Crisis, What Crisis!

Last Friday morning saw me and a chum set off on a big silver bird (white and orange actually) and then a fire breathing dragon (read smokey red and yellow) to the Belgian city of Antwerp to attend Crisis 2012, the biggest and best continental wargames show this side of the Atlantic.

By teatime we were in the hotel bar chatting with a few traders and also a few wargamers then heading off on a downtown wander terminated by a superb Italian meal followed by a few more beers back at the hotel.

All on schedule so far until Saturday morning when I was unable to lift my head off the pillow. All the symptoms of the dreaded 'flu' were apparant as my chum set off to Crisis alone while in due course I demolished half a dozen paracetamols in the vague hope of getting there before close of play.

I did manage a brief afternoon attendance doing a zombie impersonation and everyone who knew me agreed that I didn't look at all well. A few minutes of rare clarity saw Dave Ryan of Caliver Books trade £50 against three Wargamers Annuals (more of them later) and another trader supplied a box of plastic bits which I expect to become some of my Panzer Grenadiers transports.

I finally found my chum and we set off back to the hotel. We were unable to attend the evening buffet, one of the show highlights, as the earlier zombie resemblence reappeared.

Sunday produced a day largely confined to the hotel room although I managed to follow the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a choice of French, German, Dutch and English. Sunday also confirmed that all pharmacies and chemists were closed so my chum and I resorted to a short evening of an alcohol remedial therapy.

By Monday morning I had resumed a sufficiently human appearance to go off in search of the red and yellow dragon and then the big silver bird.

Disclaimer:

No Dragons, Birds or Welshmen were harmed during the research of this tale.