It is written.

New Toys

- carefully smuggled into the house while Mrs. Kinch wasn't looking...

It would appear that fate is in favour of my Indian project as two seperate events have occurred in the last twenty four hours to push it that little bit forward.

Firstly, I discovered that one of my favourite Librivox readers Mark Smith of Simpsonville, North Carolina has recorded The River War by Winston Churchill, an account of the reconquest of the Sudan. This will certainly help pass the time while painting, I've only listened to the first chapter so far, but Churchill writes as well as ever and Simpson's work is professional in every sense of the word - bar getting paid.

Secondly, I had to do a work related errand in town today which brought me past Dublin's largest model shop. In a triumph of good intentions over experience I thought I'd have a look inside while being relatively sure that I'd picked it clean the previous week. It was not to be. The staff were in the throes of unpacking a new shipment of figures (an uncertain and occasional happening) and I fell upon them, a being devoid of reason or conscience.

A box of HAT Cossacks to be converted into Pindari, which will bring my horde of irregular cavalry to 24, which is plenty for the time being.

A box of Zvesda Turkish cavalry to be added to another box, which will give me two small units of armoured Bargir cavalry and one slightly larger unit of regular Silladar cavalry, with drummers and standard bearers to taste.

Lastly, a box of HAT Indian War Elephants, these are rather out of period and will have to get the full Broadway treatment before they can be unleashed on the field of battle. The mahout I will certainly keep possibly with the addition of a turban, but the elephant itself will need a howdah, jingals, etc.

Mrs. Kinch's state has been downgraded to Threat Level Moderate - Subject cranky and likely to attack if not keep supplied with soup, tea and hot water bottles.

More news when I have it, gentlemen.