Why are Mr. and Mrs. Padre celebrating in their traditional ethnic costumes? Because the Mad Padre Wargames blog has been awarded a Liebster award. Let the yodelling ring out and the alpenhorns sound! RIIIIICOLA!
If you have been following miniatures wargames blogs recently, you likely know what a Liebster is, but here's the lowdown if you aren't in the know, see?.
A Leibster seems to be a blogger's way of encouraging fellow bloggers with a little encouragement and praise. I am very grateful to Benito, aka Annibal, a Madrid-based wargamer who shares my interest in the rules published by Two Fat Lardies. Benito's blog is Gaming With Too Fat Lardies. Benito was kind enough to say this about my blog: " Excellent stories and high sense of humour. Award shared with his other (and more serious) Mad Padre blog about all things spiritual and not so spiritual (NOTE: a remarcable recommendation coming from a well known in my circles agnostic-to-atheist guy like me...)".
Thanks so much, Benito. I've enjoyed your blog for it's interesting mix of WW2 and Vietnam era gaming, and for gaming reps from what looks like an amazing and talented group of Madrid gamers.
I should also thank another person I've come to think of as a friend, the fellow who runs Col. Scipio's Palladian Guard blog, who also nominated me for this award. Colonel, I really enjoy the rich background of your W40K blog and also like the alt WW2 theme you have there. I wish I had time to visit your blog more. Many thanks.
Here are the Lebster rules as I got from Benito's site:
Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you.
Pass the award to your top 5 favourite blogs with less than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your own blog.
Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing that you have just made someone's day!
Sp I went through the list of blogs I followed and had trouble finding any that don't already have a Liebster. But there were a few, all blogs that I enjoy. Here they are.
Rabbits In My Basement is the blog of Canadian gamer James Manto. With a dedicated team of friends, James has made the Hot Lead convention a fixture on the Canadian gaming landscape. His blog shows some wonderful figures from Colonials to Ancients to World War Two, reports on activities as an Army Cadet leader, and other esoteric stuff. James' blog is as interesting and lively as he is in person.
Light Bobs and Paint Blobs is the blog of Jason, a talented painter whose current interest appears to be the English Civil War. Not a period I game myself, but I admire his talent, enthusiasm, and his ability to pump out large and impressive looking units on a seemingly regular basis.
Are We Not Men? is a World War Two in 20mm blog run by Berlin based blogger calling himself darkbirk. I like his brushwork, which is able to bring out the potential of plastic figures that some of us, including myself, never manage. Like me, darkbirk also likes the storytelling aspect of our hobby.
Archduke Piccolo is the splendidly named blog of an engaging chap whose name I don't know - I just call him Milord Archduke. He is a New Zealander, judging from some of his real life comments. He's an engaging and enthusiastic chap with a passion for Imaginations-type old school Lace Wars gaming, but also does some interesting work in WW2.
Finally, I'll give the nod to fellow Canadian Grenzer John, like me a wargaming pastor (there are actually quite a few of us out there) for his blog The Minstrel Boy. John always has something there to interest me, whether accounts of 1812 reenacting events that he and his son go to, to accounts of some eclectic and interesting free for all games from the Age of Reason to WW2.
So that's my contribution to this trend in the wargaming blogosphere. There are many many other blogs I enjoy and admire, too many to name. When I consider that I have met so many people online whom I would consider friends, from all over the world, it is truly a blessing to be part of this virtual community. As the header of this blog says, "Guiness, toy soldiers, good friends. God is good." Indeed he is.
Padre, Sir,
ReplyDeleteTanks a lot for your kind words and for nominating me. Must say ya have a nice head-gear. Looks realy smart. Is that bavarian? Or on the irish orange folk side?
Cheers and thanks alot per-birk
Thank you, Reverend Father, for your nomination and kind remarks. The Archduke, by the way, admires the traditional and cheerful costumes worn by yourself and your better half. Bavarian, or maybe Tyrolean, I'm thinking? I am a Kiwi, domiciled in Shakytown, Quakesburg, Christchurch New Zealand, and am known to the authorities as
ReplyDeleteYours truly,
Ion A. Dowman.
Thanks for the clarification, Ion. I knew you were a Kiwi. Last night I read your blog post about having all your wargaming kit shaken up in the quake and your mate being made homeless. I was sorry to read that. I know the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch, Bishop Victoria, and have been following the sad story of her deciding to pull down the ruined cathedral there rather than rebuild it. I earnestly hope you and yours are getting on with things. Looking forward to hearing more about your Imaginations campaign.
DeleteI and mine came out surprisingly well, all things considered. We took more damage than we thought, but as it has been repaired, and I took the opportunity to do a bit of refurbishment on my own account, we haven't dome badly at all. Fortunately we were well prepared, especially come the February quake that did so much damage, so we could still cook food and had a reasonable supply of bottled water - real survivalist stuff. Aye, well... :-)
DeleteQuite a few of my friends had to move house as a result of the quakes, and others have had more extensive repair work needed on their homes - so we were lucky.
The fate of the iconic Christchurch Cathedral has been subject a quite a lot more controversy than I would have anticipated. People have even taken to the streets in protest at the decision of the Church Authorities to demolish. True, the place would have had some historical value, being built in I think the late 1860s or early '70s, but as it was a well used and much visited edifice, one can imagine the opportunity being taken to erect in its place something more modern and practical. The protesters ought perhaps to reflect that the decision was unlikely to have come easy, and no doubt did consider the feelings of Christchurch's people.
The fact is, that churches and cathedrals, mostly brick or stone built in Christchurch, took a terrible pounding. The Catholic Cathedral had indeed to be demolished, smaller churches, one just a 100 or so yards from our house, another just 5 minutes walk away, have been completely razed after their roofs fell in, the congregations having to meet in the Church Hall annexes that survived. 'God hates bricks' my wife remarked, and old brick buildings really bore the brunt.
Being areligious myself, this doesn't affect me so much, but for many people, particularly the hard hit personally, it would have been a double blow. Where they could, the Churches gave help to a lot of people. Even we felt the need on one occasion to visit the nearby Salvation Army for a food parcel and water.
Cheers,
Ion
A well deserved award, Mike. However, you do deserve an even greater award for that costume. Very fetching - and clearly having the desired effect on the opposite sex. I trust you'll be wearing that whenever you get the chance to visit us in the UK...:)
ReplyDeleteWEll done Mike! And roll out the barrels in celebration!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the nomination.
Well done Mike! And what a great costume!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Mike!
ReplyDeleteSir, that picture is truly disturbing. Congratulations though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nod, Padre! Congratulation on your award!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, What sort of ethnicity is proven by that photo? Looks sort of like Heinzelmenchen to me!
WoW!! Those photos are truly amazing. I was right about your deep sense of humour!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you all. So glad you all liked the costumes. My lovely bride Kay and I rented them for an Officers' Mess Oktoberfest event and they were great fun to wear. I am not sure exactly what ethnicity they are supposed to be. All I know is that I felt like William Tell's goofy sidekick. Sid, if we do visit the UK soon (and I would like that, especially if it meant a chance to play with your Great War kit) we will doubtless be dressed more sensibly ... perhaps as Mounties or lumberjacks.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your award Mike. What a great picture too! Thank you for your kind nomination also. I am very flattered and really pleased that you enjoy my blog postings. I'm not sure if i'm going to be able to do the Liebster blog post and further nominations this week though, I have a somewhat mad week this week (due in part to finding myself back in uniform again!)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Mike - very well deserved! (BTW you cut quite the dash in that lederhosen...)
ReplyDeleteWell deserved, Mike and thanks for the kind words. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete