In which the Castle of the Blue Knights Preserved Its Freedom

Once upon a time there was a castle in which lived the Blue Knights. Suddenly, out of the blue, a horde of Black Dragon Knights and their allies and mercenaries attacked them. They ran at the gate, where there was a ferocious battle…

Assault on the gate 2

View from the wall 2

Attack at the gate

Black Dragon archers assaulting the castle of the Blue Knights

…including the use, of course, of a covered battering ram…

The battering ram of the Black Dragon forces

The hard-pressed Blue knights defended themselves, waiting for their own allies to arrive before it was too late. But would the looked-for arrival of the Red Knights bring sufficient relief?

The Blue Knights defend themselves from their castle wall (detail)

The Red Knights did arrive, but in numbers that were too few, as they were having troubles of their own with the Foresters. The battle waged furiously…

The castle of the Blue Knights being attacked by the Black Dragon forces and their allies 2

The castle of the Blue Knights being attacked by the Black Dragon forces and their allies

Fortunately, unbeknownst to the army of the Black Dragon knights, their king was being escorted to the battle site in chains and under guard by a crack group of special forces loyal to the Blue Knight monarch only. In only a few moments, the embattled forces of the Blue and Red banners would be free thanks to this dangerous hostage-taking…

The kidnapped king

Watching a Bee amongst the Cherry Blossoms

Bee in Cherry Blossoms A

When I took some pictures of the cherry blossoms I posted yesterday, I noticed that the blossoms were swarming with bees (and a few wasps). I decided to focus on one, and considering that I don’t have a macro lens or a camera known for capturing motion, I think I did quite well to get this little critter. Enjoy.

Bee in Cherry Blossoms B

Bee in Cherry Blossoms C

Bee in Cherry Blossoms D

Two of the uncropped images are below:

Bee in Cherry Blossoms 1

Bee in Cherry Blossoms A