School for Scoundrels.

I can't believe I never came across this before! I absolutely loved 'School for Scoundrels'--it has been added to my list of all-time favourite films. Here is the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/School-Scoundrels-DVD-Ian-Carmichael/dp/B000HEZ7KW

Boat or Backpack?

I love the design for this little boat that one can strap upon one's back. In reality it was probably quite heavy and unpleasant but it looks great. I also like the way that the museum has displayed these objects--a small model of the boat, with a photo of a man using such a boat placed beside the model.

Book of the Week: Museums and Silent Objects.

Monti, Francesca and Suzanne Keene. Museums and Silent Objects: Designing Effective Exhibitions  (London: Ashgate 2012).

Backyard Blues . . .

Bedsted Reading Topic: 'Dancing the Animals'

I have been randomly opening a page out the 'Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures' book each night and reading whatever I find. My favourite this week is 'Dancing the Animals', a passage about the practice of wintertime guising rituals, most particularly, dancing in imitation of animals . . . but usually beasties with the ability to talk, knock on doors, pose riddles to those who answer and demand food, ale and other forms of remuneration.  In other words, people imitating animals imitating people. One popular winter guising practice is apparently called 'The Mari Lywd' and was (is?) quite common in Wales.

Bedsted Reading Topic: Dragons

"The word 'dragon' from the ancient Greek 'drakonta' or 'drakon' which means 'to watch' or 'to look at', suggesting that from very early on in the conceptualisation, dragons were considered to be guardians. Whether they are good, beneficent creatures or evil probably then relies upon notions of property . . . and whether or not the dragon is viewed as standing in the way of one's interests.

To the right is an image of Dragons from Archives at Cornell University Library . . . they look astonishingly similar to the Leicester dragon!

Bo Ningen.

Going with Paul to see Bo Ningen Thursday Show at Leicester's O2 Venue. Here is one of their videos:

Here's the Wikipedia Page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Ningen