Mes Reveries

The last few weeks have been a very strange time for me what with a lengthy recuperation after surgery.
I think this has been the first time that I have been laid up, with a lot of time on my hands to try and fill. To most people this probably sounds like a great opportunity to get some painting in, but for me I really couldn't face picking up a brush, and to be frank I seriously kicked around the idea of packing war gaming in. Now a lot of wargamers reach that point in their war gaming lives, usually its to do with domestic problems, work, partners etc, some do actually pack in, most take a time out and then come back to carry on.
 I think with me its been a tad different, I wont go into any details but whereas I thought I had my war gaming future planned out things were turned on their heads and its taken some time to try and work out what I really wanted to do. This all sounds a bit vague, for which I can only apologise as this is a series of private matters between individuals.
  I have probably reached what most wargamers would aspire to, a purpose built room, a decent sized table, time to paint and disposable income to use on my hobby, wargaming nirvana and something that I once could only dream of. So what is the problem? There lies the rub, as there shouldn't really be one.
 Anyway, I am going to carry on. I am still going to post a blog and I am still going to paint.
 For the painting decision I have to thank Graham Cummings who has fired me up to paint some figures for Partizan 2015.
 The wargaming and blogging is a bit more problematical as I still haven't worked out how this will work, but at least I have typed this post, so there's a start.
 What I do intend to carry through with, is the sale of most of my collection of war gaming armies, not because I need the money, more to do with I dont really need them anymore.
 The title Mes Reveries seemed very appropriate as it was the title of a book written by Maurice,  Marshal de Saxe whilst he was laid up recovering from too much good living, a bit similar to my health problems, except I haven't been whoring everyday or drinking bumpers of port, [I wish.]
 His book was more to do with his ideas for a perfect army and his ideas of generalship. Most were flights of fancy some however were very revolutionary ideas.
 Unfortunately that's where the similarities ended, as I am struggling with any clear ideas at the moment.
   On a more positive note then, I bought a couple of first rate books over the last couple of weeks, one was titled Philip the Second [ Greater than Alexander] and the second was Marshal of France, the life of Maurice de Saxe.
 The book on Philip described how the father of Alexander created the Macedonian army from scratch and built a Macedonian state when at its lowest ebb. I came away thinking that Alexander just didn't compare to his father who was a greater general and a true statesman, whereas Alexander to me at least was just a chancer with no clear aim apart from undying fame, which he did achieve of course.
 The book on Maurice de Saxe, is a different kind of book, and is a real pleasure to read. It almost has a feel like the memoirs of Baron Marbot in that its writing style is quite humorous.My one abiding impression of Maurice de Saxe is that he knew how to live and crammed a lot into quite a short life.
 It would have been very interesting if he had inherited the Saxon state from his father. I certainly think that the Saxons would have posed a greater threat in Northern Germany if that had happened.
 So ignoring the doom and gloom, and hopefully ending on a more positive note lets see how next weeks big game in Grimsby pans out.