I'm always in the kitchen at....Winter when its too cold in the Shed!

 

So the clocks have gone back, the days are getting shorter and the central heating’s been switched. This can only mean one thing the time of the year where my enthusiasm for anything always takes a beating.

Despite insulating the shed with loads of old foam, polystyrene and roof insulation and investing in a mobile radiator things do get chilly in the shed once temperatures start dropping to about 5 degrees outside. I keep a garden thermometer in the shed and typically I can get the temperature of the building up to about 10 degrees warmer inside than outside. So as freezing temperatures arrive Games nights are often not for the fainthearted.

With this in mind we have tended to switch to smaller games that can be played inside on the kitchen table or to board games. Over the past couple of weeks we have been testing out the Axis & Allies 1942 second edition. For years the first edition has been a mainstay of game play providing hours of intense battle. The original was historically balanced (with the allied players winning more often than not). The newish edition introduces a raft of new toys including destroyers, cruisers and artillery on a much revised board – more territories and new starting zones. In our first two full games the Germans have overrun Russia easily but Japan is completely screwed (much bigger UK Navy presence). In time we’ll see how this goes. Quite interested in acquiring the First World War variant for Xmas.

 

The Original and Spring 42

The Original Colourful Board

A more Sombre approach