My good blog-pal Milly is in need of a badge to piss off the idiots...

...so I thought I'd make her one!

(no bums were harmed in the making of this badge)

Hello bloggers, it's that time of the year when your old pal Usky is after a little favour...

Those nice people at Panasonic ave been very kind to me in the past and I'd like to continue the relationship. In order for that to happen I need to get some votes on Panasonic's MyPlace web... so I'm asking you to register for an account (if you don't already have one) and vote for my new image

Clicking the box above will allow you to vote for my

Medieval Rocket Ship

Thanking you all in advance

Here's a little something to get the old grey matter working this dull, grey, miserable Bank Holiday Monday... for those of you with nothing better to do of course.

Identify this, if you can, and tell me where it is:

What's that you say? A clue? Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes... let it be known the Honourable Lloyd George was a great one for speaking.

And here's a little something to listen to while you think...

No, honestly... it isn't a medieval rocket ship...

I posted a composite image last night, a collage of tomato plant photos... Happy asked if I'd post the original images, so here they are.

Now all you have to do is work out which bit went where

Last Thursay, Jack Frost suggested I have a go at producing a collage image... well you know, I hate to pass up such an easy challenge so I decided to make it a little harder on myself and produce a collage from close-up and macro images... and here's the result.

Uksy's Tomato Plant
So, here's the thing... I've hidden some of the joins between images and I want you to tell me how many separate images make up this collage

Answers on a postcard please... or by comment at least

Edit:

Congratulations NotBob... 8 images it is

4:42am, Friday 28^th August, Solent
I'm tired and I'm hungry... and I'm not sure in what order!

Anyway having posted my Little Something for the Weekend and caught up with the odd blog I'm off in search of food, drink and a lazy afternoon... wonder if I'll manage to stay awake for the Challenge Cup Final?

My eyes look sort of mosaicked this morning... like maps of London underground... or piss-holes in the snow!

I really wouldn't mind, but I only had one drink by way of relaxation when I got in last night probably has more to do with the length of the day, driving, etc... still they do look as though I've had one hell of a session!

Just a brief note to devotees of my weekend teaser; there will be a Little Something for the Weekend this week, but it may well be posted a little later than usual... so please keep your eyes open and join in the fun.

I seem to have become busier than expected this week... but I'm here biefly now and will be back again in the morning

Leaf Sculpture
Hope you enjoy my leafy thing... I'm off to check up on some blogs and join in with Rob's quiz.

Dark is the night
I need a guiding light
To keep me
From foundering
On the rocks
My only prayer
Is just to see you there
At the end
Of my wandering
Back in the dock

This night picture was also taken with my Fuji E900..

As a result of posting a couple of the first images I took with my Fuji Finepix E900 this morning (the camera is few years old now) I decided to see whether the model was still available.

A quick net search indicated the E900 is still readily available in the USA, but rather harder to find here. That said I did find one shop that has a few for sale... and at a very competitive price too

So, if you're looking for a feature packed compact and don't mind it being a few years 'out of date' grab yourself a bargain!

...and capture images like this one.

Morning

Night
I took these in Looe a couple of years ago with my (then brand new) Fuji E900 - a great little pocket camera that lives in the glove box of my car so goes with me pretty much wherever I am.

Just a very quick post because I have a busy day today... so a flying visit... or flying visitor perhaps?

No sting in this tail...

See you later!

Since a few people asked about the church behind the tower picture I posted this morning I thought I'd add a little detail.

The church of Saint Mary the Virgin is medieval in origin, but was virtually rebuilt by John Pritchard in 1866 and was destroyed by fire in 1977. Rumour has it the church was used for various Satanic rites before it was set on fire.

Comprising a nave and chancel with no division, a tower on the north side with porch under and a vestry with boiler room on the south side, St Mary's is not exactly peculiar. There also appears to be a burial vault and, rumour again, a tunnel that originally connected with the abbey at Tintern in the valley below. The building is in a ruinous state.

The window above holds a fascination for me and is my favourite part of the church, except for the tower.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here...

...looks to me as though hope has already been abandoned

Come on girls, own up... how many of you shave your legs?

Hairy Mary
(click pic for big)
Here's one lady who lets her hair grow free...

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Among the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold...

Sadly my Mother's cousin has just passed on... I guess being Mum's first cousin would make Betty my cousin once removed... I've never really been very clear how these family links work and Betty was always referred to as 'aunt' (probably because of her age).

Hearing of Betty's demise hit Mum quite hard, although she seems to have bounced back now and adopted the attitude there's nothing that can be done so we just have to get on with it.

So my 'aunt' Betty has tripped off this mortal coil at the ripe old age of 98 and will be laid to rest at her church in the town of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight on the 28^th. Mother, of course, wants to go to the funeral, but logistically it simply isn't viable... we'd have to be at the Wightlink terminal in Portsmouth in time to catch the 06:25 ferry for one thing and while I'm prepared to be up at silly-o'clock for the drive to Pompey there's no way I want to be chasing a 93 year old mother around at 3am to get on the road.

What about travelling the day before, I hear you ask... no that won't work either. Mum's pretty much reliant on her wheelchair these days and is blind, so putting her in a foreign environment without help is out of the question... and her pride won't allow me to be her 'personal helper.'

So there we are then... I'm the least favourite son for having to say 'no' to taking Mum to Betty's funeral and as the sole representative of the Page clan will be having an 'island' day on Friday week... at least I'll get to spend a little while 'at sea' though.

I had a dream the other night, the strangest dream of all...

...to quote Max Boyce

But I did have a dream and very strange it was too... I dreamed I was a terrorist!

I mean, I ask you...

A terrorist!

Me!!

I don't think so... ...I'm not the terrorist type for gawd's sake...

If I were a terrorist I'd probably end up something like this

Yesterday I posted a couple of clues to this week's Little Something for the Weekend... and here's one more... the last clue before I close my game

Don't forget to study the previous visuals too... and post any new guesses to my Little Something for the Weekend blog

I've closed the comments here...

I've often wished I could show more 'texture' in my images... I'm sure there are ways of making it happen in Photoshop, but haven't found them yet!

Still I keep on trying and am almost always disappointed by the results...

Timber and Beach Pebbles

Earlier today I posted a clue to this week's Little Something for the Weekend... and here's another

Not a visual clue this time, but something for you to think about

It's a song...

Sung by April Wine...

Title Wings of Love

Don't try to add answers here go to my Little Something for the Weekend and post your guesses there

I've closed the comments here...

There don't seem to be too many guesses on my Little Something for the Weekend this week...

Confused

Haven't a clue?

Let Usky give you one...

Here's a different visual clue for you

Whoops! I should have said... don't add answers here go to my Little Something for the Weekend and answer there

I've closed the comments here...

Oh look... here's one of those fat-cat bankers...

......just sitting watching the economy disappear down the drain!

There are events in every life that bind one personality to another... or a body to a specific location, wherever that may be... some bonds are permanent, some are temporary, but in ether case, these are the ties that bind us...

The ties that bind me are no different to the ties that bind anyone else... family... friends... love for my country...

Sometimes I wonder whether the ties that bind me will ever become the links that set me free.

I spent a very pleasing couple of hours with Milly today; it was lovely to catch up and again and just sit chattering over lunch in a local pub. As usual there didn't seem to be any theme to our conversation as we flitted between such topics as the Hull blog-meet, food standards, motoring, green cheese moons and the lunatic at the end of the universe...

Sadly because of prior commitments I wasn't able to prolong my visit and meet Brokendownangel, who is arriving from the Emerald Isle later today... damn shame that... I get the distinct impression that BDA and Milly together will make a formidable pairing.

God help Stow tonight if those girls decide to hit the town!

Enjoy your trip to Hull ladies... no technicolor yawning... and don't forget to leave some booze-room for that family barbecue on Sunday!

Having just scored myself some points on NotBob's quiz I'm feeling quite exhausted...

Time for bed, said Zebedee.... *boing!*

Well that didn't take long!

Buddleia
Well done Spicy!

...what this is?

What's going on 'ere then?

No good hiding in the bushes old pal... be sure your sins will find you out!

Someone's nicked me humbugs!

A very old drain...

...maybe a gutter?

For those interested, this 'drain' is more than 1800 years old

Not that I'm particularly tired, but I have a half-decent book on the go and want to finish it tonight

G'night all!

Not David Bowie and Queen unfortunately, although I have to say I always admired Freddie's soaring lyrics and overt stage displays and have been a Bowie fan for more years than I care to remember...

Olive Press
No, in this case it would be the kalamata olives under pressure to squeeze out that most wonderful of Mother Nature's juices... Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ready For Pouring
That wonderfully rich, dark green oil so perfectly suited for dressing salads, drizzling over grilled meat and fish, or simply eating with bread... my mouth is watering at the thought!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Beautiful olive oil... and no sign of Popeye!

Life would be so dull without Nature's gift...

Being of unsound mind and generosity, Usky thought he'd share Usky's birthday present to himself with you all....

...now, who's got the Stilton?

Be afraid...

Be VERY afraid...

As a photographer I'm used to playing with light in my attempts to create 'art'. Sometimes my experiments work and I'm happy with the results and sometimes they fail and I'm less than pleased... in the case of the latter it is sometimes possible to 'save' the image by careful use of a programme like Photoshop.

Here are two of my 'playing with light' images... an example from each side of the 'pleased with the result' line... I wonder if you can guess which is which?

Image A

Image B

Odd things seem to have happened in Uskyland while old Usky was sunning himself on Banana Beach... and I'm at a complete loss to understand what happened. Anyway while I was chatting to Gardengirl yesterday the thought occurred to me that one of you bright gardening types here might have some kind of answer.

Earlier in the year I posted some images of the flower on my greengage...

I have to say it seemed my dreams of succulent fruit would be fulfilled... the little tree was loaded and all looked well.

When I returned from Greece I was faced with this...

My greengage appears to have curled up its tootsies and gone to a better place... and all in the space of a fortnight too...

Even the fruits have gone black... it's almost as though the tree has been poisoned... but everything around it is fine!

As I said, I'm at a complete loss to understand what has happened here; anyone out there got any ideas?

Come on all you humorously clever types out there, help old Usky out... I need a funny caption for this image:

Not seizing the day, just seizing the moment... an all too rare moment as far as I'm concerned...

Dear Daughter
...my daughter caught in an unguarded moment with her defences down... usually she runs a mile when I've got a camera in my hand!

I seem to have spent a very lazy day today, but it has been fun catching up with various blogs and chatting to people... still all good things come to an end and I must be moving on...

The kitchen calls and I must obey... sometimes being a Kitchen Slave isn't all it's cracked up to be... but tonight I'm quite looking forward to some fun and games

What's different about tonight? Quite simple really... yesterday I managed to slice the top off my left thumb... I know, bloody silly thing to have done! Anyway, amid the claret and mess it suddenly dawned on how much a body uses his/her finger tips when working in the kitchen... so as my thumb has not as yet repaired itself (though it has stopped bleeding!) I'll be playing with bits, chopping, slicing, grinding, rolling and dusting without the aid of my thumb tip... ...ah well, fun and games then!

See you good folks tomorrow

For those who may have missed it... pay attention you at the back!

Your old pal Usky has a new blog

It's called Balcony Views - Usky's Perspective and is full of fun posts... or will be, the blog is in its infancy after all.

So come on over to my alternative space and have a look around

Go on... you know you want to click the link!

'Ere Bert! What're you looking at?
Click the picture to see....