Back in the Saddle (Real Life part 18)

So Monday sees me back as an employed tax paying member of society, no longer one of those scroungers beloved of the Daily Mail (although I admit I never signed on). In all honesty seeing the price of season tickets and car parking (not to mention what my out of the house hours now are) it's quite tempting never to work again.

Anyhow up at 6 o'clock to catch the 7am train. I was t5hinking of calling my contracting company 0700 Ltd, but that name had been taken. The key thing on this first day was to see if I could get into work and get home again in enough time to join the Monday night boys for my weekly dose of wargaming fun. Well, it's going to be touch and go. I got out as soon after 5pm as was decent, bearing in mind it was my first day and everyone was too busy to tell me what they wanted me to do. That meant I could get the ten to six-ish train. If things go smoothly I should then be home for c7pm, - enough time for dinner and to pack a box of toys up before heading to the vicarage for an 8am sort of start.

Well, they didn't go completely smoothly. I did get a seat on the train, but it was delayed leaving the station (something indeterminate was deemed to be in need of repair, which took a short while). And then at the other end I left my coat on the train and had to ask the guard/driver to let me back on, which he could only do after a safety check. And the drive home was bedevilled by some awkward traffic.

That meant I got into the house 20 -30 minutes later than planned, but still in enough time to turn round and get to Ian's first. So, the day is do-able, assuming I can get that early train. Alas I think that is a big assumption. My charming gallic boss seems to have a penchant for 4:30pm meetings. My experience of such meetings is that they always start late and always overrun.

On the other hand it is early days yet, and as an independent contractor there's always the possibility of “working from home” every so often. The downside this Monday was that having got to the venue I was a bit tired and felt the need to leave earlier than normal. At least next week is a Bank Holiday.

This evening's entertainment was several games of the latest version of DBA 3.0. I took along my trusty old Normans and Saxons, and Phil had his 40mm flats of Egyptians and Numidians which he is using on the Society of Ancients show stand this year.

My print out of DBA 3.0 is a few weeks old, as I soon discovered when Phil (S not B) arrived with printouts of the latest drafts. Not a lot of changes from the version I had, just a tweak here and there, so it is a wonder why PB still fiddles with them and doesn't just get on and publish them.

Any how I took Normans against Saxons (“Anglo-Danes”) commanded by Will, and got stuck in. I made my usual mistake of mis-estimating distances and forgetting how mobile elements are when moved individually. Which is a shorthand way of saying Will gave me a pasting in short order.

After that I had a go with the flats, taking the Numidians which Ian had already lost with. If you haven't seen these you should go and look at Phil's “Ancients on the Move” blog. They do look really nice and have a nostalgic feel as well. I repeated Ian's achievement by being beaten as well, although I think it was a closer game, - I got to 4 elements first, but finishing the round of combat got Phil to 5 of mine, so game over.

Quite an enjoyable evening, although regretfully I did leave earlier than I'd have liked in order to be ready for Tuesday's early start.

What fun.