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Monday 7 August 2017

Anniversary gift from my wife

Today is our thirty fifth wedding anniversary, and this morning my wife and I exchanged cards and gifts to celebrate the occasion.

Now my wife is easy to buy gifts for ... especially since she started to collect Pandora jewelry. All I have to do is to look at her online wish list, copy images of what is on the list onto my iPhone, and make a visit to the nearest branch. I then go through the 'Have you got one of these in stock?' conversation with the sales assistant as I show her the images ... et voila, mission accomplished!

Sue tells me that she does not have as simple a job as I do ... but this year she had a brainwave and bought me a book that she knew that I didn't have (I think that she checked my bookshelves beforehand) ... and it is exactly what I would have bought had I seen it.


A HISTORY OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN 100 OBJECTS is one of those books that is an ideal bedside companion. As the name suggests, it is split up into one hundred short chapters, each of which describes an object from the First World War and its relevance to the history of the conflict. Some random examples include:
  • The pen that signed the Ulster Covenant
  • HMS Lance's 4-inch gun
  • Austrian commemorative ribbons
  • Nurse Cavell's secret diary
  • The Soixante-Quinze field gun
  • A Simplex trench locomotive
  • Augustus Agar's boat
The book was written by John Hughes-Wilson, with the assistance of Nigel Steel (Imperial War Museum Consultant) and Mark Hawkins-Dady (Editor), and published by Cassell Illustrated and the Imperial War Museum (ISBN 978 1 84403 918 0). It is dedicated to the memory of the late 'Professor and Brigadier Richard Holmes CBE, TD, scholar, gentleman and soldier, patron and founder of the Guild of Battlefield Guides', who was possibly one of the best (if not the best) military historians the UK has had in a generation.

I am going to enjoy reading this book over the coming months ... especially because of the personal anniversary that it celebrates.

14 comments:

  1. Many congratulations to you both, and here's to 35 years more!

    Best wishes,
    Aaron

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prufrock,

      Thanks for the congratulations. In another 35 years I shall be 102 years old, and will be more than pleased to have reached 70 years of married life!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Thirty five years not out! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Conrad Kinch,

      Thanks very much for your congratulations.

      It's only another 15 years to go before we hit 50 years of married life ... and I suspect that we might just have some sort of celebration to mark that particular anniversary.

      All he best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. Congratulations to you both and may there be many more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cannock,

      Many thanks for your congratulations. Unlike 35 years ago - when things were a little hectic - we have been taking things easy today.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Happy Anniversary. Nice book.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pete.,

      Many thanks for your congratulations. They are much appreciated.

      From what I have read so far, the book is excellent.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. Congrats on another anniversary!
    I've been reading your blog for a while and am looking forward to The Napoleonic Portable Wargame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ryan Recker,

      Many thanks for your kind words.

      At present my SCW book is my main writing project, but hopefully I will be returning to the PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME in the near future. My aim is to get that written by Christmas, but like all such projects, the projected date for completion may well be somewhat earlier than the actual date!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the update! I've read through the Portable Wargame & Developing the Portable Wargame. They're good to read, and the rules are good for beginners like myself and usable for solo wargaming.

      Delete
    3. Ryan Recker,

      Thanks very much for the feedback. I wanted my books to be easy to read and useful for both experienced and novice wargamers. As I am also a mainly solo wargamer, they were written very much with solo wargaming in mind, and I was pleased to read that you found that aspect of the rules useful.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Alastair,

      Thank you very much for your congratulations.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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