Back to club nights

Fenland Gamers, game night

I’m back baby!

Or at least for the time being. Who knows where work shifts will take me in the future?

Yes last night was a Fenland Gamers club night, and I was able to attend.

It’s that time of year when folks are on holiday or tied up with Summer plans/events of some kind. So to have seven people turn up for club night wasn’t bad.

Seven isn’t a bad number to have. It means a split of three and four over two tables. Only Marcin and myself had games with us. Which naturally meant we wouldn’t be playing a game together.

On the plus side Jonathan and I did get to play together. I do miss playing games with Jonathan. Sadly Jonathan is still going through his gaming doldrums.

Jonathan, Chris, and myself played an all in game of Parks using the new play mat I picked up at UKGE. It’s a nice play mat, which I never knew existed. I only found out about it when Charlene told me a stand had them at the expo.

Parks is a lovely game. It has a depth that isn’t at first apparent. Which I like. Plus it looks gorgeous, with some amazing art and meeples.

My tour of the US national parks won me the game.

The final game for our table was Dandelions.

After losing to Chris who said he had no idea what he was doing (that stings) Jonathan and I headed off to our respective homes.

I stopped off at Asda and picked up a ribeye steak along with some other bits. I had reasoned I could get a kebab (which I do enjoy) or have a good steak for about the same money.

I’m really into steak at the moment. I like mine simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, with fried onion. None of those various sauces. I like the taste of steak, and don’t want to hide it with a sauce.

So yes I cooked the steak when I got home.

It ended a fun evening of gaming perfectly. Plus it was great to share a game or two with Jonathan again.

Old body, Young mind

life, the universe, and everything, still alive

Just a short proof of life update because you know life and stuff.

Since last Sunday when I returned to work it’s been all go at work.

Four nights doing a major move within the store I work left my body aching, and tired. I’ve definitely been feeling my age.

I went into survival mode. Each shift after the first (the most gruelling of the four shifts) left me the bare minimum time to rest and recover before having to repeat it all again.

I was definitely looking forward to the three days off before making the jump to morning shifts.

Naturally yesterday, the first day off, I slept and did nothing.

There had been an attempt to get some gaming sorted for last night and Saturday but there was no interest shown.

Which meant more just letting the body recover, and a Chinese take away for tea.

Tonight is a club night which I can attend for once. But then again with the move to mornings I can attend future ones too.

However first more recovering.

Finally I play some games in July

Game day, game night

July has finally got off to a start on the gaming side.

Due to the aborted return to the hills I was able to join Marcin, Diego, and later Antony on Friday evening to play some games.

We started off with Otys. A post apocalyptic themed game. Marcin really likes that theme. It’s just a shame that the theme does not come through on this euro. The theme could be anything.

You are trying to build a little “engine” so that when you take an action that action becomes more powerful whether it’s by upgrading the action itself or increasing the bonus at the actions position.

Other wise you are collecting resources to try and complete contracts that give you points, or pay for some actions.

It was an enjoyable experience. You got to manipulate things in various ways.

Obviously there was plenty of banter during the game (and the rest of the evening).

It was even more satisfying that I denied Marcin a win by snatching the victory for myself.

Our next game was Diego’s copy of Kohaku. Anthony had joined us by then to join in. I do like this tile drafting game. Despite not getting a single turtle tile (worth 5 points), they always came out for the others, I won beating Diego by a single point.

Our final game of the evening was Courtisans.

Yeah I like Courtisans a lot. It gets very tactical trying to complete your secret goals whilst trying to screw over everyone else.

Luckily I came out on top and claimed victory.

It was a clean sweep for me. A good night at the gaming table.

Saturday saw Charlene and myself meeting up to play The White Castle.

I remember when The White Castle came out that it had a lot of buzz. It’s why I picked it up at this years UKGE months after that initial buzz had died down.

It is a very pretty game, with a nice table presence. The round tracker is enormous. Probably leaning on the overkill, too large side of things.

I have to admit I was left a little underwhelmed after playing the game. It felt too short.

Charlene thought that the sweet spot for her for this game was three players. Although she said Ben liked it at four players.

I’m not sure it’s a two player game. I need to try it at the higher player counts.

Oh Charlene won.

Next we played Targi. I hadn’t played this two player worker placement game since October 2018. Then that was against Jonathan at The Luxe.

It is an enjoyable game. Sadly it’s downside is that it is two player. And although every gamer has a few two player games in their collection they rarely get to the table. Which is a shame because there are some great two player games. Targi being one of them.

Charlene won this game too.

Our final game of Saturday afternoon was Dandelions.

I really like Dandelions. It’s a great filler.

Luckily I ended the afternoon on a win.

My Take On Overnight Oats

hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors, recipe!

My old camp routine when I was doing something like the TGO Challenge, out in the Lakes, or Brecon Beacons, used to see me brave the elements to answer the call of nature. Followed by breaking camp and going on my way. So I could easily be hiking by 6am or 6:30am. Rarely would I go back to sleep or have a leisurely breakfast and brew before breaking camp.

Often all I’d have as I set off would be some Jolt gum to give me a caffeine hit.

I wouldn’t stop for breakfast and brew until around maybe 8:30 or even 9am. I’d find a spot to rest, breakout the cooking kit and get a brew made. Breakfast would be maybe a cold pop tart, or muesli bar of some kind.

Back then I’d never even heard of overnight oats. It was working at Huntingdon Regional College (now no longer as it swallowed up in a merger of colleges) when I first come across overnight oats. My then line manager Venessa used to bring them in for her breakfast.

Thinking about it, with a vegan colleague/friend I got exposed to one or two new food experiences whilst there.

But it wasn’t until I left that I first made my version of over night oats.

Just after adding water but before stirring

This is what I put in my overnight oats. You will notice I don’t list quantities. Everything is based around how much oats I am using. Then I judge the rest by eye.

  • Oats
  • Raisins
  • Sultanas
  • Chai seeds
  • Dried cranberries
  • Diced Dehydrated Dried Apple Flakes
  • Dried Goji Berries
  • Dried Sweetened Blueberries
  • Sun Dried Sour Cherries
  • Sweetener of some kind, ones I’ve used in past sugar, agave nectar, and honey
  • Pinch of salt
  • Sweet cinnamon

To make this into a recipe that can be used out on the trail (that sounds so pretentious) instead of adding regular milk and letting it soak overnight in the fridge. I use powdered milk, and add water.

When making this for the next morning I usually add roughly the same amount of water/milk (maybe a little bit more) as I have dried ingredients. Give it a good stir, and put the lid on. After a couple of hours I might add a little bit more liquid or check in the morning adding more liquid to get a consistency I like.

Vacuum packed ready to go

As you can see from the list of ingredients I like my over night oats to be fruity and a mixture. I love the texture that the chai seeds add.

The container I’m using is a Vadasz garlic & dill sauerkraut container that holds 400g of said product. My overnight oat portions fill approximately half of the container.

The nice thing is about repurposing this container is I get to eat the original contents first. So well worth the nearly £4 I paid for it.

False Dawn

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping, outdoors

Well that’s the shortest return ever!

I was minutes from my destination. The phone signal had almost disappeared. So I decided to call Mum to let her know I was virtually there.

That’s when things changed.

I was going to have to turn back.

But before I did I stopped at a parking spot I had spotted on the drive in for a break and something to eat.

After having driven for so long I needed this before repeating the journey.

After a coffee, and a rehydrated 6 Bean chilli I made my way back home.

Yes I’m very disappointed that the plans did not go as intended. But as Jack Reacher says “Plans go to hell as soon as the first shot is fired.”

At least I knew that the food side was working.

Boiling water, rehydrating my home made dehydrated chilli in the Ziplock Aluminium Foil Bag, and using the pot cozy worked well. I liked using the UCO Collapsible Cup. Using my old sea to summit folding bowl to eat the chilli from. Ok I used the bowl because I had some tortillas chips, grated cheese and squeezy sour cream on top. Not easy to do if eating from the bag.

I also started the over night oats. Which by this morning were “perfect”. I might add a little bit more milk powder in future.

I had intelligence about where I had planned to leave the car. It’s a totally viable spot. It’s hard to judge the suitability of a spot when all the map shows is the letter P. So it’s good to know that this is a great spot to leave the car.

My adjusted plans for my week off will see me spend time playing with kit whilst doing this son carer thing.

Back to the hills – last minute stuff

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

Back in the day I had a weakness when it came to stoves. Hence the stove talk videos and ending up with over thirty stoves of one type or other.

Well whatever the exact number is it’s now increased by one.

After watching an Eric Hanson YouTube video about the Jetboil and cheaper alternatives that would meet most folks needs. I caved and bought what apparently is the darling of the lightweight backers a BRS Stove 3000T.

The BRS is a gas stove made from titanium alloy, copper, and stainless steel. It weighs in at 25g apparently. So uber light.

One thing that allows the stove to be so light say compared to the Peak Ignition is that there is no piezo ignition. So an alternate means of ignition is needed such as a lighter or matches.

The BRS comes with a small storage bag, and an o ring that I’m not sure yet if it is a spare or something I need to fit. I’m sure a quick Google will provide me with an answer.

I don’t know why but I decided to give the Peak Ignition another go to see if its piezo ignition would work. When I had used it at the Travelodge during the UKGE I found that the piezo ignition didn’t work. I had to resort to using a lighter.

But this time as I pushed the button to try and make a spark, it did indeed spark. I was more than pleasantly surprised. I pressed again a couple of more times. Creating more little blue arcs. I grabbed a gas canister. Clumsily I attached the Peak Ignition to it. Turned its regulator to hear the hiss of gas escaping. And then pressed the button on the piezo ignition. It clicked, sparked, and the stove roared into life. It’s alive!

I hadn’t decided what stove I’d take with me tomorrow. But now I’m decided I’m going with the Peak Ignition. I’ll play with the BRS on a day hike over the Summer.

I did buy a vacuum sealer and I need to get to grips with that today as I bag my overnight oats, and powdered egg.

Anyway as you read this I’m most likely on route to North Wales. I still have last minute things to do. So I better cut this short. Catch you after the return.

I played some games and liked it!

bgstat, by the numbers, stats

This month has been weird.

I knew it was going to be lacking on the gaming front.

Work was giving me shifts that really weren’t conducive to playing games with others.

However gaming finds a way, and I managed to play some games. More than I expected.

There was even a last day of the month game session with Diego and Marcin. Which seemed to mirror the last day of May at UKGE and playing games with Ben and Harrison. These two last minute flurry of gaming pushed up the stats for both months making them look less sad than they were.

My 3×3 for June 2024

Luckily after this weeks holiday and four shifts of lates I make the jump back to early shifts. Which means a return to club night and being able to start back up the mid week lcg/ccg night. So there is a silver lining to gaming.

The stats for June 2024

Back to the hills – the big destination reveal

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

After a lot of procrastinating I could no longer put off the decision any longer. I needed to decide where I would be going for my return to the hills.

I’m going to South Snowdonia. Narrowing it down a bit more. I’m going to be wandering around Rhinog Fawr.

I’ve never been to this bit of North Wales. Although I have done Cadair Idris with Kate, Nathan, and the wolf pack if memory doesn’t fail me.

The inspiration for this decision was this YouTube video by Claire aka Wild Beare.

This screen shot from the video shows the route that Claire took for this trip.

Wild Beare’s Route

I’m not planning to do massive mileage for this first excursion. My fitness levels aren’t what they used to be. I’ve had 14 years or so of “good living” since my last hike.

What I like about this area Claire chose is the options available to me on the day. If I’m feeling it I can take in a peak, camp near lakes, pitch up in some woods.

I’m going to be using the Snowdonia South (British Mountain Map) from the BMC. These are 1:40k scale maps that is “printed on polyethylene this map is durable, tearproof and 100% waterproof”.

I do like this map series a lot. It saves me having to carry a map case for starters. I like the scale and seems a good compromise between using a 1:25k and 1:50k map.

So there we have it destination Rhinogs.

Back to the hills – some more prep

#backtothehills, hiking/backpacking/camping

One thing I discovered on a camping/walking trip to Snowdonia with Kate back in the day was how my body doesn’t react well to midge bites.

As Kate and I were setting up our tent, I got bitten to death by swarms of them at the campsite. Every exposed inch of flesh was bitten and covered in itchy red blobs where they had fed on me.

Sprays sold by the campsite shop to ease the itching just did not provide any relief at all. The fact I had been bitten so many times all over meant just to cover the bites I needed multiple sprays! They weren’t cheap.

We eventually cut our weekend short with a visit to a local welsh doctors surgery where I was put on a course of steroids.

So you can imagine I started putting in measures to avoid this happening again. Such as getting a headnet, or buying clothes with built in insect repellent.

Now as I get ready to return to the hills I’ve been using Lifesystems Ex4 Anti Mosquito Clothing, Footwear And Outdoor Gear Treatment Spray to treat my clothing, shemagh, polar buffs, regular buffs, groundsheet, and tarp.

This has worked for me in the past and proved effective.

Whilst on the TGOC even with a tarp I wasn’t bothered by ticks. I put that down to my clothing, groundsheet, etc being treated with a fabric friendly bug treatment. Along with the use of bug spray/wipes.

The DD Hammocks DD Superlight tarp I have comes with four pegs, and some thin guy ropes. The guy ropes are perfect for me to make some loops with. That that can on the day when needed be used to make a prusik knot.

I’ve also made some smaller bungee cord loops to use on the attachment points of the tarp. I’ll attach these when needed using a larks head knot to give me a little give and take a bit of pressure of the attachment points in high winds.

The last thing I want to be thinking off in bad weather conditions is having to create these loops first. I want to be able to grab one and use it, getting the tarp up as quick as possible.

After watching one of the yank outdoors YouTubers I ordered an UCO Collapsible Cup for Hiking. I don’t know why? I liked the look of it. It does not collapse nearly as flat as the sea to summit collapsible mug I have (and can’t find at the current time). Mainly due to the hard plastic ring which is about half the height of the mug uncollapsed. How ever it’s more sturdy which I like.

I’m starting to feel more prepared for next weeks adventure.

Fighting illness

life, the universe, and everything, still alive

The cold I had a few weeks ago never really went away and has flared up as a chest infection. Which has really taken it out of me.

I was kinda glad that on my day off on Saturday that no-one was free to play games. I was really feeling bad. There was also plans to try out a recipe or two for the impending return to the hills. But that day was just bed rest.

Somehow I made it through a 10 hour shift last night. With two 9 hour shifts ahead of me today and tomorrow. Wednesday is a day off but I’ll need that as recovery time.

Work and illness is so draining.

Luckily the last three shifts before a week off are normal ones. Which I’m thankful for. Changes at work haven’t been finalised so that’s still an unknown hanging around like a bad smell.

But the holiday should be starting off in a good way with some gaming with Diego. Which I’m really looking forward to.

That’s where things are at the moment. Hope that this chest infection clears up in time for the holiday and the hills.