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Steve Hayes

@sxh.eurosky.social
1.2K followers 257 following 3.4K posts

Retired developer, pursuing excellence and failing to a better future, day by day. Board games, TTRPG, scale aircraft, programming, science, economics, politics, sci fi, other stuff. Australian in UK scaleaircraftstuff.com

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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 13h
Day 3 at Trick or Retreat. A game of Dune that ended on turn 3 instead of the anticipated turn 10, and a game of Inis. Inis was fun, but reminded me why I’m not super keen on the end-game of multiplayer dudes on a map - it becomes a sequence of “block the potential winner” moves, to exhaustion.
The Dune board. It’s doesn’t really get more complicated than this.Inis towards the end of the game. Growing the map incrementally is a fun part of the game
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/10/2026
Day 2 at Trick or Retreat was some Pocket Wingspan and a fun (but long) game of Speakeasy with Kat, Callie, and @angiemckeown.bsky.social It’s a long teach/learn, but turns were getting faster by the end. Tentatively scheduled a rematch next year.
Two tables pushed together with the Speakeasy boardgame set up and ready to play.
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 10/10/2026
Ware Community board game afternoon today
Table set up to plat Cascadia, looking very neat and tidyTable with Cascadia underway - less neat, less tidyStart of day - tables set up for Flamme Rouge, The Resistance, Cascadia, Ticket to Ride Europe, Thunder Road, Cthulhu Pandemic, Wingspan Same setup with people at tables and Jimmy adopting a heroic pose
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 06/10/2026
Lunch at Kiki’s Taverna, Mykonos. Second visit, this time with perfect seats. I highly recommend the pork chop
Our table is right by the edge, with a direct view of lovers beach and the cove beyond View from the upper level, showing the lower deck, the beach and the bayMe contemplating the largest pork chop I have ever seen
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 02/10/2026
Sunset in Mykonos
Glowing pool in the foreground, then lights of road and town, backed by orange sunset behind the clouds
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
Day 2 of Earthborne Rangers
Card tableau for a game of Earthborne Rangers Card for Pokodo the Ferret
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 25/09/2026
Lords today
Cricket players in whites on the field, in front of the members pavilion at Lords
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 30/07/2026
If you’ve ever wanted to sit in the cockpit of a Canberra aircraft you can at Moorabbin Aircraft Museum
Entrance hatch to to Canberra Mk 20View from the navigator’s seat, Canberra Mk 20
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 26/07/2026
Found my tribe at a Sunday afternoon gaming club in Croxton, Melbourne. Played 1863, which is good but long! 7 hours for teach and play. Final scores were around 6000, with < 300 pts between first and third.
Board of an in play game of 1863
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 21/07/2026
And on the way to breakfast
Blue sky with only a small band of cloud on the horizon, with bright sunshine illuminating a large seaside bathing pool and waves breaking in the beach
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 21/07/2026
Newcastle (NSW) Beach this morning
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 15/07/2026
I went to Frameless yesterday - an immersive art experience at Marble Arch. Four rooms, each a different experience, and all wonderful
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 10/07/2026
It’s Braughing Wheel Barrow Race tomorrow
The ford in the village has been blocked to raise the water a foot or so, and sand is on one side for a “beach”
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 02/07/2026
Good semi final at The Oval tonight. England fielded really well and had a strong finish to get to 170. The final against Australia will be a great game.
The Oval under lights, England fielding against South Africa
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 02/07/2026
A game of Cursed City last night which the players won fairly easily. Mechanics are nice and simple and this was fine as learning mission. I really appreciated how beautiful the figures were. #boardgames
Brutogg Corpse-eater in combat with rats and a Kosaggi Nightguard, all beautiful paintedOverall shot of the Cursed City hunt mission board
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 02/07/2026
Another round of Tekhemu yesterday. I won with a score of 86, but it felt more like good luck than good management. Still struggling with pillar strategy. #boardgames
Tekhemu board game occupying most of a table
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 02/07/2026
Folowing on from "Careless People", I finished "Character Limit", the story of Musk's Twitter takeover. This book will destroy any illusions you had about Musk being a business genius. He's a rich man behaving like a child, who can afford very expensive toys.
Cover shot of the Character Limit book
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 28/06/2026
This is a four for India The following six was a little wilder!
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 28/06/2026
Being at Lords right now is like being at a cricket match back in India. It’s quite amazing, and a lot of fun. Of course I still hope Australia win!
The Australian and Indian flags on display at Lords
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 28/06/2026
Lords. First ball, first Bangladeshi wicket falls. Have identified all SA fans in my part of the Compton Stand.
Looking down at Lords playing field from very high in the Compton Stand
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 27/06/2026
Played Clank for the first time last night - in Space! I finished with 86, winner had 100+, other player was unfortunate knocked out and left behind. #boardgames
Clank in Space board with a game in progress
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/06/2026
Playing Tekhenu, me for the first time. My score was 65.5 (tie breaker), winner was 76, other scores 65 and 57
Game of Tekhenu on the table, surrounded by snacks
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 23/06/2026
Frinton Beach was a cool (and deserted) break yesterday
Deserted stretch of beach bordered by colourful beach boxesDeserted stretch of beach bordered by colourful beach boxes
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 18/06/2026
I finished "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Reviewera seem split - people who want to judge SWW give the book one star, people who want to judge FB give it five stars. FB doesn't come off well from any perspective. In fact it comes across as outright evil. #noBillionaires
The cover of the book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 17/06/2026
Leeds today. School kids watching Australia beat Bangladesh by 9 wickets (Women’s T20 World Cup)
School kids celebrating a boundary at Headingley Australian team preparation at Headingley Headingley ground for Women’s T20 World Cup
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 17/06/2026
Leeds yesterday. Great live presentations at Royal Armouries and lovely lunch at Laynes
Riverside scene near Leeds DocksWar elephant fridge magnet from Royal ArmouriesPain au chocolate and tea from Laynes in Leeds
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 13/06/2026
Red Arrows over St Paul’s
Close up of dome of St Paul’s with Red Arrows approaching from right Wide shot showing Red Arrows on the left trailing smoke from St Paul’s on the right
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 13/06/2026
Preparation for Horror on the Orient Express begins
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 11/06/2026
These are fun (and useful)
A set of segmented chain rulers, in 5ft scale links, for ttrpgs
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 11/06/2026
And the evening was roleplay heavy excursion to Xantharl’s keep to capture The Weevil. The party has him now, but it’s not over!
A map of Xantharl’s Keep and surrounds
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 11/06/2026
Wednesday is gaming day. Yesterday was Ark Nova, with one poor victim (sorry, player) playing it as their first boardgame ever! They acquitted themselves well. I finally seem to be getting the hang of it and squeaked out a very narrow win
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 09/06/2026
My DBMK Sea Fury arrived - I folded because I decided I'd be quite upset if they sold out and became unavailable. It's going to be a while before it's built though. #histscalemodels
Box containing DMBK Sea Fury kit
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 31/05/2026
New garden bed in my wife’s allotment. My sole contribution - she’ll do the real work
L-shaped Garden bed in an allotment, contains just bare dry earth. Lots of work to go to make it productive
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 27/05/2026
Jadlam store yesterday
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/05/2026
Most of my pics are on my DSLR, but here’s an Apache and some very cool presentation technology
Front on view of an Apache gunship at Army Aviation Museum An almost random arrangement of screens at different angles, with a presentation nearly arranged across them all
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/05/2026
Some seriously advanced technology, care of Army Aviation
Sign says “Babychanging Toilets”
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/05/2026
My aviation tour continues. I’m on my way to Middle Wallop. Clearly I like food as much as I like planes. The pic is poor, but the food is great and the sun on my back feels wonderful
Full English breakfast arranged by someone with OCD. Looks great, but covered by my shadow
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 22/05/2026
Seen at the same cafe. I went with the donut option
Sign in a cafe saying “Don’t be a donut, eat a dick”
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 22/05/2026
Breakfast is looking good
Pastry, tea, and pot plant!I don’t even know what this is, but it’s sugary, warm, and very tasty
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 21/05/2026
My vacation reading
Covers of The Aviation Historian Annual #1, Monty & Rommel by Peter Caddick-Adams, Horror on the Orient Express, and the Pathfinder Player Core
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 21/05/2026
My spring air museum trip has begun. First stop, Tangmere.
Sea Vixen displayed outside, wings foldedRN Phantom, displayed outside, wings folded
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 19/05/2026
Just finished "Trading Game" by Gary Stevenson. Gary and I have similar backgrounds, and I wrote systems that priced and managed risk for swap trading - but Gary is much more of a risk taker than me, so he traded :-) It's well worth a read for insight into the financial world.
Front cover of the Penguin edition of Trading Game
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 09/05/2026
Finished the lengthy but worthy "Snow and Steel: Battle og the Bulge" by Peter Caddick-Adams. The first third, on context, was the most valuable to me, but the description of course of the battle also combines politics, strategy, tactics and the stories of individuals. Highly recommended.
The cover of "Snow & Steel: Battle of the Bulge" by Peter Caddick-Adams
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 24/04/2026
Nice day at The Oval
People playing cricket on a lovely green field, stands and blue sky in the background
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 16/04/2026
Finished "Clown Town" by Mick Herron - #9 in the Slough House series. Plenty of uncertainty at the end. No spoilers, but I finished worried for characters I love.
Cover of the Mick Herron novel Clown Town
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 14/04/2026
Found it
Cherry tree in blossom, Hatfield Forest
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 12/04/2026
Finished "The Generals" by Rob Lyman. I'm definitely under-informed on the British war in SE Asia. Focussing on a set of the generals on each side give me digestible chunks without getting lost in details. Great writing, seems even handed from the current perspective.
Cover of "The Generals"
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 05/04/2026
Interesting chart from Government stats for 2024. I didn't realise that 80% of North Sea production is immediately exported. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68dbe4...
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 03/04/2026
First time back at the bench in more than year. Lots of experimenting going on. I’m pretty happy so far, though I see lots of scope for improvement
Initial stages of a P-51 Mustang cockpit in 1:48 scale
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Steve Hayes @sxh.eurosky.social · 01/04/2026
We went to the V&A Storehouse yesterday. The closest you’ll get to the warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones.
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