Not considering byzantine intercalation

 Aside from being somewhat cold and windy, it's been a good start to the year* here weatherwise. I hope all of you have enjoyed a good start to 2026 in some shape or form.

 

[Photo above from the promenade this morning, and those below are from the South Wing of Hexenhäusli Device a couple of hours or so ago.]

 

 

 

 * Starting the year just prior to the depths of winter seems pretty daft to me.  I must look into adopting a calendar which begins in March (but not the early Julian calendar with it's byzantine intercalation).

The Birthday with an Inconvenient Year at the Beginning

 Yes, it's the end of the year again.

 Not the end of this year again - I'm not sure who'd want to go through that again!

 No, I meant the end of another year in general.

 Well, perhaps just say what you mean next time.  It would save an awful lot of confusion.

 I'm sure no one was confused.  And aren't you just picking in an attempt to pad the word count out a bit?

 What do you mean?  Of course not!

 So the fact that you must have noticed neither of our SubConsciousnesses have left us a splendid end-of-year round up that we can embellish with our gracious presences doesn't have anything to do with this pointless bickering?

 Hmmph.  No.  Where are the little sods, anyway?

 Well, mine is at the gin.  I have no idea where yours has got to.  

 Double hmmph!  Right.  We'd better get on with what little we've got, then.

  

 First up: Happy Birthday Savvy!

 Yes, many happy returns!  Sorry you've had to go through this whole year to get to your birthday award.  At least there were holidays and garden photos and Freakin' Green Elf Shorts along the way.

 

 

[ crickets ]

 

 

 And finally: "Rain Down Love" by the Freemasons. 

 (This is the only thing the dratted SubCs had left us!)

Happy New Year to you all!

 Oh, and:

... of course.

 

"All the pretty girls and all the pretty boys are...

... Freaks"

 

 - Haute & Freddy

 

 

"Tectonic Plates" - Dubstar

 

 

"Thrill Of The Night" - Sébastien Tellier (feat. Slayyyter & Nile Rodgers)

 (Bits of this one remind me of Alcazar's "Tears of a Clone".  Kind of.)

 

 

"Mystical Magical" - Benson Boone

 (You can thank Mitzi for this one)

 

 

"Deeper Shade of Blue" (Steps 25 Revisited Mix) - Steps

 Yes, I'm still listening to this - and watching the video (Ahhh, Lee... 😍) 

 

 

"Love U More" - Sunscreem

 

 

 This has been a Tunes on Tuesday production.

  

 Oh, just in case anyone is expecting an end-of-year-round-up at the end of the year (Savvy's birthday allowing, of course), don't get your hopes up as I have been even more slack than last year (you'll hardly be surprised to hear).

 I think I heard some sighs of relief?

 Hmmm...

 

 

 P.S. Remember that the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Caption Competition is now on at Rimpy's, so get yourselves over there and leave a caption to be in with a chance of winning the FGES.  You know you want to! 

It's The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Caption Competition Time!

 Yes, after nearly two years in their nefarious clutches, Rimpy Rimpington, has managed to extricate himself and is holding the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Caption Competition!

 

 Here's a little tease of his photo: 

 

 For those not in the know or who may need a little reminder, the Freakin' Green Elf Shorts were inadvertantly conjured up by Queen of the Elves, Andrea Knapp back in 2004.  After affixing themselves to her husband, the 'Shorts got a taste for Blogger bottoms (and other body parts) - as well as the associated infamy - and struck out across the globe in search of unwilling undercarriages to cling to.

 

One of my favourite FGES photos by SID

 To ensure only the most worthy Blogger body parts got the chance to be caressed by the 'luxurious' green velour, Bloggers were tested to come up with an amusing caption for a photo of the then current host wearing them.  The author of the winning caption would then be sent the 'Shorts (how these things get through customs* is anyone's guess?) to don them and hold their own caption competition. 

 As to why anyone in their right mind would want to be violated by the detestable polyestables, the 'Shorts insidious mind control powers made otherwise rational minds turn to mush and crave the feeling of unwashed polyester against their nether regions, thereby perpetuating the 'Shorts bid for world domination!

 

 Uh, anyway, here's the latest version of The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Travel Map so you can see where in the world has been tainted by the 'Shorts (and, therefore, which places to avoid):

 

 For more details of The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts' terrifyingly long-lived reign of velour terror, please refer to the Definitive History of The Freakin Green Elf Shorts by the Official FGES Historian (retired), The Very Mistress, and The Continuing History of The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts by current Official FGES Historian and Commissioner of Clones, Rimpy Rimpington.

 

 Could you be the next unlucky victim host of the 'Shorts?  Get yourself over to Rimpy's and leave a caption to be in with a chance of joining the very select few wearers of

 

The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts!

 

 

 

* How many customs officers have worn - or been worn - by the 'Shorts, I wonder?

Children these days are high in cholesterol, anyway.

 

 Minus cooking a quivering slab of meat, this has been my weekend. Well, my Sunday afternoon, at least.  Bah!

 

(It took me a little while to find this ad as I thought Geoffrey Palmer said "I love children.  But I couldn't eat a whole one."  Still, his face at the end says it all.) 

What song did you last...

... have stuck in your head?

 

The Beautiful South : "A Little Time"

 

 I hadn't intended to do another of these 'What song...' posts* so soon, but as I was waking up this morning, "A Little Time" was running through my head so I trapped it for use later in the day - i.e now.

 

 I think it came from a dream I only have vague recollections of now?  In my dream I was getting ready to leave a big, many roomed house.  There were a few other people there but they were staying, or at least not coming with me.  I have a feeling that there was another big house close by - a neighbouring property - which I may or may not have seen once I got outside.  But it was at that point that I woke myself up properly because the song was already in my head.

 I don't know if it was playing in my dream, or whether someone said something which reminded me of the lyrics, but however it was conjured up, it's here now.

 

 At the risk of having it stuck in there again (or maybe it's still there?), what song was your last earworm? 

 

 

* A little like the '4 Photos' posts, I thought I could do 'What song...'s once in a while to break up the barren expanses of NotBlogging that occasionally sometimes often occur here these days.

 We'll see how that turns out, hmm?

 

 

* * *

 

 In other far more exciting news, The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts Caption Competition is now on at Rimpy's!   Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!11!!!1!!

What song did you last...

... dance to?

Deee-Lite : "Groove Is In The Heart"

 I'd finished my swim, had a shower, and was partially dressed in the changing cubicle this morning when the first song accompanying the ladies-of-a-certain-age doing aquarobics came on: "Groove Is In The Heart" 

 

 I was a bit glum because I'd had to finish my swim earlier than anticipated to make way for the aquarobics class (which had been brought forward from Friday because the pool is being closed for two weeks for maintenance), and My Lifeguard wasn't there which means I won't see him for at least two weeks (because of that dratted but probably essential maintenance).  However, Deee-Lite soon cheered me up and before I knew it, I was Lady Miss Kier in the cubicle!

 

 What song did you last dance to? 

GPE 2025 : The Finale

* C R A C K *

 

 Drat it!  Who stood on that twig and startled my woodsman?  Now I'll have to leave him be for a while before I can sneak up again and snatch that horrid flannel shirt away.  Bah!

 Well, seeing as you're all here, we might as well get on with the closing ceremony.

 

 Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's Event.  Whether you shared your garden photos, visited and left comments, or just wandered around gazing at the various botanical specimens on show (and avoiding the triffids - unless you didn't, in which case, thanks for acting as fertiliser!).

The gardens and greenery were full of gorgeousness once again and, as always, served as inspiration for next year.

 Here's what we got up to:

 

Programme of Events

 

The  I N F O M A N I A C  GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT 2O25

 began on Hallowe'en with the now traditional TERRIFYING TRIFFIDERY!

 

 

1st November

The  I N F O M A N I A C  GARDEN PHOTOS EVENT

opening ceremony

 

 

GPE #11 : IDV's Year of the Greengage

I N E X P L I C A B L E

D E V I C E

 

 Yes, it's finally my turn!

 I'm sure you mean our turn, hmm?  After all, whose hands and body - not to mention knowledge and bank account - is used to maintain our garden?  If it was left to you, the Hexenhäusli Device gardens would be a prickly, poisonous wilderness of brambles, apple trees, hemlock, and foxgloves!

 It would save having to go out on the increasingly unsafe Broom to gather ingredients.  Besides, you like those plants.

 Yes, but not just those plants as a garden!

 Oh, fine.  You can get on with the captioning and the like as you're the "expert"!

 I will, then!

Oh, good.  This is turning out well, as usual.

Wake me up when it's all over.

 

 Right.  Now that Witchface and the dratted SubCs have shut up, I'll continue.

 You may have noticed that we've been decidedly absent from the blog this year, which means that there were rather fewer garden updates than usual.  A consequence of that is a glut of garden and allotment photos that are all being dumped here because they haven't yet seen the light of day.  I've tried to include mainly plants that haven't featured in the previous couple of years, and I've smushed some together to make sure this post didn't wear out your scrolling fingers.

 

It may be rather dull and overlooked usually, but when in flower (such as here in early May), I think laurel is quite lovely.

GPE #10 : Melanie's "Unofficial Official Animals in the Garden" Event

M E L A N I E

 

I think you really like the Owl in Flight picture the most from the Raptor show?

[I do! - IDV]

I've attached it here, but if you prefer another one feel free to take it from the Wordpress post for this event as part of the "Unofficial Official Animals in the Garden" portion.  I do get a lot of owls here at Fernmire.  One of the Douglas Fir trees in particular is a popular spot for them to cough up the fur and bones of their diminutive prey.

 

 

I grew these!  I grew these!  My first time growing actual fancy flowers, flowers that required full sun! Gladiolus Spp. (because there's always more than one variety of plants) 

If its not too late, you could also throw this in for the Terrible Triffids, though I know Halloween is tomorrow.

[Funnily enough - and you couldn't have known at the time - Gladioli served as the Terrifying Triffidery poster plant anyway. - IDV]

GPE #9 : Mitzi's "Fifty Shades Of Green"*

M I T Z I

 

 Please find attached my garden pics, not many this year as I'm moving and have lost interest with it, you should see the weeds in my border. I even caught the woman next door spraying weed killer in my nooks and crevices see pic.

 

I've been pulling the above plant up in their droves for years, however it's the first time I've let it flower and I quite like it, my plant identification app told me its a Japanese anemone, but I beg to differ so this one is for Jon or you to identify.

 [Well, I do agree with your plant ID app.  I think it's a Japanese anemone, too.  Jon? - IDV]

GPE #8 : Mago's "terrifying tryffidrie"

M A G O

 

 Finally a few pictures for the Garden Photo Event, much too early, sorry.*

 

 It is Plant A (I still call her so, despite the fact that it is not the original "plant A" of some years ago) - Plant A, I say, in total, from below, and an apple.

 Sorry, no terrifying tryffidrie.

[That's what you thought! - IDV]

 

Plant A total