Birthday Weekend.

Now I wasn't planning on doing a birthday post this year, what with the big day having fallen on the Friday of what felt like a very long week.  The most that I was expecting was a fearsomely hot take away Indian curry and an evening in front on the television, sherry in hand.*

*Oh how I live!

This is pretty much much how the day went, but certain things conspired to make me take stock and realise just how lucky I am.  I can't tell you exactly what it was, it might have been the Birthday wishes email that greeted me from Millsy of 'Canister and Grape' or the particularly splendid rendition of 'Happy Birthday' sung my beloved Sixth Form as they loitered around the, yet to decorated, Christmas tree.  

Then there were rather lovely gifts from the 'Saintly Mrs. Awdry', family and friends.  The arrival of my Kickstarter pledge from Integrated Wargame Buildings.  This, by the way, looks complicated not to mention exciting, but after a brief inspection has been put away until after Christmas with thoughts of Post Apocalyptic worlds or a possible return to the Batman Miniatures game.

Perhaps it was the surprise package left by our postman, that had travelled all the way from Germany, my good friend Stefan making sure that there was some new lead in the house to commemorate my Birthday.  Conrad Kinch** of 'Joy and Forgetfulness' fame has just written a rather splendid post about the 'Freemasonry of the hobby', something that I wholeheartedly subscribe to, the camaraderie and selfless sharing of ideas or even items considerably more tangible has been such an unexpected side product of this most wholesome of hobbies.  

**Welcome aboard Sir

Dinovember 2015

Whatever the reason for my buoyed mindset, I would just like to thank you all!