Double Celebrations

On Monday morning, just as the Saintly Mrs. Awdry and I were about to head out on our mini break to the Norfolk Broads, I decided to quickly check my email - knowing that this would be the last opportunity for a couple of days.  There, forwarded on from my gmail account was a comment posted by Anne O'Leary that simply read,

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR STELLAR WINS IN THE CHALLENGE! Now, I've got to go as I'm not commenting anywhere else for another week :) 

All very strange, thought I and so I crept along to the mighty 'Analogue Hobbies', to see what was afoot.  Low and behold Curt had published a list of the winners to the ancillary categories that made up this year's challenge.  Whilst I was under absolutely no illusions that I was in with a shout of winning the competition proper, so to speak, I was keen to give a good showing of myself in some of these other categories - so you can imagine just how thrilled I was to read that I had scooped two of them!

The Challengers' Choice - voted for by those who had taken part in the challenge, was awarded to the Cannibal Cooking Pot.

The People's Choice Award - voted for by visitors to 'Analogue Hobbies' that had not taken part in the challenge and awarded to the 'Seven Greyscale Samurai'.

I really love to paint and collect 28mm miniatures, I also harbour ambitions to lead them into great battles one day, provided of course that I ever complete enough of one unit to do so!  I am very fortunate that my loving wife, the Saintly Mrs. Awdry is supportive in this venture, seeing it as a much needed foil to a busy and demanding job, but I am also equally fortunate to have been able to share my ramblings and developing painting style through the wonders of the infoweb.  The mutual support, sharing of information and of course humour are cherished commodities, particularly when they come from one's peers.  This is why, when one receives such recognition, that is important to stress just how much it means to me personally.     In the flurry of activity as we were trying to head out the door I left the following comment on Curt's post, 

I'm hugely flattered and a little embarrassed to have been given the nod, so to speak, but I must thank and honour all the other contestants for without them there could be no challenge. Their continuous stream of quality entries just made me really delve deep into my imagination and draw on skills I hadn't really appreciated that I had - thank you all. As for our esteemed challenge co-coordinator, one word - legend!

Possibly a little clumsy, not to mention somewhat gushing, I still stand by what I wrote, there were so very many excellent entries all of which inspirational in their own right and please take the time to visit 'Analogue Hobbies' to see for yourself particularly the other winners, which can be found here.

So what of the future?  I think the Knighthood suggested by Ray Rousell is unlikely so it will have to simply be more of the same.  With 'Salute' just around the corner, I'm sure there will be armfuls of goodies that will be purchased and hidden away until next year's Challenge stirs us all into life again, but must importantly to me will the constant inspiration and ideas gleaned from you all - thank you!