Your Number's Up

 I keep looking at the shelf of mostly alphabetically ordered (by artist) CD singles I've accumulated over the years (above*) and thinking that I should play some of them, or at least save them onto a memory stick/card/whatever, but I just can't be bothered.  Besides, I can barely make out the artist/song on the spine of most of the brittle plastic cases and it's quite difficult to wheedle them out as they're packed in quite tightly**, so I might end up pulling out a single that I have no interest in any more (because I'm sure my tastes have changed over the years).

 I thought about randomly selecting a few to listen to, but knew the selection wouldn't be random as if I didn't like one I'd just pick another instead, so that's where you and your number picking came in. 

 

* Before you start counting and/or clicking to embiggen, the photo above doesn't show all my CD singles.  Goldfrapp's and Erasure's are with their respective albums on the shelves above, and there are two or three others languishing on other shelves that I can't squeeze back in this one (but they have been counted).

** Remember this.  It will be important once you've listened to/read the final pick. 

 

Anyway, here the results of your efforts: 

 

#73 Ms Scarlet : Pepe Deluxé - "Before You Leave"

"Before You Leave" - by Finnish band Pepe Deluxé - was released in 2001 and got to number 20 in the UK charts (but #10 in its native Finland).  I still really like this track but haven't listened to it, never mind heard it, in years.  I don't have any more singles or albums by Pepe Deluxé (who last released an album in 2024), so they're a one-hit wonder for me.

Pick A Number

 As Peenee laments in his latest - anniversary - post (happy 19th blog birthday, mrpeenee!),

"There are times when I sit down to write my latest hilarious blog and I discover I have absolutely no idea about what to write."

 The same is very often true here, so I just slap up a few photos that I've taken recently and call it a day.  But not today.

 Today we're going to play a game.

Well, we've thought of a game to play but whether any of you join in is another matter.

I'm sure they will.

 Anyway, it's very simple, there's no strenuous activity, and you don't really have to use your brain.

And we'll get two blog posts out of it!

"What about prizes?" I hear you ask.  Well, there are none because this game doesn't have a winner or loser (except, possibly, the Host's dignity).  Instead, the second results post is the 'prize'.

 Plus, if you like it, you can play the game on your blogs too.  It'll be different for everyone, so there'll be no boring repetition - well, it's very unlikely that there will be.

 

 Right.  Are you intrigued?  Or at least a little curious?  Or bored enough to take part in whatever the hells this is?  Good.  Then we'll begin: 

 

 All you have to do is pick a number between 1 and 108 and leave it in the comments.  In a couple of days time, I will return with the consequences of your chosen numbers.

 

☙❧

 

 Just in case anyone feels this is all too unfamiliar, discomforting, and too much to take in, I'll just slap up some photos I took from Thursday's visit to the Old Vicarage Gardens in East Ruston (last seen back in 2025, although I have been several times this year):

 

Inside the Diamond Jubilee walled garden

"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] 

"You can blame it on a tangerine dream"

Up at Allotment Device the bees are loving the comfrey.  [click to embiggen]

In the extensive gardens here at Hexenhäusli Device, the lawn has been mowed, a multitude of potting on and repotting has been done (although there is still more to do), I've picked yet more duckweed out of the pond lake, and the echiums, clematis, geums, marigolds, and azaleas are in bloom.  I've even managed to have a sit down in The Gardener's Retreat wth a G&T!  

To add to the uplifting mood, I'm counting down to the end of a particularly gruelling blogging week - and tomorrow Jon (& Madam A) should be back from his much-needed holiday leaving my work as his ill thought through, last minute stand-in, done!

 

Let's have something suitably gin-addled and sparkly to get the celebrations going, shall we - and who could be more appropriate than Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore of Empire of the Sun?!

[For more Empire of the Sun, please click here]

 

Have a great weekend, dear reader!  We intend to.

 

---

Note: Post wording and layout liberally yoinked from Jon's most recent Friday post.

Of Tiny Treehouses, Triffid Trees, Sparkling Seas, Bluebells & Biteys, and a German vs Sun Loungers

It's another snippets post, dear reader (but this one's almost all about me!):

• 
  At the end of April, I finally got around to making this Forest Cottage, a Tiny Treehouse kit that Inexcuseable got me for my birthday.  It was one of the more fiddly kits and took me several hours - on and off - to complete.  Well, I say complete, I have one piece left over - I just hope it isn't structural!

• 
  This is my favourite tree in Norwich - or at least the bits of Norwich I walk through on my way to work.  However, I don't know what type of tree it is, so perhaps one of you, dear readers, can enlighten me?

• 
  My giant vipers buglosses (Echiums) started to flower on the last day of April - you should be able to make out a couple of the pale purple/blue flower buds in the close-up.  There are loads of flowers on them now - I'll be posting more photos soon.

• 
  Saturday morning's walk with Bitey found us walking along the promenade and over the base of the cliff (because the tide was right in) to the east beach.  Or the narrow strip between the revetments and cliffs.  I tried to get Bitey to strike some poses on the steps over the revetment, and eventually (after looking at me like I was losing my mind), he managed one. 

• 
  Bluebells blooming in The Gardener's Retreat behind the garage.

• 
  Oh, Bitey. What have you got?

Don't worry, this is not Raspberry.  It is Raspberry's 'friend' though.  He died quickly.

 

• And finally: Although Mr Mago is currently on holiday, I don't think this German tourist is him.  He doesn't strike me as one for sun loungers, anyway.

 

 And the weather?  Blue skies abound!  For now, anyway...

"We're gonna sing it, anyway"

 Sharing the day with another panoply of names including Karl Marx, Sylvia Pankhurst, Lance Henriksen, Tammy Wynette, Marc Alaimo, Michael Palin, John Rhys-Davies, Richard E. Grant, Simon Rimmer, Dieter Brummer, Santiago Cabrera, Craig David, Henry Cavill, Adele and - erm - Maggie MacNeal...

 

 ... it's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' "birthday" today.  "Oh, gods..." I hear you sigh...

 

 Strange New Worlds is the eleventh Star Trek spin-off series and a prequel to the original 1960s series.  It stars Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike (the USS Enterprise's second captain and the first to be filmed in the original pilot "The Cage"), Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley (Number One), and Ethan Peck as Spock.

 Amongst the many themed episodes is "Subspace Rhapsody", a musical from season two, and here is the finale "We Are One":

 

 (If you think this is weird, season four - out this summer - has a Muppet episode!) 

"Maybe I’ll be able to get these cloven hoofs in Louboutins again"

THE Devil is flattered you imagine he can still afford designer clothing in this economy, but says you are sadly mistaken. 

 

The decline of Hell as a major financial power means the original Prince of Darkness no longer sports an expensive wardrobe, mostly turning to Primark or H&M for his essentials.

 

He sighed: “You have to remember, the last film came out in 2006, pre-credit crunch. I was no sooner getting my infernal paycheck than I was blowing it all on Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The film’s title was entirely accurate.

 

“But two decades of economic turmoil later on? After austerity, Brexit, Trump, bloody Covid? My days of swinging by Alexander McQueen are long gone. It’s all I can do to keep myself shod.

 

“We’re all tightening our belts, even in the abyss. I’ve had to take a pay cut to keep the demonic horde happy. I can’t be swanning into meetings in box-fresh Balenciaga. It’s Matalan, Shoe Zone and Sports Direct, which has multiple branches down here.

 

 “But the upcoming death toll we’re forecasting for humanity’s Q4 will really boost our turnover and I’m hoping to attract the big names to set up down here. Then maybe I’ll be able to get these cloven hoofs in Louboutins again.

 

“For now? I’m in Primark underpants. Honestly, I’ve had thicker and more durable loo roll.”

 

The Daily Mash

 

Of course. 

"I wanna do things but don't know where to start"

 

 Another weekend over, just like that!  [ s n a p s   f i n g e r s   i n e f f e c t u a l l y ]

 

 Except...  It's Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK, so work can wait another day!  However, it's a bit of a grim start weatherwise - cool, misty, and overcast (we might get some sunshine this evening) - so there won't be much going on in the garden.  Fortunately there are plenty of indoor jobs to do. 

 Or, at least, a new book to flick through (The Art of Star Trek Lower Decks) and a Tiny Treehouse to make.

 

 Anyway, I think it's supposed to be a Tacky Music Monday at Jon's, but I just can't think of anything suitable.  So instead I've taken a leaf out of Mago's book - or blog - and gone with something more akin to what might be found in his regular Sunday Music (on Monday) posts instead.  (Well, there's some sort of stringed instrument being strummed so it's close enough.)

 Have a good week, dear reader.

Where The Hells is the Holiday Rota?!?

The blogging holiday rota - last seen here.

 

 Who let Jon go on holiday without sorting out the blogging rota first??  Mago and Maddie too, for that matter.  In fact, where is the rota?  Did it get updated?  Who's down for today? 

 

[ s i l e n c e ] 

 

 Is it me?  It's me, isn't it.  Drat.

 

 Hang on a mo...

 

[ s o u n d s   o f   p a n i c k e d   b l o g   c o p y i n g ]

 

 Ahem.   We had hazy sunshine all day, but that didn't stop us getting out there to complete a few more tasks in the extensive gardens allotment here at Dolores Delargo Towers in the vicinity of Hexenhäusli Device - mainly weeding and strimming the grass paths.  Oh, and making sure Bitey didn't bite the strimmer or dig too deep a hole...

  

EDIT 06:46 04/05/2026: Meanwhile... The bastard gnomes at Google/Blogger are still playing silly buggers. I published this post at around half past five yesterday. It remains in Limbo, as far as the Blogger Reading List is concerned as it's not showing up on any of your Sideboards.

 

WTF leads these creatures to think that this sort of delay is acceptable is beyond me! Yet another blogging annoyance... Sigh.

 

 Never mind, eh?  Here's something soothing from perennial House faves, Robbie Williams and the Pet Shop Boys singing about another House fave, Our Glorious Leader, to ease our troubled souls...

 

 Ah, that's better...

---

STOP PRESS:

I don't know when - or even if - you will actually see this, dear reader, what with the Google Blogger feed delays.  However, please note that there will be daily posts here until Jon returns (all being well, of course).  I hate the Google gnomes.

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.) 

Frock or Smock?

  I'm not sure what to make of this ghastly print t-shirt dress or whatever it is?  Mitzi, have you seen the like on your forays oop North?

Can It Be?

 

Well, this is now the second day of sunshine with another due tomorrow, so maybe?

 

5 out of 10 households prefer Godzilla Lois

 Having been threatened with the 10 Day Blogging Challenge thingummydoodah, I did briefly think about it but quickly realised that I'd never keep it up, so to speak, and you'd all be (un)lucky if I managed even half that.  Which sparked something in my brain to remember the last half of 5 out of 10 households prefer Kormorant & Tetris.  Which led me to look at the most recent ten videos in my YouTube history.  Which led to this post.  Enjoy!  Or not.

 

 Godzilla Lois

 I love Malcolm in the Middle - it's so clever and has great characters - and this clip is one of my favourites.  I use Dewey's "Seize him!" frequently to this day (mainly when encouraging Bitey to see which of the nieces or nephew have invited themselves in). 

Thoughts for the Day

 Spotted in the same charity shop as last month's Invisible Dick.  What do you think?  Pornography or art?  (Not Chester Brown's take on Mary's foot fetish...)

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]

Elephant!

 Hawk moth, that is.  Well, in caterpillar form, anyway:

 

 I whined over at Ms Nations' place not so long ago that I hadn't seen an elephant hawk moth caterpillar in years.  However, while on my way back from the allotment earlier, what should be crossing the track but this enormous thing - it was as big as my finger!

 

 [I was going to put up a Garden Photos Event reminder today, but time has escaped me, so I'll do one next week instead)]

"The black snot thing ends immediately north of EN6"

 Oh, shit!  Is it my go?  

 Yes!

 Where's the rota?  Is it really my go?  I'm not ready!

 Oh, for fu-  Here, do one of Jon's laziest most efficient-type posts:

Nine common problems that can be solved by moving the f**k out of London

CAN’T afford a house? Can’t afford a meal out? Travelling six miles takes two hours and costs you £40? Have you considered getting the f**k out of London?

No affordable rents: With the capital full of other young professional housemates stealing your shampoo, have you considered living outside it? In provincial towns like Chorley and Sleaford where rent is low? They’ve got electricity and tapas, allegedly. 

No nightlife options: Restaurants and nightclubs in London are famous and famously expensive. Restaurants and nightclubs in the rest of the country are less so, and often called things like The Wheatsheaf Grill or Zanzibar’s, but you can go to them.

No affordable transport: A system of underground trains in a major city is expensive. Getting the bus in Barnsley is not. Riding a bike in Wrexham is practically free. And have you considered walking to work in Warrington? It can be done, crazy as it sounds.

Overcrowding: It’s impossible to find a patch of London park not commandeered by boot camp fitness twats, rowdy bored-shitless teenagers or mums playing ‘here we go round the Mulberry bag’ for a two-year-old’s party. Could it possibly be because there’s too f**king many of you in the same place?

No time to see friends: Lengthy commutes, long working hours and spiralling service costs mean that even in the same city, you only see friends on Zoom. Are you getting it yet? That the city is a nightmare and you could just piss off somewhere nicer?

Gentrification: Be the gentrifier. Take your fancy arsehole graduate job and go and gentrify Ashton-under-Lyne. All it actually means is buying a cheap house and making the area more pleasant. Is that so evil, or are your values horrendously warped?

Pollution: You know the black snot thing ends immediately north of EN6, don’t you? You sneer when your provincial friends come down and complain about it? Then what’s stopping you moving to Staffordshire? Fear of big cats?

I’ll never get on the property ladder: No, you f**king won’t. Nor will you ever buy in Manhattan, Tokyo or Sandbanks, so have you considered living somewhere you can afford like normal people do?

I can’t talk about anything but living in London: This one is absolutely solved after six months in Stafford after which you will, finally, get over yourself. Unless you move to Cornwall or the Cotswolds. It’s still the sole topic of conversation with the refugees there.

 

The Daily Mash 

Of course.

Not More Hats of Dame Barbara Cartland?!?

 Would you excuse me, please.  I'm just navigating from one disaster to another.  Having finally got to grips with The Great Comment Catastrophe, I now find myself without a suitable hat for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.  I've already missed nearly two days of it because Liz threatened to revoke my Royal Garden Party invitation if I didn't attend at least one day out the four suitably attired.

 I've resorted to trawling through Dame Barbara Cartland's photo album* looking for inspiration because I couldn't find a thing I liked in her Collectors' Edition brochure...

You'll probably need to click then right-click and open in a new window to see this properly

 I quite like her witch's hat, but that's probably because it's very similar to my day-to-day wear.  However, I think I'm going to go for the swimming cap (although I may dispense with one of the masts and its array of sails). 

 Now I just need to get measured up.  Does anyone know if the Infomaniac House of Beauty is open today?

 

* More of the Pink Dame's photo album can be found here.

Damselflies Doing It!

 Aaaaarrrrgh!  I'm having the devil of a time trying to comment both here and on any other Blogger blog.  Blogger tells me I'm either not signed in (clearly I am as I've managed to post this!), or 'There has been an error.  Please try later."  Oh, shit off!

 I wonder if this is the same problem that Melanie was having last month?

 Wordpress blogs don't seem to be affected though, as I've just commented successfully at Ms Scarlet's...

 As I can't be arsed to deal with this nonsense right now (too hot!), here are some photos from my earlier escapades around the pond:

Common Blue Damselfly (Enellagma Cyathigerum) on a Primula leaf

Damselflies Doing It!!!  And right in front of me too...

If you don't sort yourself out, Google/Blogger, this could be you...

::

EDIT: 23.05.2022 19:09 - I thought it Blogger had sorted itself out, but after four comments, I got the dreaded "Failed to publish comment.  Please try again later" message.  [sad face]

 I'm not ignoring you, I promise!

EDIT: 23.05.2022 19:14 - It worked once more then decided that was enough.  Grrrrrrr....