Monthly Archives: July 2013

Edinburgh Zoo 2013 – Panda Time!

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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.

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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!

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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!

Tony Harwood publishes and ships his first book!

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Book Anyone?

I have known Tony Harwood for more than a decade and he is a great fan of Flintloque so when he mentioned online that he planned to publish a book of his terrain ideas and works I was very interested.  Tony makes wonderful terrain for several different game systems and also for a couple of companies too.  All of this is in his own unique style.  I actually own a piece of his terrain which Tony very kindly gifted to me last year (is it in the book we will see!) for the Sharke’s Gingerbread adventure at Salute.

My House is a very, very fine Gingerbread House

One hundred copies of the book have been printed and it looks like it is selling well.  I have held off ordering just now as I wanted Tony to expand his fan base and I will pick up a copy once the huzzah calms down a bit.  Writing, Editing, Laying Out and Publishing a book is a daunting process (trust me I know!) and all that before you take it to a market and attempt to sell what you have come to love and often loath so much to interested parties.  Tony’s works deserve to be seen by all those who are interested in wargame terrain and how it can be constructed.

You can see some of Tony’s work over on Barking Irons Online and also on his own Blog along with the book itself.

Well done Tony!

GBS

USEME Zombie Dawn makes a return from the dead…

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I wanted to do a quick shout out about one of my own titles from the highly successful USEME series of Wargaming Titles; UM009 USEME Zombie Dawn.  It is now back in print after a gap of a couple of months and I am greatly pleased to be able to say that its second print run is larger than the first.  At the weekend I went to see World War Z at the cinema which was good but the book version (rather different…well actually REALLY different to the film) was what was in my mind while I wrote this title a couple of years ago.  It was actually down right funny to see Glasgow portrayed as Philadelphia in the film.  St Georges Square is very familiar to me and with its, as far as I know, unique bright red tarmac surface it looked sod all like America!  🙂

The 2nd print run features only an update to the listing of top sources for inspiration and an update to the list of available titles on its last page.  When the book went to print originally its ninth position on the list was the end of the list but now it goes up to number fifteen and Zombie Dawn is nearing the middle of the listing of titles.  More on the new titles when the time comes.

Because of the new movie being at cinema’s now I asked for and got permission to put up a special ‘Z Deal’ this week.  So until Monday of next week you can go to 15mm.co.uk and get a print copy of UM009 and a pack of 15mm Zombies (sixteen of them) for just 6.25GBP saving thirty percent off list.  Excellent eh!

Shameless self promotion finished!

GBS

Time for a Change….discarding a now useless bit of kit!

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I just had to do it.  I was left with no choice, circumstances and conversations led me to the decision to cast off a piece of useless garb and replace it with something new!  An image here of my original Alternative Armies work t-shirt which has, after ten years of excellent service, given up the ghost.  No point holding on to it any more.  Stitching, holding it together and kind words would not be enough.  No point looking back, ah happy memories indeed but when its done it’s done.    Sometimes when you invest time and love into something it works out, other times it just falls apart on you with nothing but fabricky excuses.

Off to the bin now with you me laddo…

Before you ask…yes, the company has furnished me with another at no charge!  I hope it lasts just as well and as long.

GBS