Please Hold...

 Remember that scene in Jaws 2 in which Chief Brody is trying to convince Mayor Vaughn and the rest of the town council that the photograph retrieved from the missing divers' camera is of a shark?  Well, I've been dealing with a (not very) similar situation - as you can see from the image above - which is why I haven't been around much lately (although I have been visiting your blogs when I can).  More on that in a bit.

 To be honest, what with the above and other matters, it'll probably be a little while longer before I'm back to my semi-(ir)regular posting and commenting.  So, in the meantime, here's some 'hold music':

"Mysterious Times" - Sash! feat. Tina Cousins

Moss Walk for Melanie

A moss island on the Madam's Lane bridge

  What with one thing or another (which I shall elaborate on in a future post), December passed by in a bit of a blur.  This meant that I managed to forget about Melanie's Nature Led photo submission (the theme for which was 'Nature at Rest').  Oops!

 So, as the skies were blue, this morning I headed out with Camera to get some photos for this month's theme: Moss.  And here are the results:

Exposed tree roots near the radar station

Moss lining the edge of the Paston Way path leading up past the radar station

It's Arrived!

 Yes, 2023 has arrived safely upon the shores of Great Britain, only slightly worse for wear after all those libations first in Australia (Dinah!) and then, most recently, The Netherlands.

As per, there's too much cloud cover to actually see the sun...

The Year of the Lazy Baggage*

* No.  Not that one this time.  It's IWeMeUs!

 That's right, We are the Lazy Baggage in question.  I'm sure you can't have failed to notice a glut of lazyitis in the vicinity of Hexenhäusli Device this year?  In fact, I'm so lazy that I can't even be bothered to come up with an excuse think of the reason for not actually blogging that much.  I'm sure there was one, though...

 As luck would have it, a certain someone's penchant for Monday GIFs has come in handy as this one from January illustrates the horror and despair I felt upon opening this draft post and realising that it was so unfinished as to be barely started!

 Look, we haven't got time to appear terrified-yet-glamorous while trotting about in the garden encrusted in jewels and wearing something far too skimpy for this time of year!  We've got to try and remember what happened this year, then wrap it up and bundle it in the back of the sideboard so that the New Year can start on time!

 Oh, cripes.  We'd better get on with it, then.  It's a good job that everyone else has been quite productive:

January

Event : After years and years and years of deliberation, cogitation, and waiting for just the right moment, Ms Scarlet banished her FGES anxiety and launched the New Year by holding the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Caption Competition!

Rimpy's sigh of relief could be heard across the globe...

 Two weeks later, Maddie, the Mistress Borghese, won the competition and became the 28th person to become inflicted with the 'Shorts!

 

 And two weeks after that, Ms Scarlet prepares herself to go through Post Shorts Syndrome...

 

Discovery : I was almost beside myself when I discovered a modern, live-action clip from one of my favourite 80s cartoons - Dungeons and Dragons!

 My excitement was dulled somewhat when I realised that it was from a Brazilian Renault advert, but I still live in hope of a car-less reboot (fan-edited English language version here).

February

Quotes : "An erect stud at 16 hands is something to behold and rather terrifying I must say!", and...

"Julian fingering Fanny's lip"*

1983 Bantam Books cover

by Yvonne Gilbert

 It's almost the end of the year, so here are most of the things I've read, watched and listened to since my last update back in September.  Unfortunately, I don't have much time to spend on this as I need all the time I can get to work on the end-of-year roundup - which I've barely begun - Eeeek! (The observant amongst you will notice that I copied this intro from last year's end-of-year update because it's still relevant.)

 

Read

Oh, gods, it's been a year and I'm still struggling through Little, Big by John Crowley.  And I haven't even re-read anything either!  We'd better quickly move on to the next category...

Watched

⸰ The Vast of Night (Prime Video) - I could not make out what the male lead was saying for much of this alien abduction film.  His accent and specific 50s dialogue combined to become almost impenetrable to me.

⸰ Star Trek: Lower Decks, S3 eps 7-10 (Prime Video) - Amazing! The finale was so exhilarating, but rather than post a video of that and ruin it for anyone who may want to watch it without spoilers, here is a clip from an earlier episode.

 

"Thanks again for the mimosas."

Frost and Fungi

 Inspired by Melanie's latest Nature-Led mushroom free-for-all - and also because I had loads of photos to use up that didn't make the cut, and have nothing else ready to publish - here are some fungi photos from the last couple of months:

 

A broken & blurry specimen from my allotment on 11th October:

 

A little nubbin of a toadstool by the front garden fence (from 20th October):

 

 

The following fungi were all from a walk around Blickling Hall grounds on 22nd October:

 

CHOKING HAZARD - No Small Parts

 Brace yourselves: This is a self-indulgent dumping ground for my latest Star Trek fan art, so either nod & smile until you get to the end, or just click away now and wait until I post something more interesting (athough that could take a while...)

 

 Diving straight in, here is the result from August's 'bonus photo' in my Cloud Mouth post: August's Art Challenge: "Hailing Frequencies Closed" (in honour of the dearly departed Nichelle Nichols at the end of July)

 

 

➣

 

 I had an idea for September's "TOS Anniversary" Art Challenge theme - the Ardanan floating city, Stratos.  That didn't pan out - the sketch on the right is as far as I got - so I ended up submitting a sculpture-type thing of the TOS operations & engineering insignia instead.  I cobbled it together from old, broken & seaworn roof tiles on a wander down to the beach to blow away the frustration that Stratos had built up.

The Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2022 Finale

The

 

I N F O M A N I A C

 

Garden Photos Event

 

2022 Finale

 Oh!  You're all here already!  I wasn't expecting you so soon.  I was just dismissing the Official Hexenhäusli Device Woodsman.  He won't be long - he's just wiping off the excitement of having tended to my wood...

 

 While he sorts himself out, why not have a scroll through this round-up of 2022's Garden Photos Event?

☙❧

 

Programme of Events

 

Monday, 31st October

Terrifying Triffidery: The Orangery of 'orror!

 

Tuesday, 1st November

The 2022 Infomaniac Garden Photos Event kicks off with dandelions and ducks

 (well, a duck, anyway)

 

GPE #9 : IDV's Fruity Goings On

My favourite fuchsia: Blacky

 

I N E X P L I C A B L E   D E V I C E' S

Divided Loyalties

 I didn't spend as much time in - or any money on, I've just realised - my garden this year, mainly because it was either occupied by The Parents or was far too hot!  So, this year's garden photos aren't really any different to last years - although there are one or two exceptions, of course.  In fact, I felt much more excited about my allotment, even though it's more work (despite never looking much like any work has been done on it at all!).  So, because I couldn't decide between them, just like with Mr Tonking's Garden Photos Event tour, mine is also divided into two: my allotment, and some snaps from the Hexenhäusli Device garden. 

 

 First, the allotment through the seasons:

 

April

 

After a bit of a tidy up and some digging

Apple blossom from later in the month

GPE #8 : UptonKing Does Double Duty

M R  T O N K I N G' S

 

Marigolds!

 

 

Hurrah!  At last we get to see UptonKing's oft mentioned marigolds!

 

So, there is a story to go with this.

You see, several years ago, we hired a contractor who was to build steps over some crumbling steps at the rental The Boyfriend resides in.

 

1/  This is what he left us… and it warped over the years.  We couldn’t sue, because he’s a friend and that simply won’t do.  So, this year, I painted the railing and put in marigolds.  I collected the seeds from the previous year’s crop.

GPE #7 : Melanie's Pink Bits on Parade

This hummingbird, as spied through the window of the ProximaBlue ranch, is buzzing with nearly as much excitement as we are to unveil...

M E L A N I E' S

Pink Paradise

 

 But first, in keeping with the pink theme, Melanie has put together these hors d'oeuvres:

 

From Florida, some plants that look rather festive and ready to party. I don't know what they are called.

 

☙❧

GPE #6 : Jon Wasn't Allowed to Get His Hose Out...

The absolute “Star of the Year” - Hemerocallis “Crimson Pirate” flowered constantly from May to July!

Marooned Crimsoned on

J O N' S   &   M A D A M   A R C A T I' S

 

Botanical Treasure Island

 

[I can think of far worse places to be marooned - I mean, 'crimsoned',

than Jon's & Madam A's city oasis - IDV]

 

2022 turned out to be a remarkable year for many reasons, but the unprecedented heatwave and drought we had was a real test for any kind of garden - London hit more than 40C/104F over a couple of days in July, and we had weeks and weeks with no rain whatsoever, culminating in a hosepipe ban (which is a bind when your garden consists mainly of pots, as ours does - 200 of 'em!).

Some plants merely shrugged it off - salvias and pelargoniums love to bake a bit, as do lilies and hemerocallis (as above) - and our houseplants, all outside for the summer, have never looked so good (the aspidistra threw up more than a dozen new leaves, and the orchid sprouted its flower spike earlier than ever, so we may have flowers by Xmas). Others suffered quite a bit - the fuchsias dropped loads of leaves (but still flowered well), the dahlias and phlox were covered in mildew and just looked sickly, and the ipomoea and thunbergia vines were a bit pathetic.

However, this is a garden photos event, not Beechgrove, so lets look at some, shall we..? These are my choices from each month to date in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers...

January, Hippeastrum 'Cape Horn'  -  and February, Iris reticulata 'J.S. Dijt'