July 2026 hobby update

I started July with a much needed week away.  I took time to relax and do nothing that I'd do in a normal week.  Therefore no work (obviously),  no hobbying, no reading and apart from walks, no exercising.  It was great.  

As anyone who has read this blog would know, I'm not a Summer person and usually moan about anything over 20 degrees.  But, the extremely hot weather helped in an odd way because sitting in the shade was all you manage some days and going out later in the day meant there was no one else about.  I thoroughly enjoyed the rest and it's done the world of good.

Having returned I've been enjoying my hobby time and pressing on with the Fall of Granada project and also some terrain.

Completed

With a week away and busy with projects at work, I wasn't sure what I'd get done this month so I've pleasantly surprised myself with what I've completed:

  • First off were four mounted Moor crossbowmen for the Fall of Granada project.  Like all of the figures I've so far accumulated for this project, these are 15mm Essex Miniatures.  I’d prepared these before holiday, and started painting them as soon as I returned.  Being only four, I spent some time on them and I'm pleased with how they've come out.
  • Having decided on the basing scheme in order to finish the above, I returned to the eight Moor light cavalry I'd painted last month, and finished their bases off.  That's the Moor light cavalry contingent completed now for the first phase of this project which is to assemble Lion Rampant sized forces
  • And with the above done I knocked out a pack of eight Moor foot crossbowmen.  These took no time at all and it's really encouraging to make some quick progress for a change.

In progress

The following are on the table as we end July:

  • 15mm late 15th Spanish spearmen.  Shields aside, I'd completed painting these last month, but left them as I hadn't decided on the basing.  This month I did that, but can't truly say they're complete as the shields still need to be painted.  
  • 15mm late 15th Spanish jinetes.  Keeping the momentum on the Fall of Granada project going, these are in the process of being painted, and will be completed early in August.
  • Having made good inroads with the Fall of Granada figures, I turned to terrain.  I've had a pack of four generic 20mm MDF Middle-Eastern/Afghanistan buildings that I'd bought for my First Anglo-Sikh Wars games, sitting about for awhile.  In no time at all, I'd primed and assembled two of them.  But as with all MDF buildings they're just dull.  Therefore, I gave them a skim of plaster and added some card bricks in patches where the plaster had fallen off and the bricks were showing.  I'll paint them and work on the remaining two in August.  

Gaming

I've just not had the time to put aside for any gaming this month. I'm hoping things will settle down and I'll get some games in next month.  Having time away from it has been good, as I'm itching to play again.

Incoming

Another month and I haven't bought any hobby stuff.  Having bought quite a bit at Salute and with some other bits left from last year, I've got plenty to be getting on with.  Having said that, I have started looking at a few things, so I can say I'm getting back to normal after May and June's doldrums.

Ramblings, Reading & Research 

I see that this blog has now gone over the 200,000 views mark.  If someone had told me that a year or so ago, I'd have been really chuffed to think that people had been viewing my blog and hopefully enjoying it.  However, since the attack of the AI bots which artificially increased the page views, I'm feeling less than interested, which is a shame really.  

I dislike AI.  The environmental impact is horrific and for what?  So people can have AI make them a "funny" picture to post on their "socials"?  FFS!  Humans are lazy enough, and from what I see at work it's just making them lazier and stopping them even attempting to use their brains or try to be creative.  A lot of the output is offal as well.  Thankfully I'll have retired before it completely destroys my job.  I don't think it's going to end well.

That's my ramble for this month and onto reading.  I've not completed any hobby/historical reading this month.  And that's a first for years.

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