A little light relief ...

Animal theme continues; this time some sheep ....

Some denizens of the forest - a bear and a wild boar ..

Animals from Irregular Miniatures; have more to come some wolves, cattle, deer and goats (quite a mix !).  Doing some animals make a nice break from painting units.

Nothing like a run in the morning to clear the head ...

As the weather improves, the Field Marshall starts his morning runs again; he needs to run off all that winter flab and get fit for the new campaign season. He runs round the palace and then once round the lake in the gardens and back to his room for a soak in a nice warm bath.

'Come on Fritz hurry up' shouts the Field Marshall (his dog seems less than enthusiatic). As he runs he muses on the state of the army and the potential threats from Monrovia. He is wont to exclaim Hah !  or Hrumph ! or Bot ! and an incoherent sentence or two as he runs round depending on what he thinking about.

Meanwhile the Queen's pet cat Mi-mi indulges in her daily staring contest with Larry the llama,

Larry usually gives in and lets the cat ride around on his back for a while.

On the Parade Ground ...

The King enjoys a march past of the newly raised Royal Belgravian regiment ....

[figs: Crusader French officers, other ranks Foundry russians with a few spare figures mixed in]

Rumble in Bronstadt ...

Madamesoille de Givenchy and her aunt the Marquise of Zinzendorf have been detained by the Monrovians and are being held at the interior police headquarters in Bronstadt; their associate the Grey Rider has orgainzed a rescue...(continued from here)

The Grey Rider is none other than Colonel Jakob Wilhelm Engel, a much decorated soldier who is part of the Wittenberg spy service working for Count Hermann Munster.

----ooXoo---

Monrovian dragoons, some mounted, patrol the perimeter of interior police headquarters at Bronstadt ...

Colenel Engel (the Grey Rider) leads a group of mounted men and some on foot across a ford on the road to Bronstadt, meanwhile Captain Scharfe and his jagers cross over by a footbridge ...

Captain Scharfe and his jagers cross over the river near the mill at Bornstadt into the outskirts of the town..

Captain Scharfe and his men are in position in the town; with Colonel Engel at the mill ready to make his move ...

Colonel Engel and his small group of mounted men ride up to the forecourt of the police headquarters and fire their pistols.....

They beat a hasty retraat followed by the mounted Monrovian dragoons; then Captain Scharfe and his men attack the interior police headquarters ....

The Monrovian dragoons are caught in an ambush as they cross the bridge by the mill ...

Captain Scharfe and his men charge forward and fight their way in to the interior police headquarters ..

The ladies are rescued and led outside to safety ...

Colonel Engel and his mounted men escort the ladies back to towards the border, while Captain Scharfe and the jagers hold the bridge ...

After a waiting a few minutes to check no-one is following, Captain Scharfe and the jagers start on their way back to the border.