Commonwealth Games – Glasgow 2014 – Irn Bru

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Brand New but Vintage Bru!

I have not been posting much here or on other forums and for that and the hundreds of you who read these items every day I am sorry. But fear not the reason for this will be revealed in all of its awesomeness on Monday 19th August. Just you wait…fans of 15mm especially.

Moving on from that good luck to Scotland in this evening’s football match against England at Wembley. Victory will go to the Tartan Army I am sure (errr….maybe not) but its the first time that Scotland have played ‘The Auld Enemy’ since 1999 and I remember that match well. I also now realise I am since that match a father of three, married, a home owner, a successful author and car driver among other things…it sure does creep up on you eh. I will post a comment after the match and let you all know what happened.

Lastly the above image is of a brand new design of Irn-Bru can of fizzy drink which has been produced in celebration of Glasgow’s hosting of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We may not have been big enough to get the Olympics but this is just as good as it is actually near enough to visit. The can has a vintage design on it and it looks and tastes very nice too.

All in all its a great week…and the kids go back to school on Monday too. 🙂

GBS

Parliamo Glasgow – Stanley Baxter

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Gavin Syme

While live is mighty fine by the sea in sunny Girvan, Ayrshire I do sometimes miss the city of my birth; Glasgow. Following a recent conversation with a friend who has never been to the city and in trying to explain to them that when I was a ‘wean’ the dialect spoken there was often impenetrable not only to non-english native speakers but also the majority of the other residents of Britain! While I speak reasonable ‘Glasgow’ I am long out of practise (except for creating Joccian dialect in Flintloque!) so I directed myself and friend to YouTube and Stanley Baxter.

Long, long ago the great Scottish comedian Stanley Baxter did a series of sketches, quite hard to get these days it seems, where he acted out typical scenes of the city and then after delivering the lines in ‘Glasgow’ he would then switch to a proper RP English accent to give a translation in the style of a travel programme. Have a look and enjoy…even if you have to run it back a couple of times!

Oh and yes all Scottish people can speak proper English when they want, but what would be the fun in that. Differences and diversity make Britain the great nation it is today.

GBS

Cuddly Alien gifts from America

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Huggable Face Hugger and Comforting Chest Burster

A while back my good lady wife got a package in the mail from America from our good friends the McAlisters who came to stay earlier this year. Yes, I know, its been a while coming but while my good lady opened the box and took this picture on the day I have only just gotten to this posting now. Honestly you would think I sat about doing nothing eh!

I have always loved the Aliens franchise and particularly the second movie Aliens which to me is the best one. As a movie it has entered the popular conciousness and been borrowed from countless times and its also had a massive effect on wargaming too being sourced for LOADS of science fiction systems.

Thanks McAlisters! These might not have acid for blood but they do have the stuffing for hugs a plenty. 🙂

GBS

One and One make Eleven!

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Mascots and Mayhem with the Birthday boy on the right

Happy Birthday my Son! The grand old age of Eleven is now yours!

A day off work for me and a trip to the Chocolate Factory near Dumfries with The Thinker and two of his friends along with his Uncle Jim and Aunty Cat too. In blazing heat I watched him mix and pour chocolate in a chilled room (grrr!) and then have a riot of a time looking for fools gold in a panning stream and play for the afternoon at the large outdoor activity area (pirate ship, slides and other fun). I chose this destination as his younger brother had gone there for his own birthday back in March and really enjoyed it. A grand time was had!

Minecraft was the custom cake theme this year

The birthday boy is into Minecraft just now so we decided to theme his birthday cake upon that very subject. My good lady wife goes all out for the birthday parties and cakes and so forth which I think is lovely and the children really do appreciate it. A new bike and other gifts were his. A little more than normal as a reward for doing very well at school and also being chosen to represent Girvan Primary at the opening of the new harbour pontoons last month. I have pictures of him there but I forgot to post about it…doh.

Enjoy your day my now not so little non white metal soldier!

Winter 2002….The Thinker a decade ago!

Perhaps I do post a little too much on the children and the family. But hey life is more than only work and I do adore them all so.

GBS

RNLI Girvan Harbour Gala 2013

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Gavin Syme

On Sunday it was the annual Harbour Gala Day in Girvan and I have to say that apart from nicer weather this year over last the day also seemed busier and the mood better than in 2012. I did not spend long at the Gala having other things to attend to in the morning but I did see a very inspiring team up between the Life Boat and the HMS Gannet helicopter for a mock rescue at sea scenario. The usual assortment of rides and stalls along with a bring and buy all against the edge of the harbour.

Below you can see some of the pictures I took including the ‘bubble balls’ and the sea rescue. It was a brilliantly bright and warm afternoon.

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The view from the sea front

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Bubble Balls!

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Thinker looks at the Life Boat

Girvan Habour Gala 2013 – The Sea Rescue

Good fun for all the family. Perhaps next year I will get more time at the Gala. Who knows?

GBS

Edinburgh Zoo 2013 – Panda Time!

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Gavin Syme

Pandamonium!

Yesterday was a field trip day for a wee group from Girvan. Myself and my good lady along with the little warrior and some others went to Edinburgh Zoo. Its a long trek crossing the whole central belt of Scotland but its basically a straight line on the motorway for most of it so while not the most amusing of drives I got us there with no problems. So why the Zoo? Well for a couple of reasons. Firstly the Warrior has never seen wild animals and secondly the ruddy Panda’s!

In case you lived on the moon you might not know that Edinburgh Zoo took delivery of two Panda bears from China a while back and this sent the Zoo into the stratosphere in terms of its popularity. People love Panda’s, I mean they really love them. In the kind of way that I just don’t understand (I am sometimes considered odd by certain kinds of people). Above you can see me with my lovely wife and the Warrior posing for a photo (I actually want this one blown up and on the wall at home) with the bear behind. From what I picked up from the lecture being given to the tour group (demand is such that only twenty or so people at a time are let into the building to see the Panda’s in their two separate rooms, there are only sixteen hundred or so of these animals left in the wild and it is falling all the time. I am not surprised. The Panda it seems is a problem child of nature. It is extremely anti-social with its own kind (hence keeping them on their own) they are only in season for one 36 hour period a year and they suffer an appalling rate of fake and aborted pregnancies. They sleep sixteen or more hours a day. They cannot cope with ANY change in their surroundings. They only eat bamboo along with the occasional apple or carrot. Yes, I actually listened to the lecture as well as cooing and taking pictures. Lovely creature don’t get me wrong but I have low expectations of anything but extinction for it.

Lucky he can’t see that cheeky face!

The Zoo was a great day out and it was fantastic value for money too. After the Panda’s we walked the circuit and saw the rest of the animals (too many to list) but a special mention firstly to the Sumatran Tiger. I adore Tigers (don’t want one for a pet though) ever since seeing a Bengal Tiger as a wee lad. Seeing it was the personal highlight of the day even though it was asleep at the time. After this the Rhino. The Warrior was fascinated by this slow moving mountain of muscle and natural armour. Above you can see him pulling a cheeky face while its back was turned!

Among the rest of the Monkeys!

I found it very interesting that the most information about any of the animals at the Zoo was to be found in the primate areas especially those of the Chimpanzee’s. I have a good grasp of evolution and the reality of how we as a species came to be on this wonderful and diverse planet; but I did learn a few new things. For instance latest research shows that we Humans did NOT evolve from Chimps but from an as yet not found common ancestor some six million years ago branching out to Chimps, Gorillas and the excellent Orangutan’s too. I have, at many zoos, come face to face with almost all the captive species of ape and each time their similarity to us strikes me more and more. From the largest to the smallest their eyes, hands, fingers and faces and behaviour. Watching Spider Monkeys just put me in mind of the last pre-school party I went to!

So all in all an excellent day out. I hear rumours that Tiger Cubs are now to be seen in Inverness-shire…its not that far a drive surely. Maybe next time.

GBS

p.s. A quick note to the rest of the group I went with. To Ethan and Terri, two teenagers who were as bright, keen and well spoken passengers that I have ever had in my car. Shine on you two!

Despicable Me 2 – Early Screening!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Gavin Syme

The Thinker, the Poet and the Warrior enjoy a treat!

Last Saturday I took the family to Ayr to see an advance screening of the brand new animated movie Despicable Me 2. A week before the actual release I saw a chance for an early summer treat and took it. I expected the cinema to be full as it was only going to be shown twice for one day. But in reality it was nearly empty…perhaps the frankly insane pricing of the tickets put people off. Let’s just say I could have bought nearly a dozen copies of the first film on DVD for the same price (or a couple of hundred 15mm miniatures). Note this was a standard price, not inflated for the advance screenings. So how was the film?

Actually it was really, really good. I enjoyed the first Despicable Me movie a lot and this one continued the story and the level of fun and comedy with no let up. It reminded me a lot of a 1970’s James Bond film with the gadgets, gags and honesty that is missing from such live action films now. In fact the trailer for the upcoming Monsters University made me think of an 1980’s Police Academy type film. Perhaps its a pattern…

If you enjoyed the first one or you have small children and can stand the price then its well worth seeing, five stars!

GBS

p.s. click on the links in this post. Both official websites have a lot of them and my children enjoyed looking at them both.

Girvan Civic Week 2013 – My little experience of it…

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Gavin Syme

The parade begins with classic cars!

All week it has been the annual ‘Civic Week’ here in Girvan and normally I make an effort to go along to events and take my three little ones with me. Support the community and all that, rattle the tin and spend some money. But this year due to a combination of work and weather I actually missed all but two of the events that went on. You can learn more about the whole week online but the two main events for me are the Parade and Gig on the Green.

Grim but sounding good!

I am currently fiddling with a new USEME series title so that took up my attention as did the incessant rain that has doused South Ayrshire for the past while (yes I despair, I live in the wettest place there is!) but I got a snap of the start of the Parade which you can see above. Attendance was down but then it was a rainy, windy and dark day more suited to February than June but people soldiered on. I then went along to Stair Park where a live performance stage was set up among a few fairground rides and stalls. I felt sorry for all concerned as the wind pulled at them and distorted the live music being played. I stood a while and listened and even went back later but it was a sad occasion compared to previous years where sunshine and picnics for hours were the normal faire.

Better luck next summer Girvan!

GBS

Long time no Blog, Long time no Break

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Gavin Syme

The Thinker ran the fastest that day!

Its been two weeks since I last made a post on this site. Have I been away, been abroad, been missing in action? No. Not really. I was here all the while but I was trying out a ‘working break’ that is an effort to cut my workload down while still being at work. How to do this you ask…well its not complex.

Essentially I wanted time to spend with my children and my wife as the weather here in Scotland finally and I do mean finally began to heat up and it meant time down the beach in Girvan and trips out and about. I work long hours and answer many hundreds of emails a week along with organising several projects and a dozen other tasks a day. On top of the wargaming company workload I have this website and a blog and the Notables Yahoo Group too along with other online profiles to update and interact with. To have a ‘working break’ I organised two weeks where I continued to do the office work but not the additional tasks such as this website. Call it working to rule instead of working on rules if you like.

In the last two weeks I have attended two large outdoor events, the Mauchline Holy Fair and the Girvan Lowland Gathering. I have had guests to stay, helped a long term and dear friend and her friend move house, written about ten thousand words of fiction, read four novels, watched half a dozen anime movies and listened to several new and older albums. I have spent quality time with the greatest lady in the world (my wife!) where she reminded me why she is still my number one after sixteen years together and I had the pleasure of learning that my middle son came third in his sports day at school and my eldest son came first at his (hence the image above).

What has been most interesting though is the concern from several wargamers and others for me. Why have I been so quiet, am I all right and so on. Let me say I am fine and what I have been working on will be happening later this summer. Thank you for your concern one and all!

Lastly I have decided that I can no longer keep up efforts to maintain my tabletop wargamer blog. So instead of putting it on hiatus I am going to end it totally. This will be in another post shortly.

GBS

Girvan Folk Festival 2013

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Gavin Syme

It was the annual Girvan Folk Festival at the weekend and by all accounts a good time was had all around. While I did not attend any of the two dozen or so events I do live in the very heart of the town of Girvan and this meant I was within earshot of most of the pubs and hotels which hosted the groups and bands playing their music and teaching others the skills of folk. This was the thirty ninth festival, tinged with a hint of sadness as the instigator of the festivals Bobby Robb died last year.

While it is no secret that Girvan has suffered in the current recession I was proud of the way that the town managed to bring in a couple of thousand visitors over a weekend and take good care of them. This despite the diminishing in facilities in the town (don’t get me started on politics!) and weather that was thankfully mild but dull and rainy. Listening to the music gave me free entertainment and some joy too. It is always good to hear people having fun (my neighbours got married at the weekend too) and while I got little sleep on Saturday night I lay awake with a smile on my face while the guitars played away the wee hours.

I have heard a rumour that some people complained about the charge for a weekend in secure parking and camping in the town. This charge being to turn away those not interested in the festival and for security, including a police presence, to keep families and others safe. I personally think that about 35.00GBP for a family of four for a weekend pitch during an event is perfectly fine but some did not. The security was needed after the activities of some ‘people’ (and I use the term loosely…cretins would be more accurate) last year and some property damage. There was no trouble this year that I am aware of.

If you have an interest in Folk Music check out the website for the festival and even if you don’t do it anyway as it is worth five minutes to see all the pictures.

Perhaps my schedule will allow me to attend some of the gigs next year for the big fortieth festival in 2014.

Well done Girvan!

GBS

Gavin Syme

The online residence of wargame creator and writer Gavin Syme

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