PlaymoFriends
Creative => Customs Gallery => Dioramas & Buildings => Topic started by: Birdie on August 05, 2013, 10:07:10
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All hail king John!
I've finally finished my big summer project :yippee:
It started with the purchase of some proper size base plates, several square metres of brown cloth for the ground and blue cloth for the sky and a special type of fabric used for flower arranging (I think). It looks like there's dried grass woven into the fabric, very realistic.
Then I ordered the medieval buildings available through DS and I found a 3666 castle on E-bay that wasn't too expensive.
The red, green and yellow houses were not that cheap in comparison :lol:
(http://i.imgur.com/AMzB3wp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/0zL1vY0.jpg)
The picture in the background is an old one of my sisters and me (the one on the right).
I had a lot of fun sorting out clickies that would match a medieval setting and of course the furniture (= my favourite part in diorama making).
At one point the entire living room floor was covered with Playmobil ;D
But this time the end result is a neat table in one corner with a big diorama and no clutter or stacked furniture in the rest of the apartment. Mission accomplished ;)
Here's my medieval town. It's got the king's castle in the right hand corner, a market on the square, a tavern, a meeting room for the guilds, a bakery, a tailor, a painter, a few houses of rich patricians, the town walls (well guarded), a farm in the front, a cave and a deserted tower in the forest.
(http://i.imgur.com/zoyPfqZ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2O01SPH.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Nt170Bo.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/CQfNbVO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zxBdQJg.jpg)
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Here's a few pictures from the inside of the castle.
The kitchen
(http://i.imgur.com/CWXTKFy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Z4tRPtY.jpg)
The banquet hall, where the king and queen are feasting with some foreign guests.
(http://i.imgur.com/j91Eiwq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/c4nxmDJ.jpg)
The treasury
(http://i.imgur.com/z1VhMcc.jpg)
The queen's quarters
(http://i.imgur.com/q1KWNEu.jpg)
The prison tower (with a prisoner reminiscing better days ^-^)
(http://i.imgur.com/7UQHxD7.jpg)
The alchemist's chamber
(http://i.imgur.com/wcotdYA.jpg)
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And this is the town itself.
There's a tavern with some lodgings for the exhausted traveller upstairs.
(http://i.imgur.com/St5kbSO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xBLu7K6.jpg)
The market offers weapons, suits of armour and tools, meat, fish, animals, jewellery, pottery, tapestries, fruit and vegetables
(http://i.imgur.com/pbFUHZf.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aTBRfjI.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/LrVq8Dz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6tkXqdw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/dAYiLg2.jpg)
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That's really great, Birdie :love:
Can we have more pics of the layout? Do I see a bridge? I've been experimenting with assembly some, but ran out of parts before trying a bridge...
Also... details on that fabric? It's GORGEOUS!
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This is the front room in the house of a rich merchant
(http://i.imgur.com/lDj3WUX.jpg)
These guys are sealing an important deal...
(http://i.imgur.com/dTWwHbb.jpg)
... while others are relaxing in the streets.
(http://i.imgur.com/WWebnrH.jpg)
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And here are some more pictures I liked :)
(http://i.imgur.com/yXEorMI.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/98dbyk0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/nNCzjsm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aTn5taK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/bbQZGVP.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VSwS77K.jpg)
This guy is Dimitris' highwayman. He is constantly thinking up schemes to enter the town unseen. He pops up everywhere ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/QJS1JhW.jpg)
Singing a song while off duty
(http://i.imgur.com/8BzVyIp.jpg)
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That's really great, Birdie :love:
Can we have more pics of the layout? Do I see a bridge? I've been experimenting with assembly some, but ran out of parts before trying a bridge...
Also... details on that fabric? It's GORGEOUS!
Thank you, tahra! :)
I used one 3666 castle and two 3450 castles. I also ordered one gate with red and white stripes on e-bay.
Furthermore there's the new bakery, the barn and museum from Playmobil DS, one yellow, one green and one red house, there's the 3716 farm obviously and an older style white farm in there too.
The lay-out might be a bit more visible in these pictures:
(http://i.imgur.com/aNxS8TG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qi7qjv7.jpg)
The bridge you refer to is a kind of landing that connects the queen's rooms to the king's quarters
(http://i.imgur.com/TNIECd5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/nQiuSwS.jpg)
Underneath there's a hallway that connects the kitchen to the banquet hall
(http://i.imgur.com/RHyrK1w.jpg)
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The green stuff is something I found in Brico (just a regular hardware-store chain with a lot of DIY stuff and garden material).
It comes in packages of 3 by 1 meter, I'm pretty sure it's meant for flower arranging and it contains actual dried grass along with thread and pieces of cloth of various shades of green and brown. The grass is not so great if you are a bit allergic, like I am, but I only realised it when I got home and started using it :lol:
Underneath it's black plastic. It's rather pricy (16 euros) but it's a lot of fabric I'll be using it often enough, so I figured it was worth it.
I'd love to make some more pictures of the material itself, but I forgot my camera at a friend's house yesterday :(
When I get it back this week-end, I'll potograph it properly.
And when I was browsing through my pictures of the diorama, I found some more that I forgot to add, so here goes ;D
The king's head quarter
(http://i.imgur.com/FhibR4C.jpg)
A guard in one of the towers, enjoying his lunch
(http://i.imgur.com/s21HteX.jpg)
The baker
(http://i.imgur.com/BXcnut2.jpg)
The painter's house
(http://i.imgur.com/Ea9LKTV.jpg)
The tailor at work
(http://i.imgur.com/yfLFOlY.jpg)
A fisherman
(http://i.imgur.com/f07kJkE.jpg)
And a view of the back of the diorama
(http://i.imgur.com/PMl4JfE.jpg)
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Thanks for the extra pics :love:
The singing guard's pose is amazing!
The bridge you refer to is a kind of landing that connects the queen's rooms to the king's quarters
Handy! ;)
Underneath there's a hallway that connects the kitchen to the banquet hall
Well thought of, I see...
Love the whole setup. I'm still without a red house. Last time I looked, it was over 75 eur. I'm not THAT desperate YET.
The green stuff is something I found in Brico (just a regular hardware-store chain with a lot of DIY stuff and garden material).
It comes in packages of 3 by 1 meter, I'm pretty sure it's meant for flower arranging and it contains actual dried grass along with thread and pieces of cloth of various shades of green and brown. The grass is not so great if you are a bit allergic, like I am, but I only realised it when I got home and started using it :lol:
Underneath it's black plastic. It's rather pricy (16 euros) but it's a lot of fabric I'll be using it often enough, so I figured it was worth it.
It's GORGEOUS, thank you... Real grass? I wonder if the stuff will hold, as in storage... it does look amazing.
(The ruin is System WHY?)
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:clap: :clap:
What a great project Birdie. It looks Amazing!
I love that turf you have going there, looks really great. I also really enjoy the cramped nature of that market and all the details going on in town and in the castle. The tavern is my favorite. ;D
Great job overall, really great. :wave:
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This is truly a work of love, Birdie! It is such a detailed layout from the cozy rooms to the gaggle of geese. Thank you for sharing the many pictures with us. I will be looking at them over and over again!
Joe
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I concur, awesome job. I know I am a biased party but still: standing next to the diorama, you can look at it for a loooong time, details will pop up everywhere.
I give it a :)9 :)9 with a pinky shake.
But that does not mean I will have any reservations trying to enter your treasury and get me some shiny stuff.
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What a great project Birdie. It looks Amazing!
I love that turf you have going there, looks really great. I also really enjoy the cramped nature of that market and all the details going on in town and in the castle. The tavern is my favorite. ;D
That reminds me, I owe you a BIG thank you, El Jefe! Your wonderful story The Adventures of Broderick O'Connell
(http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=12980.0 (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=12980.0)) totally inspired me to start a medieval set-up. :)
This is truly a work of love, Birdie!
Joe
You're absolutely right, I *LOVED* putting it together :love: It kept me busy for a month.
And I was really happy when I finally got my hands on some of those lovely Middle Age sets from the nineties:
the monk! the hollow tree! the 3666 castle!
Real grass? I wonder if the stuff will hold, as in storage... it does look amazing.
(The ruin is System WHY?)
Fingers crossed that I'll be able to use it for a long time. :crossed: It does seem safe to store.
We actually found the ruin (set 4435) in a toy shop in Antwerp that still has plenty of sets from years and years ago.
I don't like the System holes [::)], but the front looked too good to pass. It's weird, on the front of the box it looks "bleh", but on the back you can see its true potential:
(http://i.imgur.com/Yj6z6Qa.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/u6hT6Sv.jpg)
I concur, awesome job. I know I am a biased party but still: standing next to the diorama, you can look at it for a loooong time, details will pop up everywhere.
Thank you so much for letting me do this :thanks: :heart:
But that does not mean I will have any reservations trying to enter your treasury and get me some shiny stuff.
:knight: bring it on :knight:
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We actually found the ruin (set 4435) in a toy shop in Antwerp that still has plenty of sets from years and years ago.
I don't like the System holes [::)], but the front looked too good to pass. It's weird, on the front of the box it looks "bleh", but on the back you can see its true potential:
Ah, the purple barbarians, where I stopped buying (IDIOT!) - so, it's system X, not WHY, I suppose - I thought it was a more recent thing...
(I did assemble a few purple barbarians on my own ;D - shame about the flags, shields and that purple fur hat :( )
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Wait, what does WHY stand for? I thought you meant: It's System, why, oh, why? :lol:
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Wait, what does WHY stand for? I thought you meant: It's System, why, oh, why? :lol:
Yep, that's what it means - those silly clip on buildings - actually, I suppose no system at all - someone called it that (can't remember who), but to me, it stuck.
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The diorama looks simply FANTASTIC, Birdie-seems we're fishing in the same mediëval pool, lol!!! :)
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Absolutely amazing!! :love: Tons of beautiful scenes, and your base and sky work perfectly. The results are wonderful all together.
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That's a wonderful creation, Birdie, and you have also produced some wonderful photographs of it capturing all the bustle and business of a mediaeval town, with good views of it from a klicky's viewpoint and great details. (The pose of the singing soldier is superb.)
Many thanks for sharing with us.
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Fantastic diorama Birdie! And some wonderful photography. You've done some great photos, very impressive.
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Hi Birdie !
Very nice medieval town ! i realy like the relief , the ground witch is clean and playable and realistic . I'm happy to see animals everywhere and things are not too row like it was in reality . Thanks to share your pictures , difficult to say the one i prefer but i like the little girl whith goose and the entrance of the market . jeremy
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A really great set up! so many little details.
That tavern sure looks like a lively place and I love how cramped it is like most taverns actually where back then. Adds to the atmosphere. That alchemist in the tower really adds a touch of mystery, that market seems very busy and theres just so much going on everywhere. :)
I do feel a bit sorry for the fellow who has to pull a full cart uphill on his own though. ;)
Definatly a wonderfull set up, will you use it to tell stories? It seems perfect to tell some tales with.
It might be years in the future, but my eventual goal is to have a rather permanent medieval set up for storytelling, As if it where the movieset of a tv series. :)
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Thank you so much for your kind comments, everyone!! :thanks:
I've been a Playmofriend for a few years now, but I'm still very happy I found all you people who share my enthusiasm for the Playmobil world.
Will you use it to tell stories? It seems perfect to tell some tales with.
It might be years in the future, but my eventual goal is to have a rather permanent medieval set up for storytelling, As if it where the movieset of a tv series. :)
When a project's finished, I get a bit lazy with it. I think I lack a creative story-telling bug :) I'm already thinking of a new diorama (a Victorian one).
But I don't feel like taking this one down yet, so maybe...
What you describe sounds great though, I sure hope you achieve your goal soon. Aren't you working on a novel with a medieval scene?
I do feel a bit sorry for the fellow who has to pull a full cart uphill on his own though. ;)
Do you mean the farmer with the green cart? He's just trying to impress the maid feeding the chickens. It's working :)
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Very nice settup your photos our very atmospheric my favourites have got to be the last couple of the artist, tailor and the fisherman the tailor in particular is such a nice vibrant room also I like the tavern as has been said the crowded feel makes it seem more realistic my faovurite area has to be the market though those shots really do capture the hustle and bustle very well and the stall with all the different armour and shields really caught my eye :). Hope one day I'll buy a castle of my own anything beyond that really is going into the realms of dreams :knight:
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What you describe sounds great though, I sure hope you achieve your goal soon. Aren't you working on a novel with a medieval scene?
Do you mean the farmer with the green cart? He's just trying to impress the maid feeding the chickens. It's working :)
I do work on writing a novel set in a medieval world, but its quite a bit darker and more dramatic than the light hearted friendlier and warmer stories that I tend to post here. It's a nice contrast and really allows the two projects to be completely different.
I'd probably have my medieval set up finished before that novel though, very perfectionistic about it. Another reason why I like telling stories with playmobil, fast results.
And nice to hear that farmer's efforts arent in vain, impressing all the chick(en)s. :lol:
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Wow!!! What a wonderful diorama!! I love it. :love: You have done an excellent job with very nice scene and details. It is so beautiful with great pictures. And your collection is fantastic, congrats!! Many thanks for sharing.
George. :)
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Wow, that's truly amazing, Birdie... I don't know where to start to say what I like about it. Well done!!! :love: :love:
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I went through this thread again, and I really love this set up! And though I'm far more into medieval warfare, I confess my favourite picks are from the market place. So crammed with so many things, so full of life, I love it!
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Thanks a lot, Dr Dralek and George and Lynx and cowabounga :wave: :knight:
And though I'm far more into medieval warfare [...]
Yeah, in that respect I always end up with pretty unrealistic diorama's ;D
I was thinking of introducing a jousting tournament, but I couldn't find any of the sets I needed at a decent price.
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The jousting sets are quite beautifull, still trying to get the swan tent sometimes but am very happy with the tournament stage of that same batch. great clickies too! The lady in the yellow dress that comes with it has become one of my favorite medieval clickies.
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The jousting sets are quite beautifull, still trying to get the swan tent sometimes but am very happy with the tournament stage of that same batch. great clickies too! The lady in the yellow dress that comes with it has become one of my favorite medieval clickies.
The Schleich medieval tents work well with Playmobil.
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Beautiful! Walls and houses not too big - simply Playmobil!
I like the geese picture!!
Cheers,
HDL
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You inspire me, Birdie! Great use of the barn. Realistic civilians. Great use of furniture. (Queen's bed is just fancy enough to be high end medieval, without being anachronistic. Cool.)
Of the many great castle set-ups posted lately, this is right up there HDL's port city.
Now I need to break out my box of Steck.....
doug
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The only thing you really need to do a joust is a fence for down the middle. It doesn't have to be the jousting wall, you can use any fence that seems acceptable for the time. While stands and so on are nice you can make do with just a crowd of people.
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Well actually I have jousting walls from set 3287 (which is a bit more recent, I found it in the store I mentioned earlier) and I've got an idea for stand as well, using the basis of the safari building.
But I was looking for a few more figures and knights, and I really wanted this thing:
(http://i.imgur.com/oKhIFPQ.jpg)
And the tent that Rhalius suggested :love:
(http://i.imgur.com/z3ZvO8h.jpg)
***
Oh goodie, when looking for appropriate sets on Google Images, I just came across this wonderful thread from Tiermann himself:
http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=8551.0 (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=8551.0)
--> Now THAT is a tournament ;D
As soon as my exams are finished (an event which happily co-incides with the playmobil fair LuxoPlaymoDays) I may try to set up a little bit of a jousting tournament for my medieval clickies.
You inspire me, Birdie! Great use of the barn. Realistic civilians. Great use of furniture. (Queen's bed is just fancy enough to be high end medieval, without being anachronistic. Cool.)
Of the many great castle set-ups posted lately, this is right up there HDL's port city.
Now I need to break out my box of Steck.....
doug
I know the feeling, doug :lol:
Thank you for your very nice comments!! Though you give me too much credit, because Hauden Lucas's castle is above and beyond, not to mention his harbour city! I think it'll take many many years of collecting before I can attempt at something similar.
About the furniture, it took a long time to decide what I could use and what would be too much. The golden throne was a bit over-the-top, but too nice to pass ;D If only they'd stop making all the fairy castle furniture in shades of pink, there would be a lot more to choose from. There should be a wooden type four poster bed, for starters. And more cupboards...
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Hello Birdie,
I saw your diorama twice, I like it very much! There are a lot of details and the work you've done is obvious. I also like your open mind and the fact that you used objects from other periods, nations and cultures with success, e.g the Indian loom.
Congratulations!
I hope to see more of your work soon!
Friendly,
Ntanny :wave:
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Still planning for an upcoming tournament myself, next medieval story is scheduled to have one. Might try making a set up next week to see if I can pull off what I have in mind, or if I need more steck.
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I can't help it: "You always need more Steck", that's an axiom! ;)
On a side note: Tiermann's (with Martin Milner) and Gis' tournaments are my best memories of Playmofriends community events. I'm preparing a joust diorama for an expo on October, here near Paris, a chance to display maybe all of my Knights of the Golden Fleece!
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amazing diorama, Birdie! :love:
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e.g the Indian loom.
Can't take credit for that, it is actually part of the market stall that you can order from Playmobil Direct Service :)
But you're right about the mixing and matching: a big part of the fun in diorama making is trying to find solutions with stuff from all sorts of themes.
Thank you for your comments, Ntanny!
And thank you, Luis! :)
@ cowabounga: That sounds interesting! Where and when exactly is the expo? We might try to come and see it if it's not too far to drive from Antwerp.
I've got a few days of holiday now, so I think I'll get started on a little tournament scene :apple:
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Great diorama, Birdie!! :clap: :)9
I love all the different sceneries, and the ways you've put together the interiors!
I thought you weren't into historical themes, but rather into City Life? I must be seriously mistaking...
One small remark (if you can call it that): I'd try to arrange the houses with citywall a bit less in a square-shape. But that is probably easier said then done, unless one really drowns in available (customised) Steck-parts...
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Birdie,
Great Diorama! Awesome! :hatoff:
So many details that I will have to see this post many times.
Greetings
Leonardo
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Awesome diorama, Birdie! Great job! :)
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Thanks a lot, PlaymoMan, Limorrj and Hadoque :)
I thought you weren't into historical themes, but rather into City Life? I must be seriously mistaking...
That's right, my focus has always been on houses and furniture, so city life and Victorian is what I mostly collect. But since any type of old house can still be seen in cities, I've never been picky with them :) So I had some western and medieval buildings from my childhood.
Then my boyfriend Mitri started collecting Roman/Egyptian and western and I've been adding to that for the past few years with some diorama's as a result.
This summer I decided I should buy the DS houses (bakery, museum and such) before it was too late. And then I got excited about building an actual town. I went a bit overboard on E-bay, because I remembered all those sets from the nineties that I had been craving for back then.
I'm expanding ;D
One small remark (if you can call it that): I'd try to arrange the houses with citywall a bit less in a square-shape. But that is probably easier said then done, unless one really drowns in available (customised) Steck-parts...
You're totally right about the square shape. I've used up almost all the medieval steck I have in this diorama, so there was no chance to make it more or less concentric. Maybe one day...
I also wanted to show some more detailed photo's of the green underground I've used, Tahra asked me about it some time ago:
(http://i.imgur.com/EQ1Ojoo.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9BY3kx7.jpg)
This is what it looks like underneath:
(http://i.imgur.com/NRkZInD.jpg)
This little photo session proves I'm still a bit allergic to it *achou*
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I'm expanding ;D
And so it begins.
I also wanted to show some more detailed photo's of the green underground I've used, Tahra asked me about it some time ago:
Thank you - it is GLORIOUS.
Isn't it hard to make klickys stand up on it?
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Yes that's a bit difficult. There have been three domino-effects with the crowd at the jousting in the last few hours ::)
And so it begins.
Point taken! :-[
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Yes that's a bit difficult. There have been three domino-effects with the crowd at the jousting in the last few hours ::)
The dreadful domino... That "underground" does look hard for "balance"... but it's sooo gorgeous.
Point taken! :-[
I speak from LONG experience. :-[