40 Knights & Ladies
Swindon Museum & Art Gallery
01/Jul/09 10:23
Things are looking up on the musuem front, after being told a thousand no's to this and that, I found myself today inside the Mayor's parlour. My quest was to take a picky of the town's coat of arms, (its got a knight's helmet thingey on it)....So I somehow find myself standing outside the local council offices, taking a photo of the borough flag with its washed out crest which would not flutter as it was too hot. The receptionist Deena had offered, when I had phoned earlier to dust the stone crest over the front door with a broom, when suddenly I was accosted by a security guard. When I explained my plight that I had been to the town library to search for a coat of arms and a reference meanie would not let me photo a pamphlet with one on, so instead I came to the source. He said I looked sort of honest and maybe I would be interested to learn that he had a Cornish coat of arms tattoed all over his back. I asked him would be like to remove his shirt and I could photograph it. Instead, he removed me inside and presented me to his lovely lady boss. She said it was sad, "You could have taken a photo of my chest before". I looked to the place she pointed. "I used to have a lovely embroidered crest just here"...pointing above her pocket to a now guady orange logo. Well, in a flash I somehow found myself in the Mayor's parlour where his aide was in the midst of dressing. Well, the security guard was looking shifty and me dazzled by the art deco furniture, walnut walls, silver staff and cabinet full of numbered treasures of office and a photo of the Queen 1991. "Blimey" I said. Looking back I wish I had been braver and got the security guard to whip his shirt off and the rather good looking aide to look on, bit like a scene from the The Bodyguard film, then get a first class picky. Then it dawned on me, I realised that the only association with Kev Costner was use of a certain type of walkie talkie ear piece. "Humm", I thought, seeing the miles of security grating at the window, and my reflection in the shiny stuff, I decided to take a moment to consider, what was the original brief - oh yes Presentation of Self!