Saturday, 1 October 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Somme 1st Oct 1916.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Somme 1st Oct 1916.: Thought I'd take another of my periodic looks at the Regimental diaries of my Grandfather's regiments of one hundred years ago. The...
Somme 1st Oct 1916.
Thought I'd take another of my periodic looks at the Regimental diaries of my Grandfather's regiments of one hundred years ago.
These diaries, all kept at the National Archive in Kew, can at times be very sparse. At best they are very matter of fact reports of what was going on, not what the weather was like & sometimes it appears not much was going on as for both entries this time.
D1901 Private William Morgan 1st (Kings) Dragoon Guards.
Machy.
'Lieut FWF Card,2nd Lieut EI Ward & 34 dismounted men rejoined from Albert having been employed in preparing cavalry tracks and clearing battlefields.'
Macy is in Northern France. 'Cavalry tracks' were repaired roads, shell holes filled in & generally smoothed over so the cavalry could use them, they were marked by various marker flags, the work was undertaken by parties from the cavalry regiments though Card & Ward would have supervised! Much was salvaged from battlefields if conditions allowed, this would no doubt have included their fallen comrades or what was left.
G2104 L/Cpl Alfred Gower MM 2nd Bn The Middlesex Regiment.
Fouqueruil.
'2/Lieut CG Fawcus invalided to England.'
Fouqueruil is also in Northern France, the 2nd Middlesex had been there since 19th September as Divisional Reserve troops. They would remain there until 8th October, towards the end of the month they would be involved in an action that saw my Grandad win his Military Medal.
These diaries, all kept at the National Archive in Kew, can at times be very sparse. At best they are very matter of fact reports of what was going on, not what the weather was like & sometimes it appears not much was going on as for both entries this time.
D1901 Private William Morgan 1st (Kings) Dragoon Guards.
Machy.
'Lieut FWF Card,2nd Lieut EI Ward & 34 dismounted men rejoined from Albert having been employed in preparing cavalry tracks and clearing battlefields.'
Macy is in Northern France. 'Cavalry tracks' were repaired roads, shell holes filled in & generally smoothed over so the cavalry could use them, they were marked by various marker flags, the work was undertaken by parties from the cavalry regiments though Card & Ward would have supervised! Much was salvaged from battlefields if conditions allowed, this would no doubt have included their fallen comrades or what was left.
G2104 L/Cpl Alfred Gower MM 2nd Bn The Middlesex Regiment.
Fouqueruil.
'2/Lieut CG Fawcus invalided to England.'
Fouqueruil is also in Northern France, the 2nd Middlesex had been there since 19th September as Divisional Reserve troops. They would remain there until 8th October, towards the end of the month they would be involved in an action that saw my Grandad win his Military Medal.
Sunday, 25 September 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Last dig of the year.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Last dig of the year.: At Shillington again this weekend digging in an old farmhouse garden. The building dated back to the 15th Century and in the 18th century w...
Last dig of the year.
At Shillington again this weekend digging in an old farmhouse garden. The building dated back to the 15th Century and in the 18th century was a pub.
The usual format of a 1m square test pit dug in 10cm contexts. On parade today was Derek, Kevin, Ivor, Nigel & Alison ( Saturday only), we got off to a cracking start and finds were coming up thick and fast, Victorian pottery the ever popular clay pipe stems with one or two part bowls as well, some probable Medieval pot and afew metal nails. It was all bit of a jumble in terms of the mix of periods we were getting, it didn't really prove anything to us but we did come down onto a very rough surface at 0.3m which was probably a farmyard type surface made up of very rough material, broken tile, various stones. it certainly wasn't well laid like the surface in the previous dig.
After the third context the finds started to thin out ,it got very stony and one layer had alot of sand in it probably from building work some years ago, we'd got to 0.6m by the end of the day and were now just getting clay ( gault clay). We repaired to the Musgrave Arms for post dig analysis a very good pint of Banks and Taylor 'Dragon Slayer' was imbibed here followed by another as Kevin was driving today, my turn tomorrow!
Day two yielded more gault clay with very little in it, alittle frustrating but you just never know what may be just a trowels scrape away. 0.7m was pretty empty so just a quarter of the next context was taken out just to see. It was deemed to be the natural layer, untouched by inhabitation so we called it a day and back filled using the newly restored 'Old Thumper' that Derek had put a new handle on. To the Musgrave Arms again for a last beer and that was that. This was our last dig of the year though I'm pleased to say Derek has already lined up three test pits for next year, he hopes to get the pottery from this years & last years excavations up to pottery expert Paul Blinkhorn for analysis this winter. Another great weekend digging.
The usual format of a 1m square test pit dug in 10cm contexts. On parade today was Derek, Kevin, Ivor, Nigel & Alison ( Saturday only), we got off to a cracking start and finds were coming up thick and fast, Victorian pottery the ever popular clay pipe stems with one or two part bowls as well, some probable Medieval pot and afew metal nails. It was all bit of a jumble in terms of the mix of periods we were getting, it didn't really prove anything to us but we did come down onto a very rough surface at 0.3m which was probably a farmyard type surface made up of very rough material, broken tile, various stones. it certainly wasn't well laid like the surface in the previous dig.
After the third context the finds started to thin out ,it got very stony and one layer had alot of sand in it probably from building work some years ago, we'd got to 0.6m by the end of the day and were now just getting clay ( gault clay). We repaired to the Musgrave Arms for post dig analysis a very good pint of Banks and Taylor 'Dragon Slayer' was imbibed here followed by another as Kevin was driving today, my turn tomorrow!
Day two yielded more gault clay with very little in it, alittle frustrating but you just never know what may be just a trowels scrape away. 0.7m was pretty empty so just a quarter of the next context was taken out just to see. It was deemed to be the natural layer, untouched by inhabitation so we called it a day and back filled using the newly restored 'Old Thumper' that Derek had put a new handle on. To the Musgrave Arms again for a last beer and that was that. This was our last dig of the year though I'm pleased to say Derek has already lined up three test pits for next year, he hopes to get the pottery from this years & last years excavations up to pottery expert Paul Blinkhorn for analysis this winter. Another great weekend digging.
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| General view of the front of the farmhouse and our test pit. |
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| Derek records as Nigel and Kevin sieve the spoil from the pit. |
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| Test pit at 0.1m |
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| Ivor moves 'Old Thumper' to a safe distance as it wouldn't be used until Sunday. |
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| Alot more stones showing through. |
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Finds from the first three contexts. |
Friday, 23 September 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Beer.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Beer.: I have been drinking beer for about thirty seven years............I could lie & say I was only six when I started but you know better! ...
Beer.
I have been drinking beer for about thirty seven years............I could lie & say I was only six when I started but you know better! What is it with beer? Getting served in pubs underage out with mates, having a laugh, well you couldn't drink lemonade could you, had to be a 'proper' drink. My Dad worked for Whitbread's in the days when they brewed beer so it was always in the house. Infact as he worked for the Diplomatic Sales Division the beers , lagers I should say, were stronger than you could buy in the UK at the time & I didn't really like it! I got more of a taste for it I guess & quite liked some of the bitters like Tankard, then I saw this mysterious beer drawn by a hand pump called Ruddles County, wasn't greatly struck on the flavour but there was something about it.
I read up abit on Real Ales & saw a great quote which goes 'Being a beer lover and living in Britain is like being a wine lover and living in France.' I understood that and decided to explore Real Ale in , what shall we say, alittle more depth.
Most of my friends at the time were just lager louts, one drank lager & lime (yuk!) & another, always striving to be different drank lager and blackcurrant & for a while lager & coke!
Then we discovered The Kings Head on Harrow on the Hill, long since converted into flats sadly, this place had several bars on different levels throughout the old building & down in the depths of the building, the very bowels of this great edifice was the Real Ale bar. You could pretty well hear the animal howls & strange scratchings as you approached down through the half light of the staircase down ,down ever down to the inner sanctum. It was probably the least furnished bar with just simple tables & chairs, a video game called 'Frogs' and the bar, nay the high alter itself! If memory serves they had anything up to a dozen different beers poured straight from the barrel, I suppose it was more of an old fashioned tap room. I first tasted Theakstons 'Old Peculiar' here, at 5.6% it's strong stuff. Had my stag night here, when a stag night was just that-one night! It was my round and everybody wanted something different, a couple of lagers, a Guinness, an ale, a short............I came back with eight pints of Sam Smiths 'Old Brewery Bitter,' as I recall it all went!
Of course beer is the perfect accompaniment to any social event & all post dig analysis after archaeological digs takes place in the local pub. It is possible, though I've yet to do it, to have a four course dinner with a different beer for each course as you might wine.
Had a very interesting trip round the Chiltern Brewery that did a version of this, the last beer we tried was served with fruit cake. It shouldn't have gone but it did! The Hook Norton brewery is an excellent trip if you get the chance, their local pubs are still delivered to by horse drawn delivery wagons.
Tring Brewery beers are amongst my faves. Who can forget the polypin of 'Side pocket for a Toad' that Stan got when we subjected his garden to an archaeological dig a few years ago.
I haven't been to all that many beer festivals though they are great fun and as the name suggests there is beer in abundance. I took Gary to the Dunstable Beer Festival a few years ago, even found some beers he liked, & he prefers Cider! The Globe used to do a great beer fest but now so many of the beers they get are more amber coloured summer beers I've given their festival up.
Micro breweries are on the increase and have just added to the wealth of flavours on offer, there's a good one in Leighton Buzzard we visited recently on one of their open days & last year we went on the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Beer Festival called the Buzzrail Ale Trail there was beer in the engine shed, then half way along the track a stop at the Clay Pipe for another selection and at the quarry terminus of the railway more beer and snacks.
One of the more unusual beers I've tried was made from Tayberries which are a cross between a raspberry & a blackberry, I can't recall its name but it was actually pink in colour! It was a guest beer at the Globe & I was rather taken with it. We were meeting friends to go onwards for a curry & of course I recommended this tayberry beer which few of our number seemed to like.............so their pints was passed to me. The rest of the evening was bit of a tayberry/curry blur but it was a good night I was told!
I'm very keen on the Brewdog range of beers from Scotland recommended by a grand chap I know called Andrew, there're brilliant beers but again my friends don't seem as keen on them as me!
I do try & support the cause & have , on & off been a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). My first membership stint came to an end because of their ties. I brought one, just to show support & bear in mind this is when ties were quite thin. When the kipper tie turned up in the post I couldn't believe it! I bowed our shortly after ,I'd like to join again sometime but now I stick to T shirts.
There's nothing like a nice cool ale on a hot day, finished most of our walks in Sussex when Ella & Julian lived in Eastbourne at a great country pub. I've seen the future & it's beer!
I read up abit on Real Ales & saw a great quote which goes 'Being a beer lover and living in Britain is like being a wine lover and living in France.' I understood that and decided to explore Real Ale in , what shall we say, alittle more depth.
Most of my friends at the time were just lager louts, one drank lager & lime (yuk!) & another, always striving to be different drank lager and blackcurrant & for a while lager & coke!
Then we discovered The Kings Head on Harrow on the Hill, long since converted into flats sadly, this place had several bars on different levels throughout the old building & down in the depths of the building, the very bowels of this great edifice was the Real Ale bar. You could pretty well hear the animal howls & strange scratchings as you approached down through the half light of the staircase down ,down ever down to the inner sanctum. It was probably the least furnished bar with just simple tables & chairs, a video game called 'Frogs' and the bar, nay the high alter itself! If memory serves they had anything up to a dozen different beers poured straight from the barrel, I suppose it was more of an old fashioned tap room. I first tasted Theakstons 'Old Peculiar' here, at 5.6% it's strong stuff. Had my stag night here, when a stag night was just that-one night! It was my round and everybody wanted something different, a couple of lagers, a Guinness, an ale, a short............I came back with eight pints of Sam Smiths 'Old Brewery Bitter,' as I recall it all went!
Of course beer is the perfect accompaniment to any social event & all post dig analysis after archaeological digs takes place in the local pub. It is possible, though I've yet to do it, to have a four course dinner with a different beer for each course as you might wine.
Had a very interesting trip round the Chiltern Brewery that did a version of this, the last beer we tried was served with fruit cake. It shouldn't have gone but it did! The Hook Norton brewery is an excellent trip if you get the chance, their local pubs are still delivered to by horse drawn delivery wagons.
Tring Brewery beers are amongst my faves. Who can forget the polypin of 'Side pocket for a Toad' that Stan got when we subjected his garden to an archaeological dig a few years ago.
I haven't been to all that many beer festivals though they are great fun and as the name suggests there is beer in abundance. I took Gary to the Dunstable Beer Festival a few years ago, even found some beers he liked, & he prefers Cider! The Globe used to do a great beer fest but now so many of the beers they get are more amber coloured summer beers I've given their festival up.
Micro breweries are on the increase and have just added to the wealth of flavours on offer, there's a good one in Leighton Buzzard we visited recently on one of their open days & last year we went on the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Beer Festival called the Buzzrail Ale Trail there was beer in the engine shed, then half way along the track a stop at the Clay Pipe for another selection and at the quarry terminus of the railway more beer and snacks.
One of the more unusual beers I've tried was made from Tayberries which are a cross between a raspberry & a blackberry, I can't recall its name but it was actually pink in colour! It was a guest beer at the Globe & I was rather taken with it. We were meeting friends to go onwards for a curry & of course I recommended this tayberry beer which few of our number seemed to like.............so their pints was passed to me. The rest of the evening was bit of a tayberry/curry blur but it was a good night I was told!
I'm very keen on the Brewdog range of beers from Scotland recommended by a grand chap I know called Andrew, there're brilliant beers but again my friends don't seem as keen on them as me!
I do try & support the cause & have , on & off been a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). My first membership stint came to an end because of their ties. I brought one, just to show support & bear in mind this is when ties were quite thin. When the kipper tie turned up in the post I couldn't believe it! I bowed our shortly after ,I'd like to join again sometime but now I stick to T shirts.
There's nothing like a nice cool ale on a hot day, finished most of our walks in Sussex when Ella & Julian lived in Eastbourne at a great country pub. I've seen the future & it's beer!
Sunday, 11 September 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Camera
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Camera: If you saw any of the photos I took at Cropredy and of a dig I was on recently you'll see there is a black dot appearing in them all. It...
Camera
If you saw any of the photos I took at Cropredy and of a dig I was on recently you'll see there is a black dot appearing in them all. It's not on the lens so must be inside, trouble is cost of getting it sorted is probably more than a new camera which is exactly what Tara suggested I get. She's a good old thing & I love her very much. I didn't need to put this, I am just stating a fact.
The first cameras I looked at was the Canon Ixus 275 and the canon SX610, both compact cameras just what I wanted but both were out of stock in Argos with no known delivery date for new stock, so I looked at others eventually going for a dearer one, a Nikon Coolpix S7000. There's a photo of it here taken on my old camera!
It's a very sleek white model again a compact which is simple enough for me but with a few bells & whistles. I like to take some photos in black and white, they have a certain 'feel' to them & this camera has a 'high contrast' black & white setting which should be interesting as well as sepia and what they call 'toy camera' setting. Well it's al loaded with a memory card now & ready to go, just got to get out and take some pictures, stay tuned!
The first cameras I looked at was the Canon Ixus 275 and the canon SX610, both compact cameras just what I wanted but both were out of stock in Argos with no known delivery date for new stock, so I looked at others eventually going for a dearer one, a Nikon Coolpix S7000. There's a photo of it here taken on my old camera!
It's a very sleek white model again a compact which is simple enough for me but with a few bells & whistles. I like to take some photos in black and white, they have a certain 'feel' to them & this camera has a 'high contrast' black & white setting which should be interesting as well as sepia and what they call 'toy camera' setting. Well it's al loaded with a memory card now & ready to go, just got to get out and take some pictures, stay tuned!
An idiots guide to an Idiot: The mountains call and I must go.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: The mountains call and I must go.: Laura entitled one of her photos this, as her Mum ( Kathy) said that's the name for your blog. We spoke to Alec & Laura for the fi...
The mountains call and I must go.
Laura entitled one of her photos this, as her Mum ( Kathy) said that's the name for your blog. We spoke to Alec & Laura for the first time since they left Blighty at the end of June, it was good to hear them and to talk to Alec even though the connection wasn't good. If you remember the comedian Norman Collier with his dodgy microphone gag then you'll know what I mean. if you don't know what I mean google it!
Sounds like they are living the dream, the photos they have posted are awesome, only attached one here of a sunset from an island off the coast of Vietnam. This is their third country to date. They started in Thailand then Cambodia now Vietnam next country will be Laos. The tunnels used by the Viet -Cong during their protracted war are now a tourist attraction! The pair of them have travelled many hours by train, plane, boat and bus not to mention moped! Animals checked off their list have been snakes, elephants, big spiders, monkeys, & as Alec put it 'Cows roaming everywhere.' Though Alec reckons they are not on holiday because they've had to be up & out very early for connections etc...........Still sounds like a holiday to me! It was so good to hear from them, we have missed both Alec & Laura like I cannot say, they seem to have met up with a few Europeans doing a similar trip to them & have kept in contact as they travel so can exchange information. By the way beer it 20p a pint though I expect it's just fizz! Alec says Laura has many books to write her blog in but doesn't know where to start, I hope she does soon. Alec is going to phone a gain when the get to Hanoi the capital where hopefully internet connection will be better.
They really are living the dream!
Sounds like they are living the dream, the photos they have posted are awesome, only attached one here of a sunset from an island off the coast of Vietnam. This is their third country to date. They started in Thailand then Cambodia now Vietnam next country will be Laos. The tunnels used by the Viet -Cong during their protracted war are now a tourist attraction! The pair of them have travelled many hours by train, plane, boat and bus not to mention moped! Animals checked off their list have been snakes, elephants, big spiders, monkeys, & as Alec put it 'Cows roaming everywhere.' Though Alec reckons they are not on holiday because they've had to be up & out very early for connections etc...........Still sounds like a holiday to me! It was so good to hear from them, we have missed both Alec & Laura like I cannot say, they seem to have met up with a few Europeans doing a similar trip to them & have kept in contact as they travel so can exchange information. By the way beer it 20p a pint though I expect it's just fizz! Alec says Laura has many books to write her blog in but doesn't know where to start, I hope she does soon. Alec is going to phone a gain when the get to Hanoi the capital where hopefully internet connection will be better.
They really are living the dream!
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shropshire.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shropshire.: 'Another border to get through, Another tube of superglue, I'm driving like a maniac, Drive the way to hell & back, Another ...
Shropshire.
'Another border to get through,
Another tube of superglue,
I'm driving like a maniac,
Drive the way to hell & back,
Another room, a case to pack.'
So sayeth Lemmy in the words to 'We are the road crew' from one of my favourite Motorhead albums 'Ace of Spades.'
The only link to this blog piece is the last line as I have been on my travels again this time to North Wales & Shropshire. Up very early on Tuesday morning and in Llandudno my about 9.30am. Offered a cup of coffee at my first appointment, great! From there to Conwy a lovely coastal town with a medieval wall still intact. Sadly just never have the time to look round these places. A quick jaunt to Porthmadog then its down the old coaching road of the A5 into Shropshire. Strange to think we live alittle further down the A5! It's a lovely drive through North Wales if the weather is at least reasonable which it was, stopped at Oswestry then onto a couple of accounts in Shrewsbury & done for the day. Clocked up around 320 miles.
Stopover for tonight a pub cum hotel called the Mytton & Mermaid at Atcham a couple of miles outside of Shrewsbury. Stayed here once before a while ago, I tend not to go back repeatedly to the same place, it's nice to explore!
Stuff put in room then to finish work emails etc which I do in the bar with a very fine pint of '1066' to keep me company, though not for long! It's a local brew by Battlefield Brewery in Shrewsbury, at 4.2% it slipped down a treat after a long day. Quite a rich tasting beer & a good nut brown colour.
Thought it was all going to go terribly wrong when I came down later for dinner, stood at the bar for ages even though a couple of staff had walked by however eventually met with a apology and they never looked back, although I asked to change my table as I was sat in what felt like the middle of the restaurant with all un-sundry walking past 'Billy no mates' with his book & IPad. Got a nice table in the corner and settled down for dinner.
Determined to have a change tonight I had Cauliflower & Stilton soup for starters with a large cheesy crouton in the middle of it & very tasty it was too.
Main meal was a trio of Wenlock Edge sausages with thyme & sage mash, veg & shallot gravy. 'Yum' would be the best description for this meal all washed down with a pint of another local beer '3 Tuns Pale Ale' by the Bishop Castle Brewery , very nice but as the name suggests a pale ale so finished up with another pint of '1066.'
Absolutely no room to do a pud justice so knocked it on the head & retired to bed. Not such an early start next morning, just as well.
Another tube of superglue,
I'm driving like a maniac,
Drive the way to hell & back,
Another room, a case to pack.'
So sayeth Lemmy in the words to 'We are the road crew' from one of my favourite Motorhead albums 'Ace of Spades.'
The only link to this blog piece is the last line as I have been on my travels again this time to North Wales & Shropshire. Up very early on Tuesday morning and in Llandudno my about 9.30am. Offered a cup of coffee at my first appointment, great! From there to Conwy a lovely coastal town with a medieval wall still intact. Sadly just never have the time to look round these places. A quick jaunt to Porthmadog then its down the old coaching road of the A5 into Shropshire. Strange to think we live alittle further down the A5! It's a lovely drive through North Wales if the weather is at least reasonable which it was, stopped at Oswestry then onto a couple of accounts in Shrewsbury & done for the day. Clocked up around 320 miles.
Stopover for tonight a pub cum hotel called the Mytton & Mermaid at Atcham a couple of miles outside of Shrewsbury. Stayed here once before a while ago, I tend not to go back repeatedly to the same place, it's nice to explore!
Stuff put in room then to finish work emails etc which I do in the bar with a very fine pint of '1066' to keep me company, though not for long! It's a local brew by Battlefield Brewery in Shrewsbury, at 4.2% it slipped down a treat after a long day. Quite a rich tasting beer & a good nut brown colour.
Thought it was all going to go terribly wrong when I came down later for dinner, stood at the bar for ages even though a couple of staff had walked by however eventually met with a apology and they never looked back, although I asked to change my table as I was sat in what felt like the middle of the restaurant with all un-sundry walking past 'Billy no mates' with his book & IPad. Got a nice table in the corner and settled down for dinner.
Determined to have a change tonight I had Cauliflower & Stilton soup for starters with a large cheesy crouton in the middle of it & very tasty it was too.
Main meal was a trio of Wenlock Edge sausages with thyme & sage mash, veg & shallot gravy. 'Yum' would be the best description for this meal all washed down with a pint of another local beer '3 Tuns Pale Ale' by the Bishop Castle Brewery , very nice but as the name suggests a pale ale so finished up with another pint of '1066.'
Absolutely no room to do a pud justice so knocked it on the head & retired to bed. Not such an early start next morning, just as well.
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| 'Three Tuns' Pale Ale. |
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| Cauliflower & Stilton soup. |
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| Trio of Wenlock Edge sausages with all the trimmings. |
An idiots guide to an Idiot: New Model Army
An idiots guide to an Idiot: New Model Army: Not Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army but mine.......You probably know that amongst the many things I collect are model soldiers, yes I k...
New Model Army
Not Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army but mine.......You probably know that amongst the many things I collect are model soldiers, yes I know I'm 54 but what the hell! I also make them. I work in many scales from 15mm,20mm, 30mm,54mm through to 75mm. One on going project is of mine is the dismounted bands of the British cavalry circa 1980/90's, I thought it may be of passing interest to upload a sort of tutorial of what I do, so here goes.
These figures are cast at home, it's a commercially available mould (though I have made my own too) with conversions by me (fig 1). The figures are 54mm (also known as 1/32nd scale), the scales can be a bit misleading from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some work it as 54mm from head to toe, others use a scale taking in any headdress worn so the overall figure then appears abit shorter. The second photo shows the tools and odds & sods I use (Fig 2), the next is the metal pan on our cooker melting the metal. It's a low melt tin alloy that works well at the low temperatures a cooker can give (fig 3). Once melted , as quick as poss, pour the liquid metal into the mould that has been clamped together. I have had some disasters at this stage with the clamps slipping off and sending molten metal over the work surface. Not quite as bad as it sounds as it solidifies quickly & it's not exactly like working in a foundry!
Give the metal a couple of minutes to solidify then open the two halves of the mould to reveal the figure, cut off the sprue from the funnel end into the mould and you're ready to go (fig 4).
I use sand paper and sharp modelling knives to carve down the figure to take arms etc and usually use the foil off wine bottles for belts etc & two types of modelling putty, the green for filling holes and imperfections & a two part putty that can be used for finer work. Whilst I cast the figures, generally I buy the instruments already cast from a company called Dorset Soldiers.
The figures here will be a side drummer & bass drummer from the 16th/5th The Queens Royal Lancers, you'll see the side drummer taking shape with head on, lancer drooping plume attached, arms and the lancer plastron attached to his tunic. Just the cap lines, drum belt and hands holding the drum sticks to go (fig 5 & 6).
Known as the 'Scarlet Lancers' as they wore red tunics where other lancer regiments wore blue, they were one of the post world war one cavalry amalgamations when in 1922 the 16th The Queens Lancers joined the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. To be honest the research into the uniform or battle I am depicting is just as interesting to do. I go to great pains to make sure that particular uniform was worn in the era I have represented or the battle is as close as I can get it.
Now both figures and complete & primed (fig 7), I generally use a quick coat of matt white for this. You may be able to see the bass drummer wears a leopard skin apron, this harks back to when regimental bands used African drummers brought back from their tours of duty abroad in the 18th & 19th centuries.
The next thing is to start painting, I do the 'big' colours first so in this case its the red tunic and dark blue trousers, plastron, cuffs and collars. I use enamels, though many use acrylics & oils. (fig 8), then its just a case of building up the colours and putting on the detail, so there you have it.(fig 9).
Commissions taken!
These figures are cast at home, it's a commercially available mould (though I have made my own too) with conversions by me (fig 1). The figures are 54mm (also known as 1/32nd scale), the scales can be a bit misleading from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some work it as 54mm from head to toe, others use a scale taking in any headdress worn so the overall figure then appears abit shorter. The second photo shows the tools and odds & sods I use (Fig 2), the next is the metal pan on our cooker melting the metal. It's a low melt tin alloy that works well at the low temperatures a cooker can give (fig 3). Once melted , as quick as poss, pour the liquid metal into the mould that has been clamped together. I have had some disasters at this stage with the clamps slipping off and sending molten metal over the work surface. Not quite as bad as it sounds as it solidifies quickly & it's not exactly like working in a foundry!
Give the metal a couple of minutes to solidify then open the two halves of the mould to reveal the figure, cut off the sprue from the funnel end into the mould and you're ready to go (fig 4).
I use sand paper and sharp modelling knives to carve down the figure to take arms etc and usually use the foil off wine bottles for belts etc & two types of modelling putty, the green for filling holes and imperfections & a two part putty that can be used for finer work. Whilst I cast the figures, generally I buy the instruments already cast from a company called Dorset Soldiers.
The figures here will be a side drummer & bass drummer from the 16th/5th The Queens Royal Lancers, you'll see the side drummer taking shape with head on, lancer drooping plume attached, arms and the lancer plastron attached to his tunic. Just the cap lines, drum belt and hands holding the drum sticks to go (fig 5 & 6).
Known as the 'Scarlet Lancers' as they wore red tunics where other lancer regiments wore blue, they were one of the post world war one cavalry amalgamations when in 1922 the 16th The Queens Lancers joined the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. To be honest the research into the uniform or battle I am depicting is just as interesting to do. I go to great pains to make sure that particular uniform was worn in the era I have represented or the battle is as close as I can get it.
Now both figures and complete & primed (fig 7), I generally use a quick coat of matt white for this. You may be able to see the bass drummer wears a leopard skin apron, this harks back to when regimental bands used African drummers brought back from their tours of duty abroad in the 18th & 19th centuries.
The next thing is to start painting, I do the 'big' colours first so in this case its the red tunic and dark blue trousers, plastron, cuffs and collars. I use enamels, though many use acrylics & oils. (fig 8), then its just a case of building up the colours and putting on the detail, so there you have it.(fig 9).
Commissions taken!
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| Fig 1.Moulds ready. |
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| Fig 2. Clamps and odds and sods used. |
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| Fig 3.Metal melting on stove. |
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| Fig 4. Cast pieces cooling down in moulds. |
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| Fig 5. Finished parts of both drummers. |
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| Fig 6. Main parts of side drummer assembled. |
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| Fig 7. All parts of both figures glued together and primed. |
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| Fig 8. 'Big' colours added first. |
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| Fig 9. The finished figures. |
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| Some I prepared earlier. World War One British cavalry. 28mm figures. |
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| Some I prepared earlier. French Crimean War infantry. 28mm figures. |
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| Some I prepared earlier. Medieval men at Arms. 28mm figures. |
Monday, 5 September 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shillington
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Shillington: On another dig this weekend, this time it lasted both days. Usual suspects on parade, me , Kevin, Ivor, Nigel with Derek I/C with the additi...
Shillington
On another dig this weekend, this time it lasted both days. Usual suspects on parade, me , Kevin, Ivor, Nigel with Derek I/C with the addition of Alison in between the Italian Grand Prix warm up and race!
Again, looking at how the village grew and where there was occupation here, this test pit being nearer the church.
First really good feature we got was a nice cobbled surface at about 30cm down, only took up half of our test pit, could have been more going under where we hadn't dug of course, probably Victorian that's the pottery we were finding. It was interesting to ponder who might have walked over this surface when it was in use.
Some nice pottery finds coming up including the ever popular blue & white Victorian wares & some sherds of probable Hertfordshire grey ware.
We were happily digging when at 60cm we hit a field drain again!( prob Victorian) We were rained off not long after this so repaired to The Crown for post dig analysis & during a very nice pint of Doombar we decided to extend the trench the following day, we didn't have alot of room to play with but thought we could probably get another half metre.
Day Two. No rain forecast which was good though it was overcast all day. We got cracking on the new half of trench to bring it down to the 60cm level of the field drain and then took out more from the extended half so keeping away from the drain.
Taking it down another context to 70cm I found a nice piece of Hertfordshire grey ware & in higher levels animal bones, probably pig & sheep. After that it was decided to take out a quarter of the trench to see what was happening as finds were drying up. General consensus was that it was looking like natural ground at this point so we called it a day and began the task of back filling. I really do think we should ask whether the householders would like the pit left as a feature to their garden!
Another session of post dig analysis with another dig in a couple of weeks and potentially another one for October.
A great couple of days.
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| Dig commences. |
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| Derek gets stuck in with the mattock. |
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| Cobbled surface is revealed. |
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| General view of the chaos of a dig in a 1m test pit! |
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| Cobbled surface. |
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| Now cleaned up and measured. |
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| The digging A Team of Kevin,Ivor,Nigel and Derek. |
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| Selfie with glasses. |
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| Selfie without glasses. |
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| Finds from the last context. |
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| Cleaning up for final recording and phot. |
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| Tree root in bottom right corner with field drain above next to measure. |
Monday, 29 August 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Beer and Leighton Buzzard.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Beer and Leighton Buzzard.: Now here's the thing. What better way to spend an afternoon than drinking good ale & chatting with friends. Julian, Kevin & I we...
Beer and Leighton Buzzard.
Now here's the thing. What better way to spend an afternoon than drinking good ale & chatting with friends. Julian, Kevin & I went to one of the open days at the Leighton Buzzard Brewing Company on Saturday. It's a micro brewery that's been in business since 2014 & appears to be doing well, it deserves to, supplying local pubs & selling from their own shop in the brewery. As well as four beers and two ciders on offer today there was food available & even a band!
The beers then, my favourite of the four was called Restoration Ale 4.6% strength a good nut-brown colour and a nice fruity taste, just my cup of tea......or rather beer. The next beer called Narrow Gauge at 3.9% is named after the LB railway, another very palatable beer, again quite fruity with a nice bitterness to finish, very refreshing. Cuckoo at 3.8% was beer three & another very quaffable drink and finally my least fave (yes there are beers I'm not keen on!) called Black Buzzard, a porter at 5.8%. Far too much like cough mixture for me with a smoky after taste, one Stan would like I think, none of us tried the ciders
. Weather was ok so it was a popular event so also difficult to get a seat. We ended up sharing a table with a couple of chaps from the Milton Keynes branch of CAMRA, we had an interesting conversation with them, they waxed lyrical about a festival they have organised for October called the 'Concrete Pint,' ninety beers & a few special editions as well, will see if we can get along to support it. They also told us how the LB beer Borrowers Bitter came by its name. The author of the childrens classic 'The Borrowers' Mary Norton ,lived in Leighton Buzzard. Not alot of people know that.
Well, we tried all the beers and then tried them all again and were beginning to get hungry so we left the brewery & walked into LB to the Wetherspoons pub there The Swan Hotel. Busy but not too busy & surprisingly for a Wetherspoons they seemed to have enough staff on! Had our eats, all of us going for the all day brunch strangely and a couple more beers to round the evening off. Cab home and that was it. Very pleasant excursion.
The beers then, my favourite of the four was called Restoration Ale 4.6% strength a good nut-brown colour and a nice fruity taste, just my cup of tea......or rather beer. The next beer called Narrow Gauge at 3.9% is named after the LB railway, another very palatable beer, again quite fruity with a nice bitterness to finish, very refreshing. Cuckoo at 3.8% was beer three & another very quaffable drink and finally my least fave (yes there are beers I'm not keen on!) called Black Buzzard, a porter at 5.8%. Far too much like cough mixture for me with a smoky after taste, one Stan would like I think, none of us tried the ciders
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| Julian and Kevin enjoying another beer. |
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| The business end of where the beer is brewed. |
Well, we tried all the beers and then tried them all again and were beginning to get hungry so we left the brewery & walked into LB to the Wetherspoons pub there The Swan Hotel. Busy but not too busy & surprisingly for a Wetherspoons they seemed to have enough staff on! Had our eats, all of us going for the all day brunch strangely and a couple more beers to round the evening off. Cab home and that was it. Very pleasant excursion.
Saturday, 20 August 2016
An idiots guide to an Idiot.: Fairport Conventions Cropredy Festival 2016.
An idiots guide to an Idiot.: Fairport Conventions Cropredy Festival 2016.: Well, where to start, with bit of a moan really. We met Kas, Stan, Dan & Matt at the Cherwell Valley services on the M40 at 6.30am &...
Fairport Conventions Cropredy Festival 2016.
Well, where to start, with bit of a moan really. We met Kas, Stan, Dan & Matt at the Cherwell Valley services on the M40 at 6.30am & made our way in convoy to Cropredy to be waved on passed the field we wanted to camp in even though it was still half empty! We weren't there before 7am as the festival requests & ended up in field 7a much further than we wanted from the arena field. Not impressed & have already written to complain as has Stan.
Now that's out the way onto the good stuff, of which there was lots.
We wanted to help put up the trailer tent but Stan & Kas have it down to such a fine art now that's it slows them down to explain what we can do, so we pottered & helped where we could, with everything looking ship shape by about 9am I think.
Now Tara & I have tried to start a Cropredy tradition of bringing scones, jam and cream for all to start things off, we did this again today with extra strawberries & raspberries & Kas brought clotted cream. We even found some wheat free scones for Tara & Matt so all could tuck in. The next traditional event entails Dan, Matt & Tom going into the village to busk for a while & Stan, Kas Tara & I make our way to the cricket pavilion so they can meet up with old festival friends, the first pint of the festival is partaken which is the excellent Hook Norton Brewery 'Old Hooky' ( coke for Kas !) and then a 'scratch' Morris side is put together & they do a couple of dances. Kas met for the first time a friend she had on FaceBook relating to Croppers but had never met before, a very decent chap called Ian.
I running away with the story abit as poor old Chris & Ceri were still enroute after a litany of disasters made them much later than planned & unable to camp with us. I admire their tenacity as I think I'd have given up & gone home by now! However they made it!
Made our way to the arena field our pitch held by Tara until we arrived with chairs etc, Stan however gave the day up as a bad job & remained at the camper & went to bed early.
Opening act is traditionally an acoustic set by Fairport Convention followed by an interesting collection of old loons called Gryphon. Medieval Prog Rock if you can get your head round that. They weren't bad as it happens, especially the crumhorn, wielded by a bloke who looked like an electrocuted Catweazle! CoCo & the Butterfields were good but Hayseed Dixie were brilliant & probably my fave set of the whole gig. Any band who can do a country & western/bluegrass version of 'Ace of Spades' & 'Highway to Hell' aren't 'arf bad pop pickers! Madness rounded off day one & they are definitely a great festival band. The bar serves Wadworths 6X, a fine brew, supplemented by wine & bottled beer we'd brought along, my dinner was an Oggie ,basically a Welsh version of a Pasty. My Steak & Stilton Oggie was very nice & Tara had gluten free pasta and sauce.
Back to the camper , eventually, as we wrestled the cart thing back over undulating ground plus a couple of bottlenecks due the amount of people making their way back to tents, camper vans, mobile homes and caravans. Weather was a bit karzi to be honest. We couldn't believe it was going to be wet again. Surely we are due a dry Cropredy!
None of us were setting alarms or anything like that but nobody rose too late either. Day two started overcast but improved all the time and turned into a really nice hot day. Memsahib, done in from previous days early start and knackering walks plus other stresses of previous days decided to stay at the camper & chill today. Cart & bodies loaded with packs, chairs, bottles, snacks etc we trudged off to the arena field once more.
Not sure whether it was a sellout but the field filled up quicker & earlier this year than the previous two we've been.
First turn on today was Anthony John Clarke & Peggy , the Fairport bass player. An amusing set with some singable songs, I enjoyed them greatly. Next on the BBC Radio Two Young Folk Singer of the Year, a 17year old playing Hamish Moore Smallpipes (abit like Northumbrian pipes) called Brighde Chaimbeul (neither to I so don't ask!) from the Isle of Skye, alittle obscure for my taste but not bad. Sound of the Sirens were two girls from Devon who were quite good, I missed the next act as I returned to the camper to see Tara. Glad to say she was chilling nicely & could feel waves of angst and negativity lifting from her. So I poured her a Hooch. Probably the worst thing in my opinion about camping is lack of washing facilities in particular showers. There was showers provided. Sixteen shared by getting on for twenty thousand people so I was pleasantly surprised only to have to queue for 20 minutes or so before I could shower. It felt great!
Refreshed & squeaky clean I left Tara & returned to the arena field. Willie and the Bandits weren't bad , their influences being Cream & Hendrix though Kas thought they were more Fleetwood Mac. Then came a band I really wanted to like, Headspace, their keyboard player is Adam Wakeman son of no less a rock luminary than Rick. If their set hade been half the length it was I'd have thought they were great but being prog rock it had to go on! The frontman Damian Wilson was very energetic, jumping on and off the stage & even singing while milling about in the crowd at one point. He had a powerful voice and used it to good effect, I take it he too enjoyed the Cropredy vibe as I saw him next day taking in the festival.
I have never seen Steeleye Span before ,I've got quite a few of their albums, and albums from Maddy Prior & I was looking forward to them. They were OK but , again in my humble opinion, their song choice was rather dull. There's lots of great songs to join in with but they didn't seem to choose them, thank gawd they played 'All around my hat' which I could bellow out. Tara was convinced she could hear me from the camper!
This evenings gastronomic delights were from the Northfield Farm stand offering various burgers ,sausages etc from their own animals, all top quality stuff and it tasted like it. I had a sausages in a bun tonight with a side of chips. Absolutely delicious. With recommendations from Rick Stein and Clarissa Dickson-Wright I couldn't go far wrong!
Headliners for this evening were The Bootleg Beatles. Got to say they were brilliant & I surprised myself by how many Beatles lyrics I actually knew.
Now that's out the way onto the good stuff, of which there was lots.
We wanted to help put up the trailer tent but Stan & Kas have it down to such a fine art now that's it slows them down to explain what we can do, so we pottered & helped where we could, with everything looking ship shape by about 9am I think.
Now Tara & I have tried to start a Cropredy tradition of bringing scones, jam and cream for all to start things off, we did this again today with extra strawberries & raspberries & Kas brought clotted cream. We even found some wheat free scones for Tara & Matt so all could tuck in. The next traditional event entails Dan, Matt & Tom going into the village to busk for a while & Stan, Kas Tara & I make our way to the cricket pavilion so they can meet up with old festival friends, the first pint of the festival is partaken which is the excellent Hook Norton Brewery 'Old Hooky' ( coke for Kas !) and then a 'scratch' Morris side is put together & they do a couple of dances. Kas met for the first time a friend she had on FaceBook relating to Croppers but had never met before, a very decent chap called Ian.
I running away with the story abit as poor old Chris & Ceri were still enroute after a litany of disasters made them much later than planned & unable to camp with us. I admire their tenacity as I think I'd have given up & gone home by now! However they made it!
Made our way to the arena field our pitch held by Tara until we arrived with chairs etc, Stan however gave the day up as a bad job & remained at the camper & went to bed early.
Opening act is traditionally an acoustic set by Fairport Convention followed by an interesting collection of old loons called Gryphon. Medieval Prog Rock if you can get your head round that. They weren't bad as it happens, especially the crumhorn, wielded by a bloke who looked like an electrocuted Catweazle! CoCo & the Butterfields were good but Hayseed Dixie were brilliant & probably my fave set of the whole gig. Any band who can do a country & western/bluegrass version of 'Ace of Spades' & 'Highway to Hell' aren't 'arf bad pop pickers! Madness rounded off day one & they are definitely a great festival band. The bar serves Wadworths 6X, a fine brew, supplemented by wine & bottled beer we'd brought along, my dinner was an Oggie ,basically a Welsh version of a Pasty. My Steak & Stilton Oggie was very nice & Tara had gluten free pasta and sauce.
Back to the camper , eventually, as we wrestled the cart thing back over undulating ground plus a couple of bottlenecks due the amount of people making their way back to tents, camper vans, mobile homes and caravans. Weather was a bit karzi to be honest. We couldn't believe it was going to be wet again. Surely we are due a dry Cropredy!
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| Festival hand and polish! |
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| Scratch Morris side do their thing. |
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| General view of Cricket Pavilion and old git. |
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| Memsahib and self on first night. |
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| Amusing signs on fence near stage. |
None of us were setting alarms or anything like that but nobody rose too late either. Day two started overcast but improved all the time and turned into a really nice hot day. Memsahib, done in from previous days early start and knackering walks plus other stresses of previous days decided to stay at the camper & chill today. Cart & bodies loaded with packs, chairs, bottles, snacks etc we trudged off to the arena field once more.
Not sure whether it was a sellout but the field filled up quicker & earlier this year than the previous two we've been.
First turn on today was Anthony John Clarke & Peggy , the Fairport bass player. An amusing set with some singable songs, I enjoyed them greatly. Next on the BBC Radio Two Young Folk Singer of the Year, a 17year old playing Hamish Moore Smallpipes (abit like Northumbrian pipes) called Brighde Chaimbeul (neither to I so don't ask!) from the Isle of Skye, alittle obscure for my taste but not bad. Sound of the Sirens were two girls from Devon who were quite good, I missed the next act as I returned to the camper to see Tara. Glad to say she was chilling nicely & could feel waves of angst and negativity lifting from her. So I poured her a Hooch. Probably the worst thing in my opinion about camping is lack of washing facilities in particular showers. There was showers provided. Sixteen shared by getting on for twenty thousand people so I was pleasantly surprised only to have to queue for 20 minutes or so before I could shower. It felt great!
Refreshed & squeaky clean I left Tara & returned to the arena field. Willie and the Bandits weren't bad , their influences being Cream & Hendrix though Kas thought they were more Fleetwood Mac. Then came a band I really wanted to like, Headspace, their keyboard player is Adam Wakeman son of no less a rock luminary than Rick. If their set hade been half the length it was I'd have thought they were great but being prog rock it had to go on! The frontman Damian Wilson was very energetic, jumping on and off the stage & even singing while milling about in the crowd at one point. He had a powerful voice and used it to good effect, I take it he too enjoyed the Cropredy vibe as I saw him next day taking in the festival.
I have never seen Steeleye Span before ,I've got quite a few of their albums, and albums from Maddy Prior & I was looking forward to them. They were OK but , again in my humble opinion, their song choice was rather dull. There's lots of great songs to join in with but they didn't seem to choose them, thank gawd they played 'All around my hat' which I could bellow out. Tara was convinced she could hear me from the camper!
This evenings gastronomic delights were from the Northfield Farm stand offering various burgers ,sausages etc from their own animals, all top quality stuff and it tasted like it. I had a sausages in a bun tonight with a side of chips. Absolutely delicious. With recommendations from Rick Stein and Clarissa Dickson-Wright I couldn't go far wrong!
Headliners for this evening were The Bootleg Beatles. Got to say they were brilliant & I surprised myself by how many Beatles lyrics I actually knew.
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| Suggs from Madness. |
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| Goodnight! |
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| The excellent Northfield Farms stand. |
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| Dusk. |
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| Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span. I should add a note about my photos, you may notice a strange black mark in mid air, no idea what it is, reckon it must be something inside my camera as the outside lens looks fine.
So the final day of the festival dawned. All on parade today which was great, made our way to the field for midday to catch Richard Digance who regularly starts proceedings on Saturday. He's quite amusing & always gets everyone on their feet to make the biggest Morris dance side in the world. Not sure whether this has ever been challenged! Can remember nothing of substance about the following two turns, Maia & then Gilmore & Roberts. Not because of an alcoholic haze but generally just chatting, chilling, walking with Stan to the bar and back. Demon Barbers XL were good , with added Morris, Clog & also Street Dancers. They were abit different ,I liked!
Pierce brothers were awesome! Two Aussie lads who have been busking their way round Europe & after this gig off back home. They left the stage to tumultuous applause & even got a little emotional to the Cropredy crowds response to them. They were very good! Babylon Circus came and went , I did like them but it was a mix of Ska and sort of Indie and lordy knows what else. Now I know this will be considered heresy but I though Ralph McTell was abit boring. He did 'Streets of London' luckily so all could join in.
At some stage we had our eats. Tara had a gluten free quiche and I headed straight for the Northfield Farm stall again this time for an excellent cheese burger, lovely!
As Cropredy is masterminded by Fairport Convention, as well as opening the festival they also close it this time with all the bells and whistles of electric instruments and a proper drumkit for Gerry Conway. They end their set with the song 'Meet on the ledge' which by tradition (there's alot of tradition about Croppers) everybody belts out & links arms al la 'Auld Lang Syne.' That wraps up the whole event. It was great, our third festival will testify to that though we are still playing at it compared to the others who are well into double figures with Matt coming here everyone one of his 21 years!
Bed and asleep by about 2am & up 9 ish for breaky, then we broke camp. Said our goodbyes, by far the worst bit & headed home. Dropped Tom enroute & arrived back about 3.15pm to a much improved and freshly painted kitchen courtesy of Kevin.
Brilliant few days as always though we probably won't be able to get to next years which is a shame as its the 50th Anniversary because we are saving our pennies to go and see Alec & Laura who will be in Australia by then, with abit of luck the Pierce Brothers will be playing a local venue to them!
Please do follow this link to the Cropredy Blog run by Tom, Dan and Matt. They have uploaded songs and interviews with performers and spectators alike. Link : http://youtube.com/cropredyblog you'll also find them on FaceBook. It's very interesting!
 General view of the crowd looking up the field.
Stan near Mecca (ok the bar!) getting the beers in.
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