The Flickr Elevenses Image Generatr

DADDY: "Goodness Malachi!"

MALACHI: "Oh! Hullo Daddy! Merry Christmas!"

DADDY: "Err… Merry Christmas, Malachi. What are you doing sitting on my strawberry macaron? I was just taking a break from Christmas wrapping to have a well-deserved macaron!"

MALACHI: "What does it look like, Daddy? I'm having an elevenses of macarons course."

DADDY: "Oh! Do you think this is the best place to have your elevenses of macarons Malachi?"

MALACHI: "Oh yes Daddy! It's a capital place to take my elevenses of macarons. It's lovely and comfortable to sit on, and I just love the colour! Don't you, Daddy?"

DADDY: "Well yes I do Malachi, but…" *Sighs.* "Oh well, I suppose I’ll have the Biscoff one instead."

MALACHI: "I’m afraid you can’t have it, Daddy. "

DADDY: "Why not, Malachi?"

MALACHI: "Well, I should have thought that was obvious, Daddy! I’m using it as a tea table for my teapot! "

DADDY: "Oh… well, I’ll just…"

MALACHI: "No you won’t, Daddy!"

DADDY: "But you don’t even know what I was going to say, Malachi."

MALACHI: "Yes I do, Daddy. You were going to have the chocolate macaron, weren’t you?"

DADDY: "Well," *Blushes.* "Yes, I was, Malachi."

MALACHI: "You are so predicable, Daddy." *Tuts and shakes head.* "Well, you can’t have the chocolate one either, as it is currently being used by my milk jug and sugar bowl. "

DADDY: "Oh…" *Disappointed.* "Then how am I meant to have my elevenses of a macarons if you are sitting on it or using it, Malachi?"

MALACHI: "Well, I'm not entirely sure Daddy, but I'm sure you will think of something."

Oh dear! Malachi is at it again! The theme for "Looking Close… on Friday" for the 6th of December is "food with layers". When I saw the theme, I immediately thought of the small selection of brightly coloured macarons that I recently bought from "Le Petit Gâteau" a few months ago. I bought them for photography purposes, and lo and behold, they came in handy for this week’s theme. As it is December, I give my photostream a festive flavour, and thus Malachi is photographed on one of my wrapped Christmas boxes in front of my small Christmas tree decorated with my hand made baubles. I hope you like my choice of subject for this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile.

Malachi I acquired in mid-March 2020 (and mid Coronavirus) from a wonderful Melbourne stalwart toy shop: Dafel Dolls and Bears, when I went looking for a present for one of my goddaughters. Malachi is designed by Mary and hand-made by Wendy Joy in Australia. He has articulated arms and legs, and an extremely sweet face. Malachi was the name he came with, written by hand on his little tag. Both his floral tea set, and his miniature selection of macarons come from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering in England.

Coffee, croissant & strawberry jam

Time for a mid-morning break

A mid-morning break from my arduous duties … "Hem hem" as Molesworth wud sa.

Just the thing for a mid-morning break from my arduous duties. ("Hem Hem!" as Molesworth wud sa.)

Afternoon Tea at Tiny Tim's Tearoom in Canterbury, Kent

Afternoon Tea at Tiny Tim's Tearoom in Canterbury, Kent

Afternoon Tea at Tiny Tim's Tearoom in Canterbury, Kent

A pleasant mid-morning break

Two lattes to warm the cockles

hot chocolate - billionaire's shortbread

late elevenses: tea for two, cake for one (not the photographer), delicious (I'm told)

MUTZLI: "Malachi, are you quite sure that Daddy isn't gong to mind us taking our elevenses here on the mantlepiece?"

MALACHI: "Why on earth should he mind, Mutzli?"

MUTZLI: "Well, he might not be so pleased that you relocated his Royal Worcester Babes in the Wood figurine to create the perfect place for us to sit and take tea and cake."

MALACHI: "They are a statue, and don't care about a soft place to sit, like this nice comfortable doily. Nor do they care about food."

MUTZLI: "No, that's true Malachi, but they might care about now being lots of broken shards all over the hearthstone and floor."

MALACHI: "This beautiful vantage point was wasted on them. It's much more suited to us, Mutzli. Just consider them collateral damage in the never ending search of the perfect spot for elevenses. Besides, don't forget that you helped get rid of them too."

MUTZLI: "Only because you asked me to assist you Malachi."

MALACHI: "Well, let's have no more talk about them, or you'll spoil my appetite, and when there is strawberry cream sponge on the offing, that's the last thing I want. Grumbly tummy Mutzli! Grumbly tummy!" *Rubs tummy vigorously.*

DADDY: "Malachi! Mutzli! What on earth are you doing sitting on the dining room mantlepiece?"

MALACHI: "Well, I should have thought that was obvious, Daddy! We are about to have elevenses. After all, it is just on eleven." *Points to clock.*

DADDY: "And where is my Royal Worcester Babes in the Wood figurine that was where you are sitting?"

MALACHI: "I couldn't say, Daddy. Perhaps they went and got lost somewhere."

MUTZLI: *Points down to the hearth with paw.*

DADDY: *Looks down.* "Oh no!"

MALACHI: "You had to go and spoil our elevenses, didn't you Mutzli?" *Tuts and shakes head.*

The theme for "Smile on Saturday" for the 7th of January is "capture the time", where anything that has to do with time is allowed and may include 'a moment in time', 'a period in time', 'the progression of time' or 'measure the passage of time'. I immediately thought of that most British of customs, elevenses, also known as morning tea. Elevenses is a short break taken at around eleven the the morning to consume a drink or snack. It is perhaps most famously associated with Paddington Bear.

If you follow my photostream, you may know that I collect 1:12 size miniatures, some of which have featured in past themes in the “Smile on Saturday” group. This includes Malachi the bear, who today is joined by his cousin, Mutzli and the pair are enjoying a rather splendid elevenses of tea and cake. I do hope that you like my choice, and that this photograph makes you smile!

Malachi I acquired in mid-March 2020 (and mid Coronavirus) from a wonderful Melbourne stalwart toy shop: Dafel Dolls and Bears, when I went looking for a present for one of my goddaughters. Malachi is designed by Mary and hand-made by Wendy Joy in Australia. He has articulated arms and legs, and an extremely sweet face. Malachi was the name he came with, written by hand on his little tag.

Mutzli was a lovely surprise gift from a dear friend in Britain who kindly slipped him into a parcel of other delightful gifts for me. Like Malachi, he is mohair, has articulated arms and legs, and an extremely sweet face. Mutzli got his name from the tiny gold tag around his neck. He is made by Mutzli, a Swiss bear manufacturer since 1949.

The cow creamer Mutzli holds has been hand made and painted by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. If you look closely, you will see that the cow actually has a smile on her face and that she has her own removable lid which is minute in size! The Peter Rabbit in the watering can tea pot to the right of Malachi was made by French ceramicist and miniature artisan Valerie Casson. The strawberry sponge cake is made from polymer clay and is very realistic and was made by Karen Ladybug miniatures in England. The porcelain cups and saucers and plates were part of a job lot of over one hundred pieces of 1:12 chinaware I bought from a seller on E-Bay.

The clock Malachi and Mutzli flank is a dainty Swiza seven jewels Swiss made brass alarm clock from the mid 1940s with an enamelled face. It has a very pleasant ring. Swiza established their business in 1943 and whilst they became famous for making clocks and watches, the company is better known today for its Swiss knives sets.

My former work colleague , now living in Dole , France had Coffee in the Town again today . For a mid morning Drink .

Wednesday morning 19th-October-2022.

Cryptachaea gigantipes with earwig prey. I came upon her and took this shot around 11 am, which gave me the idea for the title.

These native white porch spiders as they are commonly called, live under rock overhangs and inside caves in a natural setting and now, under eaves, inside sheltered porches and human homes.

Within the same family Theridiidae as our famous redback spiders.

This is a female, 6 mm body length.

© All rights reserved.

And some swans!
Jill and I had elevenses on the banks of the Thames at Walton on Thames watching the boats enjoying the warm day on the water!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton-on-Thames

Pass the champers please, it's on ice.. (zoom in!)
Jill and I had elevenses on the banks of the Thames at Walton on Thames watching the boats enjoying the warm day on the water!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton-on-Thames