Book Review – Fatal Choices by Seth Owen
Fatal Choices: Wargames, Decisions and Destiny in the 1914 Battles of Coronel and Falklands by Seth Owen My rating: 5 of 5 stars I backed the Kickstarter campaign and got both the ebook and the paperback version of this as well as some pre-cut counters for playing the scenarios. The book is a fascinating tour of the what if as well as the real history. It takes us through the technical and political backgrounds of both sides, the vessels and the commanders. Owen explains why the situation was what it was, why the protagonist navies had chosen their strategy and how they had got their ships on station when the first world war started. Map showing British and German ships and movements at the Battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Each of the battles is presented as…
2015 Resolutions
Happy new year! I don't usually make resolutions at new year. Too often they get forgotten about. However, this year my son is keen on us making some as a family, and writing them down so that we can check our progress and put ourselves back on track if necessary. I'm going to make three resolutions. Eat a healthier diet Write more fiction Read more paper books 1. Healthier Diet What I would like to try and balance my diet better and avoid eating the sort of food that makes me feel sluggish, less fatty, salty and sugary stuff. More fruit and vegetables, perhaps a bit less bread and meat won't go amiss either. I'm not especially looking to lose weight but that would be a welcome side effect. Success criteria for this are that I feel that I have…
Top Ten Posts of 2014
I've been looking through the stats, and ignoring the home page, and the separate parts of a linked series of posts, these are the top ten posts of 2014 (not all of which are from 2014). I've also adjusted the order to allow for when in the year the post was published, but these are all originally in the top 12 posts). Some stats During 2014 I have written 112 posts. 241 posts (out of the 334 posts plus four pages available) have received at least one hit over the course of the year. The top ten (list below) account for over half of all traffic across the blog. There's a small gap in the stats too, I got hacked in late November and lost a couple of days worth of stats, I rolled back to a previous version and…
Scouting for Grown Ups
I've been helping with my local scout group since 2010 and find it both enjoyable and rewarding. You get to do English: HMS Belfast (C35), London, England. HMS Belfast at her London berth, with Tower Bridge behind, 16 December 2005. Brightened, cropped and straightened version. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) interesting things while providing opportunities for children to try activities that they wouldn't otherwise be able to. Here are just a few of the things I've helped to support over the last four years sleepovers in the scout hut for beavers and cubs camping in tents for cubs walks outdoors (including nature rambles, night walks in the park, woodland walks and general exploration) outdoor cooking, including using campfires and collecting eggs from chickens visits to places of interest, including a fire station, HMS Belfast, Reigate Caves, a local synagogue, Fire of London…
World Building – Towns and Villages
One of the things that I often do when I am writing a story is to sketch a map of the area where the story takes place. This helps me to visualise what the characters will be able to see. The thing is though, you can't just bang down stuff randomly (well you can, but it isn't realistic - you want your world to be realistic don't you?) How settlements form Typically people build houses where there is shelter from the elements, adequate supplies of food, water and fuel. They also like to build them in easily accessible places for the most part. All villages and towns grow from farmstead, places a farmer, and his family, decided to settle. However not all of these farmsteads ends up as a village. There are loads of outlying farms in populated countryside, some…