A break from blogging as the past three weeks at work has been very busy. A couple of needless incidents involving complainants from other agencies has seen me having to deal with them although happily I have the backing of my immediate and senior managers. One response I have taken is that I joined a union to ensure someone has my back particularly for legal matters. I can't go into details but perhaps one day I can...

But I now have eleven days off away from it all and boy, do I need the rest. I hadn't realised how tired I was until yesterday evening when a couple of beers, headphones on and suitable music playing when I sparked out, waking up when the volume suddenly shot up. Aches and pains, tiredness and awareness of the tensions I have been carrying for the past three weeks. The ongoing sinus issues haven't helped and I started on high dose Vitamin C and Vitamin D a week ago to hopefully boost my immune system. Ask three doctors (psychiatrists) for advice on this and I received three different opinions!

As you can see, the plane is my current work in progress as I slowly weather and finish off the vehicles. But I am having a lazy day today, listening to podcasts, dealing with bills and pottering around. I'll leave the modelling until tomorrow and just allow myself to chill and do very little. The landcover will be a farmers vehicle and I have ordered some model dogs to display with it, to add more interest to the vignette. I am keen to attempt painting animals as painting is the one skill that makes or breaks a build. Plus I do want to build earlier periods in history as my passion encompasses more than 20th century wars. Roman, early mediaeval ('Dark Ages'),  the Crusades, etc...all hold my interest and I would like to produce builds reflecting that interest. They also tend to be more colourful and occupy less space compared to vehicle and aircraft builds!

The past week or so of extremely warm weather for February (21 C!!) has now ended and it is cooler and foggier today. I am hoping to get out and about, dust off the old camera and explore some of the places I generally fly past on my community visits. But time for another cuppa and just sit back with my feet up.
TTFN.

The latest kit arrived and as I looked through it Maisie joined me to help out...At least I think that’s what she was doing? Unlike a certain academic who appeared naked on BBC Radio 4 to state her views on Brexit, Maisie is honest in her narcissism and loves the attention. I don’t mind Dr Victoria Bateman going naked and I happen to think she’s attractive and I do love the natural hirsute look. I also get the point about her arguments for feminism, double standards and hypocrisy, particularly in politics and the media. So the eejits slagging her off for her looks and natural beauty are only to be expected and can go sling their hooks.

I am expecting two more kits plus some aftermarket metal parts for the Walrus flying boat in 1/48 scale I bought last year, then I am going to forbear from buying any more kits for the next few months until these are built and displayed.

One of those new kits will be a slight departure for me as they are figures, Japanese Samurai and the challenge will be painting fine and delicate detail in such small figures. I will post them up when they arrive.

I managed to get an hours work completed on the landrover before my coughing, sneezing and streaming nose brought it all to a halt. 

n.b. I have a problem uploading photos to the computer but not to the iPad.They usually share but I have buggered it up some how so today’s blog comes courtesy of the iPad.

TTFN.

Bleugh! I have had to take today off with the dreaded leurgy.
I have been fighting this cold for three days now but waking up far too early with pain in the right side of my head including earache and a streaming nose, I phoned in sick. I am trying to sweat it out and I am slathered in Vicks and Olbas oil as I have a couple of important visits tomorrow. However, I have no desire to infect patients and work colleagues so I will see how I get on although I did catch this cold from a patient I visited on Monday! My colleague was right though as the last three days have been extremely busy and I have met myself coming forwards to meet demand.

I have ordered some new kits from evil bay over the last couple of weeks and they are now arriving. I set a limit to the amount I will spend and although I will follow many sales, most of them I will not bid on or I delete. It's really to gauge the average cost and interest in various kits but as I tend to focus on the cheaper sales I generally remain in budget.

I have developed an interest in the interwar aircraft, particularly the French, Italian and British bombers and I now have several in my stash for building. These makes tended to be unsuccessful when war broke out and their faults saw them quickly moved to training or less active operational areas.

Like the interwar armour I am fascinated by these aircraft and despite their limited operational use and perception as failures, I do enjoy them. They will keep me occupied over the next few months and when the last one arrives I shall focus more on any books / literature about the history of these aircraft and not buy any more models for a while. With over twenty kits in the stash I shall focus on getting more builds completed. My airbrush is still awaiting delivery of the necessary part but the company is in China and the part is somewhere in transit and I could be waiting another two weeks! Some enamel paints for washes and static grass is also in transit for some planned dioramas.

There is a fellow modeller at work and we have been discussing builds and techniques and I have promised to bring in my iPad with pictures of my completed builds to share with him.

I am away now for more tea and a doze in my armchair if this bloody earache allows it. Sadly, the cats won't sit on me as I smell of menthol and they can't stand the stuff but it means I won't be disturbed.

TTFN.

My week off work has gone far too quickly and I return to the motley tomorrow. Having revalidated and paid my nurse registration fee I could focus on modelling and reading during the week. The weather ensured I stayed indoors apart from short walks out. I have almost completed the latest build, a Panzer IV/70 which has been my slow and careful build over the past several weeks. Just some weathering to do and I plan to add it to a diorama circa spring 1945. The picture above shows my dilemma...space! Mrs C has cottoned on to the slow creep of completed builds to the living room but I shall be looking to add some shelving to display the completed builds. The above unit needs some mirrors and lights to display the builds and I will buy in some cheap to complete this. I have been focused on buying the smaller 1/72 scale aircraft but as the expected new arrivals are all interwar French bombers space isn't really being saved as they are somewhat large! I have put a bid in on evil bay for some Samurai warriors as they won't take up too much space and they are also colourful. German grey, tri-colour armour and muted aircraft camouflage needs some bright splashes of colour amongst them. 

I have nearly ten days off at the end of February / March and my fingers are crossed for reasonable weather so I can get out and about for some walking, preferably out in the local countryside and I will bring my camera with me. I'm looking forward to that as a chat with a friend at work indicates that our jobs will be more difficult when I return.  Staff sickness and an assortment of 'difficulties' means our caseloads will increase and we will be taking on some extra duties in the clinics. I'll be trained in phlebotomy skills as these are required for the proposed changes. As someone who prefers social and psychological approaches in mental health I have avoided acquiring these skills but if it has to done, so be it. I am more concerned about the extra demands on our already limited time and the impact this will have on meeting those demands. Always interesting times...

Speaking of interesting times, I am ignoring the media meltdown over the approaching (Is it or isn't it?) Brexit because we are to be visited by a shortage of food, medicines, an increase in the plague and a 20 foot wide trench being dug between Northern Ireland and Ireland and filled with water and Piranhas.  I can't be bothered with the nonsense being spouted by people who either have a vested interest in maintaining the eu or lack a filter between their overheated brains and ever open mouths. Life will continue and perhaps we can look at how to sort out politics following Brexit. What a choice, an anti-semitic marxist ideologue or an idiot. Time to get some honest people in who want to improve the lives of ordinary people rather than the current lot. For a rich country we seem to have a lot of homelessness, pensioners and disabled struggling to live a decent life and the gap between those those who have and those who don't is increasing. I guess I can dream...

TTFN.