Lizzi B
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lizzib.bsky.social
Lizzi B
@lizzib.bsky.social
140 followers 160 following 500 posts
Deck Officer. Hoping to get away with more comments until The Company finds me (again). Views entirely my own (but probably -unofficially- shared by many of my colleagues).
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lizzib.bsky.social
We just sailed past an active volcano, and whilst I was watching the minor eruptions I saw a small meteor shower.

My job's pretty cool sometimes.
A night time picture of Stromboli, with a minor eruption visible as an orange glow near the top of the silhouette of volcano. There are shore lights visible at the base of the volcano, and part of the Orion constellation can be seen above.
November 12, 2025 at 9:50 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Seemingly endless laps of the deck just to get a 5km run in is made slightly easier when this is the view:
An evening sky taken at sea. The top part of the sky is still a bright blue, but the part closest to the horizon is golden orange. The division between the two colours is marked by a clump of stratus cloud, which is also obscuring the setting sun (still about a diameter & a half above the horizon). The ship's wake is visible in the water, with a fairly distinct dink in it. I left the OOW with a straight line to follow, so I'll be asking what happened when I get back to the Bridge.
October 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
I bloody love lighthouses.

No prizes from me if you can identify this one, but you can revel in your own smugness if you do know where it is.
A picture of a lighthouse taken from behind (in the blanked sector). The lighthouse tower is divided into three equal stripes, the upper & lower being white and the middle being red. The white light of the lighthouse is shining out through the glass at the top of it.
October 14, 2025 at 9:41 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
The Ship Lurgy finally caught up with me yesterday. My colleagues are about as supportive as you'd expect...
A picture of my open cabin door with the curtain pulled across. There's a piece of yellow duct tape between the edges of the doorframe that has the words, "WARNING: PLAGUE" written on it in black marker pen.
October 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
The view for this evening's Bridge Wing ukulele session.

Don't worry, we're not at sea; I'm not torturing the watchkeepers with a shoddy version of Sloop John B
A photograph of a crisp blue sky, with a scattering of white clouds. The sun is unobstructed above a mountain range across the bay, and there are a couple of ships visible at anchor, but most of them are obscured by the handrail around my ship's walkway
October 5, 2025 at 5:58 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
If you see this, post a bridge.
The Bridge of the ship I'm on, with low-level lighting activated. You can see the ECDIS terminals, and the radars, as well as the centreline gyro repeater.
September 26, 2025 at 6:24 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
"How's the onboard training going?"

Glad you asked:
A mirror selfie (phone covering my face) showing my white T-shirt which reads, in black text, "Strengths:-Nil"
September 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Been a while since I had to get this publication off the shelf.
The front cover of NP5011, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office's Symbols and Abbreviations used on ADMIRALTY Paper Charts. The title is in the lower half of the A4-sized cover, written in white over a dark blue background. The top half of the cover is an image of a port, showing a breakwater with a black & white striped lighthouse in the foreground. There are wind turbines on the shoreline on the left side of the picture, and a number of ships & small boats.
August 29, 2025 at 3:49 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Without downloading anything new, where are you at mentally?
A taxidermied Slender Loris photographed at Manchester Museum a few weeks ago. It has been positioned on a thin branch, holding on with very thin, hairless arms & legs. Its large brown eyes are glassy.
August 26, 2025 at 11:42 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
My Qobuz Daily Mix seems to have decided that today's Soundtrack is Metal.

It's certainly making sure any visitors to my Nav Cave don't stick around for long 😂
A screenshot of my play queue in the Qobuz app. It reads as follows: Wide Open - Ov Sulfur Blessed with Boredom - The Dali Thundering Concept locked club - Deftones This Place is Deafening - You Win Again Gravity The Bogeyman - Caliban Overthrow - Veil of Maya taikai - Kokeshi Pyhä Vitutus - Mokoma
August 24, 2025 at 10:34 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
Look at the size of that lathe! 😍
The main hall of Quartier des Capucins in Brest, which holds a large lathe which was used to repair ship propellor shafts for the French Navy until 2003. You can also see a propellor from Jeanne d'Arc R97 behind the lathe.
August 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
I'm not trying to tell anyone how to live their life, but THIS is how you Snack Drawer #TopMaritimeTips
My cabin fridge, with the door open to show the top shelf being stocked with Split Pot Yoghurts, Lidl Multivitamin Juice Cartons, and 2 ready meals with a tub of hummus on top. The bottom shelf has two tubs of Lidl's "Cucumbears" (mini cucumbers), and a bag of Radishes. In the door, you can see a part bottle of Vimto, two packets of snacking Chorizo, and a can of Tutti Frutti Fanta. The full glory of the snack drawer under my bunk. You can see multiple packets of Sweet Chilli flavour Lentil Curls, a family-size box of Jaffa Cakes, 8 Time Out bars, a tube of Lidl's knock-off Pringles, two packets of Liebniz-style biscuits, a bag of Honey Chicken flavour savoury popcorn, two bags of mini Haribo, two bags of ground coffee, two Beef & Tomato Pot Noodles, a packet of Triple Choc soft cookies, and two bottles of the Starbucks Sunshine Frappuccino. This picture does not include all of the biscuits & Haribo I bought for the Bridge.
August 16, 2025 at 8:06 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
As if I didn't think I would have enough to do this trip, I've taken on the challenge of keeping a small plant alive.

Now I've done some reading, it seems an air conditioned cabin with low humidity is probably not the best for this little guy, but I will do my best.
A picture of the potted plant - an Aglaonema with a large, variegated pink leaf visible above several smaller, less colourful leaves - in the porthole of my cabin, next to my Mood Octopus which is a pastel, tie-dye coloured plush toy with a grumpy face. If I turn the Octopus inside out, he would be smiling but he never gets turned that way when I'm at work.
August 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Alright. On to the next train.

4 hours to my next change, and an Advance Reader Copy of @russincheshire.bsky.social's #BabysBreath to keep me occupied.
A picture of my Kindle Oasis on the fold-down table in front of me, with the Author Name, Russel Jones, & the book title Baby's Breath visible. My metallic pink water bottle & a black notebook are also in this picture.
August 9, 2025 at 10:26 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
Just packed this to take back to work.
And my shipmates thought the ukulele was annoying... 😂
A drumming practice pad with a pair of drumsticks resting on top. The pad is a decagon, made of orange-coloured rubber on top of a plain wood base.
August 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Behold! The Monstrosity Pizza!

Cod Fish Fingers, Tater Tots, and Beans

I'd tell you which pizza dough I used for the base, but I doubt they (or their new business partners) would appreciate being associated with this.
My Monstrosity Pizza before it went in the oven, so you can see the cut up fish fingers, tater tots, beans, and grated mozzarella cheese. I've also included the tin of Heinz Baked Beans at the top of the picture to prove I don't skimp on my ingredients. The pizza after cooking. Considerably darker in colour, the cheese has melted and the beans are less evident than in the first picture. The pizza has been cut into 6 slices, each with its own chunk of fish finger on it.
August 6, 2025 at 5:52 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Five months ago, this creature wouldn't let me touch him & only came in the house for as long as it took him to eat.

Today he realised he has unlocked lap privileges, and he's not shy about abusing them 🥹
A Ginger cat asleep on my knee.
August 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
It was Fleetwood Promenade Parkrun's 7th birthday today, so I decided that'd be the event I headed to even though my usual running buddy wouldn't be there.
It was a beautiful morning for it, & I got myself another PB, which makes 2 minutes off my time there since July 5th 🥳
The Fleetwood Promenade Parkrun sign, propped against the beach wall, with a silver sparkly Happy Birthday banner behind it. A photograph of a sandy, empty beach at Fleetwood. There's a brilliant blue sky, with fluffy cumulus clouds scattered around. The tide was going out, so the water is just about visible in the middle part of the picture where the beach meets the sky. At the very right-hand edge of the picture, the Power Plant buildings at Heysham are visible.
August 2, 2025 at 11:50 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
I've realised that I haven't posted about Leo since he gained his name in early May.

He's still here. Slowly but surely, he's learning that having a home has some perks. Like food on demand, and soft surfaces to sleep on.

Second #ProofOfCat of the day? I'm spoiling y'all.
A Ginger cat with white socks and white patches on his belly is rolled on to his side on a fluffy grey pet bed. He looks very relaxed.
July 24, 2025 at 7:19 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Willow is having her mid-afternoon snooze on my lap after vanquishing the pesky laptop from that position.

It really is a good job I don't have an actual work to do.

#ProofOfCat renewal? May as well, I suppose...
A scruffy-looking blonde Maine Coon cat asleep on a navy blue cushion on my lap
July 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Not how I thought I'd be spending my Saturday evening if I'm honest. Helping out OOW Cadets even on my leave, aren't I a good egg 😇 😅
The Cardinal Buoyage Flip Cards arranged on a pub table, marking out a muffin case of spicy peanuts as a hazard. There's a yellow post-it note folded into a triangle to indicate a Power Driven Vessel.
July 19, 2025 at 6:19 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
Ships?! Seen in a well known/frequently used anchorage area?!

Think we might be stretching the limits of the word "incredible" with this one, lads 🙄
A screenshot of a Dorset Echo news headline which reads, "Incredible sight of three ships in Weymouth Bay" The accompanying picture shows two container ships on the horizon, & the closest one has a small tanker alongside for bunkering operations. The Gaff Cutter TS Moonfleet is also visible in the photo, under sail. I'd argue this means there are actually four ships visible, but why be so pedantic? As you'd expect for a picture taken from the beach, there are several people on the sand & out in the water enjoying the sunny day.
July 16, 2025 at 11:55 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
Post a celebrity you've been told you resemble.

By my own mother. On a regular basis, since being a teenager. I almost miss the weekly reminders 🙄
A photograph of Nana Mouskouri, a Greek singer who represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1963 (she came 8th, apparently). She has dark brown centre-parted hair, and is wearing thick rimmed, square-ish glasses. The make up on her eyes is dark smokey, but her eyebrows look natural. In this picture she's doing the classic 'arms crossed, gentle fingers, chin resting lightly on hand' glamour photo pose.
July 15, 2025 at 11:47 AM
lizzib.bsky.social
Yay! Sportsball!
My view of the wicket at Old Trafford for the England v India IT20. I'd love to describe it better, but aside from the green grass, blue sky, and red cladding on the Hilton hotel, I'm not entirely sure what's going on.
July 9, 2025 at 6:13 PM
lizzib.bsky.social
I had a brilliant time watching Squeeze last night, despite thinking I only knew one of their songs.
A photograph of a band called China Crisis on the stage at The Brit Fest. There are 5 band members in the picture: a drummer, a guitarist with a red guitar, the lead singer holding a turquoise melodica, keyboard player, and a bassist playing a black 5-string. There are bubbles blowing across the stage above the crowd's heads. Badly Drawn Boy playing acoustic guitar. A picture of the some of the band Squeeze during an accordian solo. The band name is shown on a screen behind the band, in multicoloured, overlapping letters. The accordian player (who also did keys) looks like he's having a lot of fun, but the drummer in the background just looks bored. The percussionist, bass player, and guitar/vocalist Glenn Tillbrook are also in the picture. A wider shot, showing Squeeze on the Brit Fest stage with their logo on a screen behind them. You can see the 8 band members in this picture.
July 4, 2025 at 9:48 AM