Friday 30 March 2018

It's A Faaaake! Not The Art Of Star Trek - Murder On The Dancefloor


  As far as observing The Very Mistress's "Less Star Trek" for 2018 suggestion goes, I think I'm doing pretty well, as this is only the second dedicated Star Trek post of the year.  Plus, it's barely even Star Trek - It's more Transformers with some music thrown in.
  So, on with the show.  Here is the Trek BBS March Art Challenge as set by the winner* of the February challenge:

YES YES YES!!!!
I know you are excited! This is the new challenge for March 2018.
@Cyfa suggested this amazing and totally rockin' art-challenge;
TREKFORMERS!!... (no, not former trekkers)... TREKFORMERS!!

You can take anything or anyone in the trek-universe, and create a Transformer.
From transforming trek-tech like a shuttle pod to a robot
or a captain's chair and back again (what a job, even for a robot)
A Worf-transforming Transformer.... anything.

Any media are good to go, except maby writing poems
But you can draw, photomanip, paint, 3D, sculpt, animate,
or actually build a transformer in star trek style... that would be very impressive!!
So run to your garages and start building, or just draw something.

Good luck, the challenge closes in 21 days.

  Here we go:


  I started off by jotting my first (and only) idea down: A transforming starship.  In this case, two Transformer siblings who combine into an Oberth-class starship - the brother transforms into the primary hull and nacelles assembly, while the sister transforms into the secondary hull/sensor pod thingy.

Tuesday 27 March 2018

Seal of Approval


  Hound was disappointed with the last post's lack of corpses.  Well hopefully this one will satisfy him.

 And, no, before high horses are got on, I didn't go seal clubbing - this young lady (at least, I think its a lady?) was perfectly well and alive, warming herself in the sunshine.

  She didn't seem that bothered about me.  I sat down about 3-4 metres away and we had a little chat, then I got up and continued my walk.  She was still there when I walked back, the lazy cow.

  If you want to see death, just scroll down past the seal photos.



Overstrand beach is not known for seals (except the ones that give me a poke while I swim)

Monday 26 March 2018

Return to Shark Mountain


The Vos Gorgeous looking, um... gorgeous?
 I don't know about the rest of the country (Ms Scarlet? Jon? Hound? Mitzi?), but North Norfolk has continued to enjoy normal weather for the time of year since that dratted snow departed at the beginning of the month.  With an unexpected, but welcome, lull in duties, obligations, and chores, I took to the beach on Sunday afternoon and came back with the following photos:

Looking West - back the way I came - to Overstrand Beach

And looking East to Sidestrand Beach

Sunday 25 March 2018

Not Beaky. Mostly...


 I know it's only been ten days since Beaky was last inflicted upon you - and some of you may still not be over the shock of seeing Beaky brazenly bathing, baring all - but, apart from the headline photo, all the rest are Beaky-free.
 Well, except for one as I couldn't resist humiliating the strident little pest!

 The following photos were taken this morning:


A male chaffinch pecking up scraps

A greenfinch.  It's good to see a greenfinch as, last year, most of them around here suffered from some sort of disease that killed them off.  There were sad little greenfinch corpses all over the place.

Friday 23 March 2018

12,000 Years of The House of Infomaniac



Continued from Still Twitching
Which followed on from It's That Time of Year...
Which was itself continued, sort of, from In Space, No One Can Hear You Peep

 After everyone had recovered from The Very Mistress's dramatic debut - and downed copious amounts of alcohol - they staggered from the veranda to the courtyard.
 "Well?" The Very Mistress asked, gazing upon the spacious and quite empty area. "Where is it?"
 "Ummm... Someone" L said giving Mago the side-eye, "switched on the cloaking device, and now we can't find the button to turn it off, so you'll have to make do with these design sketches instead."
 The Very Mistress snatched the papers from LẌ.
 "What is this?  What is it?" she asked.
 "You've got it upside down" IDV pointed out.
 "Flaming uterus class?" Her face reddening in rage, The Very Mistress 'asked' again: "Flaming Uterus class?!?"  Thunder clouds began to gather overhead.



Her Very Mistress's Starship Infomaniac (Flaming Uterus-class)

Thursday 22 March 2018

Still Twitching


Continued from It's That Time of Year...
(which was itself continued, sort of, from In Space, No One Can Hear You Peep)

 "You're dithering again."
  "I am not!"
 "Procrastinating, then."
  "How dare you!"
 "Then how do you explain the crappy constellation post from a couple of days ago?"
  "Well...  Um...  You see..."
 "Ha!"
  "Oh, shut up.  You're just as bad as m-  Look out!!!"
 Broom violently lurched to starboard almost unseating the bickering witch sitting astride it.  Passing to port in their previous flight path sailed a heavily laden flying carpet piloted by a small human of the female persuasion and an even smaller and very excitable dog.  The woman, oblivious to the narrowly averted collision was struggling with a scarf that seemed intent on smothering her and, in the process of disentangling herself from the scarf, elbowed a precariously perched box off the carpet.
 As they gathered their scattered wits, the witch watched as the small black box disgorged dozens of square, black envelopes, most of which fluttered slowly towards the ground.  A few, however, fell with rather more gusto.  Clearly they contained something with a bit of weight to them.  Then realisation struck: They were-
 "My After Eights!" the magic carpet woman shrieked as she came to a halt.  Her distinctive voice brought the witch to his senses.  As did her yapping, bouncy dog.
 "Ms Scarlet?!?" he asked, unable to contain his incredulity as he manoeuvred his broom towards her now hovering carpet.
Ew! This sounds, horrifyingly, like a lewd euphemism.
Urgh.  It does, doesn't it?!  Well, we're not going to change it now.
 "Mr Devine!"
 "What are you doing up here?  I was just about to collect you."
 "Well, I wondered where you were - you're very late, you know - and thought I'd better make my own way there."
 "Oh.  Yes.  Sorry about that.  I got a bit caught up with constellations and rampaging jelly babies et cetera et cetera.  You know how it is?"
 "I suppose so" Ms Scarlet grudgingly agreed, trying not to think of gold leaf, smelly green shorts, and attic-bound nieces.
 "I didn't know you had a magic carpet?" IDV asked trying to get a good look at it beneath all Ms Scarlet's paraphernalia.  "Where did you get it from?"
 "Ah.  Um.  It's, uh...  I got it from..." Ms Scarlet blushed with shame as she tried to avoid answering.  "Oh!" she shrieked as Broom dropped a few feet giving IDV an unimpeded, but highly improper view of the underside of her 'carpet'.
 "It's a...  It's a..." IDV stuttered in disbelief.
 "Boots the chemist" Ms Scarlet muttered.  "Yes, it's an octopus sucker bath mat!"

Tuesday 20 March 2018

Constellations from a Nightshade Tarot


  That made you look didn't it?!  Fancy getting taken in by a poncey title like that!
Well, sorry to disappoint you, but there are no Nightshade, and no Tarot - this is just more of the same night sky constellation crap that you've seen before.  Although, I've included some constellations that haven't featured in previous posts - mainly because they hadn't managed to struggle above the horizon during my previous early morning/late evening sojourns.  Oh, and I've amended some of them to look more like what they're supposed to depict, namely: Gemini (the twins), Auriga (the charioteer), Draco (the dragon), and Leo (who now looks more like a lion than a mouse).

  This first set are from 12th February:


Orion takes centre stage in this low view over the horizon to the South East

Angling upwards from Orion brings Auriga and Perseus into view

Sunday 11 March 2018

Jelly Babies from the Black Lagoon!


 In response to Savannah's wielding of the PEEPS Contest reins, may I present:

Jelly Babies from the Black Lagoon!

 Meet Baby Blackheart, Baby Terror-Tummy, Cry Baby, Scar Baby, Baby Bear Attack Victim and their cohorts as they emerge from their watery lair and embark on a hunt for prey:


Friday 9 March 2018

It's that Time of Year...*

Continued (sort of) from In Space, No-one Can Hear You Peep

 Ms Scarlet sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time, peeled back the cuff of her mitten and looked at her watch.  Again.  He was now even more late.
 "Hmmmm..." she said, then having given the sky another once over, Ms Scarlet turned on her Wellington booted heel and went back indoors.  Sidney followed her with an expectant look on his face.  The look soon faded when his mistress disappeared into the bathroom rather than the kitchen - there weren't any treats in there.
 After an almost dainty grunt followed by what sounded like dozens of spoonfuls of trifle being scooped out of a bowl in quick succession, Ms Scarlet came out brandishing the octopus sucker bath mat.  Sid's ears drooped.  Definitely not a treat.
 "Some birthday this is turning out to be.  I shall have to find my own way to Lake Como now, Sidney" she said, laying the bath mat down on the carpet.  "I hope this thing works."

Tuesday 6 March 2018

Photos From a Lost Weekend


  This past weekend might as well not have happened.  I'll spare you the details as I don't want to remember it.
  However, I did manage to escape for an hour on Sunday with the excuse that I had to give Car a run as the snow had mostly melted and the roads were clear (poor Car had been sitting under a blanket of snow for half the week).  We drove along the coast to Happisburgh (pronounced Haysbruh) and spent five minutes at the lighthouse before deciding it was too windy and overcast to walk on the beach and driving home again.


Happisburgh Lighthouse - once repainted by Anneka Rice and her "Challenge Anneka" team.


Saturday 3 March 2018

Watch Out! Beaky's About!


  One good thing about all this snow: Beaky's to-ing and fro-ing is very evident, so one can easily evade him!

  The following photos are from Wednesday lunchtime, after our first proper snowfall of the season.  I didn't go far - only to the promenade and back - because it was a tad on the cold side.

Snowfall over the sea