Eclipsing the Foo-Foo Valve

 It was a bit of a damp squib here on the eastiest part of the country (I'm sure Ms Scarlet had a much better view over there in the west), but here are some photos of yesterday evening's partial eclipse which followed me & Bitey on our walk and spent some time sniffing around his foo-foo valve* 

 

As we walked up Madams Lane, the eclipse made it's way across the field parallel to us.  The landowner has put up 'Private Land - No public right of way' signs, but they obviously don't apply to celestial phenomena.

 

 

At the base of Skylark Hill the eclipse, having made its way over the trees, descends towards Bitey.

An Evening Out

 I toddled off to Cromer for an evening out with a few friends last night.  It's not really post-worthy as nothing much happened, but I did get a few nice sunset snaps from the pier where we had our first couple of drinks.

 

A Barrage of Spume

"Taken unawares from behind, absolutely covered from head to toe with a deluge, nay, barrage of thick, salty spume!"

 

 I started this post on Sunday after returning from the beach narrow strip of stones at the foot of the cliff with Bitey but, what with one thing and another, never finished it.  I can't remember where I was going with it, so I'll just publish it now pretty much as is.

 

 This is what greeted us as we approached the promenade having finished our walk.  When we got down the cliff earlier in the morning, I thought the tide was as high as it was going to get.  I was wrong.

 

 Yes, of course we got wet attempting to get across the slippery clay to the prom. 

 

♪♫♬♩

 

 Here's some of the music I listened to while drying off:

Jessie Ware - Sauna (Extended Version)

Snow Patrol & Kylie - These Alarms

Robin - Always

Sweet July

 Well, a new normal has established itself here in Hexenhäusli Device so I thought I'd pop in during a moment of respite and share some new and old music, some snippets from the garden, and a photo from this morning's Bitey walk:

 

I wonder why Take That decided to release "Sweet July" now...?

 

As there's no video for Sweet July yet, here's one of my very favourite TT releases

(first seen at Jon's back in April)

 

 

The YouTube algorithm prominently displayed Richard X's Burning Flame remix of Bananarama's "Venus" for me the other day.

 

I prefer Bananarama's original, though

(which wasn't the original - that being a 1969 release by Shocking Blue)

 

 

 Right.  On to the garden photos.

It's all a bit pants, really

The Grand and Circular Payshos of Hexenhäusli Device on Friday.  But wait - what's that on the table?

 

 

 It must be the time of year, Mitzi.  Not only did I find my nephew's pants on the paysho table on Friday, but on this morning's walk with Bitey another two pairs of pants made themselves known:

 

This pair on the High Street looked like they belonged to another child.

 

Whereas this pair dropped on the old railway line between Cromer and Overstrand were adult sized.  Overstrand is obviously up there with Chester, Jon.

 

 

 In other news: Bitey managed a whole walk without killing anything.  Although he did find this dead muntjac on the beach - handily already half buried!

 

Sounds of the Sea (and Swearing)

 

 "Please make more audios of the sea!!!" Ms Scarlet instructed in no uncertain terms.

 Your wish is my command! (I'm sorry about the birdsong.  I know you didn't request it, so I hope it doesn't detract from the sounds of the waves lapping gently at the shore.)

 

7:37 am, Overstrand beach.  Yes, that's Bitey having a paddle.

More First Flowers but the same Twatted Bee

My recent bearded iris purchase, "Black Tie Affair", put forth its first bloom on Wednesday.

 Every day this past week I've been going up to the allotment with Bitey.  Not to do any allotmenteering, but to check when the first foxglove flowered.  Tuesday was First Flowering Day, but not from the foxglove I thought it was going to be.  Before I get to that, here's a video from Wednesday's wander up there: 

 

This barn owl treated me to a flyby at about five-to-eight.  Bitey didn't seem interested, but I was thrilled to see it - and have time to whip my phone out and take this video!

"We're running out of clouds, staring at blue again"

 These photos might be from Saturday, but despite the imminent Bank Holiday weekend here in Blighty, the weather is set for more of the same (with the possible exception of this Saturday).  And with the added extra of warmth, if not actual heat!  Strange Things Happen:

 

 Thank you Alison Goldfrapp, for "We're running out of clouds, staring at blue again".  It's as if she knew. 

 And speaking of strange things happening: 

News From Norfolk: 

 

This is not just any animal rescue, this is an M&S animal rescue

 

Hillside Animal Sanctuary was called out to Marks & Spencer on Rampant Horse Street in Norwich after staff found a muntjac stuck within the glass barrier of a ground-floor escalator. 

 

[The whole story] 

Anyway, back to me

 Yes, it's back to the normal content and sporadic posting now that I've finished my self-inflicted stand-in daily blogging for Jon (who should be back off his sunny, Spanish holiday today).  I didn't have plans to post anything this soon, but an impromptu walk with Bitey yesterday evening left me with a load of photos to do something with (and a couple from the prom this morning, above), so here they are.

 

 On the right, my bearded irises are about to burst into flower.  Below, a tantalising glimpse of cherries to come up at the allotment.  They will all be devoured by Beaky and his gluttonous family before I get a look in, of course.

Wot I Did On My Birthday, by IDV (aged 44 & fourteen halfs*)

 Well, yes, I did go for a walk as the photos above attest, but the evening before, I actually went out.  With actual people (four friends).  To a bar (for cocktails)!  Yes, I know.

 

 Anyway, we went to Shoreline in Cromer because I didn't fancy spending all night standing in a noisy, packed pub getting hot and bothered (and not in a good way) and not hearing what anyone was saying.  I had three cocktails - a Cromer colada (basically a piña colada with apricot rum or schnapps or something), a Garden sour (a Spring special made with rhubarb gin, lemon juice and syrup), and an Ameretto sour - and didn't have to open my purse once because my lovely, generous friends bought them!

 Shoreline doesn't seem to have a website but they are on IG and FB (I'm not linking to them as I don't approve of the whole Meta thing, but if you're curious you can find them under shorelinecromer).

 

I neglected to take photos of the place or the cocktails, so I nabbed these from the web.  It was not raining or wet when we went.

  Right.  That's Saturday night out of the way.  Here are the rest of the photos from Sunday morning's birthday walk with Bitey. 

Of sunshine and hideous, snap-jawed sea creatures

 We've actually had rather a nice weekend, weatherwise: sunshine, balmy temperatures when the wind wasn't blowing, and when it was, it was coming form the south which meant that at least it wasn't frigid as per.

 As well as spending time up the allotment and in the garden, I also took Bitey down to the beach for his now traditional Sunday morning walk (we meet up with one of my friends who has a black lab who Bitey is always very excited to see, and vice versa).

 

 Anyway, here are some photos from that very walk: 

 

 

It is snowing

 

 That is all.

 

Vos Grace*

 It's been a lovely sunny - if a bit cold - day here, so this morning I took Bitey down to the beach for a walk.  We came down the cliff just before the east slope and slipway and made our way west. 

 (That's Trimingham sticking out into the sea on the horizon in the photo above; and the view north-northwest from halfway down the cliff, below.)

 

No Snowdrops Were Harmed in the Making of This Post

 Just in case anyone was wondering, hibernation-mode (i.e. eating lots of chocolate while slumped in front of the telly) had set in this month (along with some ill-timed visits and events), and somethings had to give - one of which was blogging.  However, I do have a few photos from various to-ings and fro-ings in the last three weeks, so I've managed to slap together this post to show a little of what we've been up to.

 

Saturday the 3rd: We had a little snow.

 

 Thursday the 8th: On the way back from delivering a friend's birthday card, I noticed this pine tree with a twisted trunk.

 

 Sunday the 11th: I found this little number, "Dance The Pain Away" by Haute & Freddy, and was going to post it but must have been short on time or got distracted.

Jon has since featured it at his place.

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).

Not The Infomaniac Garden Photos Event

 Yes, that's right, this is NOT the Infomaniac Garden Photos Event.  Because, as you all know, the GPE doesn't begin until the end of this month - Hallowe'en, in fact.

 It is, however, a reminder to most of you - and a wake-up call to one or two - that I'll need your garden photos by Wednesday 29th October if you'd like to take part.  Your Terrifying Triffidery photo/s MUST be submitted by the 29th so that I have time to put them together for the Hallowe'en post.  I may allow a little leeway for the main event photos because I'm a soft touch - BUT NOT TOO MUCH!

 More on that at the end of this post, but for now, here are some photos from Thursday's visit to the Old Vicarage Gardens at East Ruston: 

(In the vicinity of the) Winter Garden #1

 

(In the vicinity of the) Winter Garden #2

Saturday Sunrise: No Cormorants Edition

 I don't think we've published any sunrise photos since December 2023?  Oh, no, wait.  There were some a few days later at the beginning of January 2024. 

 Anyway, as I woke up early this morning- 

 Although, not very early.  It was about ten past six.

 That's still quite early.  Maybe not as early as Ms Scarlet, but much earlier than Jon, I suspect.  Anyway, I was up early and the sky was relatively clear-

 Unlike now - overcast and dull.

 Anyway... I decided to pop down to the seafront to get some photos of the sunrise without Witchface or Bitey (who wished to remain in bed).  

 And, aside from the one on the right, here they are almost in order of appearance:

 

#1 Too early even for the sun.

Bitey on the Beach

  I'm on holiday this week.  I made some plans - something to do every day so as not to waste the time - and thought I'd have plenty of time for catching up with your blogs and updating my own.  The universe had other plans, however...

 

  Still, I managed to go to the Old Vicarage Gardens in East Ruston on Saturday, window shopping in Norwich on Monday morning, a long walk & paddle on the beach with Bitey on Tuesday, back down to the beach for a swim (which turned out to be a very deep paddle - more on that later) then gardening and allotmenteering yesterday, and here we are on Thursday already!  I've been swimming (in a heated pool) and done some tidying up in the garden and then came indoors because the forecast is for rain.  

 

  It is not raining.  Rather than put my shoes and socks back on to go back outside, I thought I'd use this opportunity to do some blogging.  So, here are some of the photos from Tuesday's foray down to the beach:

 

Approaching the End-of-the-Line

 

The End-of-the-Line

Four Photos: Nearly a month out of date

This year I actually made something out of the sour, pointless red currants from the allotment: fruit leather.

It's horrible.  It gets stuck to ones teeth and no one likes it.  I only made it because Vom Smallhausen and Count Podgkinson foolishly picked some currants after I'd taken them up the allotment (fruit leather was the least complicated recipe I could find that used the most red currants).  The red currant bush is getting dug up this winter!

 

View up Northrepps Road

 

Parasol mushroom

 

Escaping the heat - and Bitey - was this toad.

 

 

 

P. S. Apologies for my absence, I have been busy with summer and taking photos for the Grand Gardening Competition in October, or sooner??

 

  Oh, no, wait.  That wasn't me.  That was Ms Scarlet.

  While I have been busy with summer and taking photos for the Grand Gardening Competi-  I mean, Garden Photos Event, I have also been sorting out the garden & allotment, engaged in a few social activities (pah!), exhausted myselves trying to eke out some sort of service from a couple of companies so-called "customer service" departments/teams, and have been lumbered with nieces and nephew far more often that I would have liked!

 (Except for the toad, these photos are from 2nd August and I started this post on the 8th!) 

 

  Also, Ms Scarlet had locked me in her attic without food nor a bath mat - but that's a story for another time... 

Four Photos: Wishful Thinking?

A hummingbird hawk moth drinking from one of the buddleias in the Hexenhäusli Device gardens this afternoon.

 

Oh my gods!!!  They're almost holding hands!  They're going to do It*!!!!!!

(Two of my three favourite** lowest of the Lower Deckers - Fin*** the super-hot, pretty boy human med tech and Charlie**** the adorable Andorian engineer - from the first episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, "Twovix".  I took this photo back in April as I couldn't take a screen shot and couldn't find one online [I have found one since then, though] - I wanted it for research purposes, the end result of which will probably be posted here at some point.)

 

Bitey on the beach on Wednesday evening.

 

Someone in this house had this for tea on Wednesday - and it certainly wasn't me!

 

 

* According to First Officer Jack Ransom (in "Parth Ferengi's Heart Place"), the Cerritos is the "horniest ship in the fleet" (and doesn't have any married couples on board).

** The third is Buddy the Vulcan, as featured here with the other two.

*** He's not named in the show as he's just a non-speaking background character, but he looks remarkably like my backup lifeguard at the pool I swim in, so I've given him the same name.

**** Again, unnamed in the show, but someone has named him Charlie.  I'm going with it for now as I haven't thought of anything better.