"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."

The re-clothed brethren of the abbey, and their new brothers, off to matins. Black's a tricky colour to highlight, I find. Either you go too light and the highlights look like stripes, or too dark and you can't really see them. I think I've erred a little to the latter here, I might tinker with them later on, but the Gripping Beast figures are so grotty I can't see the effort really paying off much of a dividend. In fact, two of them are so crummy they may be sent to join the leper monks of St. Scrofulus.

Properly Benedictine now.

Unclean! The two on the left are destined for the leper colony.

I've recently learned from the Regia Anglorum living history group that the rope belt is probably inauthentic for the C11th, as this is an innovation of the Franciscan order. Such, I'm afraid, is the life of compromise typical of a miniatures gamer who doesn't want to spend his life converting whatever figures are available to fit his narrow period of interest.

The rule of St Benedict does not actually specify a colour for the habit, only that it is made of cheap and readily available material, but it seems that wool from black sheep had become the custom by the time of the Norman Conquest.

Be happy in both work and prayer, brothers.

My disappointment with the Gripping Beast monks has led me to order some fine looking figures from 1st Corps in order to help fill the abbey with more contemplatives. They arrived this morning and look really nice; I especially like the poses who are at work, busying themselves for the good of their holy community - ora et labora, indeed.