SHERI THE CFZ INTERN: Day 9 – Friday


Last night’s sleep was not very good. This was perhaps, in part due to going to bed at about 4 in the morning. However, I feel it was mostly down to how freezing cold it was. I put on more and more layers as the night went on and yet more just after sunrise. I got up at around noon and went into a house crammed with people. After breakfast there was some time to rest and eat lunch before heading to the hall to set up the tunnel of goats. Then, I ate again.
At around 6 we all went down to the hall to ensure that everything was right for the evening. This first day didn’t officially start till 7pm. Although the first talk, by Richard Ingram, started a little late, it also finished early. This gave people a little more time for food and alcohol. I didn’t eat till a little later. The burgers there were delicious and as enjoyable as each of the talks. Ronan Coghlan is an amazing lecturer, but my favourite talk was by Lars Thomas.

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that whereas the study of out-of-place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot or lake monsters, it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean zoologist to be interested in. So after about six months of regular postings on the main bloggo Corinna took the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.







THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN'S WEEKEND GETS WEIRDER

It's Sunday so again it's time
to do the Gonzo blogs in rhyme
but there is a limited factor, friend
it's the middle of the Weird Weekend
so I hope you all will be placated,
'cos although the rhymes will be truncated
the blog posts from this tired freak
are present and correct this week
Another visit to our old friend Thom the World Poet.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_17.html
Stephen Stills interview: 'We’re still here, haha haha ha!'
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/stephen-stills-interview-were-still.html
Oliver Wakeman explains the different Yes keyboardists styles
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/oliver-wakeman-explains-different-yes.html

*  The Gonzo Daily is a two-way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at  jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work or even just say hello,  please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow....
*  The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html

* We should probably mention here that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

*  Jon Downes, the editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an old hippy of 53 who, together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange), puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon, which he shares with various fish. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus... did we mention the orange cat?

LIZ BITAKARAMIRE: Day Two At Weird Weekend 2013


We got off to an amazing start with a vegetarian fry-up for breakfast. Starting with amazing food is always a good plan. Becky at Higher West Town B&B is a great cook. I also had some of the best coffee of my life. The coffee in Devon must be stronger than up north because it just took two small cups and I was as wired as a rock star on acid. 

While Paul rested up I decided to use my artificial energy wisely and set off to the village and Jon's house to see if I could be of assistance. Everything, however, was in hand, so instead I got to catch up with old friends again and make a couple of new ones. I also met Prudence for the first time and she is as adorable in the fur as she is in her pictures. 

We discovered Atlantis in Bideford in the afternoon, of all places next door but one to Asda. This, of course, is notthe Atlantis but a children's nautical theme park, which if I'm honest, I wish I wasn't passed the age restriction to enjoy. Adults can sample the lovely food, though, which was consolation enough. 

Next was Hartland Quay. Words cannot describe the beauty, hence the pictures. 

We're still in shock with the road widths in this part of the world and how it can be justifiable to set the speed limit on such dangerous stretches at 30 and 40! But we are still in one piece.

And lastly, we come to the talks themselves. I made it to all of them and all of them were very interesting. My favourites have to be Ronan Coghlan on the church and evolution (what he said made perfect sense to me and was refreshingly unbiased) and Lars Thomas on the natural history of trolls. 

The volunteers in the canteen are to be applauded. I didn't sample much of the food last night but the crumble was heavenly. 

So for reasons that must be obvious, I'm really rather looking forward to day three. And in about to have my third coffee just because I'm daring....