Home before the leaves fall?

A bit of a real life interlude over the past few days with various things needing done over and above work - thus eating into time normally spent fooling around with toys.

Most of  today has been spent cleaning out the chickens, taking a carload of stuff to the dump and sweeping up leaves - hence the title.

Earlier in the week I had a new set of winter tyres put on my car (Saab 9-5) - I didn't bother last winter and suffered restricted mobility as a result.  Just getting up the drive to the road is tricky (or impossible) if there's any ice or snow underfoot and earlier this year there was plenty.  In any event the old tyres were getting a bit threadbare, so I'll keep the winter rubber on until Easter-ish and then get a new set of summer tyres.

I also had my car serviced and a replacement radio fitted (the old one had lost it's RDS function).  New rear shockers mean its quieter over speed bumps and more stable on corners.  I'd thought for a while the old ones were on the way out and having now seen them they were in quite a bad way.

I just need to find the time to clean it inside and out - never my favourite job but worth it when it's done. 

Given all the car-related expenditure it came as a pleasant surprise to receive a call from Richard Holden (see his blog at http://wargamesandwalking.blogspot.com/) to tell me that I have won two prizes in the raffle he was running in aid of the British Legion.  They are a £5 voucher for Irregular Miniatures and a Baccus Napoleonic army pack, so not a bad return on my £3 worth or tickets.  I'll certainly use the Irregular voucher, but my Naps are all 15mm so the army pack will no doubt go on the disposal pile.

I have just been out in the garage spray painting some toys, so hopefully there'll be another small batch finished later this month.