I sent Jon Downes a present a couple of months ago, and this is how he thanked me!

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2009_10_17_archive.html

Luc Besson's film Angel-A was finally hired by me the other day. Our video shop is under renovations for larger space and now their movies are spread out and easier to find. I finally found Angel-A, which I have wanted to hire since I saw it in JB Hi Fi most of last year. The cover looked interesting. I have always found the characters played by Jamel Debbouze quite sweet, and this one he plays, Andre, is very sweet in the end. Adorable in fact.
Its been described as a cross between It's a Wonderful Life and Wings of Desire, and while I respect both those films, this one is now my favourite. Gonna buy it ASAP. No need to give a critique. This must be seen by all!

Now I can't stop listening to the hit song for the film - Anja Garbarek's Can I Keep Him?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erHoPT06sXc

Just had to add this in from issue FT236. I loved it

Riquelme Wesley dos Santos, a five-year-old Brazilian boy, fulfilled every little lad's super-hero fantasy last November when a neighbour's home caught fire. Not only did he rush into the house and rescue a one-year-old baby by grabbing it from its crib and rushing out again, but he was wearing his Spider-Man outfit at the time - and he refused any reward.
Independent on Sunday, 18 Nov 2007

In July I went to Brunswick Street with my friend Fi, and we went into the bookshop across from the Vege cafe/restaurant. I found a book on Medieval English Lyrics, and had to get that, (it had a Baebes song in it!) and I also found a book by Janet and Colin Bord - (I love their books!) and in it I found a great new picture of Chanctonbury Ring. This was the first picture I have seen of its Beech forest, that have now disappeared since a storm hit the area in the late 1980's.


beech trees planted in 1760

I really wanted to see a picture of the old forest since my dream in 2005 (http://merry-jackdaw.livejournal.com/16545.html#cutid1) which started me on this chanctonbury quest. It is not the same, but still a very strange eerie and beautiful place.

Gemma, my friend and flatmate from London, has some of her artwork up on Flickr. The seventh pic shown 'Spring Goddess' I remember seeing it, as she had made it before I came along. I remember watching her add the gold leaf around the circle.

http://flickr.com/photos/gzj/

My good friend and Brother Frederick at the Dubh Linn Feast, Feb 23rd 2008.

http://nvg.org.au/gallery/Dublin-Feast-February-2008

I was in SMB Library the other week, and my friend found a volume I and II on the Vaudeville era. I did not know anything about this entertainment era, but was amazed to find some uncanny photos, names and people very similar to characters in Sarah Waters' novel 'Tipping the Velvet' and the BBC drama series of the same name.
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http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e98_1199152423

do not care if real or not, but its really cool. hey this should be the preview of a movie. We have not had a good UFO film for a while (like Close Encounters) its all been zombie or world destruction horrors lately.

I got my Midsummer present from Dave early this year. It was the VHS of Moondial and a DVD of Tom's Midnight Garden (not the BBC series, but the most recent film).
I popped round to Dave's yesterday after I got a txt msg from him. I'd just spent an hour walking around the Lake, and decided to pop in before i went home. He gave me the presents and we proceeded to watch Moondial.
It was great classic old-style fantasy, and even though I do not remember seeing it as a kid, I knew it was the sort of stuff I loved.
I watched Tom's Midnight Garden that night and it had the same premise as Moondial - almost..

Similarities...
- One character from each story time travels to the past - by the help of a type of clock (time) - one a grandfather clock, the other a sundial.

- the visitor thought the long-dead children they met, were ghosts. In reply, the long-dead children thought the strangely-dressed modern child was the ghost.

- Journeying to and from the periods was unexplainable, (but since when do these lucky kids need an explaination?) but most of the time worked whenever they wanted it to. (the thing is, when these kids realise what they can do, they get on with it, instead of questioning it. they are smart enough to realise that this is happening to them FOR A REASON and they must work out their quest before time runs out, and the portal stops working.)

- There was always some sort of evil presence - either devil-like, holding power over innocent, abused children, or something like forcing the children to grow up.

- Often an old man or woman had information for the children, believing their story, and helping them on their quest. Most of the other younger/middle aged adults were not trusted to be told, or never believed them anyway.

- Both stories were set in a old estate or large aristocratic houses in England, and used the garden more than the house, the garden or its statues were the key to time travel or represented childhood happiness, in present or past time.

Anyway, these two were so similar that I find it funny hearing virtually the same script. I liked Moondial best, it was more gothic and the Devil was in it, in the guise of a bitchy governess. Midnight Garden was somewhat like Secret Garden, but with time travelling in it.

I really want to find 'The Children of Green Knowe' (1st of 6 books) on VHS too, it was the same as these two - time travel at an old estate, hanging out with, not ghosts, but living kids from the past, popping in occasionally from what era they lived in. In 'Green Knowe' there was a old woman spreading wisdom and stories, a lovely garden, an evil witch-women (in the 5th book), and several children to play with from Saxon times, 17th century, early 19th century and early 20th century (all related ancestrally to the protagonist). They are the best books I've read in years...


I think mt_climber will be sending me a postcard from Avebury. Well, I hope so.

:D

Hey All, one of my bestfriends Dave is getting his book published by Carolina Academic Press.
Its called 'The Sign of the Witch - Modernity and the Pagan Revival' - so spread the word that it is coming out! And perchase a copy, coz, you know, you'll need one on the bookshelf... IT'S A MUST HAVE!!!

Here 'tis....
http://www.cap-press.com/books/1772

On Wednesday evening, 14th November, a five-person expedition flies from Heathrow Airport in search of adventure. The five explorers from the UK based Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] – the world’s largest organisation dedicated to the search for unknown animals – are on the track of three potentially deadly monsters.


The giant anaconda - Although the largest known specimen of this snake was a mere 28 foot, there have been reports for centuries of far larger reptiles in the swamps of South America. Snakes measuring 40 – 50 feet have been reported from the trackless swamps of Guyana in the past few years. Are these creatures giant specimens of a known species? Or something entirely new? We aim to find out.


The didi - Often described as a bigfoot-type creature, some reports confuse it with the mapinguari; another huge South American mystery beast that some people believe is a surviving giant ground sloth. Giant ground sloth bear, hominid, or bogeyman? We aim to find out.


The water tiger - This poorly known aquatic beast is practically unknown in the west, but across South America it is famed for its ferocity. Is it something entirely new? Or is it something based upon sightings of the extremely rare giant river otter? We aim to find out.


The expedition will be keeping in touch with CFZ headquarters in rural North Devon by satellite ‘phone, and CFZ Director Jonathan Downes (48) hopes to be able to post daily bulletins on a dedicated blog: http://cfzguyana.blogspot.com/


The expedition members are:

Richard Freeman, Zoological Director of the CFZ - expedition leader

Dr. Chris Clark, cryptozoologist

Lisa Dowley, photographer

Jon Hare, science writer and explorer

Paul Rose, journalist and author


Best of Luck to my friends Lisa and Richard on their expedition..... I wonder how they are going...

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY njadean!!!!!

I was thinking the other week how there was one event I went to in London that I did not even tell you about. I think I just wanted to avoid all to do with the time. I suppose I thought that I could tell you about it later. It was the day before I left to go to Cambridge and Cirencester...

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Thanks to Richard Freeman and the CFZ team for identifying the 'Dartmoor Beast' being a Newfoundland cross mastiff dog (apparently named 'Troy'). Of course, they were a little crushed too, as they would have WANTED it to be a beast they cannot identify.

But.............
Here's a quote from an email I got from Jon Downes...
'They have no doubt that there are odd animals on Dartmoor, including feral big cats and a population of wild boar.'

Thanks for this, Nick Redfern!
Dartmoor Mystery Beast
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Like a Shug Monkey with a thick neck!

And... here are pics of Jon and Corinna's wedding..
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Nick put my picture on his blog.

http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2007/07/something-fishy.html

If Nick goes monster (bigfoot) hunting in U.S. somewhere, I'm gonna try to go too. To imagine going through the forests of North California and Oregon like Paul Vella has, and trying to hear those sasquatch calls again - *shudders* - that really was a great moment at the Weird Weekend con last year, hearing that eerie recording. bitter_longing, I'd love to hang out with you and the others again at this years con, but I cannot make it this year, and it makes me sad :( I hope you really enjoy the weekend this year!

This cracks me up...
My sister sent me this, thanks Jac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno

I saw Marie Antoinette on Wednesday, and the sights of Versailles put me into a strange mood of contemplation for the rest of the rainy day. After watching it, I remember looking around my room and everything I looked directly at, had something to do with Versailles, Kirsten Dunst or this insatiable Queen. A book on the Sun King, my Versailles calender, a pic of Kirsten from Interview with the Vampire, a set of postcards from Versailles of costumes of 18th century...



If only there was a Sofia Coppola DVD trilogy, I'd buy it, I've loved all her films.

And I love Rose Byrne too, she was fantastic in this...

When I got on Amazon to buy this mask, I found these great comments on 'products features'.......

Product Features

-Remember the 5th of November! Imagine yourself in dystopia, where the government controls your every move. Could you lead the revolution like V did in the action thriller, V for Vendetta?

- Well, start by wearing his mask. Made to resemble the historical figure, Guy Fawkes, this plastic mask features a mustache and goatee. It comes in a standard size and will make you feel like a real-life revolutionary!

- 'People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people!'

- All hope was lost. However one person, one man, dared to stand up and lead an entire revolution on his own. His name was V. In honor of V, always remember, remember the 5th of November!

- Includes mask only. Hat and wig not included.