Before we get to what may be the final part of our Epic Collaboration - yes, I know, but nothing good lasts forever - and Terrifying Triffidery at the end of the mon-
Which reminds me: those of you who haven't emailed us your garden photos and triffids, you don't have much time left - We want them in by 29th October!
We told you we'd be nagging and haranguing until then.
And probably afterwards, too...
Anyway, before all that, here are a couple of knicknacks and a mish-mash of stuff We've been up to that doesn't revolve around epic blogging and gardening:
There was a reason for Lenny being here but it escapes me now...
Bike ride to Gimingham on the 12th:
On the way through Trimingham, I engaged in a staring contest with...
It'd been a while since I last indulged in a light bit of heron disturbing.
Crossing the River Mun...
... which seems to be more swamp than river at the mo.
From across the fields, I watched the Moon landing in Trimingham...
... for its annual touch-up.
Wildlife filmmaker:
I bought The Mother a trail camera for her birthday back in the summer, and these are some of the most recent results - I don't think David Attenborough has anything to worry about just yet:
"His eyes... Like gimlets!"
"What's this? I haven't seen it here before. I'd better give it a good sniff."
"Don't mind me. Just passing through."
"Ooh, that's better."
"One more won't hurt. Well, maybe another, then. And one for the road!"
Someone had been industriously digging up our lawn over the past few weeks, and following a night of very heavy rain, the culprit turned up on the morning of the 17th, quite dead. The findings from the autopsy have yet to be released.
Star Trek Fan Art:
.jpg)
Sexy muscle-goat man Knicknack is Furry bait. Wonder when we'll see the first fan drawings. 😈
[a TrekBBS user, Oct 13th]
Well, I couldn't find any others (but I didn't look too hard), so I took that as my cue to come up with a quick little sketch as I lay in bed on Sunday night. I refined it a bit on Monday after I'd looked at the screen caps at Cygnus-X1, but resolved to get some caps of my own later, as they were missing the split-second flash of Knicknac's pert little bum - see above!
Knicknac is an 'alien-of-the-week' holodeck character from Star Trek: Lower Decks' season three episode "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus".
But there's more...
Above is a very quick realisation of an idea I had for this month's art challenge: 'Pre-warp History'. It's supposed to be a Betazoid aristocrat from the point in Betazed's history when women wore wigs with caged animals inside (as mentioned by Lwaxana Troi in TNG: "Half a Life").
I based it on a sketch I did back in February of one of Lwaxana's relatives (possibly her mother or aunt) that was intended to illustrate the backstory I came up with for my May 2019 Art Challenge treasure map (needless to say, I didn't progress any further with the illustrations). And I attempted a Lower Decks-style character so I wouldn't have to draw a realistic face (because I'm rubbish at faces).
On the left is the original sketch from Feb. Middle is the inked line drawing (which I started colouring in before I remembered to take a photo). And right is the rather stern looking coloured version (I was a bit heavy-handed with the eye make-up.
This is why the first aristocrat is looking so cross - her rather half-hearted wig has been shown up by a Daughter of the Second House wearing a bigger, more elaborate wig! It's planet Betazed itself complete with moving (flying) continents and its three moons (Avendar, Merandar, and Keylandar).
Whether I'll come up with a finished piece of work before the end of the month remains to be seen (after all, I'm still wrangling photos for the impending Garden Photos Event).
Calendar:
.jpg)
The 9th of October was the 17th anniversary of this blog! I had it mind when I marking up this calendar page on the 1st, then promptly forgot about it as The Host put up a post about catching crabs instead.
Coming up we have Dinahmow's birthday on the 23rd, Maddie's, the Mistress Borghese, and Rimpy Rimpington's on the 25th, the deadline for getting your Garden Photos Event photos in is the 29th, then the 31st - Hallowe'en, of course - is when your Terrifying Triffidery will be unleashed!
Music:
Finally, a little more music to see us off. First up, "Stole My Heart" by One Direction. This was from their 2011 debut album which I detested (except for this track), but SP loved them - well, he loved Harry. Anyway, I found this album on an old USB stick and played this song over and over and over yesterday while driving to and from the swimming pool. And, yes, I was screeching along to it at the top of my lungs with a massive grin on my face!
If you can't bring yourself to listen to that tripe, here's something completely different: "Strawberry Lemonade" by Editors. Despite the name, it's not a bright, fizzy little pop number - like "Stole My Heart".
And that, you'll probably be pleased to read, is it. Happy weekend everyone!
Can I get a shout out for getting my photos in BEFORE the deadline???? Love your post and pics, but what about ME being ahead of the game (for a change)??? xoxox (yes, yes, I know I'm being rather childish about all of this but come on, how often do I get to be first?) and even more xoxox
ReplyDeleteOh, dear me, yes! I should have led with you being the fifth person to submit their garden photos. I was so shocked and overwhelmed that it must have overloaded my brain, causing me to forget.
DeleteHowever... There is still a certain Terrifying Triffid outstandi-
Belay that. I've just checked my emails and found not one, but TWO TT photos!
:: faints ::
*waving the smelling salts* It's because I have finally seen the error of my ways regarding procrastination! OK, maybe not, I just wanted to REALLY surprise you! xoxo
DeleteI'd like more videos from your Mum, please. After I recuperate from the shock of Savvy being on time for once, of course.
DeleteAnd is that magpie eating the dog's breakfast?
p.s. Happy blogiversary!
Consider me surprised, Savvy! I don't think my eyes have ever opened as wide!
DeleteFunnily enough, Very Mistress, the neighbour's dog escaped the other day and helped himself to the remains of the hedgehog food. Well, what little the magpies had left, anyway.
P.S. Thank you! 17 again!
Dead moles, Trek-geekery and Autumn-Watch night videos aside, I love the countryside photos - especially the "Who the fuck do you think you're looking at?" attitude of those deer! And WTF is the giant-sized version of the balloon from The Prisoner doing in a field in Norfolk?
ReplyDeleteMy ten-shilling postal order is on its way for the Shags, Groynes and Spume calendar 2023. I expect it gift-wrapped. I hope it comes with a Paper Mate Flair© Felt Tip Pen so I can circle important events such as Swan-Upping Week and Lughnasadh...
...and I love The Editors - so New Order/early Ultravox/Depeche Mode/Japan; I could be back in 1982! Jx
Yeah, those deer just stared and stared and stared. The weirdos. I think they employ the Prisoner balloon to off anyone who doesn't avert their gaze and move on.
DeleteI'm sorry to report that the 2023 calendar may be delayed or even cancelled due to a decided lack of Shags. No refunds! (Although, we will, of course, give you first refusal of the 2024 edition)
P.S. I have you to thank for introducing me to the Editors, so: thank you!
Hope the "Shag famine" ends before the end of the year, dear. There's a gap out me back needs filling [a gap on the wall, for a calendar, you filthy-minded bugger]! Jx
DeleteI'm going to have to drag myself down to all those old groynes if I want a Shag, aren't I - and hope that I don't get spume in my eye!
Delete:: makes note to publish an extra-wide calendar to fill Jon's gap ::
I have a fondness for magpies, when they are not gekkering in the early hours, shy and timid creatures unlike the bastard pigeons. I saw my first mole a few months ago, this was a live one, I was surprised to see how small it was, judging by the size of it's mole hill I thought they'd be the size of a Yorkshire terrier.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a live mole, although I did see the lawn rippling and undulating a couple of weeks back when this one was tunnelling below. I tried to catch it by ramming spade into the turf behind it and then digging it up, but it must have had another escape tunnel ahead of it, as it quickly vanished.
DeleteStar Trek still bamboozles me...but the rest is lovely. Um...the clogged-up river looks a bit nasty.Wouldn't do to be staggering home in the dark...
ReplyDeleteAnd a big round of applause for Savvy. Sorry, no chocs and champers.
The river probably looks worse than it actually is (the water - where one can see it - is very clear) - it's the cow pats in the fields either side that one should be on the look out for!
DeleteAs for Savvy: Yes, she's come up trumps!
Don't tell her, but there was chocolate until I ate it all. No Champers, though.
Oh, I like the trail camera! Especially the hedgehog having a scratch - I'm surprised he didn't eat the slug. Do hedgehogs eat slugs?
ReplyDeleteQuite right - It ain't over 'til it's over!
Sx
Hedgehogs are supposed to eat slugs. I am eternally disappointed every time I check the video and see the hedgehog generously sharing the food bowl with a gigantic slug instead of devouring it! Perhaps I should stop putting food out?
DeleteAccording to this article: “East Anglian hedgehogs eat very few slugs compared with those from the rest of England and the difference is highly significant.” Picky bastards! Jx
DeleteI wonder if it's because the hedgehogs have trained us East Anglian mugs to feed them something a lot more palatable than a great big mucus-covered slug?
DeleteI think the deep picture compilation is my favorite, but I enjoy all your pictures! Speaking of pictures, I will work on getting mine to you today or tomorrow at the latest. You are way better at drawing than I am! I would watch the Lowerdecks if we had access to it, but we don't have the streaming service that its available on.
ReplyDeleteBefore Lower Decks came out here (on Amazon Prime) five or six months after it was shown in the US, I watched clips on startrek.com. It was enough to tide me over - perhaps you can check them out if you get the time?
DeleteAnd, yes, thank you for the garden photos, Melanie!
Aren't prairies amazing? Those deer photos. Priceless.
ReplyDeleteWell, we don't have prairies around here - we have fields full of wheat, sugar beet, and potatoes. Oh, and at this time of year, mud. Still, that wheat stubble could pass for a prairie if one squints...
DeleteP.S. I'm still distraught about your Garden Photos Event photos news.
Congratulations on the 17 years. I think the only thing your blog lacks is more pictures of the flotation device. How the hell did I miss this post? I just adored The Magpie video. And upon going back seeing the corpse, at first I thought it was a platypus. But I see it's a mole? The poor thing.
ReplyDeleteI've just found your comment, Maddie, and thank you for the congrats!
DeleteThe mole does look somewhat platypus like, doesn't it?
P.S. There'll be no more Flotation Device until next summer - it's far too cold for the poor dear, now.