8 June 2013: My Vargr Tank was tagged on TMP

25 June 2009: Updated Modeling log - someone's tagged my modblog on TMP! How cool is that?

Hello and welcome to my little slice of the Internet. This is the place where I write about my hobbies (wargaming and model making) and other stuff, and show off some of my hobby-related photos.

As I've got a shed-load of annual leave owing, I've been taking Wednesday's off, which is both very pleasant and very conducive for getting painting and model making done.

The 6mm SciFi project from last year has kinda gone on hold - I suffered a major distraction late last year in that I rediscovered 15mm Fantasy. This coincided with the launch of a new range of fantasy figures from Battle Valor Games. I'm still looking for a set of rules I like. Still too many projects, and not enough time.

(August 2016)

August has begun with the usual mish-mash of sun, rain, high winds, thunder, and lightning. And that was just Saturday.

For the last six months or so I've been working on a 6mm Traveller project - creating Imperial and Outworld Coaltion forces for a renewed Outrim War. I'll probably use Dirtside II from Ground Zero Games as my primary ruleset, with elements of 5150: Battalion Commander from Two Hour Wargames.

Another project that had suckered me in over the last few weeks is the painting of 25mm character figures for Traveller. I've discovered that both Denizen Miniatures and the Metal Magic Spacelords range of science fiction miniatures are still available.

Too many projects: not enough time.

(August 2015)

After a week or so of rain and high winds, I took this photo of our valley today, seven years since I started this webpage. The watery winter sun had broken through the clouds and there were hints of blue sky. Sadly, the promise of fine weather did not last as squawls and showers slipped down the valley.

After a bit of a hiatus at the end of last year, my Traveller campaign has resumed, and in the last couple of days I've finally made the connections for the larger meta-story.

Figure painting continues and I have made the break into painting units, as opposed to character figures. Progress through the lead mountain becomes much more visible when you can crack out a platoon of figures. I have finally finished the Ventauran/Zhodani/Kalar-Wi Platoon I bought some years before, and I'm getting close to having a Mid-Tech OPFOR completed as well. Maybe this year I will finally get to play some Traveller inspired wargames?

(July 2014)

I'm glad I took this picture a week or so ago - the weather promptly turned bitterly cold as a southerly swept in from the south and it rained every day for a week.

This month has been very productive - some 70-odd figures and five vehicles completed - but I still have to clear the decks a little to both reduce the lead mountain and to make some room for material from a couple of Kickstarters I supported.

Since the beginning of the year, I've been running Traveller games set in my Traveller universe again. They have been lots of fun, and it's given me a focus for my painting.

(May 2013)

The weather is changing again. We had a mild summer, a burst of rain and then a long autumn. It's now mid-May and the first of the winter cold fronts have come through. I actually took this photo a couple of days ago, trying to get some sun on the vineyard as lines of cloud rolled down from the west.

I had a good and productive start to the year with quite respectable tallies of figures painted. Taking part in a blogging challenge during April rather threw my schedule, even though it was quite a lot of fun. I have a number of figures almost done at the present and if I can knock them off, I should be able to rescue May's tally and get myself back on schedule.

Rules-wise, I have picked up Blasters and Bulkheads and The Department and am quite looking forward to giving them a try. I need to finish the half-dozen CD Tower houses I've put to one side so that I can try out my Christmas War scenario with 5150: New Beginnings.

(May 2012)

In the last couple of months, I have been recruited to join the crew of the Dropship Horizon 15mm Science Fiction Wargames Blog. This has been both a great honour, and a lot of work - I really wonder how Mark, the original blogger, managed to keep up!

Work continues on my Traveller campaign from time to time, as detailed on the Waystar Highport Blog, where I am detailing both the history of the RimWorlds Sector as well as developing a new subsector.

Another year has past, almost, and here is another shot of our valley, taken in mid - May. The Indian summer lasted a little longer this year, and the rain and cold southerlies held off until Queen's Birthday weekend at the beginning of June.

(June 2010)

While rapidly approaching the second anniversary of this website, I decided to take a photo of our valley when the vineyard was at its best, ie just as the weather started to turn at the beginning of April, soon after the harvest. In the background, the new subdivision I was complaining about last year can be quite clearly seen, though a shelter belt between the new houses and the vineyard should soon grow up and help soften the effect on the landscape.

Since I took this photo, we’ve had cold southerlies and lots of rain. The vine leaves have gone deeper red or have fallen away. Winter, again,

(May 2009)

This site has now been up for a year. Parts of it have grown, and parts of it have gathered dust as my hobby interests have changed. I had been planning a revamp and prune for the first anniversary, but haven’t quite got around to it.

My list of model projects has grown, though I have managed to finish some. Projects for this year include putting up more of my old Traveller game, and finishing enough figures and terrain to actually get some tabletop gaming done.

This winter has been colder than last’s – while I was admiring the russet vineyard leaves in June 2007, in June 2008 the leaves had all fallen. Across the valley, a new subdivision is slowly, but relentlessly, marching up the hill behind the vineyard. I think that if the vineyard ever goes, we’ll probably go too. The entire reason for living on the city fringe was so that we could turn our back on the city, at least for a while.

(July 2008)

As this website is a work in progress, things may change for no apparent reason. Please do not be alarmed.

Firstly, a little about myself. I live in Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand, with my wife and daughter. Even though Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, from where I'm typing this, I can see the leaves on the vines of the local winery turning from green to gold and russet. Autumn has finally arrived. Thirty minutes east of me is the heart of the city, two minutes west of me is the country side, and just over the hill is the bush of the Waitakeres.

Not a bad place to live at all. (June 2007)

(left) The author, February 2007, as photographed by his eight year old daughter.
(right) The author, February 2010, self portrait.