"How to Use Venetian Blinds as Weapons"

Oh, absolutely, Marco!

 I'm not going to go into too much (if any) detail about the books, and films/TV, and music I've read, watched and listened to this past quarter as, quite frankly, I don't have much time.  Besides, much of it you've seen me witter on about before as I have found myself re-reading, re-watching, and re-listening to things I know I enjoy and that are comforting.  (In the "Re-" sections, I've linked to previous posts in which they've featured, or at least been mentioned)

Read

∘ TNG: Shadows Have Offended, by Cassandra Rose Clarke - A Star Trek: The Next Generation novel set in the seventh & final season of the show "starring" Counsellor Troi, Lieutenant Worf and Dr. Crusher, with a wonderful turn by Troi's overbearing mother, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi.

 This novel read like an extended TV episode to me, but that's of no detriment in my eyes as I expected as much seeing as this story is set within the series timeline.  Troi and Worf take the Enterprise to investigate the theft of some Betazoid artifacts while Captain Picard and Lwaxana remain on Betazed to "manage" the distraught Betazoid House Leaders (who are one-dimensional hand-wringers with barely an ounce of sense between them!).  Meanwhile, on another planet, Crusher, Data and Riker deal with some strange goings-on at a Starfleet science team's research site.

 Overall, this was a perfectly competant addition to Trek Lit, but one thing managed to push SHO over the line and into an "above average" rating from me: the description - and resulting mind image - of Worf clad only in dark leather pants, boots, and a cape.  Cwwwwoooooorrrrrrr! (think Kenneth Connor in the Carry On films)

∘ A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers - The first book in a new series from one of my very favourite authors.  This story of a travelling tea monk who meets a robot out in the wilderness (the first person to see a robot in about 200 years) does not disappoint.  It is charming, thoughtful and comforting - just as I'd expect.

Re-reads:

∘ To Ride Pegasus (Anne McCaffrey)  ∘  Trillions (Nicholas Fisk)  ∘  Star Trek: Final Frontier (Diane Carey)  ∘  The Essential Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)  ∘  The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)  ∘  The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) - from which this post's title is taken (page 51)

Fire in the Sky

 Well, it's that time of year now when I'm up before the sun manages to struggle above the horizon.  However, it does make for some dramatic and colourful early morning skies, as these photos (hopefully) show.

 The panoramic view above, and those below are from yesterday:

The slightly out of focus slipway

Sunshine, Seal Snouts, and Sigils

 Well, my week off work is rapidly coming to an end and I've got shit-all to show for it, really.  So, it's a good job I've got another week off in October to do all the things I didn't get around to this week!  

 One thing I managed to do on Thursday was to chalk my eye device sigil on the sea wall so I can see what's going on should I not make it down to the seafront.

 Oh, I do have a handful of photos from various early mornings and countryside wanderings though, so sit back and prepare to feast your eyes on almost nothing that you haven't seen before!

Monday

The branches of this giant oak tree reach down into a disused Northrepps gravel pit

Blue, No.3 (Ms Scarlet's original can be seen here.  I don't know where my No.2 went?)

Sunny Side Up II

 I couldn't bring myself to torture you with any more photos than I did on Thursda-

Ha!  What a fib.  You just couldn't be bothered to sift through and sort any more out!

 Shush, you.  So, anyway, as I was saying, here are the rest of the carefully selected sunrise photos from Thursday, plus some from yesterday, and an exclusive bonus from the 12th.  

 

First up: Thursday 6th

What could be better than watching the sun rise over a big, wet groyne?

Sunny Side Up

 Brace yourselves!  Photo-heavy post coming up.

 Well, not so much coming up as already here.  Yes, Camera insisted on coming with me every morning that I ventured out to stretch my legs and get some fresh air before work (and even on Saturday when I thought it'd want a lie-in).  And as you may have already guessed by the mention of "morning" - and that not-quite-Drama-Queen-dawn on the right - these photos are almost exclusively of sunrises.

 But first, a little completely unrelated music to accompany your scrolling - brought about by the title of Mistress Maddie's recent post: "Midnight....."

 

Monday 6th

Sunrise at the slipway - Monday edition

Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2021: Reminder #2

This is not the

The House of

I N F O M A N I A C

Garden Photos Event 2021

it is just a reminder, so don't panic!

 This year's Garden Photos Event will take place in November, and will be preceded by some of your Terrifying Triffidery at the end of October - Hallowe'en, to be precise - so you still have nearly a couple of months to go out into your grounds and get snapping.  Although, I hope that you have already been taking photos of your gorgeous greenery as the season has gone on.

 Just in case there is anyone new here, or anyone who is very forgetful or who may have had a bang on the head recently and lost their marbles/loosened a screw, or is just bewildered and confused-

I'm thinking Savvy.

Yes, me too!

 Now that you come to mention it...

 If I may continue?

 Well, go on then.  But get to the bloody point - you're worse than me!

 I was just about to if your shitting SubC hadn't interrupted.  Anyway... for anyone not in the know, the Garden Photos Event is an online horticultural extravaganza, conceived by (and for the first nine years, hosted by) the Infomaniac herself, The Very Mistress.  It is a place for you to show off part or all of your garden - or even just a single botanical specimen - to an appreciative Blogorati; to swap gardening tips/horror stories; or just take a virtual wander around someone else's garden, satiating your curiosity from the comfort of your own home.  There will be no judging or critiquing, and there certainly won't be a "winner" as the Garden Photos Event is not a contest!

 

 

 All you have to do to take part is get your unruly bushes in order, trim those straggly overhangs, and mow that fuzzy patch, then set-to with your camera and send me your photograph/s - along with an enlightening blurb for each photo (or just one general, all encompassing description/story/rant) - by Thursday 28th October.  My blog email address is in my profile (just click the link on the right.  Or, for those of you who have my personal email, use that instead).   A Garden Photos Event history can be found here, along with links to previous Events leading up to 2020.  2020's gardens follow on from the link - just click on "Newer Post" at the bottom, or click here for a handy programme of events (and my garden).

 

 

 Oh, and if you have any Mystery Plant/s that you can't identify (or you can, but you just want to see if anyone else is able to) send in photos of them too, and we can all have a go at identifying them for you.  And by "we all" I mean mostly The Official Plant Spotter of the Device Mansion and its Extensive Witchdom, nay, All of Blogland Itself: Jon! 

 

☙❧

 

 Oh, bravo on the copy/paste from the previous reminder!

 Well, it's perfectly serviceable, and I can use the time I've saved trying to come up with a new way of saying all that to sort out some photos to illustrate this post with.  Which - as you can see - I've done!

 The photos are a bit "Delargo Gardens" aren't they?

 Oh.  I suppose.  Well, I'm not changing them now.

Did they explain the Terrifying Triffidery bit?

No, I don't think so.  Too busy squabbling.

I guess it's up to us, then?

Looks that way.  Here we go then: Terrifying Triffidery is a place for photos of monstrous plants or otherwise ordinary plants that have been photographed from odd angles/close up/while drunk which make them look otherworldly.  So, get inventive/in their personal space/drinking and pap those plants!

Well done!

Thank you.

Toad in the Road*

 The other day, I was up at the allotment gathering ingredients to make a potato salad for The Mother's birthday.  On my way back, this fine specimen attempted to block my way.  It was lucky I didn't decide to make a different dish entirely! 

 Oh, and this time I really did intend to make potato salad!

 

 P. S.  I couldn't pick any raspberries because these two dragonflies were doing it all over the canes!

  * It's not really a road - more of a track...

. . . . .

EDIT 13:15

 I found this Grey Dagger moth caterpillar happily munching its way through a rose in the garden today: 

 

EDIT 11 09 2021 07:55

 I forgot about this White Ermine moth caterpillar that I discovered up at the allotment on 24th August:

Art Trek: "These are a few of my favourite things!"

Ah, Rutherford, you're so adorable! Adorable!!

 Well, that's August done and dusted.  And you know what that means: Time for some of my Star Trek fan art!

 Yes, one of the things that kept me busy last month was working on a rather ambitious piece for August's milestone 200th Star Trek art challenge.  Having helped to come up with the idea, I knew I had to pull my socks up and not turn in some half-arsed attempt that I hadn't even finished properly (like many of my other efforts).

 Oh, and half-naked Rutherford on the right there is not just gratuitous eye-candy - he's relevant to the proceedings what with being a particular favourite (not unlike Connor Trinneer's "Trip" Tucker, who also features later on).

 Anyway, here's the challenge theme:

YOUR Star Trek

Your task is to create something out of Trek that means something to you. It can be your favorite ship, character or idea. Or just some Trek thing that you like/wanted to draw, model, photograph, cosplay or sing etc. Do you own a Star Trek costume? Well, then snap a photo of it and submit it to the contest! You're into Trek gaming? Then make a screenshot of something you created in the game! Almost anything goes this time.  Have fun, and good luck!

➢

 I started by making a list of Star Trek characters, starships, locations and objects that I liked but, as you may have guessed if you know me at all, I couldn't whittle them down to a single (or even a few) thing(s).  So, there was only one thing for it: I was going to have to include all of them!

This was just a quick sketch to gauge the layout, so there were plenty of characters and things missing/undecided at the time