And also make bread
I've got another batch of gluten-free on the go, and have to be off to the pub quiz in forty minutes. O the tension! Will I get my loaf done in time?
Hopefully, yes. Off to give it a second proving now -
- did you miss me? The dough is strange stuff, it flows like a semi-fluid, so it's fortunate I don't need to knead it. I need to pop off again in a few minutes to put it in the oven.
How Quaint the Queen
Yes, HRH popped into 1 Angel Square today to officially open it. The phones in our office shut down for the duration and the floor emptied. I and perhaps ten other people were left in a scene that repeated the eerie silence of Monday's eleven o'clock ceremony, with Conrad wondering "Do they really love Queenie - or is this a chance to go and skive for half an hour?". Surprisingly the first option seems most likely. I couldn't really attend as that would be rank hypocrisy.
"Hypocrisy"
Derived from the Greek for "under" and "to decide". How come we never see Hypercrisy, where people are overly judgemental? Or just Crisy? "I can't choose bedroom curtains today, I've got a crisy crisis." Ah, etymology ...
No, Venusia, "Etymology"
The study of words and their evolution and adaptation over history. "Watching horrid creepy crawlies", as you so aptly put it, is "Entomology".
Is that so?
Wonder what JRR Tolkein would have called the study of Ents?
Right! Got to go put the human skin on and convince pub-goers that Conrad is indeed a member of Hom. Sap.
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Conrad Not Such An Idiot.
Well, marginally
If you were here yesterday you will have noticed me complaining about how I'd based my English Civil War miniatures, meaning that the simple ruleset and the complex ruleset were now both inapplicable.
All the time I kept wondering why the word "Polemos" kept cropping up.
O wise subconscious! It happens that I have a third ECW ruleset called Polemos and all those little white metal chaps were based according to Polemos. O frabjous day!
The Creations of Azazel
Azazel - one of the minor demons, an imp rather than Old Nick himself.
Yes, whilst driving to work this morning, what did Conrad's eye espy? No, not bloody wolves again! No, he witnessed a man operating a leaf-blower outside his home and across the pavement.
'Hang on,' thought I (obviously as if it was someone else then that would imply telepathy which does not exist. Yet) 'He's not sweeping the leaves up, he's not sucking them into a bag on his back - he's selfishly blowing his leaves into everyone elses property.'
Thus Azazel.
Bless Grooveshark! Bless It's Pointy Little Teeth!
Two Cd's bought in the recent past refuse to be recognised by I-tunes for no visible reason, and one of them was "Hawkwind", by The Amazing Power Muffins. No, I'm lying, it was by Hawkwind. Thanks to the very wonderful (and free!) Grooveshark, Conrad can now listen to at least some of the tracks whilst typing the immoral lines that greet your sight.
Gluten-free but rather heavy
The loaf I experimented with last night is considerably less palatable when cold, and hard, and cold and hard. It barely passes muster as toast. I must experiment further! A shorter baking time would mean moisture being retained. More yeast - half as much again. I feel the need to have a go again. It's too late tonight, tomorrow I'm on a late shift and have the pub quiz, Friday I'll be doing the weekly shop, Saturday - ah yes Saturday ...
Richard's Saturday Afternoon Wargame
My friend Richard lives out in the countryside, making the middle of nowhere look like a bustling metropolis. Although only five minutes drive from the centre of Sheffield, it really is isolated.
Anyway, forgoing poetic allusion, he runs a wargame on the third Saturday in the month. This allows his wife and daughter enough time to plan an escape from the house whilst crusty old men argue about arcane points of tactics or weapons in the kitchen. Noble Richard - as Conrad pretty much defines a dilettante wargamer, Richard's participation games represent a bit of practice. This month's game is set after the Roman withdrawal from England and the following Saxon incursions.
Right. Time to go plot world domination (yes, again - hey it's a big project!)
If you were here yesterday you will have noticed me complaining about how I'd based my English Civil War miniatures, meaning that the simple ruleset and the complex ruleset were now both inapplicable.
All the time I kept wondering why the word "Polemos" kept cropping up.
O wise subconscious! It happens that I have a third ECW ruleset called Polemos and all those little white metal chaps were based according to Polemos. O frabjous day!
 |
| BOOJUM! Happy as a Prozacked dog |
Azazel - one of the minor demons, an imp rather than Old Nick himself.
Yes, whilst driving to work this morning, what did Conrad's eye espy? No, not bloody wolves again! No, he witnessed a man operating a leaf-blower outside his home and across the pavement.
'Hang on,' thought I (obviously as if it was someone else then that would imply telepathy which does not exist. Yet) 'He's not sweeping the leaves up, he's not sucking them into a bag on his back - he's selfishly blowing his leaves into everyone elses property.'
Thus Azazel.
 |
| Of course, if your leaves are Gunneraceae you need a jet engine to shift 'em |
Two Cd's bought in the recent past refuse to be recognised by I-tunes for no visible reason, and one of them was "Hawkwind", by The Amazing Power Muffins. No, I'm lying, it was by Hawkwind. Thanks to the very wonderful (and free!) Grooveshark, Conrad can now listen to at least some of the tracks whilst typing the immoral lines that greet your sight.
Gluten-free but rather heavy
The loaf I experimented with last night is considerably less palatable when cold, and hard, and cold and hard. It barely passes muster as toast. I must experiment further! A shorter baking time would mean moisture being retained. More yeast - half as much again. I feel the need to have a go again. It's too late tonight, tomorrow I'm on a late shift and have the pub quiz, Friday I'll be doing the weekly shop, Saturday - ah yes Saturday ...
Richard's Saturday Afternoon Wargame
My friend Richard lives out in the countryside, making the middle of nowhere look like a bustling metropolis. Although only five minutes drive from the centre of Sheffield, it really is isolated.
Anyway, forgoing poetic allusion, he runs a wargame on the third Saturday in the month. This allows his wife and daughter enough time to plan an escape from the house whilst crusty old men argue about arcane points of tactics or weapons in the kitchen. Noble Richard - as Conrad pretty much defines a dilettante wargamer, Richard's participation games represent a bit of practice. This month's game is set after the Roman withdrawal from England and the following Saxon incursions.
| Gridlock during rush-hour at Storrs |
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
It's about time -
In two senses of the word
I have been banging on about playing an English Civil War game, but that I needed to swot up on the straightforward ruleset. Then I realised my little chaps were based in such a way that the straightforward rules couldn't be used. I then looked at the more complex set of rules, and - the unit bases are far too large. I'm not sure why they got based in this fashion. Conrad was an idiot at the time?
Do not wish the year away!
Given Conrad's advanced age, he likes to cling to each day like a lifebelt in the tides of time. Given this propensity, he is known for shouting at people who start bleating "It's nearly Christmas!" in June. You may mention Christmas in November, but no more than once per week. In December you may mention it daily - once.
Both my spies and assassins are on the lookout, so be careful, Victoria, be very careful.
Gloat over a glut of Gluten-free Loaf
In the spirit of optimistic enquiry, Conrad has just put a gluten-free loaf into the loaf tin. He seemed to recall the ratio of 6 parts rice flour, 2 parts potato flour and 1 par tapioca. No tapioca so he used ground arrowroot instead. There is little kneading of this stuff as kneading is to get the gluten good and angry.
I really have no idea what this will turn out like. Give me a minute to pop down the spiral staircases and into the Non-Dangerous Kitchen -
I shall have to go and babysit this article whilst it bakes, so here is an end to tonight's blog as I toddle off.
Toodle pip!
I have been banging on about playing an English Civil War game, but that I needed to swot up on the straightforward ruleset. Then I realised my little chaps were based in such a way that the straightforward rules couldn't be used. I then looked at the more complex set of rules, and - the unit bases are far too large. I'm not sure why they got based in this fashion. Conrad was an idiot at the time?
 |
| Dangerous - if trodden on in your bare feet |
Given Conrad's advanced age, he likes to cling to each day like a lifebelt in the tides of time. Given this propensity, he is known for shouting at people who start bleating "It's nearly Christmas!" in June. You may mention Christmas in November, but no more than once per week. In December you may mention it daily - once.
Both my spies and assassins are on the lookout, so be careful, Victoria, be very careful.
 |
| Could have been scripted for BOOJUM! |
In the spirit of optimistic enquiry, Conrad has just put a gluten-free loaf into the loaf tin. He seemed to recall the ratio of 6 parts rice flour, 2 parts potato flour and 1 par tapioca. No tapioca so he used ground arrowroot instead. There is little kneading of this stuff as kneading is to get the gluten good and angry.
I really have no idea what this will turn out like. Give me a minute to pop down the spiral staircases and into the Non-Dangerous Kitchen -
 |
| Behold the beast! |
Toodle pip!
Monday, 11 November 2013
Harvester of Eyes
Yes, another song title, and no I won't say who it's by
Television, that's what it means. Conrad was asked earlier today if he watched "Strictly Come Dancing". After recoiling in horror and wielding a silver crucifix, I confirmed that I had never seen the programme, doubted that it really existed and considered it to be a giant joke on Conrad specifically.
I was assured it really, truly existed. Damn. Real world I hate you. Why view it? "Because it's watchable rubbish," replied Alex.
That about sums it up. Hmm - no. Sums it down.
Eeriness actualised
On the third floor of my still-coyly secret employer, given that there are about a hundred and fifty staff, all busy talking to each other, answering phones, making phone calls, brewing-up in the kitchen, walking around, bashing the table (okay that was me), sorting out the stationery room, opening and closing lockers and doors and cupboards - it's a noisy babbling earstormer of a place.
Until 11:00 today. The bell rang and utter silence descended. No noise, no movement. Peeking out of the window, I could see even the workmen on the building site opposite were standing still and silent.
Conrad has a cold hard flinty heart, but it did get it's strings tugged a little today.
If you will permit, and as best as I recall, a stanza in remembrance:
"They shall not grow old,
As we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
But at the setting of the sun,
And in the morning,
We shall remember them."
Harvester, you can have their eyes!
Alex, the self-same source of that great quote above, asked what Conrad did if he didn't watch television? Well, besides reporting back to my invasion fleet (currently having a rest-stop around Alpha Centauri), I read, write, play wargames, compose my blog, wibble on Facebook and bake. That seemed to satisfy her curiosity, for the meantime. I left out the stuff about land-travelling sharks, giant moles and denizens of the mansion's dungeons - she might not believe me.
Oh dear. Once again the day has worn on and I've not even begun my plans for world domination - there was some fresh fruit to peel and chop and I needed to test the Wobbly Apricot Tart and make lunch for tomorrow.
It isn't easy to see unless you look realllllly closely, but those are English Civil War figures. What I plan to do is start in the 17th century and work forward (I work slowly) so that by the time that invasion fleet arrives, I'll be up to the present day - and you'll all be doomed*!
Righto, off to give those wretched Cavaliers a thrashing that they richly deserve!
* Readers of BOOJUM! will, of course, be exempt from any alien overlordship (though we may riffle through your CD and DVD collections) so tell all your friends.
Television, that's what it means. Conrad was asked earlier today if he watched "Strictly Come Dancing". After recoiling in horror and wielding a silver crucifix, I confirmed that I had never seen the programme, doubted that it really existed and considered it to be a giant joke on Conrad specifically.
I was assured it really, truly existed. Damn. Real world I hate you. Why view it? "Because it's watchable rubbish," replied Alex.
That about sums it up. Hmm - no. Sums it down.
 |
| Now that's what I call watchable rubbish! Boom boom. |
On the third floor of my still-coyly secret employer, given that there are about a hundred and fifty staff, all busy talking to each other, answering phones, making phone calls, brewing-up in the kitchen, walking around, bashing the table (okay that was me), sorting out the stationery room, opening and closing lockers and doors and cupboards - it's a noisy babbling earstormer of a place.
Until 11:00 today. The bell rang and utter silence descended. No noise, no movement. Peeking out of the window, I could see even the workmen on the building site opposite were standing still and silent.
Conrad has a cold hard flinty heart, but it did get it's strings tugged a little today.
If you will permit, and as best as I recall, a stanza in remembrance:
"They shall not grow old,
As we who are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
But at the setting of the sun,
And in the morning,
We shall remember them."
 |
Alex, the self-same source of that great quote above, asked what Conrad did if he didn't watch television? Well, besides reporting back to my invasion fleet (currently having a rest-stop around Alpha Centauri), I read, write, play wargames, compose my blog, wibble on Facebook and bake. That seemed to satisfy her curiosity, for the meantime. I left out the stuff about land-travelling sharks, giant moles and denizens of the mansion's dungeons - she might not believe me.
 |
| Excellent when barbecued but you need a big grill (as it weighs over a ton) |
 |
| Fact. All aspiring world dictators begin like this. |
Righto, off to give those wretched Cavaliers a thrashing that they richly deserve!
* Readers of BOOJUM! will, of course, be exempt from any alien overlordship (though we may riffle through your CD and DVD collections) so tell all your friends.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Busy Busy BOOJUM!
In two senses of the word
Yesterday I had 37 visitors, an unusually high figure, so thank you for dropping by, excepting the people from MI5, who were after my recipe for home-made californium*. Then today I have baked a loaf, made a Wobbly Apricot Tart and am shortly going to be off downstairs to decant Summer Fruits Ice-Cream from the ice-cream maker.
<you may imagine a small pause here, reader>
Well that's the ice-cream done and dusted. How's it done I hear you chorus - behold:
It's rather messy, home-made ice-cream making, and it uses a ton of kit, but the end result is worth it.
The Bread
Allow me:
The secret here is a 2 1/2 pound loaf tin, which is large enough to prevent the dough from spilling over the sides, yet small enough to allow the dough to rise properly. I also turn the tin every five minutes during the first 15 minutes, which means it rises evenly, and cover it with foil after 20 minutes, so it doesn't burn.
Wobbly Apricot Tart
A Mary Berry recipe, done during the "Masterclass"boasting follow-up sessions following TGBBO. Mine was not as picture perfect as Mary's, but I just know that the Beeb would bin any footage of a duff Mary bake and allow her endless new efforts.
Here is mine:
Enough of baking!
I hear you cry.
Okay. In order to fool S.H.I.E.L.D. and persuade that not-very-nice Nick Fury that Conrad and BOOJUM! are entirely human, we maintain two cats here in the mansion. Beej is the one who always looks sombre, and unamused, and it is a rarity to hear him purr.
Being busy downstairs meant I caught him trying to nudge a box out of our storage shelving in the Non-Dangerous Kitchen.
'Beej! Ochi!' I shouted (all cats understand Greek). He stopped, but only until I was busy rolling out pastry and couldn't interfere. I heard a scraping noise, a thump and then silence.
The box pictured above had gone, pushed completely off the shelving. When I looked behind the shelves, the box had fallen down, Beej had prised the lid off and was sitting in a nest of towels.
The Grumpy Old Men maintain that cats only tolerate humans because, lacking opposable thumbs, they can't open tins of cat food. I put it to you, gentle reader, that we ought to start getting on better terms with our soon-to-be feline overlords.
So - Tanks?
Good lord aloft, man! The threat of a feline takeover is more sinister than either The Zombie Apocalypse or The Rise of Skynet. Get a grip, we can't waste time posting pictures of tanks.
On the other hand, we do have:
This is the Top Gear episode where the team try to avoid being targeted and hence disintegrated by a Challenger tank. Jeremy is still with us so either they dodged or the ammo was pretend.
*Californium. Yes it exists. Yes it was named after the state. Yes a californium bullet will stop a tank.
Yesterday I had 37 visitors, an unusually high figure, so thank you for dropping by, excepting the people from MI5, who were after my recipe for home-made californium*. Then today I have baked a loaf, made a Wobbly Apricot Tart and am shortly going to be off downstairs to decant Summer Fruits Ice-Cream from the ice-cream maker.
<you may imagine a small pause here, reader>
Well that's the ice-cream done and dusted. How's it done I hear you chorus - behold:
 |
| That's whipped cream in the mixer, fruit puree and icing sugar in the bowl and a custard mix cooling in a tub in a tin |
 |
| All being blended in the ice-cream maker |
It's rather messy, home-made ice-cream making, and it uses a ton of kit, but the end result is worth it.
The Bread
Allow me:
 |
| This stuff I like is the staff of life. |
Wobbly Apricot Tart
A Mary Berry recipe, done during the "Masterclass"
Here is mine:
 |
| A tad over-browned on one side and the trimming could have been neater. |
I hear you cry.
Okay. In order to fool S.H.I.E.L.D. and persuade that not-very-nice Nick Fury that Conrad and BOOJUM! are entirely human, we maintain two cats here in the mansion. Beej is the one who always looks sombre, and unamused, and it is a rarity to hear him purr.
Being busy downstairs meant I caught him trying to nudge a box out of our storage shelving in the Non-Dangerous Kitchen.
'Beej! Ochi!' I shouted (all cats understand Greek). He stopped, but only until I was busy rolling out pastry and couldn't interfere. I heard a scraping noise, a thump and then silence.
 |
| Box, Green, One Of, Non-Dangerous Kitchen |
The Grumpy Old Men maintain that cats only tolerate humans because, lacking opposable thumbs, they can't open tins of cat food. I put it to you, gentle reader, that we ought to start getting on better terms with our soon-to-be feline overlords.
So - Tanks?
Good lord aloft, man! The threat of a feline takeover is more sinister than either The Zombie Apocalypse or The Rise of Skynet. Get a grip, we can't waste time posting pictures of tanks.
On the other hand, we do have:
 |
| "5h1t! Get into third gear quick smart!" |
*Californium. Yes it exists. Yes it was named after the state. Yes a californium bullet will stop a tank.
Saturday, 9 November 2013
The weekend unfolds -
- perhaps "Unwinds" would be more apt
Although I'm pretty sure I'm not really in need of de-stressing. On a recent visit to my old place of work, Gavin (my old manager) commented "Oh, you don't do "stressed", do you?".
Just to prove a point, I did the BBC Stress Test, and scored 1 out of 32. This apparently means I am so laid-back I make sloths look like hummingbirds on speed*.
John Carter of Mars
Here at the BOOJUM! mansion, Conrad took a bit of a metaphorical beating from Wonder Wife about this film.
Hey there! I refer you to that cinematic icon Kurt Russell**, who described "Stargate" in a most excellent and quotable phrase: "big dumb fun". Which is what "John Carter" is; it isn't trying to redefine cinema, fiction, literature or frictionless ball-bearing races. It tells an entertaining story.
An expensive one, coming in at $250 million, yes (though it took more than this on general release, before DVD sales and television rights are added) but that money is right up there on screen.
Hadag Nahash
Not the sound you make when sneezing, no. This is actually one of the most successful Israeli bands at present, a bunch of leftie-leaning peaceniks who make sounds that can be decribed as - er - well, kind of Hebrew hip-hop electro-pop. Yes, they sing in Hebrew so I have no idea what they're saying, except that it sounds interesting. Actually that's a lie - on one song they sing " ... Cruise Control ..." so I understand two words of their entire repertoire. Plastic People of the Universe, Rokia Traore, meet another group who don't sing in English.
They're playing in the background as this blog is composed is why I mention them, Vulanvia, thank you for asking.
Wargaming
To correct a common misapprehension, Conrad does not don a military uniform in private and torment small animals for pleasure simply because he is a wargamer.
More correctly that should read "dilettante wargamer", as it must be well over a year since I played a game at home - Blitzkrieg Commander I seem to recall. I would be even more out of touch were it not for Richard and his Saturday wargaming sessions. I apologise, wargaming community - that damn zombie novel takes up so much time, as does the hex-and-counter game design. Oh, and baking, too.
I do progress in a halting fashion, as witness:
On the logic puzzle front, I've got 4 out of the past 5 correct, despite the sometimes tortuous and nonsensical grammar involved. The matrix puzzle I couldn't make any sense of has a solution that makes no sense either - Conrad suspects drunken puzzle compilers.
Coincidence? Only you can tell!
Any regular reader will recall that I've recently been listening to Kayo Dot, who cannot really be described conveniently. Except by Grooveshark, it seems - when I logged in to play Hadag Nahash, there were two suggested tracks that I listen to, by - yes you guessed - Kayo Dot. They haven't ever come up as a suggestion before - hang on let me just strain the bounds of credibility - therefore someone at Grooveshark was reading BOOJUM!
Wow, I feel so - so - so empowered!
So - Tanks?
No! Because Anna may be reading this. Instead we have <casts around desperately> we have - er - a cuddly felt dragon!
Okay, time to go practice with Pinky and the Brain. Why? Because we all three plan TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. After a quick breakfast, perked coffee and a read of the sunday papers.
* "Speed" is slang for amphetamine sulphate, a stimulant drug that I humbly apologise for bringing into the hitherto pristine pages of BOOJUM!
** Who he? Star of "The Thing", "Stargate", "Big Trou" - look, if you don't know who he is, we aren't friends anymore, okay?
Although I'm pretty sure I'm not really in need of de-stressing. On a recent visit to my old place of work, Gavin (my old manager) commented "Oh, you don't do "stressed", do you?".
Just to prove a point, I did the BBC Stress Test, and scored 1 out of 32. This apparently means I am so laid-back I make sloths look like hummingbirds on speed*.
John Carter of Mars
Here at the BOOJUM! mansion, Conrad took a bit of a metaphorical beating from Wonder Wife about this film.
Hey there! I refer you to that cinematic icon Kurt Russell**, who described "Stargate" in a most excellent and quotable phrase: "big dumb fun". Which is what "John Carter" is; it isn't trying to redefine cinema, fiction, literature or frictionless ball-bearing races. It tells an entertaining story.
An expensive one, coming in at $250 million, yes (though it took more than this on general release, before DVD sales and television rights are added) but that money is right up there on screen.
 |
| Given the size of those teeth, one hopes they floss daily |
Not the sound you make when sneezing, no. This is actually one of the most successful Israeli bands at present, a bunch of leftie-leaning peaceniks who make sounds that can be decribed as - er - well, kind of Hebrew hip-hop electro-pop. Yes, they sing in Hebrew so I have no idea what they're saying, except that it sounds interesting. Actually that's a lie - on one song they sing " ... Cruise Control ..." so I understand two words of their entire repertoire. Plastic People of the Universe, Rokia Traore, meet another group who don't sing in English.
They're playing in the background as this blog is composed is why I mention them, Vulanvia, thank you for asking.
 |
| Oddly enough, not called to perform at many bar mitzvahs. |
To correct a common misapprehension, Conrad does not don a military uniform in private and torment small animals for pleasure simply because he is a wargamer.
More correctly that should read "dilettante wargamer", as it must be well over a year since I played a game at home - Blitzkrieg Commander I seem to recall. I would be even more out of touch were it not for Richard and his Saturday wargaming sessions. I apologise, wargaming community - that damn zombie novel takes up so much time, as does the hex-and-counter game design. Oh, and baking, too.
I do progress in a halting fashion, as witness:
 |
| Compare to yesterday's photo. (Yes a transparent attempt to increase site visitors) |
Coincidence? Only you can tell!
Any regular reader will recall that I've recently been listening to Kayo Dot, who cannot really be described conveniently. Except by Grooveshark, it seems - when I logged in to play Hadag Nahash, there were two suggested tracks that I listen to, by - yes you guessed - Kayo Dot. They haven't ever come up as a suggestion before - hang on let me just strain the bounds of credibility - therefore someone at Grooveshark was reading BOOJUM!
Wow, I feel so - so - so empowered!
So - Tanks?
No! Because Anna may be reading this. Instead we have <casts around desperately> we have - er - a cuddly felt dragon!
 |
| "Cuddly"? It's a swivel-eyed loon, Conrad! |
Okay, time to go practice with Pinky and the Brain. Why? Because we all three plan TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. After a quick breakfast, perked coffee and a read of the sunday papers.
* "Speed" is slang for amphetamine sulphate, a stimulant drug that I humbly apologise for bringing into the hitherto pristine pages of BOOJUM!
** Who he? Star of "The Thing", "Stargate", "Big Trou" - look, if you don't know who he is, we aren't friends anymore, okay?
Friday, 8 November 2013
The weekend beckons
A Truism, but still relevant
A late start for tonight's BOOJUM! after a late finish at work. It's nice to get a lie in when you start late, but when the office is echoing and empty and it's pitch black outside, a little of the joy in your life is subtly sucked out by circumstance (and the long dark walk to the car park)
Forthcoming events in the Upstair Lair
Last night I got out a couple of paste tables, and this morning I put a brown sheet over them. This will form the literal foundation for a wargame I intend to play this weekend, concerning the English Civil War. The sheet is rather lined so I shall have to iron it before placing all sorts of boxes and containers of my Historical Miniature Replicas (that are so not Toy Soldiers) upon it. You may get more photos as the weekend wears on. Here's one for starters:
Mussolini and Fascist Italy in 30 seconds
One of our younger members of staff was asking why Italy, with it's Fascist heritage, wasn't hated/disliked/vilified as much as Nazi Germany had been post=war?
Naturally Conrad leapt into the conversation. In order to keep eyes from glazing over, and team leaders from interrupting, I did keep it brief - how the average Italian in the street might give lip-service to old Benny, but they had absolutely no intention of dying for him. That Italy threw off the dictatorial yoke and joined the Allies. That if Benny got involved in making any decisions about military matters, he inevitably got it wrong.
"Cockpit"
No sniggering at the back there. This same member of staff also enquired about the word "cockpit", and once again Conrad leapt into the conversation. There is the vernacular description of a pit set into the ground, wherein fighting cockerels, equipped with steel spurs, hack each other to ribbons - hence "cockpit", and the reason that Belgium has been described as "the cockpit of Europe" ' every country in Europe since the year dot has sent armies over Belgium to loot and fight and destroy.
This word suffered when heavier-than-air craft were invented, and their cramped and narrow area for pilots was described as a "cockpit". Stop sniggering at the back!
As a Parthian shot it transpires that Wonder Wife does not like Key Lime Tart - of which Conrad has two, stealthily removed from the fridge - and thus they can be safely disposed of with a clear conscience. Excellent!
Oh, is that a can of Old Golden Hen I espy? Okay, time to log off and consume. What ho!
A late start for tonight's BOOJUM! after a late finish at work. It's nice to get a lie in when you start late, but when the office is echoing and empty and it's pitch black outside, a little of the joy in your life is subtly sucked out by circumstance (and the long dark walk to the car park)
Forthcoming events in the Upstair Lair
Last night I got out a couple of paste tables, and this morning I put a brown sheet over them. This will form the literal foundation for a wargame I intend to play this weekend, concerning the English Civil War. The sheet is rather lined so I shall have to iron it before placing all sorts of boxes and containers of my Historical Miniature Replicas (that are so not Toy Soldiers) upon it. You may get more photos as the weekend wears on. Here's one for starters:
 |
| Logic puzzles and war-gaming. What every middle-aged man aspires to. Right? |
One of our younger members of staff was asking why Italy, with it's Fascist heritage, wasn't hated/disliked/vilified as much as Nazi Germany had been post=war?
Naturally Conrad leapt into the conversation. In order to keep eyes from glazing over, and team leaders from interrupting, I did keep it brief - how the average Italian in the street might give lip-service to old Benny, but they had absolutely no intention of dying for him. That Italy threw off the dictatorial yoke and joined the Allies. That if Benny got involved in making any decisions about military matters, he inevitably got it wrong.
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| An M11/39 tank, in it's habitual format - i.e. destroyed. The Trabant of tanks! |
No sniggering at the back there. This same member of staff also enquired about the word "cockpit", and once again Conrad leapt into the conversation. There is the vernacular description of a pit set into the ground, wherein fighting cockerels, equipped with steel spurs, hack each other to ribbons - hence "cockpit", and the reason that Belgium has been described as "the cockpit of Europe" ' every country in Europe since the year dot has sent armies over Belgium to loot and fight and destroy.
This word suffered when heavier-than-air craft were invented, and their cramped and narrow area for pilots was described as a "cockpit". Stop sniggering at the back!
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| Not much room for a couple of birds, eh? |
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| What Key Lime Tart looks like to Wonder Wife. Sad, sad, sad. |
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