The Spark

My addiction started as a schoolboy way back in the '60s when a certain book appeared, and the local toyshops were selling boxes of Airfix Waterloo figures (the word "miniatures" wasn't used much in those days)

and continued into adult life until the early '90s, when a "career change" (I became a full time gigging musician) put paid to free time for social activities.
I turned to the solitary pastime of railway modelling!

Then in 2012, my brother-in-law was concerned about the amount of time my young nephew was spending glued to the Xbox instead of any 'creative' hobbies, so, since we live in Nottinghamshire I suggested a trip to....

We visited the displays, and gaming hall where the "plan" seemed to be working - he was taking a real interest in all the shiny figures and the idea of gaming while I was struck by how much things had changed, yet was somehow so familiar!

Of course, I started getting daft ideas along the lines of 'I wonder if', so we took a break in Bugman's for a brew to try and calm down,

but since this is no ordinary cafe, there was no respite - and this guy just about summed up my situation.

Once the caffeine had kicked in, it was time to call in to the shop before we left. My nephew was treated to some goodies to get him started in his new hobby, and I made the BIG mistake of letting myself get talked into a demo game...........
thanks to modern technology, the fateful event was captured forever by SWMBO on her smartphone - the moment my addiction laid claim once more and I was back into gaming!
                                                       (but not at those prices!)

As soon as we got home (and had another brew) I went searching through my 'stuff' in the spare room and then sat with my finds for the rest of the evening in a nostalgic glow.

A spark had ignited and something was stirring............