Something About Maps

I'm a bit undecided on the setting of my new 'imagi-nation'. My original intention was to use the counties of the East Midlands as a basis for a small group of countiries around the French/German/Dutch border,

Then I thought of option two, which is to use the pre-Norman seven kingdoms, supposing that a) the Normans were held at Hastings and only managed to conquer the bottom part of the country, leaving Wessex to Harold and the Saxons, while the Danes end up with Northumbria.

Finally, I came across Dennis Wheatley's 1941 plan for the redivision of Europe after WW11. His idea was to cut Germany down to size and fit two buffer zones, one between Germany and France, the other between Europe and Communist Russia. I'm not sure exactly how he would have convinced the various countries thus dissapearing (i.e. Switzerland) to conform but it makes for useful alternative history fantasy. I,ve only put up the first of his maps to give an idea.

I've been playing with my new camera macro settings as well. Here are a couple of the resulting photos. Most seemed to cut of heads, legs, or be hideously out of focus.

And I thought I was a reasonably tidy painter. Must practice. The staff figures are castings from Replica Models, while the East Kent Mounted Rifles figure is a Langley casting.

I'm slowly getting my idea for a force based on Yeomanry and Volunteer units together. I have some books on the subjects, but have received a couple of CD's from a company (http://www.uniformsotw.com/) that are full of diagramatic uniform colour schemes, and been in touch with a firm I used to deal with, D.P.&.G. of Doncaster, who, among other things, have a massive library of photos and prints. To save a large list and avoid dissapointment in ordering, this firm run a subscription scheme, whereby you pay an initial deposit, they send you a selection of pictures (5x7) geared to your interests and you then choose which you want to keep, return the rest with payment and they send you a further selection. This continues till you have what you want, at which point your deposit comes back.

I think I've gone on long enough. Thanks for reading. I will return soon.