Spasm

Thanks very much ALL. Due to Chris asking if anyone could help with his EK book, I've now got a head full (and stashes in drawers etc so she can't see) of medals to draw, so watch this space. If anyone has anything specific in mind, let me know (I'll be sketching some ideas out for Mervyn's Old Bill book over the next few evenings). By the way, ignore the tank and WW1 medals above, I tried to sand the boards off to start again tonight but I wasn't allowed (I tend to dislike the stuff I do after a while and they were practices anyway). Again, thanks all and carry on the good work. Cheers Spaz

Did another today - its the WW1 FRENCH INTERALLIEE OFFICIELLE MEDAL, as if ya'll didn't know. Just a really beautiful medal. (Cheap too, which is why I have 293 of them - at least her indoors has stopped complaining that I'm keeping the Third Reich supported) :P

Mervyn Thanks for that. Just moving onto a colour one now. It'll be a week or two before it's done (assuming I don't mash it up and throw it away - as I've been known to do). It's of the photo competition entry "anywhere anytime" that you may remember. I'd like to be a "dearth" if given the choice and would be happy to do something for you. (we can do a trade). I'll go have a read and a think of what you may want. Thanks again Spaz (Dave - he he) ;)

A couple of drawings now that you've all got me hooked into this hobby the tank isn't finished yet but I've got bored and moved onto getting some more medals drawn.

The 3D painting practice items are dead. They were going ok but I got bored so they are stashed on the work bench and am now back to drawing (much easier and familiar ground)

Her indoors has been doing a fair bit of work lately on the family connection back to Simon. Simon's life timeline is on her webpage below: http://skywolf.co.uk/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I34&tree=tree1 if anyone wants to have a read :)

Details from one of the windows (this one is ok as I found them on her camera rather than nicking them off of her website - phew)

A picture of the inside of the church looking down towards the altar.. where Simon and Sarah were married. (Got told off for this one as well)

Records show that Simon and Sarah Fuzzey were both buried in the cemetery of North Curry’s parish church - St Peter & St Paul. Unfortunately there are no associated gravestones. North Curry parish church is also known as The Cathedral of the Moors, not to be confused with other cathedrals of the moors such as those at Yatton (also Somerset), Altarnun (Cornwall), or Widecombe-in-the-Moor (Devon). According to English Heritage, the lower stages of the tower, transepts and nave were built in about 1300, on the site of an earlier Norman church. The upper level was built around a hundred years later, when the roofs of the nave and aisles were raised to make way for larger windows. It is now a Grade I listed building. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and the service had finished so the place was empty. Here’s a panoramic view of the front grounds, created by stitching three photos together. (This accounts for the oddly-shaped shadow in the foreground, which is actually the roof of the lychgate.) NOTE: I've just been told off for lifting this from her website when I should have made a link - here is the link: http://skywolf.co.uk/2012/02/north-curry-parish-church/ (ooops sorry my love) :blush:

Here’s another photo of the same road, this time facing east. Simon’s house is now on the left, this side of the green verandah.

Went out last weekend to North Curry to follow Simon's footprints. North Curry sits on a finger of low hill that points into the Somerset levels. A network of rivers and rhynes form moors on either side. We spent the morning in the attic above the coffee shop, with the nice ladies who run North Curry Archives. In 1842, Simon Fuzzey married North Curry girl Sarah Parks and they spent the rest of their lives in the village. Census data shows Simon and Sarah living in at least three different properties during their time in the village so using photos, local knowledge and a hefty dose of best-guessing we think we managed to track down one of their houses. The photo is a view west down Stoke Road. The large double-fronted building in the foreground used to be the Angel Inn. In 1861, the cream house next door belonged to the Gillards, Simon's house must have been the first brick one past that. Looks like it has just been sold.

I think I remember the story of "Bull's Blood" wine - written on the side of the bottle: A Hungarian castle town was beseiged by a load of Turks. The Hungarian Soldiers inside were served the wine and the best of food to keep up their strength. The Turks, having heard that the defenders were drinking Bull's Blood decided to go home. I think it was the Hungarian's first victory over the Ottoman Empire. Have you tried any? No wonder the Turks ran away.

Jan Thanks - i wasn't too far away from calling them toffee apples then Cheers Spaz

Gents Any ideas what the large toffee apple type things are? The caption says: Blid in einen franzofifchen graben der zweiten linie bei Gommecourt (Marz 1917)

Chris If you need any drawings (I can't see why you would) but if you do - technical or otherwise, let me know. In the mean time best of luck with the project (I could have done with the book a couple of weeks ago) Cheers Spaz

Found it! It's the 1962 Hamburg Flood Medal as below

Well spotted Rayjin, Although nearly all the experts and historians agree that Fenton "manipulated" the picture to get a more dramatic scene - the pictures seem to show that cannon balls were removed from both the roadway and the gulleys. I've had a closer look and have replicated your circles and added more areas where balls are missing. However, maybe the "extra" cannon balls were collected from outside the view of the camera and added to both roadway and gulley? Maybe we'll never know

Gents The following two photos were taken by Roger Fenton in 1855 in the Crimea. They are of the "Valley of the Shadow of Death" - not the Charge of the Light Brigade valley but another that the Russians regularly shelled to ensure no troops gathered there. Roger Fenton, famous for his Crimean War photos, visited the valley on his dark-room-in-a-wagon. The valley was shelled continously, even during his visit so he moved his tripod to a "safer" area to take these. There have been long discussions on which photograph was taken first. The one with "scattered" cannon balls on the road is the more famous with most agreeing that this is the later staged photo. I tend to agree simply given the even spread of the cannon balls on the road - wouldn't they clump up? Others do not as Fenton himself said that the cannon balls were gathered during the day by gunners to fire back at the Russians - there do seem to be less cannon balls in the ditches in the "cleared" picture. If the balls were collected to spread on the road wouldn't there then be less in the ditches rather than more? Interested to know what you think? (Just as a note = Filmaker and writer Errol Morris visited the actual site and came to his own conclusions, eventually)

Larry Just wow mate. Impressed or what. A whole village and a whole army. Just outstanding, thanks for showing us Cheers Spaz XVIS

I've no idea what rapid fire rules are but the Panthers are really really good - at that scale too! Assuming you war game with them you must have a few "little men" and other stuff to go with them?? Gis a look Spaz

Ta very much chaps....although tempting (after the praise) I'm not going to do any more. Even though I do have a few boxes of "small men" of the 40k variety (and I'm sure I remember some heavy armour that go with them) hiding in a box in the loft. I'm trying to teach myself how to paint in 3D now. I'm on layer 4 of about 10 (I will explain once they are complete) with each layer taking a good few days to complete. If they come out as intended I'll show ya'll them on here. They are only practice ones though, so I may just chuck them in the bin if they don't work and start over. All will be revealed in about a month or so........exciting aint it? I can't wait Thanks again all Cheers Spaz

I think its a ribbon bar for the medal for the defense of Moscow awarded to all Soviet military and civilians who participated in the defence of Moscow between 19 October 1941 and 25 January 1942 Maybe not, on second thoughts, as the white stripes are evenly spaced whereas yours has a thicker centre stripe Cheers Spaz XVIS

A couple of the hinge

Bugger :(

The inside of the case is a very deep purple and has a backwards "B" and "257" stamped underneath. The EK itself looks to be plated over copper - the colour showing through the polishing? No markings at all on the back or on the pin. Single piece construction. Non magnetic and vaulted. No idea on this piece at all as these are not my thing. I like them a lot though.......damn, damn, here we go again :whistle: