Art Trek Catch-Up: Spinning Around*

 You know what we haven't had in a LONG while?

 Yes, my ham-fisted Star Trek fan art!

 I've just discovered that the last time I posted any  of my fan art was back in October 2020, so there's quite a bit of catching up to do.

⚜

From November/December's Star Trek Redux challenge:

Imagine there was no Star Trek as we all know and love. Imagine back in the 1960s someone approached you to design the look to this new show called: Star Trek. You are essentially given Matt Jefferies job. Now it does not have to be the 1960s Trek, in can be now. But no visual cues from all/any Trek can be used..(you know what I mean, the iconic stuff that makes things Trek)

This is as far as I got with it - a quick series of sketches and colour  swatches of a sari-inspired uniform with a left sleeve-mounted logo/mission patch based on the European Space Agency logo, and a name/department tag on the right breast.

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Suddenly it was April and: Big In Japan

Infomaniac Garden Photos Event 2021 Announcement

The House of

I N F O M A N I A C

Garden Photos Event 2021

is being held here again rather than at The Very Mistress's - or anyone else's (because no one volunteered) - remember?

~O~

 I hope you've all made a start with the preparations to your extensive grounds/modest plots/back yards/window boxes/house plants/trays of cress, and have been taking photos - and will continue to do so - ready for the event of the year in November?

 I certainly have, along with Jon and The Madam Arcati.  Even Ms Scarlet has got her derrière into gear with a showing of her Big Pink Bush™.

 Anyway, here are a few little snippets from Hexenhäusli Device's gardens this afternoon.

 On the right is the lovely, dandelion-like flower of hawkweed (last seen at Castle Device, here), and below, my Gin Time corner (well, if Madam A can have a Wine Time corner, surely I can have an equivalent?), complete with G&T, of course.  I sat here earlier listening to the birds and the ever present hum of the bees and flies in the trees above (of which there is also a photo - taken from my vantage point).

Life on the Embankment II

 Just over a year later, this is the sequel to the original Life on the Embankment.  The bee is not on the embankment - that is my (rather dry and rough-skinned) finger it's resting on.  I discovered it flailing around in the pond, so I fished it out and let it warm up and dry off on me as I sat in the sun on Thursday afternoon.

 Here are the embankment photos: The deer are from Tuesday evening, and the fox from early yesterday morning.

This is a muntjac deer - a young one, I believe

Here it is with its mum - either camera shy or they've found something extremely interesting amongst the nettles and Alexander.

An Ocean of Violets in Bloom

The almost finished  paysho from 16th April

 This is just a quick follow-on from my previous garden-related post.  Mainly because I haven't got anything else to publish, as all I've been doing lately is rebuilding the bloody paysho.

And going to the garden centre this morni-

 Which was a waste of time as they didn't have what I wanted.  And there were far too many people!

All wearing face masks and

keeping their distance.  Mostly...

The end of today's efforts having relaid the slabs

and cemented the pond-edge

 Anyway, that's enough from the SubC, let's get on with the post.

Rude!

 As you can see from the leading photo, my early Morning Glory has put forth its second flower.  Although, despite flowering very early in the season, this bloom didn't open until this afternoon (because I had it tucked away in the depths of the red greenhouse and only remembered to pop it on the shelf in the sun at lunch time).

Speaking of gardening...

 ... here's how mine is coming along:

 Above, the oft neglected front of Hexenhäusli Device looking quite colourful, for a change.  I put the daff bulbs in back in the autumn, and the skimmias that went in last spring are just starting to flower.  On the left is the most recent addition - a flowering cherry, which I planted last month (out of shot to the right is a hawthorn, yet to burst into leaf/flower).

 And below, preparations for a circular paysho and adjoining pond are not hindered by the snow (I mean, it's April, for Christ's sake!  We're not supposed to get snow in April!).

Of Reticulata and Rotas

 If it's good enough for Dinah and Ms Scarlet, it's good enough for me!  Yes, I'm back from an unintended mini-break from the blog.  Although, I haven't got much to say for myselves so, instead, I bring you the first small splashes of colour from the gardens of Hexenhäusli Device - just enough to drive off the doldrums until we get to Spring.

 Below, from the front of Hexenhäusli Device, we have the first daffodils 'Tete a tete' and species crocus 'Barr's Purple'.  And then, below them, just inside the gate to the rear grounds, a couple of cyclamen.

Breaking: Death on the Embankment!

 This just in: Killing and carnage in the immediate vicinity of Hexenhäusli Device!

Cloudy With a Chance of Snowballs

 Like much of the UK (except Devon, it seems), Hexenhäusli Device and its environs has become encumbered with a blanket of snow - the most we've had since the end of Feb/beginning of March 2018.  Unlike three years ago, I didn't have to struggle to get to work (not that I struggled very hard, it has to be said) thanks to working from home for some reason...

 Anyway, here are some photos (which are very similar to those 2018 ones):

The leading photo and the one above are from yesterday's lunchtime excursion

 

A wet, white flurry of mushy disappointment

 It snowed this morning.  A wet, white flurry of mushy disappointment.  It wasn't cold enough for it to be that nice crisp, dry snow that's good to walk in, so I stayed in and made paper globes to replace the Christmas/Winterval baubles on the cake stands in the kitchen.

The Birds

 A new day dawned and, as I was awake and it wasn't raining, I decided to go out on Broom to see the sun rise.  I hadn't taken Broom out for a spin in ages - Autumn and Winter are generally too windy, wet and cold - but as there was only the lightest of breezes and the likelihood of anyone seeing me several dozen metres up (because most people would be still in bed, or nursing hangovers from the night before) was slim, this was as good a time as any.

 After some persuading, a couple of choice swear words, and a good kick, I eventually managed to get Broom airborne.  Then, after only a modicum of cajoling, I enticed it back down so that I could get on!

 A rather wobbly ascent to clear the trees around Hexenhäusli Device, and a stomach-churning plummet over the edge of the cliff later, I managed to get Broom steadied just over the beach huts on the promenade.

Of Baubles and Blog Parties

 As I said to Mistress Maddie on Monday:

I don't have a tree (haven't in years), but I love all your baubles and such.  And you know what?  You have inspired me.  So much so that tomorrow I'm going to the garden centre next door to buy some of the baubles that I've coveted for the last two or three years.

I'm going to find a nice bowl or somesuch and display them with the pine cones that I collected last month.

 Well, I got some, and here is my first effort at displaying them.  This is The Mother's dresser (and the Christmas cake that she made), now complete with be-pineconed & baubled cake stands.

 The pine cones have been in the house for a week or so now, and only a couple of them have opened up.  I'm hoping that now they're subjected to the intense furnace-like temperatures The Father keeps the house, they'll open before the winter solstice.

A Flurry of Finches

 I'd just gone into the kitchen to make a coffee, when a flurry of activity on the bird table caught me eye: An invasion of goldfinches!

(Not to be confused with their North American counterpart)

 Amongst these red-masked, gold-winged little birds were a handful of their cousins: greenfinches and chaffinches (although these larger finches were seriously outnumbered).

Countering all the gold is a juvenile or female greenfinch

GPE #11 : IDV Brings Up The Rear

 Welcome to the eleventh and final garden of the

10th Anniversary  I N F O M A N I A C  Garden Photos Event

And the garden is mine!

 But before we get going, I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who sent in some sort of greenfingered or thumbed photos - you made this year's Garden Photos Event a success!  And thank you also to all those who stopped by to take a virtual wander through these globe-spanning gardens - and extra special thanks if you left a comment or two.  Finally, an especially big thank you to The Very Mistress, for without her there would not be a Garden Photos Event, and also for allowing me to be the first Infomaniac Bitch to host this prestigious event.

 Right.  That's the niceties out of the way, the gates to Hexenhäusli Device's garden are open!

🌸

We begin with the main garden and a selection of photos from spring and summer:

April: Other than the daffodils (and my big cock pheasant), there's not a lot going on

May: White tulips and the red greenhouse

July: Upon entering the garden from the gate, one is accosted by a dwarf buddleia that didn't get the memo about being a dwarf.

Lurkers

 The last couple of days have seen some unusual suspects lurking on the cusp of Hexenhäusli Device's sphere of influence.*  There have also been some entirely usual suspects but, before we get to them, the first of the unusual: a buzzard!

 

 Buzzards are a regular occurance around here, but they're usually found circling high above with only their tell-tale cry a giveaway that they're about.  They roost in some of the tall trees behind Hexenhäusli Device, but this one looks like it stopped for a rest in the sycamore tree overhanging the garden, which is very unusual.

 

Shrieking Pit Saturday

This was taken from the front of Hexenhäusli Device yesterday evening.
The sky looked like it was on fire!

 I'll just have a quick walk to get some fresh air and stretch my legs, I thought.

 Two and a half hours later - and with Camera's memory card full - I returned home...

 So, you should know what's coming next, then?
 Yes!  Reams of photos!

Here we have the views from the top of Tower Lane in Sidestrand (last seen here).
Above is the view west to Overstrand,
and below the view east along the coast to Trimingham.

There were also some cormorants on The-End-of-the-Line, as per...

Oh, Puffballs!

 It's a Thursday, which means that I went down to the thin sliver of beach (tide was very, very in) this morning and threw myself in the sea.  However, other than cormorants (and a seal) nothing much of note was going on down there, so today's post is a bit of a mish-mash of stuff from the last few days instead.
 First up: a couple of puffballs that have sprung (puffed?) up just up the road.  The Mother thinks they look like skulls...

::

Tunnel Forking

 Just over a month ago, dear Mago rather bluntly asked if I had ever penetrated a tunnel.  Once I'd gotten over the shock of such an indelicate question, I cast my mind back and did actually remember a foray into a rather overgrown and skewed underpass...

 On a day drift back in April 2016 I found myself at the easternmost of Overstrand's two remaining whole railway bridges (there are at least two more topless bridges further west).  I made some half-arsed comment about posting photos of this bridge at a later date, but never did.  Until now.  Aren't you lucky?!

Here we have the aforementioned overgrown bridge at OS grid ref TG 25300 40144 
(or thereabouts)

The bridge's lower portions as seen from the coast side (complete with graffiti)

And the upper portions in which one can make out the bridge's skewed nature

~o~

EDIT 07/06/2020 14:45 - The rain finally stopped, so I went for a quick drift up to the bridge.  Here it is, from North face around to the South face:

~o~

 Anyway, back to the present (or at least the very recent past) with some photos from my blog-absence.

Life on the Embankment (with Bonus Beach Scenes!)

In a "Where's Waldo?" type affair, can you spot the deer and three galliformes in this photo?

 We're revisiting the embankment behind Hexenhäusli Device as, since the last time it featured here, I managed to snap some of its visitors and passers through.
 Above and to the right, from 1st May, are embankment regulars: a muntjac deer, the big, bronze cock pheasant, and the pair of partridges (of the red-legged variety).

 From the 30th April (below) is a juvenile sparrowhawk that I just managed to snap as it took off from its perch.

Yikes!

Infomaniac Garden Photos Event Announcement

This is a public service announcement!

The House of

I N F O M A N I A C

has announced a change of venue for its

 

10th Anniversary Garden Photos Event

And that venue is right here on this very blog!

 To say that I am honoured and delighted would be an understatement.  That The Very Mistress chose me to be the host for this prestigious event-

Some choice.  No one else volunteered!

Shhhhhhhhhhh!  That's neither here nor there.

Yes, let him have his moment.

What?  Why are you agreeing?

 When you lot have quite finished?!  Now.  Where was I?
 Oh, yes: this prestigious event.  Um...  Line?

You were going to say something about how grateful you were that
The Very Mistress couldn't be bothered to get off her quince an-

 I most certainly was not! Don't listen him, Very Mistress!  He's been afternoon drinking.  Again...

So have you!

 Yes, but it affects you more because you're smaller.  Besides, I'm only on our second glass...

 Oh, for christ's sakes...  Let's have some Q&As and photos while those two bicker amongst themselves:

Some sort of clematis on the paysho*

What does this mean?  What's going on?  Where am I?