Items of Interest: Gooseberry Fool

 Yes, it's back. After a little over a year four months since the last one, Items of Interest returns!

 What - you may be asking - has prompted this comeback? Well, just something I overheard from one of you. Oh, and that this is quick and easy as I have had (and will have) very little time to myselves what with getting The Parents' moved into their our new abode, and dealing with The Royal Visit, aka the arrival for the weekend of Indescribable, The Little Witch, and Babyzooky.

  Hey! Hang on a minute... You've just copied the last Items of Interest post and crossed out the bits that don't apply!!
 So? We're busy, aren't we?

And tired.

Lazy, more like...

  Shush, you two!
 It works, doesn't it? Anyway, you're a fine one to talk.
  What?!
 You started this copy/paste malarkey here - and it wasn't even our own blog post that you copied!
  Oh, get on with it then...     
 Thank you! So, on with the show: For those of you who are new to this, or have forgotten what to do since the last Items of Interest post (and the one that brought us the infamous "nylon netting shower pom pom on a string thingamie"), the rules are as follows:
 Just guess what these particular photos are of and, if you're very lucky, win a prize (yet to be determined)*. And I don't mean the photo up there as that's the logo image (from The Towering Disco Inferno). No. The photo's below (after the jump).

Covered in Bees!

I popped down to the beach for a swim a little earlier, but instead I got:

[Eddie Izzard via GIPHY]

::

  Not really. But I did walk up a stretch of cliff that was covered in bee orchids (Ophrys apifera). I'd never noticed them before, but then I rarely climb up the cliff*, instead preferring to walk up the promenade slope or the steps behind the beach huts.

Aren't they stunning? The flowers really do look like cute little bumble bees.

Quick! To the Cat-Cave!

 I've just got time to post these follow-up photos from Underground Owl. After all, what's the internet for except for cat pictures and porn?
 As usual, click to embigulate (but not by much).

 I nearly didn't bother with any snaps as I made my way through the underpass again yesterday, but then I remembered Dinahmow's light pestering and, with a sigh, found Phone at the bottom of my bag and took these photos.
 

Beside the Seaside, Beside the Sea

 Well, this is our first day of residence in our new abode - converted hippocampus stables at the top of the cliff (but not precariously so, we hope) in Overstrand. 
  After waking up amidst the clutter of yesterday's moving day mess, and imbibing a strong coffee to fully join the land of the living, we decided to make the most of our new location (and the brilliant sunshine), and take a walk on the beach. Sorting out the boxes and bags and the like can wait until later.

 Or tomorrow.

 Or next week!

Having alighted gracefully on to the beach from the cliff top (and not fallen down it at all. Not even a little bit), this is the view west towards Overstrand's main beach

From whence we came.
That little hut is not the new Castle DeVice - we live a little further along on the right

Overstrand East beach with Sidestrand just a little further on

Triffids Amongst the Blackberries

  I'm just back from my first sea swim of the season, and have just enough wits about me to share these few photos from the end of May (the 28th). They should tide us over until I can come up with something a bit more interesting:

A cinnabar moth seen on a walk into Northrepps

From the Sidestrand/Northrepps border in Overstrand, Cromer Lighthouse in the distance, with Overstrand allotments looking like a small shanty town on the other side of the field.

It's A Faaaake! Not The Art of Star Trek - Driven To Distraction

  As we haven't had a Star Trek-related post for a little while - what with all the Norfolk photos and all - I thought I'd treat you to an extra long one!
 Don't worry, you can describe your pleasure and thank the Host profusely in the comments, as usual.

Sigh...

  Yes, after a three month absence here on this blog (two months at Trek BBS), may I present the May Art Challenge (as set by the winner of the March/April challenge):   

My idea is to choose anything from any Star Trek movie or series after the original and redesign it as if it had happened in the original series (TOS).

Think of how George Lucas handled the Star Wars movies and series- Doug Chiang was told not to reimagine or reinvent the work of Ralph McQuarrie from the original movies, but extrapolate from them. That's what we want to do here. Try to imagine all the latter Treks as if they were going on at the same time as TOS or immediately after. You might want to use as inspiration this creative collection of photo manipulations placing the TOS ship in later Treks.

Good luck and Keep Trekkin'!

  For the May Art Challenge of TOSifying (with thanks to an adult male Borg of my acquaintance for the descriptive term) a later Trek design to a TOS style, I eventually decided to take on the flight suits as worn by Tom, Banana B'Elanna, and Harry in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Drive". I originally mentioned doing the flight suits as a joke, but with the month nearly half gone at the time, I knew that if I didn't commit to something, I'd just let it go until next month (when I'd probably not do anything either).
 
  So, first up, my inspiration (screenshots from TrekCore), followed by the progression of my design (as with many things in life, remember that clicking enables embiggenment):

Stay indoors, Icarus!

  Whether you want it or not, I've just got time for a quick photo-update before the weekend. This edition sees a Monument to Daedalus - as photographed in the gardens atop Castle Mall (Norwich) early on Wednesday morning - and last night's wonderful sunset off the coast here in Cromer.

Monument to Daedalus, by Jonathan Clarke

Bird shit and graffitti are optional extras

::

Breakfast Brings Lifeboats and Cormorants

  With nothing in the larder that I fancied for breakfast this morning, I toddled off into Cromer to see if I could find a nice Danish pastry or something. The unexpectedly pleasant weather meant that I stayed out far longer than I intended. I mean, what did I have to go back so quickly for? Yet more sorting/packing/cleaning and that Trek Art Challenge!

I was just in time to see Cromer inshore lifeboat launched for manoeuvres

Saturday Drift

  As I have loads to do, what better way to try and forget about it all than to drift around the countryside taking photos? Well, it was sunny and warm - It's supposed to heff it down this afternoon, so I can do all my sorting/packing/cleaning then. 
  Unless I work on my TrekBBS May Art Challenge instead...

First up, I walked up Happy Valley to the cliff top...

... and looked out at the lovely, calm sea

Overstrand beach

An Assortment of Aquilegias

Not to be confused with An Allotment of Aquilegias (from 2015)

  Sticking with the Triffidy theme - though perhaps not quite as monstrous as the churchyard Echiums - may I present the Aquilegias (and other blooms) currently gracing the Gardens (and driveway) of Castlette DeVice:

These blue ones had self-seeded in the shingle by the back door.

These pretty bi-colour ones sprout from a pot of Agapanthus

Of Bugloss and Blowballs

Or: When the Milk Witch goes to seed...

 No, not me. Although sometimes I do feel as if I'm nearly there...

 The Host went to see Alien: Covenant at the Cromer Regal Movieplex this afternoon, so I went along for the ride as I quite like Alien and Aliens. I didn't like this though. What a load of convoluted, hurried, needlessly shaky, Alien-diluting rubbish!
  I didn't like it either! I'm going to try and erase this from our memories.
 Anyway, on the way back, we walked through Cromer churchyard and marvelled at the Giant Viper's Bugloss (Echium pininana), which is now in flower.

§

 Milk Witch is another name for the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), a veritable field of which I walked through on my way home. They'd all gone to seed, but weren't quite ready for their seeds to blow away in the wind, so their 'clocks' (I think some of the Americans amongst you may know them as 'blowballs' - Is that right, Maddie?) were all primed and ready to tell the time upon the breaths of the curious.

§

 The Host has some more flora photos to share, but he's not yet got around to sorting them out, so they'll have to wait for another day.
 

Shiver me timbers!

  "Shiver me timbers"? What the hells... It wasn't even cold!
 You know, it's really difficult coming up with a new post title for a load of photos, the subject matter of which has been taken to tedium?! Besides, there's a lot of timber.
  Well, at least I'm doing something. You barely do shit all around here anymore!
 Perhaps if you'd let me use your body a bit more, we could do something worth posting about, instead of all that Star Trek stuff! I mean, when was the last time we went out on Broom? Or got up to a little hocus pocus? Or even popped over the Cusp for an adventure?!
  I've been busy, as well you know. Someone has got to sort all our stuff out before we move.

All your dusty stuff...

Don't you start!

Well, is he going to move all his dust from one house to another again?

  No! The dust has been vacuumed up, so let's just leave it and get on with the show, shall we? Right. Here are some photos from Sunday's walk on the beach: