"The Road goes ever on and on...."

For a variety of reasons it has been a very challenging week - and not in a good way either. Various employment seeking activities and the associated dramas together with brushes with assorted officialdom have meant that I am now feeling somewhat wrung out by it all. I am sure that next week will be better (it couldn't be any worse - although I do not want to test that particular theory!) and so in the meantime I have resorted to my favourite morale boosting activity of sorting out the projects I have on the go and planned for the year. Although it does not actually deliver anything tangible in the short term it does have the effect of cheering me up and so is something I set great store by.

This year will be dominated by ships. I have the four fleets for WW1 to complete - Fezia, Rusland, The Royal Navy and the High Seas Fleet. I will need to add to these but not too much and in any event this is not essential for the moment. I will also have the ancient galleys to tackle but will certainly need to add to the collection in order to complete the set ups planned - Greek and Persian and for the Punic Wars. I fully intend tackling the accompanying land side using Command and Colours Ancients so this can in fact be ticked off the list (the land stuff that is). Galleys for the 16th century will feature but I am torn between these and the Minifigs ships based pre dreadnought set up I have. The former will need investment, the latter less so.

I also have the small matter of some aircraft to attend to for use with the Axis and Axis aerial combat games and this will certainly need not only investment but some paint work as well. This will also have an impact on the Middle Eastern project which in all probability is not going to kick off until late in the year.

I am also pondering about painting some figures because I really want to get back into that using my 'new' painting technique.

Lots to do then but the important thing for me is that each of these is within reach (except the 16th century stuff) and requires only modest financing to complete - an important consideration at the moment.

In the immediate future though, I have the last of the coastal defence battleships to complete and the write up of the third and final part of the Battle of Kara Deniz.

Then we shall see what we shall see....;-)