From NoelW: A Persian Party: Sarah’s balloon (25 points)

Aboard the balloon space is tight for it turns out the basket is already occupied by a hen party who’ve recently discovered Lady Sarah’s emergency prosecco supply.

Lady Sarah, too, seems unaccountably expressive.

“This time, can you take us directly to Douglas’ Shallows, please?” I ask, very politely.

“No probs, matey,” says Lady Sarah. “Shall we go the – hic! – scenic route? These girls haven’t seen the island yet.”

“No – no, thanks. Straight there, please. Just head south direct to Douglas’ Shallows. It’s not far. Just follow the coast.”

“Follow the coats!” Lady Sarah frowns. “What goats? Well – hic! – I suppose you know what you mean.”

She pulls on a few ropes, as randomly as a campanologist who’s just learned how to milk a cow. The hen party, fascinated by the dangling strings, have a go, too, but find it’s complicated when you’ve a glass in one hand and a bottle in the other.

The balloon veers left, then right, then up, then down, for all the world as if it, too, had a little too much fizzy stuff inside it – which it may well have, given all the hot air vented by these delicate daughters of Eve.

And then, magically, we’re over Douglas’ Shallows. There’s our fleet below us.

“Down!” I suggest, perhaps a little over-enthusiastically. “No – not South! Down!”

We shoot past the ships in a flurry of waving hands and crashing waves. The balloon spins wildly. It heads out to open sea, then races wildly inland again.

“Actually,” I decide, as the balloon bounces off a passing mountain and spins into an unlucky clump of cumulus. “Don’t worry about it. You can drop us anywhere.”

“I can, can I? I wouldn’t bet on hic! What have they put in that bottle?”

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These three Persian ladies will form the court for Xerxes or Darius, or perhaps other non-combatant bystanders, but they may also find themselves a couple of thousand years later as part of an Ottoman camp. One advantage of Ottoman armies is that the details of costume are not easily established, so anything middle eastern and “exotic” might just pass muster.

They’re manufactured by Casting Room Miniatures, the Wargames Foundry subsidiary, as “Persian Civilians”.

Scoring: 28mm figs x 3: 15. Frequent flyer miles (this is my third balloon trip on the way back): 10 pts 

Total: 25 points



What a great trio of ladies; they must have made fine companions for your balloon trip Noel. Your "Frequent Flyer Club" card has been duly stamped.

TamsinP