Old Knobs and Groynes

 Bitey and I went for a lunchtime walk in the drizzle and found ourselves surrounded by knobs at what's left of the End-of-the-Line.  Bitey didn't seem fussed, but I was thrilled, let me tell you!  And I'm sure at least one of you will be, too.

Before we reached the End-of-the-Line, I tutted disapprovingly at Cliff's slovenly posture.

Hot Chocolate

 Very quickly, here's the latest in my series of Rutherford action figures - from Star Trek: Lower Decks "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place", I give you: 

 

Chocolate Romance Edition Rutherford

 

[The colour's a bit washed out due to the terrible lighting here (storm outside, and indoor lights are useless), so I might have to try this again on a nicer day.] 

 

EDIT 12/12/2024 : Here's the nicer day version ~

There's a Christmas robin at the end

 Don't mind me - Just popping in with a little Star Trek fan art catch up.  

 First up is the adorkable Sam Rutherford from Star Trek Lower Decks.  

 I did this pencil sketch back in September for The Trek BBS's fan art challenge, Alphanumeric Soup:

 

The Star Trek universe is littered with initialisms and acronyms for devices, technology and organisations: GNDN, UESPA, ODN, EPS, PADD, DS9, DTI, MACO. Take your favourite(s) and use them as inspiration for your piece of art. Alternatively, you could coin your own initialism or take one from the modern day and show us how, in the future, it might become the GOAT.

 

 I chose to depict Rutherford from the second season's first episode "Strange Energies" undergoing treatment for falsely diagnosed Synthetic Memory Degradation (SMD).  His friend and science officer Tendi didn't have Rutherford strip down to his undercrackers in the episode (he just had his top off), so I thought I'd correct that egregious error in this piece: SMD with a side order of PADD & LCARS.

GPE 2024 : The Finale

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GPE #11 : Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue...

 

I D V

 

 No, I'm not getting married.

 

Fatsia japonica flowers from two weeks ago

 When I was trying to decide which of my plants to include in this year's Infomaniac Garden Photos Event, I knew I wanted to show some existing specimens that didn't make it into last year's event ("Something Old") along with my latest acquisitions ("Something New"), and the plants I'd rescued or been given by friends & family ("Something Borrowed").  I've tried not to feature anything that appeared in the previous two years - so no pineapple lilies (Eucomis comosa "Sparkling Burgundy"), no Fuchsia "Blacky", and no Green Gate (the latter two didn't do as well this year, anyway) - but you may spot them in the background of a few photos (and they've already been featured in the GPE reminders leading up to this year's Event).

 As for the "Something Blue" - I'm somewhat colourblind and they look pretty blue to me...

 

Something Old...

 

My potted Magnolia did very well this year, putting on loads of blooms.  Here's a particularly nice one from early April.

The Chocolate vine (Akebia quinata) did pretty well too, but I didn't take very many good photos of it - this one of the (relatively) large female and tiny male flowers (also from early April) was the best of the bunch.

GPE #10 : Savvy is the Idea Person/Supervisor

I will have lots of photos for IDV's Garden Competition* Exposition. It will always be a competition for me. (RIP LX) said dear

 

S A V V Y

 

The MITM is a very enthusiastic by default the gardener (because I'M the idea person/supervisor) and has been doing a splendid job! We'll have more pictures as our container garden grows! (OK, when  HE plants some more.)

 

IDV, I will be submitting all of these and more photos for this year's Gardening Contest**!! Be prepared!

 

However...

Due to emotional fallout from a most unfortunate event involving a lumpen, orange, loud-mouthed oaf, dear Savvy has not been in the right frame of mind to fully participate in this year's Infomaniac Garden Photos Event.  But, she did give me permission to use the photos she'd already posted on her own blog to construct this GPE post on her behalf.  Which was just as well, as I'd already bookmarked the relevant posts should Savvy have reverted to type and forgotten/ignored/got-lost-in-time/fallen-into-an-alternate-universe etc. and not been able to take part.

So, back to Savvy and the results of her ideas and supervision:

From the ROSE GARDEN here!!!

 

GPE #9 : Ms Nations' Bought Her Spider Plant A Mansion

This stop on the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event tour is a reblog of An Occult Apperatus (from Steve. Because 'Steve' is almost as nice a name as 'Paul' was.), as instructed by the blog author herself,

M S  N A T I O N S

 

I live in an apartment, and I don't have a yard. What we do have is a tiny little back patio, and what I've been doing is growing a few nasturtiums in pots out there every Summer. 

 

This is where we hang out and talk shit.

 

 

I never get tired of nasturtiums. You just cannot beat this intricate flower form - and the hummingbirds adore them!

GPE #8 : Maddie, the Mistress Borghese's successful gardening year

M A D D I E

The Mistress was very pleased as to another fairly successful gardening year.  Considering I still don't have much nous when it comes to gardening and when and where to plant things. 

 

GPE #7 : Mitzi can't live anywhere with 'bog' in its name

Dear Mr Device.  

Please forgive my tardiness in sending you my garden photographs, I've been driving down to the south coast every touch and turn looking at properties, hence my blogging absence.  The last house I viewed was in Bognor Regis...  BOGNOR!  It was a nice house but I can't live anywhere with 'bog' in it's name.  I'm away for 3 weeks so I might not be able to thank people for their gracious comments.

Hope all is well,

 

M I T Z I

 

Birds eye view from the car camera.  Look how clean my drive is compared with theirs next door.

[Can Mitzi's car fly?? - IDV]

 

 

The other side of the fence lives a Chinese lady.  She likes to peer through the knots in the wood at us, reminiscent of that horror film The Ring.

GPE #6 : UptonKing Keeps It Up

Had quite a bit of help with these.  The house faces my mother's house, so...  Yes.  Ugh.  Have to keep it up (hee hee). 

 

U P T O N K I N G   2

- The ReTURN -

 

 Roses in the backyard...

GPE #5 : Dividing Uptonking

U P T O N K I N G

 

I've been dividing my time between the north house and south.  The north house, I have a good deal of help keeping it up and the soil is good.  The south house is just a frightful mess; poor soil, and I'm on my own.

 

South house first... 

Bush...  Is in the front.  I took that pic in April.  It blooms for 2 days and then nothing.  The leaves turn from black to green to red to black.  Oddest thing.  I feel sorry for it, as it is under a giant pine tree and another smaller tree and crunched up against the deck now.

[This looks like a slightly less glam version of Ms Scarlet's Big Pink Bush™ - IDV]

 

The front is a bunch of garbage lilies which keep sliding down the hill in the front.  This year, milkweed sprung up and as I'm all for helping butterflies and the like, I decided to keep them.  The backyard too...

GPE #4 : Ms Scarlet's Opportunity to Show It Off

M S   S C A R L E T

I don't have much to offer up this year - this year being one of the most miserable ever, BUT, my big pink bush was glorious and I don't want to miss any opportunity to show it off. 

[Ms Scarlet's infamous Big Pink Bush™ in situ - IDV]