Posts

Latest

A Furtle in the Spares Box

-
Image
Having just had a reorganisation of my storage boxes, and realising that my two Scottish armies now had space... I resorted to going through my spares boxes in order to work out what purchases would be required to fill the newly vacant space. A Freikorps Covenanter officer Might as well paint them up whilst I await the postie bearing packets of lead and freshly layered MDF. Inspired by my attention becoming very Scottish-centric over the last year or so, I have decided upon some more Covenanters. Command figures found for a new regiment of horse, and company of firelocks. Great, that saves a tenner. But what are these, lurking in the Celtic spares box? Two pack horses (for frame guns) and horse holders and a civilian woman.  Montrose's artillery park gets a 200% expansion, with just a pack of Scots artillery crew and a pair of custom casualty markers from Warbases needing to be purchased. Only problem was that the 'woman' is actually a monk. Something I only realised when I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Twitter/X

-
 Apologies for those of you who followed KeepYourPowderDry on Twitter/X, you may have noticed that @KeepPowder has disappeared. Over the last 12 months I've seen posts dwindle from 6-700 views within 24 hours to just 35 in 48 hours. Accounts that @KeepPowder has followed, whilst still posting, no longer appear in my feed. My feed has been replaced with 'my grandma taught me this' videos, and ladies who really should put a jumper on (as they'll catch their death of cold). Twitter was a great source of information, and there were many distinct communities over there. Now, it's just a series of short videos crowding out the good stuff. You can still find KeepYourPowderDry on BlueSky , which has some of the original Twitter sense of community.
Post a Comment
Read more

Houses of Interest: Highlands & Islands

-
Image
The final instalment of the ECWtravelogue's summer expedition to Scotland. This time the focus is on the Highlands and Islands. Lochaber axes, West Highland Museum, Fort William Mingary Castle seen from the Oban-Castlebay ferry through a very long lens C13tth/C14th Mingary Castle was garrisoned by the Covenanters. It fell to the Irish Brigade in 1644. The Castle fell into disrepair and had been abandoned for many years before being renovated in 2013-6. The Castle is now a boutique hotel. Inverlochy Memorial The  second  Battle of Inverlochy was fought on the outskirts of modern Fort William. Montrose defeated and almost completely destroyed the forces of Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, who had been camped near the walls of Old Inverlochy Castle . A memorial is located on North Road, opposite the car park for Aldi/M&S Foodhall. A stile located  near the bus stop (located towards the roundabout) leads to a short, steep path up to the memorial. Old Inverloc...
Post a Comment
Read more

KeepYourPowderDry has made it to 8!

-
Image
Happy bloggiversary*! 8 today. Cue elderly relative asking how it feels to be 8. Jings and crivens, never thought I'd be able to keep this up. This year saw the blog clock up over 1 million views, and receive its 500th post. Both statistics I find slightly bonkers. Just checking the 'supplies' for the KeepYourPowderDry bloggiversary party This year has seen a big jump in views, just shy of 400k in 12 months. The top 20 performing posts list makes interesting reading: five of my coat colours in the top 10 (this year sees the Royalist post out performing the Parliamentarian post for the first time); my Epic posts and Which Figures posts also continue to be viewed a lot. Good to see some ECWtravelogue posts rounding the top 20 out too. Best performing 2025 post was my Irish Catholic Confederacy command. This year's blogging highlights: Amusingly someone plagiarised my blog and then tried to 'internet-one-up' me using my research. They were quite rude, then went sil...
4 comments
Read more

Is Cake Allowed?

-
Image
Spurred into action by Radio 4's Food Programme trotting out the 'Cromwell banned Christmas' line, time for the annual public service clarification... It being that time of year, it is only right and proper to debunk the commonly held 'fact' that Cromwell banned Christmas.  The Puritans who held the majority in Parliament effectively banned Christmas as a) they believed it to be wasteful and a sin, and b) as an attempt to persuade the Scots Presbyterians that only by supporting Parliament could they achieve their goal of religious tolerance.  Whilst I do err with the belief that Christmas has become a festival of mass consumption and over commercialism, and has forgotten what the mid-winter festival is actually about, I wouldn't be up for banning it outright. Whilst happy to celebrate my Parliamentarian heritage and leaning (my great × lots uncle became General Treasurer of Lancashire for Parliament in 1643), if Parliament was against cake I may well have to be...
2 comments
Read more

Houses of Interest: Central Scotland

-
Image
After a brief sojourn in the Marches, it's back to Scotland for the  ECWtravelogue. Today's post looks at Central Scotland, and the (alleged) jewel in the crown of Scottish Castles - Stirling. Stirling Castle, from the Rose Garden The Royal palace of Stirling Castle , had fallen into "ruin and decay"  when Anne of Denmark chose to travel to Stirling for the birth of her first child in December 1593. Prompting James VI (later James VI/I)to order repairs on the palace.  in your face Wallace Memorial! The Royal Family would spend time here until the Union of the Crowns of 1603, when his father succeeded as King of England and the family left for London. the C astle's gatehouse battle scars formal gardens laid out for Charles & Henrietta Maria, the central 'earthwork' is the King's Knot Now effectively redundant, the Palace became a prison for persons of note. Restoration work continued, and preparation were made for the visit of Charles I, who stayed ...
Post a Comment
Read more