MerMay: A Whale of A Time

 Because The Very Mistress was washing her hair on Saturday - and therefore missed streaming Star Trek: Lower Decks - I said I'd make it up to her by posting some more Star Trek stuff on a different day.  

 Well, today is that day!  So, be sure to thank TVM after you've hastily scrolled through this post to see if there's anything of interest other than the muscular merman at the end enjoyed the last two months worth of my Star Trek fan art!

 

 Right.  We'd better get on with it.  Here's last month's Star Trek Fan Art Challenge: 

April: Inspired by Laura

"As some of you might know, @Laura Cynthia Chambers has been doing her own, very unique starship designs in Microsoft Paint for a while.  Some are simple and almost crude, while others can be super complex, especially if they were realized in three dimensions.  For this theme choose one of her designs and make it your own.  Recreate it in 3D, draw full orthos from all views, build it as an actual physical model, make a detailed pencil drawing of it à la @Atolm, let yourself be inspired … the possibilities are endless.  And please make sure to post a link to the starship design you picked."

 By 19th April I'd already picked three of Laura's starship designs (Starships 52, 57 & 58), but found another one that piqued my interest (31) and started sketching:

 At the top is #57 - I envisage this "stuck with plungers" ship with a spherical hull bristling with sensor antennae.  The three middle sketches are of #58.  To me, Laura's design looked rather Oberth-like, but she mentioned that this is a top-down view.  So, rather than having a secondary hull/sensor pod overshadowing the saucer, I made it part of the primary hull (as in the USS Kobayashi Maru) with the central ridged part a 'greenhouse' dome (as this could be a botanical crusier).  At the bottom middle-right is a head-on sketch of # 52 - I imagine this is the side view, with the grey ovals on the left being the front of the ship, and the six vertical bars are large, exposed warp coils (or small, in-line warp rings like the Vulcans use).  And bottom left is #31 - what I interpret as its undercarriage.  My sketch next to it is how I imagine a side view to look.  [Ignore the fishy Excelsior on the right - that's an idea for MerMay]

Not the Aurora Borealis

 On Friday the 10th of May this year the Aurora Borealis was particularly spectacular over Great Britain (and other parts of the world) and no end of people witnessed its awesome show and captured photographic images for posterity.  I was not one of those people because I had no idea such an event was taking place until the next morning when it was too late.  Fortunately, it was scheduled* to put on an encore performance that night as well, although it wasn't expected to be quite so spectacular.  This performance suited me because I was to be at my sister's down the road for an evening of cards and gin with a couple of friends and my other sister, so by the time we finished, I could just step outside and see it all going on in the sky above.  Hooray!

 

 Except I didn't see it because the performance was cancelled!  Although I didn't find that out until we'd already staggered wandered down to the cliff top and stood around taking photos of the sky just in case we were too drunk (and in my case, too colourblind as well) to see it.  Apparently the cancellation was something to do with a curtain malfunction or blown light bulb or something according to the conductor of the Nightship (which appeared rather disconcertingly - and in a cloud of noxious fumes from its malfunctioning catlitter converter - right next to where I'd set up Camera & Tripod.  If I hadn't had that last G&T I'm sure I would have noticed the stop).  Bah! 

 

 Anyway, despite that disappointment, I managed to get something out of the experience: some fuzzy photos of a few of the brighter stars:

 The night air was a bit hazy, so these photos are not as clear as my previous efforts. 

 This is made all the more obvious by comparing poor Capella and Polaris - the brightest stars of their respective constellations, Auriga and Ursa Minor - with how they looked just over three years ago on a clear, cold April night. 

All Hands On Deck(s) - Star Trek: Lower Decks

SaveStarTrekLowerDecks.com

Calling all Lower deckers!  On April 12th Paramount+ announced the upcoming 5th season of Star Trek: Lower Decks will be its last.  The cast, crew and fans have all expressed a strong desire to go beyond this season.

 

As Mike Okuda, a graphic designer best known for his work on Star Trek, posted to social media:

 

One of the ways that the success of a streaming show is measured is by the number of minutes that each episode is streamed.  If a lot of fans replayed each episode a lot, it is conceivable that that could make a blip in the ratings.

 

Our goal is to make that blip!

Thoughts for the Day

  Ms Scarlet is doing an astonishing job of publishing daily blog posts while Jon's on holiday - really astonishing, considering.  However, for anyone looking for familiar Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle style content, may I present this homage to Thoughts for the Day (as found under Jon's Gay Gossip label):

[Spotted in a charity shop window this morning while on my way to work.

I deliberately didn't crop out the tat in the background in case Mitzi or someone else wanted a look/laugh]

"A Surefire Winner!!"*

* Or so Ms Scarlet says, anyway.

 

 Actually, I'm not sure this phone box counts because it no longer has a phone in it (and isn't even used as a urinal - as far as I'm aware, anyway). 

 So, on to other things.  Namely photos from today's Bitey walk around Northrepps and back via the allotment.

 It was a bit misty here this morning and through lunchtime - and not the moody, atmospheric mist that can make photos look better, just an insipid, half-hearted haze - so I cannot compete with Ms Scarlet's 'Weather!' photos. 

 Also, there are no sheep, just Bitey photobombing.  Oh, and a roe deer.

This photo - and the leading one - were taken as we walked up Toll's Hill out of Overstrand

Bright Light Bright Light - Heartslap

 Back once I've found my crop top and short-shorts... 

 

I think I just heard someone throw up in their mouth.

The INFOMANIAC Garden Photos Event 2024 Primer

The 2024

 

I N F O M A N I A C

 

Garden Photos Event

 I thought it was about time to get up off my quince and do something about this year's GPE.  I mean, Savvy's already on it, for Christ's sakes!

 I am sure that you all know what the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event is and why it's held here rather than at The Very Mistress's hallowed blog, Infomaniac, these days.  But for anyone new here, or for any Blogorati/Bloggerati* having a senior moment or just waking up after a cooking sherry bender that began two days ago while making a trifle**, my GPE Page explains all.

 

 Anyway, forget the trifle for now (If you can.  Mmmmmmm... trifle!), this is all about the GPE.  There's no theme this year, not least because I've left it far too late in the year to foist one upon you, but also because I can't decide between the handful I've thought of.  So, all you need to be thinking about - and doing - is preparing your expansive grounds, modest gardens, compact courtyards, payshos, balconies (juliet or otherwise), windowboxes and/or indoor pot plants and taking photos of them in their entirety, and/or specific/favourite/interesting views, planting schemes, specimen plants/leaves/flowers, or any other aspect of your greenfingering that takes your fancy.

 As with previous GPEs held here, there will also be a pre-event Terrifying Triffidery exhibit at Hallowe'en, so be sure to take photos of any particular scary, unusual, or downright rude (because we know what you're like) plant, too.  Or, failing that, photos of a perfectly ordinary plant taken while drunk, close-up, or filtered/photoshopped to Hell!

 And remember, the Infomaniac Garden Photos Competition is NOT a competition, so there will be no judgey comparisons or winners/losers.  The Event is open to all no matter your gardening skill level or plot/pot size, and you can submit just one photo or many.  I usually ask for photos to be emailed to me by the end of October as the Event will be held throughout November, but I'll confirm dates & email address etc. later in the year.

 

 Finally, for any friends-of-friends, lurkers, irregulars, or newcomers reading this, it would be lovely to see some garden photos from you, too.  Lady Goldberg-DeWoofs, I know you've moved to a beach front house recently - Have you found some suitable specimens?  Sixpence, how does your garden/terrarium grow?

 Right.  Now that's out of the way, here are some GPE preparation photos from Hexenhäusli Device's grounds to get you in the mood: