Skansen - 75 years

 

In commemoration of last night's visit to Nottingham to see GOAT (a Swedish Psycho-Voodoo group....honestly), this slide seems slightly appropriate.

No details on slide, but clearly from the 75th Anniversary Celebrations for Skansen. That is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era.

Bonus :

Friday Afternoon Musical Interlude

 

As usual, no information on this one, but I'm getting Austrian vibes from this one. Maybe Germany, maybe Switzerland, but ... somewhere there-ish.

Bonus - 

Luckily, they both read at the same speed.

Friday Night Fun with The Muncie Playboys

 

By day, they are Three Lawyer's Assistant, a Mortuary Attendant and an Undercover Nun.

By night, they are The Muncie Playboys, dedicated to fun, laughter music and some inspirational prayer. As endorsed by Bishop Brennan of St Botolph's.

Bonus - R.I.P Andy Rourke, bassist of The Smiths.

Due to Financial Cutbacks

 

... the fourteen separate UK Army Bands, Orchestras, String Quartets and Pipe Bands will be merged into a single unit, and reduced in number as shown adjacent.

Harsh.

Bonus - Sometimes, my brain just pictures something, and I have to comply.

Obviously unrelated to this

Yup. Americans Love Parades.

 Especially involving the "Wind Bills"

Bonus 

The Gypsy Violinist

 

Bloomin' 'Eck.

I'm still testing positive for The'Rona.

This is getting Tiresome. 

Bonus - 

Mummy, that didn't help.

Bagpipes and Gravel

 

I thought I'd be a little verbose, and in response to (almost zero) requests, give an outline of how I research slide locations.

Today's slide was a card-mounted slide, with no makers markings - so it may be that the photographer mounted his own slides. However, the quality makes me think Kodachrome, so... not much dating / location options there.

Written on the slide was "Our Official Greeters in Victoria", so at least I have a city/village. But, there are many "Victoria" locations across the world. The pipers, and the look of the vehicles made me think Canada. And the building in the background - I'm guessing that's "Sand & Gravel".

So, a quick Google for Canada, 1929, Victoria and Sand & Gravel turns up a few options... and "Producers Sand & Gravel Co. (1929) Ltd. of 900 Wharf Street, Victoria, Vancouver Island" looks like a positive hit. And an address ( Yay!).  A check of Google Streetview is ... disappointing.  Looks like there's been a lot of redevelopment over the years, and nothing looks like our building. It does show that the location is very close to the harbour and the sea-plane terminals.

One other link, the sign beside the bagpipers seems to say "Black Ball Line", and Googling reveals that the Black Ball Line is/was a shipping company, who have had operations between Victoria BC and Washington state, USA. So, that links in.

When ?  What sort of cars?   Heck, I can't do everything. The vehicles seems late 1950s / early 1960s to me (not an expert) and that ties in with Black Ball Line, but ... Don't Know. Any help from you readers? 

Bonus - 'Artificial Blowhole' Generates Wave Energy 

At The Fulchester County Fayre

 

Yes, today is the day of the Funchestershire County Fayre, so I dug out this slide from a previous event. An aroused young man is admiring the fillies depicted in the tableaux, while Professor Blumpkin's Marvelous Orchestra Seam Organ is pumping away in the background. (Professor B is shown bottom right, exhausted from his efforts.

Excellent entertainment for the kiddies.

Bonus - 206 years ago today, The Medusa sank, inspiring the famous artwork.

Bonus 2 - Charges dropped against man who nailed Putin doll to sacred tree in Japan as part of death curse

Social Distancing - 18th Century Style

 

Looks like he's some sort of Musician. Might be a Hurdy-Gurdy Player, and you don't want their sort getting too close.

Bonus - Learn How to Draw a Sloth Hanging on a Branch in 9 Steps

Bonus 2 - 

Myth Bingo

The Singing Daughters of Mick O'Murphy

 To celebrate the 2022 St Patrick's Day, we have another dip into slide set number 87 "A Trip To Ireland".

And after a fair bit of correction (thanks for the massively underexposed slide) we have this image of the The Singing Daughter of Mick O'Murphy.  Few people know that their song "My Lovely Goat" was fourth placed in Ireland's "Song for Eurovision 1973", and was later plagiarized by Father Ted.

Bonus - 

Random Tourists and an Oom-Pah Band

 

Due to the ongoing Covid Crisis, this season's Vienna New Year's Day Gala Concert will be a more modest event, as this rehearsal photo shows.

Actually, understanding how lazy tabloid hacks are, this isn't the Vienna Convert rehearsal. It's the practise for this season's Superbowl Half-Time show.

Bonus - 

 

What in the Flub...?

 

Regular readers (both of them) will be aware that I often become obsessed with details in the background...and today is no different.

There's a band or musical group in the background, and the squeeze-box is easy to spot.

But what are the other two guys playing? It looks like some sort of snorkel-kazzoo, or maybe some sort of jew's harp?

Can anyone help?

Bonus - 

The early days of XXXXXX

 

Before he made the big time as lead XXXX with mega band XXXX, little XXXX had to practice on his favourite guitar. The experiences would form the basis for his hit song XXXX, later covered by YYYY.

Edit - Damned lawyers.

Bonus - The interesting story of sports pitch grass development.

The Alphornist

 

Yes, it's out of focus, but ...come on.... Alpine Horn.

Cool, no??

Bonus - monkeys in Japan learned to wash sweet potatoes in fresh water to clean them. They later switched to washing sweet potatoes in salt water. It is theorized that this is because they like the salty taste more than plain potatoes.

Bonus 2 - 

What has Two Heads, Six Feet and Plays a Drum?

 

Dunno

Well, I don't know, but there's one cross your village square now.

Bonus - The Circles Don't Move    

Before Car Radios...

In the days before the invention of car radios (1974, by Herr Gerhardt Blaupunkt of Dusseldorf), this was the only way to have some music while you drove.

These were the leading car-band in Toledo - The Travelling Troubadours. 1.29 dollars per mile, and no travelling above 40mph.

Bonus - This morning, I have mainly been making a Chocolate Birthday Cake.  Nom, Nom, I hope.+

Not my birthdy ... yet.

Some more .... Folk Dancing

Here we have the men of the St Tamas Panpipes and Bagpipes Dance and Display team, demonstrating the traditional dance form of "The Stomp"

Bonus - Here's another rendition of that dance.

Bonus 2 - Oh, go on.

Mr Brendan "Sticks" O'Toole

Sticks is a member of the popular Beat Combo, Andy James and the Blithfield Showband. Here, he's demonstrating his virtuosity with a pounding 7/9 rhythm.

Bonus - Brad Pit's brother advertises beer... in the style of....:-)

Bonus 2 -

Three mudmen from the Asaro tribe of Papua New Guinea. 1970

Where in the World?

Just the one quiz today.

Where in the world was this slide taken?

1. London, England
2. Great Wall of China
3. Machu Picchu, Pero
4. Marianas Trench, Pacific Ocean.

Answers on a post card please.

Bonus -  Hellcat and his Right Paw of Doom

...and the crowd go wild!

Driven wild by the exotic sounds of  Kurt Krammlisch and his Good Time Nuremburg Bavarian Band.  CD's available from all good record shops.


Bonus - Wow.

Bonus 2 - The Garter Toss: Vintage Photographs of a Wedding Tradition