the helm on the 25th April... and I am looking forward to the start of the next chapter.

Next, we have the Flora Day preparations and celebrations. It'll start with the band practice parade on the first of May (07:00hrs and 19:00hrs), then there will be all of the town preparations on the seventh of May (the town is transformed with hanging flowers, garlands and banners) with the usual "Flora-Eve" celebrations and finally, on the eighth of May, it will be Flora Day (my favourite day of the year). I have mentioned it before but Flora Day is a massive Helstonian tradition where the town is filled with dance, music and festivities. There are four main dances and an additional pagan dance called the Hal-An-Tow. I start the day with a pint of ale and a pasty (followed by a bacon roll) at around 06:45hrs and stay out for the day; sharing great times with friends, family and newcomers. I can't wait.

THEN... My daughter is getting married in the same week as Flora Day! AS a result, I have a lot of family coming to visit and some will be staying for Flora Day as well... not to mention the planned celebration for my daughter's wedding! 

So there is a LOT for me to look forward to in the coming weeks... and an awful lot of getting things to get ready too.

What about the hobby?

Well... I have done NO sculpting. Not a jot since the last post. I tried but could not muster the briefest period of motivation... so it all stopped... and I decided to give painting a go for a change. 

So what have I painted?

I have been lucky enough to receive a few bits and bobs from Chris at Macrocosm Miniatures and as a result, I was able to paint up a Priest:

Click the Pic!

I also decided to paint the concept Beastman I sculpted because I didn't really think he would be a good choice to get cast up... so I painted the green:

Click the Pic!

With no sculpting motivation and a lack of inspiration for a way forward with the Beastman project, I continued to paint and have been working on my Proxy Catachan platoon:

Click the Pix!

So far, I have two Infantry Squads, two Command Squads and a bunch of characters painted (the top pic is everything and the other three "close-ups" of the Platoon). I also have another Infantry Squad that is ready for highlights and a Heavy Weapon Squad that has a rough base-coat; waiting for the neat base-coat to be applied. That will finish this platoon and enable me to start the AK Troopers platoon; which will be a proxy for the Death Korps of Krieg (DKoK).

The DKoK platoon will be two large units of 20 Infantry in each, led by a grizzled Commissar and most probably, the Priest from the Catachan platoon. That means that I will need to convert some of the AK Troopers to fit specific roles and will need to sculpt a suitably gnarly Commissar, most likely with a massive power claw and a bionic eye... 

All I need is some motivation and enthusiasm!

Sadly, no Salute for me this year. Last year was a bit of a mixed bag, spoiled by my anxiety... great to meet people and see some of the great things but my inability to cope with the crowds cut things abruptly short and I let a few people down so when I go again, I will definitely need a chaperone for the day. This coming Saturday, I will send out psychic emanations to all my friends who are attending the show and hope that they have a cracking time... I will be scouring the web for pix and videos so I can get my fix in a safer manner.

Best of luck to everyone at Salute. It's a cracking event.

Right, that's it for this post so lets hope the weather improves, the world calms down a bit and we can get back to enjoying things again.

See you from the top of the world!

Mayday, Mayday!

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again. It is May already and May always signifies a lot of change for me; this May being no exception... so let's start.

First of all, I have been working away at the Air Ambulance shop and have been enjoying all aspects of work; especially the social side of things when I am working at the till. I am constantly surprised by the donations and stories that go along with some of them and understand that part of working in a charity shop is taking in donations from people who have lost loved ones and are clearing their possessions... so I am also required to be the oil for troubled waters... my previous work in care has stood me well.

Flora Day has come and gone and although it was a little less sunny, it was a great day. It is definitely my chosen day of the year to celebrate community and inclusion.

I have also completed my "20 a day until May" charity push-up challenge, in aid of the Alzheimer's Society. I am still a way off my target but the page is open until the 30th of May so there is still time to donate:

Push-Up Challenge LINK

With the push-up challenge completion comes the next big challenge... the running of a marathon! My plan is to run a Marathon before next Flora Day so I have roughly 12 months to get training and deciding which marathon fits the bill best. I will be running for Marie Curie and the Cornwall Air Ambulance so I will be putting up a new charity page very soon. 

As for the hobby, I have been (mildly) busy with painting and sorting out divers... Here's what has happened with the diver project:

First the sculpt:

Click the Pic!

Then the resin master casts:

Click the Pic!

Then a few more resin masters casts and a host of metal casts:

Click the Pic!

Then tabs were removed and and the polishing started. The one (on the left) is now a pendant being worn by the chap who commissioned it:

Click the Pic!

Another eight have also been de-tabbed and polished up, marking the official end to the commission.

In other news, I have been painting things...

First was an Infantry Squad for Blue Company:

Click the Pic!

Followed by an Engineseer:

Click the Pic!

With a Heavy Support Squad coming up next:

Click the Pic!

I have also base-coated the second Infantry Squad for Blue Company but before I could finish it, I became distracted by preparing the divers for delivery and the painting of one; just for the fun of it:

Click the Pic!

I thought a traditional look would suit it well but I have another one in the process of being prepared for a more up-to-date paint job.

With painting in mind, I have also continued to paint a Beer Seer and Wine Witch that I have converted. They will be finished soon and will have a specific leaning to their decoration.

Other plans include finishing a sculpt for a charity, completing the Infantry Squad and then starting the next platoon.

With marathon training on the horizon and plans for another range of miniatures, this year is shaping up to be quite busy!

See you from the finishing line!

May... the dawn of a brighter future.

 Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

It's May and this month is always special because it has Helston's Flora Day to look forward to... and this year it was back after a three year absence... but Flora Day always has an Eve...

The evening before Flora Day, I had my hair shaved off for charity and raised nearly £900 for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust. The landlady of my local pub (the Rodney Inn) did the honours and we raised a nice lot of cash, on the evening, to add to the pot. From a "hairy bear" to this in one short haircut:

Click the Pic!

I'd like to thank everyone for their support and their kind donations. 

Flora Day was BRILLIANT! I spent the entire day in the Rodney Inn; enjoying the hospitality and watching the dances as they went past. I had lots of visitors during the day and the event itself was amazing... beautiful weather, packed streets and lots of local businesses doing a roaring trade. Proper job!

The following day... the wheels fell off. 

I was contacted by the local vet and informed that my cat had been brought in and was deceased. Yep... my handsome, awesome, complicated cat, Sam, has passed away:

Click the Pic!

It seems that he was knocked down by a car and killed instantly... which, I guess is a blessing because I wouldn't have wanted him to suffer. He was such an interesting cat... and he had his issues... but ever since he had an accident with his tail, a few years ago, he suffered from nightmares and always chose to come and sleep near me so that I could comfort him, when he had them. It's almost like his job was done and he was taken away... because I am now Long-Covid free and feeling much better, mental-health wise.... and now he is nightmare free.

Anyway... I'll miss him but have such fond memories of him. He was my boy...

So... I'm better now and I have got myself a job; volunteering at the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust. It's three mornings a week and I'm loving it. It was a complete coincidence but one of my friends got the manager's job and I was pointed in their direction. Happy times.

It seems like everything is working itself out.

Hobby-wise, I haven't managed to get much done... apart from a small amount of painting. I managed to complete the army command squad for my Squat army:

Click the Pic!

... and have almost finished the first platoon's command squad as well... but I don't have a pic of that... It's almost like life is better than sitting hunched over a table, painting or sculpting, at the moment... strange.

Hopefully, the improvements will continue and I'll have more stuff to talk about next time.

See you from the road-side!

A cool week.

Hello and welcome to Inso's World again.

It's been a really good week, this week.

We have had family visiting for the week so I have managed to get some family time in between work shifts. They were down to visit because this week has seen the annual Flora Dance and it is a real community experience. Luckily, my missus had the week off so that she could have plenty of time for family so she had a great week.

On Flora Day, I had my first pint of ale in a whole year. It was worth waiting for... so now I am able to enjoy a pint after my year off the beer. I also spent some quality time with one of my new mates from work so that was cool.

The reason behind the year off the beer was to celebrate my Dad's life with something that meant something and also something that I could look back on and say "I managed to do that". Well... I managed to do that!

On top of that, I have arranged to have our garden fence replaced. The tradesman who is doing it, should be starting at some time this afternoon... possibly Drektly... I guess we'll see.

From a hobby perspective, I have continued with the little Squats and have been working to complete the artillery company. I haven't quite managed it but have had a little progress:

Click the Pix!

The images show the last of the three Thudd-Gun sections and two command squads for two of the sections. I still have the last of the 3 command units to finish and then the company command/support section. I have decided that the support part of this command section will include another couple of Thudd-Guns so it will be different to the Infantry company command/support section. All will become clear when things get painted and based properly.

This coming week will see the arrival of our new Kitten, Alfie. We are expecting to pick him up on Tuesday evening and we can't wait.

I think that is about it for this week.

See you from the camel's back!

What a week!

Hello and welcome to Inso's world, after what has been a very eventful week.

To cut to the chase, Hobby time hasn't really been the main focus of my week because I have had family visiting and have been enjoying having them around.

Hobby wise, the Necromunda Squat arrived:

Click the Pic!

As you can see from my image, he is big... he's even bigger than a Kharadron. Although I am not too bothered about his height, his tiny hands and pin-head bother me... so I will be sorting those problems out. I have started on the head:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, the head has mostly gone but I will be using what's left and blending it in with a larger head (wearing a beret). The hands won't be a problem and I will be able to sort those out with a bit of green stuff. Am I disappointed? No. I knew what to expect and I never had any specific spot to place the miniature but I reckon that after a bit of tinkering, he'll fit in with my 'Big Squats' and they'll all become a bit of a Necromunda gang.

In other hobby news, I have started on tank number three and it is currently at this point:

Click the Pic!

As you can see, basic conversion is finished but I need to sculpt a tank commander on the piece of sprue that is sticking out of the cupola. I will be able to get a certain amount of painting and assembly done in the meantime but it won't be too much until I knuckle down and get the commander finished.

With this tank being firmly WIP now, I have ordered the next section of three tanks and they should be arriving this coming week.

As for other hobby news... I'll be saving that for next week.

Life news now... and this week has been filled with it. I have got a head cold and have had a bit of insomnia but on the whole, life is good. My mother and father in-law have been visiting this week and my wife has had some time off work so we have spent a lot of time together. Meals out, trips to places and the odd cuppa here and there has meant for a very nice, sociable, week. Flora Day was this week and the Furry Dance hit the town. I was mostly solo for the day and spent it doing what any sane man would do... I went to my local pub and stayed there all day... only venturing out to watch the dances. On the day, there are adult dances at 07:00hrs, 12:00hrs and 17:00hrs, with a children's dance at 10:00hrs and the Hal-An-Tow starting at 08:30hrs... so there is plenty of time in between, to enjoy a drink or two. Here's the difference between the 07:00hrs dance and the 17:00hrs dance. First, the 07:00hrs dance:

... and here's the 17:00hrs dance (with the same people in it):

As you can see, the day's merriment has hit home by the evening dance.

With Flora day, a meal out on Friday evening and a live band on Saturday evening at my local, this week has been a properly social affair and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting many people (including one who I hadn't seen for a good 15 years!) and getting to know some new faces.

Prior to Flora Day I came to the conclusion that I needed to kick-start my life again. I have been getting a bit down in the dumps and have let things slide too much... so the first thing that has to go is booze. As a result, I am teetotal until the evening before Flora Day 2019 (yes, that's a year). In addition to this, I am returning to my usual healthy diet and am beginning to get a bit more exercise in. I am hoping that these three things will invigorate me a little and get me back to my usual jovial and productive self. Only time will tell on that one but if nothing else, I will lose some weight and hopefully feel a bit healthier in body.

It should also mean that once I start increasing my exercise, I will be able to focus on my charity run again... something that has fallen by the wayside a bit and has been playing on my mind.

That's it for now.

See you from the epiphany tree!

First post Sunday

This week has been so full of stuff that I will be putting together two posts for it all. This first post will be all about Flora Day and hobby stuff.

So... every year in my new home town of Helston, in Cornwall (UK) they have a special day where everything stops to focus on dancing. The roads are closed, the shops are open really early (as are the pubs), market stalls are set up and the streets are decorated with spring flowers... bluebells, daisies, gorse, Lilly of the Valley etc.

The dance is the Flora Dance and it consists of a long line of dancers that parade through the town with bands accompanying them. The dance itself isn't difficult but when you are doing it solidly for an hour, as you wind around the hilly streets in procession (not to mention dancing THROUGH certain houses!), it gets very tiring.

The day has a number of dances. The first is at 07.00 hrs and that is followed by the Hal an Tow (a small play to see out winter and see in the summer). Then the children dance at 10.00hrs. The midday dance is for (very selected) local born people and finally the 07.00 hrs dancers come back for the last dance at 17:00 hrs.

It is a wonderful day... the community gathers together with the visitors and the town is packed. Here's a glimpse of some of the dancing:

07:00 Hrs 1

07:00 Hrs 2

Hal an Tow 1

Hal an Tow 2

Midday 1

Midday 2

Midday 3

Terry Wogan's Version

All in all, it is a great day out.

So... hobby stuff is next. First of all, I have finished the third Halfling sniper and have a fourth one on the cork (a kneeling pose):

Click the Pic!

In the picture are two unrelated items; a Chaos Dwarf head WIP (practice sculpt) and a hollowed out helmet that will be used to make new heads for something separate.

In other news, I have decided to turn the recent Kharadron Overlord purchase into some Demiurg troops. I will be basing them on the sketch that was circulating a while ago and will effectively be updating my old version (shown here):

Click the Pic!

The plan is to have an individual (or pair) of Demiurg in charge of a squad of drones. That way, I can keep the Demiurg miniatures to a minimum  whilst finding interesting drones to equip them with (maybe, even drones that I build myself). I will just use the box of Kharadron that I bought and will maybe get a box of thunderers to act as the command unit. I am planning to replace the helmets with sculpted heads, replace the weapons with something a little more sci-fi and remove the bits and pieces that give them a steampunk style. All this is a future thing but while I am sculpting other things, I will be thinking about what will happen... it should be an interesting diversion at some point.

That's it for now. I will be posting again later today with additional news.

See you from the conga line!