A day out yesterday visiting a friend and some model work completed yesterday morning and today. Traffic was remarkably much easier with fewer vehicles on the road. Lots of rain and wind during my travels and apparently a huge storm is hitting the west of the UK. It's autumn and we get wet and windy weather. This is my favourite time of year and I like the change in the trees with the autumnal golds, reds and browns.

The 'Frank' is gradually coming on with a thinned brush painted green coat to the upper surfaces and the orange identification marks painted on. I will seal this and brush paint the underneath in some shade of grey although I am still deciding on which. Fifty shades indeed! 

I made a start on the diorama base and tried out two versions but I think the Jagdpanzer is too big alongside the Sdkfz 234 so it will have to be the little Schwimmwagen which has sat unfinished in a drawer these past two years awaiting such a diorama. The base has an application of torn egg box pieces, torn tissue, watered down white glue applied liberally and then airbrushed with shades of earth and brown. White glue again and snow sprinkled or painted in. Once dry, I will add more and see if I can scratch build a pine tree or two. I am looking at techniques for ice as I would like to model a wintry and icy cold Ardennes scenario. Both photos taken without flash but it does look too dark.

With the flash and I can see how many errors I need to amend with paint touch ups, a rail for the Jagdpanzer and spare tracks to be added.

In other news Sue has to change her lifestyle following a GP follow up at the new surgery she is at. She doesn't drink alcohol since she had covid as she no longer enjoys the taste but she has to change her diet, eat more whole foods and less processed foods so I have suggested she join me in dieting. That will be interesting as she loves white bread, dislikes most vegetables and hates pulses and beans apart from baked beans and peas. I have dusted off the various diet books and we will both start from Monday. I enjoy cooking and will explore how to hide various green vegetables in my cooking! She does like salads but not anything I grow in the garden which I say is her loss as home grown tastes best. I have bought some red lentils in plus coconut milk as I do like a tasty Dhal and I plan to cook that with spinach and some brown rice. I suspect I will be eating that alone. But tomorrow, we will have cake and I will have a couple of beers to celebrate turning 63. Apart from my body falling apart and the various aches and pains I don't feel like a 63 year old. I am gradually approaching the age when some bureaucrat will bring in mandatory Soylent Green for the plebs as an answer to the over population of the planet marketed as a green solution to climate change. 

TTFN.