Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.
The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.
Unlike some of our competitors we are not going to try and blackmail you into donating by saying that we won't continue if you don't. That would just be vulgar, but our lives, and those of the animals which we look after, would be a damn sight easier if we receive more donations to our fighting fund. Donate via Paypal today...
Braving violent sandstorms akin to fog with an attitude problem, tent-shredding twisters that blast men off their feet, and an ice river that caves in as their vehicles are crossing, the four men continue on their journey.
Every few years, and sometimes it seems every few months, there is another health scare promulgated by H.M. Government. Often it seems that these scares are politically motivated (like the import ban on birds into the EU as a result of the `Bird Flu` scare, which was truly nothing more than a sop to the more rabid Animal Rights folk), and - to date - I have never actually known anyone with bird flu, salmonella poisoning, listeria poisoning, SARS, or any of the other global pandemics that threaten to wipe out the human race every few months.
Sadly, Dave and Joanne Curtis, who ran the Children's area at the Weird Weekend last year are not going to be at this year's event because of family commitments. They are two of the dearest, sweetest people I know, and I am sad that we won't be seeing them this year, mainly because having them around is one of the most uplifting experiences I know.
We have been in contact with Jan for ages, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome her aboard, not only as a guest blogger, but as a Co. Durham representative for the CFZ. With Davy Curtis already at the helm in the country, the two of them will make a dream team par excellence.... It is an old, fallen dead tree by the waterside about 100 yards downstream from High Force Waterfall on the River Tees, just 10 m
iles from my home. I had read somewhere that it was said to have grown around a hidden treasure trove, and the coins had magically grown through the tree.
Seeing the tree in the flesh, so to speak, spoilt this rather romantic image, as most of the coins are 2pence pieces.... with the odd penny, 5pence and even a pound coin or two.
So what’s it all about? Is it a good luck thing? Or is it something even stranger?
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