Celebration!!

May 2016 now officially is the most viewed month in the history of this blog!

Thanks to everybody watching - I shall strive to make this, my humble home on the interwebs, an ever more entertaining place to visit.

Now, pour yourself a glass, tankard, or horn of your favourite beverage while I salute you from a Secret Lab in the Middle of Nowhere!

CHEERS!

Ulf is Going Viking!

Finally! The first member of Sigurdr Krage's band of raiders (and my second painted Dark Ages mini) is finished, ready for some pillaging!

Ulf:
Eager to earn his 'horns', Ulf has joined Sigurdr's crew expecting adventure and loot, so he can afford marrying Gunhild (little does he know, Gunhild plans to become a shieldmaiden, and seek fame and fortune of her own).

The reason it took me so long to get him done is, that when I painted the grey tunic, I simply could not get the shading/hightligts to work, and I set him aside while working on other stuff.

Finally, I decided to siply apply a black wash to tie the gray layers together, and although it is not perfect, it is now passable, I think.

The paintjob breaks down as follows:

Primer: Black

Cap:

1. V Black Red + Black
2. C Khorne Red + V Black Red
3. C Mephiston Red

Fur Trim:

1. Black
2. Blue Grey + Black
3. Blue Grey

Hair:

1. V Khaki Grey
2. AP Skeleton Bone
3. WZ Legionaire Flesh

Skin:

• My usual recipe

Tunic:

• Dark through Light Grey (4 layers)
• C Badab Black wash

Belt:

1. C Scorched Brown
2. C Scorched Brown + C Bestial Brown
3. C Bestial Brown
4. C Vermin Brown

Pouch and Shoes:

1. C Snakebite Leather ++ C Scorched brown
2. C Shakebite Leather + C Scorched Brown
3. C Snakebite Leather

Seax Sheath:

1. C Vermin Brown
2. C Vermin Brown + C Vomit Brown
3. C Vomit Brown

Seax Handle:

• F Musket Stock Brown Triad

Breeches

• F Shadow Pink Triad

Dyller (Leg Wrappings):

1. C Orchide Shade + Black
2. C Orkhide Shade
3. C Knarloc Green

Axe Handle:

1. C Tausept Ochre
2. AP Skeleton Bone

Axe Head:

1. C Boltgun Metal
2. C Chainmail
3. C Mithril Silver

Stats:

Name	Ulf, young Viking										Points Cost
Attributes	Fate	FV	SV	Speed	Religion
Value	5+	+1	+1	+0	Pagan						17
Points	2	1	1	0							4
Traits
Armour	Læderbrynje					Encumbrance		Light	Armour Rating:	8	1
Fighting Weapon	Attack Bonus	Hands Required	Fate Modifier	Notes							Points Cost
Økse	+3	1	-1	Sundering							8
Seax	+1	1	-1	Can be thrown							5
Unarmed - Unskilled	+0	1	+1								0
Shooting Weapon	Attack Bonus	Range	Hands Required	Fate Modifier	Notes						Points Cost
Seax	+1	6”	1	-1							(5)

Time to Tidy up the Castle Yard

Now that summer has actually arrived for good (or at least for the time being) it is time to get out the garden furniture - but at first we must clean up the castle yard (between the house and the garage), as a lot of dirt, dust, and dead leaves has settled on the ground and in the corners.

As you can see, my wife has started sweeping some of the dirt into a small mound next to the trailer.
The black plastic bags are filled with weeds of different kinds, but mainly dandelions.
We need to transport them to the re-cycling facility in Ringe, where they will be composted.

Watching it Grow

The closest two rows are from some of last year's harvest,
and were planted at least a week before the rest.

My potato plants are fairly tall by now, and I hope to be able to harvest the first new potatoes next Sunday (our Constitution Day, Anna's 13 years birthday, AND Father's Day).

I have not gotten around to weeding and earthing up all the rows the second time, yet (I expect to do some more tomorrow, as the forecast says up to Celsius 26 here on Funen), but I think I have it reasonably under control, as opposed to last year, when the weeds covered the potato patch completely.

Blood Eagle: Uruk-Hai Warband Also Almost Finished!

As you can see, only some base decoration is still missing - and I have to repair the paintjob on the leader's face (I dropped him back at the beginning of this project, remember?), and hair.

If everything goes to plan, both Rohan warriors and the Uruk-Hai will be finished before noon tomorrow - and I have finished painting my first Viking, and am now in the process of doing his base!

Blood Eagle: Rohan/Saxon Warband all but Finished

A few touches more, and these are ready for the tabletop. At least the leader is going to have a tuft or two, and some fallen leaves on his base

Rocks!

I have no idea, why the soil in our garden contains so many rocks and pebbles, but this load is just what was unearthed during the recent removal of the four bushes in the front yard.

They are going on the slope behind the garage, just above the veggie garden. I have no count of the rocks and pebbles I have unloaded there, since I started cultivating parts of our property, like the veggie garden and quite a few flower and herb beds.

Clearing the Last Two Bushes Away

Another hour and some minutes spent on the front yard project.

As mentioned earlier, the two small remaining bushed are destined to continue their existence elsewher in the front yard, as soon as I have cleared some spae for the.

Next step will be to obtain a trailerload or two of soil from the re-cycling facility in Ringe (it's free!), and get the cleared area level with the rest of the lawn.

Horsens European Medieval Festival 2015

Friday night on the marketplace

I did not take a lot of photos at the event last year, mainly because I spent most of the Saturday in the tent, suffering from a stomach infection that kept me in the loo most of the night before.

I think the girls had a blast, though, and we are probably going to attend this year too:

http://www.middelalderfestival.dk/?sc_lang=en

I found the girls at the bar

The Joys of a Large Garden

Last summer, suddenly, without any visible reason, this tree toppled over.

Fortunately, it happened during the night (or at another time nobody was there), so nobody was harmed.

Took me some time to cut it into splittable pieces, and I really do not need this kind of distractions when working on other time-consuming projects - but at least it provided some extra firewood for next winter!

The Lily and Flower Bed, The Beginnings

I was not aware that I had not posted these pics before, but this is how the lily and flower beds beneath the veggie garden were created last summer.

The outer bed is the one I am going to expand out to the tree at the right edge of the second photo, because my wife planted flowers all the wa out the the edge, notr leaving place for lining with the boulders.

This project is on hold, while I make the re-arrangements in the front yard, but shall be finished later this summer!

Another 3 Bushes Down

Although it is very difficult when only allowed to use one arm to its full extent (as I have a 'tennis elbow' in my left arm),over the last couple of afternoons I have succeeded in cutting three more bushes down, and today, with a little help from my wife, I dug up the roots of he largest one.

Only two bushes remaining in this bed, now (a small Juniper, and a Slender Deutzia), and they arre going to be moved to another part of the garden.

Before moving them, I have to get rid of the roots of the other two, smaller, bushes I cut down.

After moving the soil back into the hole, the removal of roots and rocks is beginning to show, and we shall have to get some soil from the re-cycling plant in Ringe,

Argonor's Attic Attack III (2015): Day 2

Again a couple of pics of some of the action from last year's Attic Attack

Argonor's Attic Attack III (2015): Day 1

Here are some pics from attic Attack last year.

As far as I remember, the games played was SBH, Frosgrave, and JDMG.

Lundeborg Iron Age/Viking Market 2015

The weekend after our return from the Vacation in Italy and Switzerland, the girls and I went to the annual Iron Age market in Lundeborg - of course all dressed up in our Viking/Medieval gear.

Again this year, the market was visited by a Roman maniple,, and some gladiators.

'You call that a bow...?'

If there is archery to be tried...

Some Gladiator action:

Legionaire drill (it was raining, and the Romans don't like their equipment rusting):

That is what I have from last year's market. I think we are in Spain at the time of this year's market, but we shall have to see about that...