Surrendered My Dining Room: Sort of

A change in circumstances finds me embracing the bachelor life and I have to say it comes with benefits. I have reclaimed my home and am at total liberty to live in it how I wish. To this end, I embarked on a series of modest refurbishments and renovations over the past six months which have now finished for the time being. In doing so, I no longer play my wargames on the dining table: rather, I now sit to eat in my wargames room.

I have invested in and constructed three significant glass shelving units with LED lights which now run the length of the dining room wall. I have two glass shelving towers which house my modest helmet collection; a mixture of authentic and replica helmets from the Ancient world to WWII.

Actually, this collection was started when I was a teenager and it's marvelous that they finally have a proper place on display. My latest addition is the brass Monteferino Roman legionary helmet. What's missing now is a piece of Napoleonic headgear and I'm torn between a French dragoon helmet or a French infantry shako (late war).

I had previously posted a photo of my mannequin on this blog: every house hold should have one. Behind him (let's call him 'Norman') is mounted my small blade collection - a replica 1796 British Light Cavalry sabre and scabbard; a .303 Lee Enfield bayonet; an 1870 Chassepot bayonet with scabbard; and a highly decorative knife I purchased from a sūq in Oman.

When I now host dinner parties, everyone is exposed to my life's madness which I wear with sufficient pride. In fact, the display shelves only host my 28mm figure collection - my considerable quantities of 20mm WWII stuff as well as all of my buildings and 'scatter terrain' remains in the shed. Behind the glass represents too many unfinished projects but it serves as an inspiration to get cracking. Whilst the collection may look significant to some people, when you consider it represents about 25 years of hobbying, I'm inclined to think it on the small side. I'm certainly going to make it much bigger.