A Festival Of Feel Good

It's A Festival In Ur-On-The-Roch
Or, Rochdale, if you want to be formal.  And it's on today, from 12 noon until late in the evening.  More than that, it's free and a short bus ride away from The Mansion.  Headlining music acts are Feeder - I've got three of their CDs - and Cast, about whom I know nothing.
     Here an aside.  Yesterday, whilst sitting in Mowgli's, I happened to hear a track being played that I liked.  One Shazam later, it was revealed to be "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura.  You may recall me going on about their track "Let's Get Out Of This Country".  I then felt obliged to look up the band.
     Surprise!

Art!  You bafoon!

     Sorry for that - the lady above is Darling Daughter, nothing to do with Camera Obscura, and I think you'll agree that she looks especially striking in normal-coloured hair.*
     Anyway, they turn out not to be from South Canada, as I'd imagined, but - Glasgow (which, by an amazing coincidence, I'd posted about on The Flop House Facebook page).  Not only that, they've been around for about 20 years, so I'm not sure how I missed them all this time.  Art?

NO!

     Frightfully sorry, that's the sad remains of our meal at Mowgli's, including the incredibly messy Sticky Wings, which sauce I managed to get all over my fingers and lips, as expected, but also in my moustache and <embarrassed face> a tad up my nose.
     Art!  Camera Obscura - NOW!

The band, looking atypically cheerful

     Back to the Festival.  The weather is in an ambiguous mood, meaning it may clear up and be sunny, or it may bucket down.  Shoes and a coat needed when venturing forth!  I am prepared to put up with rain, given all the food venues that will be present - not just generic burger and chips joints, either, I'd just rather stay dry.
     Now to see if the motley will hit terminal velocity when dropped from the top of Blackpool Tower!**

More Of That Museum
You know, Fulwood Barracks over in Preston.  Pay attention South Canadians, and Ruffians, since the various ancestors of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment were around before South Canada was a thing, and they bested Our Mates From Muscovy a while back.  Art?

Crimean War era

     That box of curious objects is a surgeon's chest; they are stoppered medicine bottles, if you want to know.  That large round object is exactly what it appears to be - a Ruffian cannon ball.  I can't remember what 10 is.  11 is a British officer's belt buckle, and 12 is a Ruffian cap badge.  Next!

The drums!  The drums!

     There's a Ruffian helmet, and it looks as if you could do some damage with that if you head-butted someone.  I took this picture to show the size of that musket's muzzle; it's well over half-an-inch across and one shudders to think at the damage a low-velocity lead ball that size would do to a Hom. Sap.  Plus, another cannon ball.  Just visible behind the musket muzzle is a cushion with a lot of religious icons upon it, acquired from the battlefield, as Ruffian soldiers of this era were extremely religious chaps.

The Crimea; controversial even back in 1855

"Selling Like Hot Cakes"
I know, I know, my mind is a bit peculiar in that this phrase just popped up in it without any rhyme or reason.  I did wonder about it, because a cake, when hot, is fragile and easy to break apart unintentionally; it's much better to let it cool so you can cut it more easily.  Art?

Thus

     There's no listing about the phrase in Brewer's (Dictionary of Phrase and Fable) so I did a bit of digging online, and it seems to originate from South Canada, where the 'hotcake' was a variety of pancake, sold at county fairs and social events.  One presumes that the South Canadians of the mid-Nineteenth century were greedy for pancakes, and bought them up and scoffed 'em quick as they were made.

Finally -
I need a short article to finish up, after which I may take Edna for a trot, whilst it's not raining <thinks>
     Aha!  The Teuton "Heuschrecke" armoured fighting  vehicle of the Second Unpleasantness, a triumph of ingenuity over practicality.  Art?

Totally rocking it with the Panzer look

     It was designed as a self-propelled gun, with a large-calibre artillery piece as it's main weapon.  The thing is, see, that it also carried a gantry that allowed the entire turret to be lifted off, and towed behind.  Then, on arriving at destination, the turret could be placed into position as a pillbox.  Art?

Thus

     Undeniably odd!  However, although a few prototypes were made, it was deemed too expensive, complicated and would disrupt normal tank production, and that was the end for it.

Pip Pip!

*  I can say anything about her here, she never reads BOOJUM!
**   - before it hits the pavement.  Don't worry, motleys are pretty robust.