All Is Well

Just wanted to thank everyone for the emails of support & good wishes after the recent flood. Everything is back to normal & business is as usual. The media did tend to over hype the issue somewhat. It was rather scary at the time but things got under control very quickly thanks to the swift action of the Fire Brigade & local Coast Guards. The shops near the main bridge had about 3 feet of water in & spent yesterday cleaning up but are open today. A couple of private properties near the main bridge also had water damage but things were nowhere near as bad as the 2004 flood. So please don't let this stop you from visiting Boscastle as everything is up & running as normal. We had the quietest day of the year yesterday & it's still rather quiet today. On the reail side of things, Graham has some fab new dark mirrors for sale in the museum. The obsidian ones are available through The Occult Art Company website and the black glass ones will be going on next week. If you're visiting the museum, look out for back issues of Pentacle magazine which have been donated by the editor. The new Summer 2007 Merry Meet magazine is out & available next door at The Boscastle Trading Co. There is a great review of the museum's 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' in it as well.

Some Flood Pics

The flood seems to be abating at the moment -touch wood. Graham has been on Coastguard Duty throughout the incident & is just about to step down for some well earned warmth & food. Although not as bad as last time it's still a tad stressful. Here are a few pics. At least it looks like the ducks are having a good time. Remember you can check the Webcam for on the spot views outside the museum to see if the river is rising. Thanks to those who've sent good wishes already.

Flood News

Some of you may have heard on the news that Boscastle is experiencing another severe flood. Just to make people aware that as of this time the museum & staff are all safe. The flood is not nearly as bad as last time but several of the shops near the other bridge were under around 3 feet of water. I will put some pics on later but now must dash. Will keep updating the blog with any news.

Kerriann

Welcome Jack-Farewell Carole

A bit belated but I thought I'd mention that this year we have had a change of staff. Many of you will remember Carole who worked in the booth & did many of the displays in the museum. Well this year she has left to go travelling so we have Jack from local B & B Pencarmol doing a few days a week. So welcome to Jack & Good Luck to Carole. Woo oo!!

Dennis Wheatley rides into the museum

We've recently had the most wonderful donation of a complete set of hardback Dennis Wheatley books. Thanks to the donor!! Good fun for Joyce to catalogue. A petrified teddy from Mother Shipton's cave arrived a week or so ago as well. No, not terrified just calcified from hanging in the petrifying well. Very cute.

The Boscastle Trading Co

Many of you have asked for pics of the The Boscastle Trading Co which we've taken over for the season. It's located next door to the museum at the old Cornish Goodies site. for those who don't know the story, the National Trust bought the shop last year to turn it into a teashop. Unfortunately they didn't manage to get it up & running in time so were going to leave it empty for the year. Not a great look for the village & not great for business in the museum. So we've taken it over for the year, doing local crafts, Fairtrade items & some museum retail. Here's a composite piccy for those who can't get down to see us in person.

BBC 2's Mike Harding plays museum CD

Excitement reigned on Wednesday night this week when we heard a track from 'Songs of Witchcraft & Magic' played on Mike Harding's programme 'Folk on 2' on BBC Radio 2 along with a mention of the museum. He played Malinky's version of 'Alison Cross' which is one of my favourites. Remember you can get a copy at the online store associated with the museum www.theoccultartcompany.co.uk or at the museum itself.