For Lo! We Are Back To Banging On About HMS "Penelope"
As you should already know, the Pen got riddled with bomb splinters, whilst not sinking, resulting in so many holes in her hull that the nickname "HMS Pepperpot" was well-earned. How did they temporarily stop up these holes to ensure the 'did not sink' bit kept on applying? Why, a seaman would dangle over the side and wallop a bit of wood into the holes, leaving a stub of wood projecting outwards, earning the "Porcupine" epithet. Art!
As bright and shiny as a new - ah. Yes. 
Holey rusted metal plate! 
Spiny and Porcupiney
As also mentioned, she was sunk by a U-boat in early 1944, which brought sighs of relief to the Axis naval authorities. Why so? Because she had been a royal pain in the bottom to them from the very outbreak of war. First of all she had been present in the Norwegian campaign, where the Teuton navy got an absolute stuffing. Then things got interesting, as she was assigned to the legendary 'Force K' operating out of Malta; this task force's job was to intercept and sink any enemy transport vessels they could find, and to take on any escorting warships, too.
Enter the "Duisburg" convoy, so named because the largest of the seven vessels was the Teuton "Duisburg". Alerted thanks to ULTRA, Force K ventures forth to intercept. Without going into technicalities, Penny, another light cruiser and two British destroyers wreak havoc on the convoy, sinking all seven transports and the Italian destroyer 'Fulmine' for good measure, whilst suffering exactly no damage at all. Art!
The 'Fulmine' in better, non-sinky, times
Before the New Year, Force K had sunk three more freighters, a tanker and another Italian destroyer. In for a pound, in for a -
Penelope received a lot of unwelcome attention whilst in harbour at Malta later in 1942, being bombed repeatedly for two weeks - which is the 'Pepperpot' period - before sailing to Gibraltar, and then all the way to South Canada for extensive repairs. Back in the Med in mid-43, she took part in repeated bombardments of the Italian islands of Pantalleria and Lampedusa, which promptly surrendered. In July and August of 1943 she carried out bombardments and provided naval gunfire support in the Sicilian campaign. After that she was part of the naval force covering the Salerno landings - this is a very busy ship! - and after that went to the western Med, specifically the Dodecanese, where she was part of a force that sank Teuton landing craft, an ammunition freighter - which must have made a scintillating fireworks display, and - this is slumming it a bit - an armed trawler. Art!
The armed might of the TEUTON TERROR-TRAWLER!*
<excuse me, got to go stir the Bigos>
Back in the central Med, Penny took part in the Anzio landings, providing gunfire support and in subsidiary operations. She was finally torpedoed on 18/02/1944, after four years on active service with a record hard to beat. Her continued survival was a testament to good design, excellent seamanship and a fair slice of luck. I know Jim and Al on "We Have Ways ..." have also extolled the sheer professionalism of the Senior Service in the Second Unpleasantness, a theme we may return to.
Motley, splice the mainbrace and get me a snifter of rum!
Mike Henderson
Mike is one of the artists mentioned on the "Printed In Blood" website, due to be present at their October "The Thing" festival in Portland. Check it out if you're at all interested in the documentaries of John Carpenter, a man still alive against all the odds, given what he's seen and filmed.
Right! Mike's artwork; unlike previous entries there are lots to choose from, so - let us begin. Art!
No idea what this one is about (sorry for the lack of research). You have to admit it looks intriguing. Next!
Ah yes. Big Angry People Smashing Things Up is a trope that never fails to entertain. More!
The Big Hungry
That's Galactus, by the way, who consumes whole planets to sustain himself, whether or not there's anything living on them. Perhaps a diet plan and better hydration? Lastly -
"You're all doomed! Doomed, I tell y - no, hang on a minute ..."
<okay, time to go take the Bigos off the boil, back shortly>
Stone Me
Conrad found a link on the BBC's news website to an article about the Torlonia statuary, which made him blink, as this was nothing he'd heard about ever. Hardly surprising, since this collection of marbles from antiquity has been shut up since 1945, with very few people ever having seen them. The BBC correspondent making the report was one of those few: David Wiley. The only reason he'd seen them was because he was living in the apartment complex where they were stored, and he incessantly pestered a caretaker to let him see them. Art!
Hmmm. He looks a bit ticked-off
Prince Torlonia had inherited them and, being rather dog in the manger, decided that they were never to see the light of day, so there, at which point he probably threw his toys out of the pram and took his football home. Decades of familial squabbling prevented them from ever appearing in public, until - shortly before the Prince managed his bucket-kicking exit - an agreement was reached to clean, restore and display some of the marbles, which may even go on an international tour. Art!
Scholars of antiquity are no doubt champing at the bit to gain access to this long-sequestered collection, no thanks to the Prince, who might be said to have <ahem> lost his marbles.
Finally -
Just FYI, Conrad is watching the DVD of "The Road" which he bought last week, and it is indeed as grey and grim as expected, although it lacks the ever-present falling ash of the novel. It would probably have made filming too difficult to replicate this on set, and if added in post-production it would undoubtedly have obscured everything visible. Some folks out there wondered what the civilisation-ending catastrophe that strikes planet Earth consisted of, whilst others merely hand-wave it away and say "It doesn't matter, what you have to understand is the artistic vision of ..." at which point Conrad tunes out. Hom. Sap. are curious creatures and want to know! All we get as a clue is a line about flashes on the horizon and a series of low rumbles. This is enough for the protagonist to start filling his bathtub with water; so he knows what's going on. Meteor impact or Yellowstone super-volcano eruption? Pay your money, take your choice.
A litany of misery with no redemption
And with that, both we and the human race are done!
* Okay I exaggerate a little.
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