Last Day of MerMay

Sam Rutherford from Star Trek: Lower Decks as a merman.

(His trident is an elongated trident scanner from the original Star Trek series)

 

 

 

That is all. 

Hawthorn / notHawthorn

 There seems to be a bit of a hawthorn trend going on at the mo. 

 After I featured some in a 4 Photos post last week, Maddie piped up wondering if her rebounded bush (that had been seen to by her "lawn guy" somewhat unsurprisingly) might be a hawthorn.  Ms Scarlet coupled hers with cow parsley for a spring wedding look (no pictures as yet, but here are some from last year sans hawthorn blossom).  Then, over at Maddie's, Jon posited that the hawthorn was a "cockspur hawthorn" (cock!!!), whereas I think it might be a pyracantha (both can surprise you with a big prick, though).

 

 Anyway, just to confuse things even more, I have another hawthorn to share - and this one is rather more moist:

 

Water hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos) growing in the bath up at my allotment. 

 

. : .

Skyline

  If you arrived here thinking this post is about the entertaining but ridiculous film about brain sucking aliens (or the car made by Nissan), you're going to be disappointed.  Sorry.

 

The Chapelfield Spire sits atop what is now known as Chantry Place shopping centre

 

 

 No, this post just concerns (some of) the skyline of the city of Norwich where I work (and used to live).  I took these photos last June and remembered while constructing this post why I didn't post them back then: I got caught up in researching the various buildings and architecture - so much so, that what was supposed to be a quick, easy post turned out to be all consuming (which happened again this time around, but I managed to break free.  Just). 

 Also, this was going to be a Four Photos post, but I couldn't whittle down the photos I took to just four.  

Four Photos: CCGH

Ceanothus (last featured here)

 

 

Copper beech

 

 

Gorse

 

 

Hawthorn

 

 

 Just a selection of colour seen while out and about over the past week.

Four Photos: Let There Be Light

 The first foxglove of the season - and it's self illuminating!

From six years ago

 

 

G&T time! (July 2023)

 

 

From Madam's Lane (June 2018)

Tunes on Tuesday

 We haven't had one of these for a while.

 Here's a collection of tunes that have caught my ear recently.  No videos (except the last one) so you can be looking at something else while these are playing.

 

 

Love Shy - Kristine Blond (Sandgate Extended Remix)

 This remix is on a cheapo compilation CD I've had for years - if not decades - Chillout Moods.  I must have copied it onto the little memory stick that I plug into Car for music as it popped up yesterday as I was driving home from work.

 

Behind the Mask - Eric Clapton

 A song came on at the swimming pool while I was doing my lengths on Thursday and it reminded me of this.  I didn't know it's name or the artist, but searching YouTube for "Who Do You Love" soon brought it up.  I'm not a fan of Eric Clapton, but I like this.

Behind the Mask - Yellow Magic Orchestra

 And this is the original!

Head on the Highway - Great Waves

 This one took some sleuthing to find.  In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV series) this track was often heard when the Rowdy 3's van showed up (along with the growling of its engine), and I loved it!  However, it wasn't mentioned in any of the articles or soundtrack lists I found.  It wasn't until a chance googling encounter in which someone had mentioned Great Waves - and then listening to pretty much every track by them on YouTube - that I found it.

You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) / Venus - Bananarama (Glorious: Live in London)

 This one by the Bananas popped up in YouTube's "recommended for you" section. It was right, of course. (Although I do think the transition from "You Spin Me Round" to "Venus" goes on too long.)

Four Photos: Bee Edition

 "Four Photos" is an idea I've just had to help me get back to our little corner of the BlogWorld. 

 Rather than spend hours trying to work out what to say (if I don't have anything to say), or how to say it (if I do), I just need to select four photos that I've taken and slap them up here on my blog with as little or as much accompanying text as I feel is necessary or can be bothered with.  

 There doesn't need to be a theme, or anything that links the chosen photos, and they don't even have to be recent ones, but they do have to be photos I've taken.  (I'm considering family photos as well - just in case I happen to look at old photo albums and see something of interest.)

 

 This first set, you will see, does have a theme.  Well, the first three do, anyway.  Bees!

 Just over three weeks ago I was up at the allotment and noticed a rather loud buzzing.  Once I'd worked out where the noise was coming from, I saw the air over number 37 (next door but two to mine) was rather hazy.  Putting down my tools, I wandered over to investigate.

 

It's not readily noticeable in this photo, but the air was thick with honeybees - I didn't get any closer.

 

I don't know if they were coming or going.

 

You can't really make out the bees in front of the blackthorn blossom, but look at the sky between the branches and twigs.

: : :

 

Oblivious to the danger lurking under the swing, Bitey rolls around on the lawn.

(From 20th April)

: : :

 

 Should anyone else who is suffering from the 'blog uselessness' bug think that this 'Four Photos' treatment may help them, please feel free to use it.