The Devil makes work for idle hands!!

Well I cant wait with a little under 24 hours left to go before the challenge starts, and my quest for 1000 points will begin. Not that I have sat idly by resting my stomach on my legs too often.. Oh no not I !!

I have been shopping via the web, for extra supplies and last minute purchases, also I have had to buy my own Christmas presents which I do not mind at all. Yes even though I am a pagan and do not believe in the damn festivities I have a wife who does and children that think Santa is still very much real and I am not about to shatter that, so I celebrate it alongside them as any Father should.

One big advantage of shopping for ones self is I can at least guarantee I will not get socks and grollies of varied lurid designs themed around feckin' Christmas. Although mild disappointment comes in the form of no sneak previews of the actual goods ordered as the Gestapo wife has locked down the mail box and all post has to be extensively searched usually leaving me with a handful of bills and junk mail. However I have been given my supplies in the form of a shiny new brush rack and some new tubs of basing compound.

Everything else is in maximum security, which is like trying to get into her knickers when its not my birthday but harder!!!

I also noticed that I was missing many blog posts recently due to something going wrong with blogger and they just disappeared from my blog rolls and reading lists. This is the third time I have had this issue, I know I am not the only one to be affected by this glitch. I can only apologise if I have missed a post or two I have endeavoured to back track as far as I can with posts. If this has happened to you the only solution is to reload them all I'm afraid.

I have some extra objectives to achieve at the opening of the challenge this year. Firstly I need to see if I can speed up my current rate of production without any loss in quality as the latter is far more important to me. Then I need to see if I can maintain that level of output over a sustained period of time.

Secondly my good buddy Kev thinks I should be using my talents with a brush to earn a crust while I figure where to go next with my life / health balance. Which to be honest is a fair point, and he is basing this on the average prices my figures have been fetching on Ebay. Which quite often surprises me, however I think we all view our own figures in a somewhat dimmed light so to speak. From this source I often get asked to paint on commission but nearly always refuse as previously I have only had enough time for my own painting let alone dealing with others expectations of time scales.

However I believe he may well be right and I should have more confidence in my own abilities so in the short term at least my family and I can survive, if I can maintain a good output of quality work. So I will be pushing myself but not too hard as to make me ill, but enough too not only to complete what I need for my gaming, but also some items that I can turn into income for the next couple of months and see where it takes me.

Rather stupidly in hindsight, I decided to accept another side plot for the annual challenge and have thrown my hat into the ring to complete all seven bonus rounds, frantic diving through the lead and plastic mountain has fortunately thrown up some nice figures that will complete these.

Round 1: Non combatants - AWI / FIW civilians
Round 2: Villians - The Shade and Cheetah
Round 3: Vehicle - Celt Chariot
Round 4: Hero - Julius Caesar
Round 5: Casualty - Viking slaying Saxon
Round 6: Favourite Character - Maximus Decimus Meridius
Round 7: Last Stand - Leonidas

From 6 am tomorrow I will be ready to go with fresh water in my pots and brushes poised at the ready to slap some colour on all the ranks of little black figures I have in here.

I wish you all good luck over the next three months, but above all enjoy it.