Flustered Duck
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Flustered Duck
@flusteredduck.bsky.social
220 followers 150 following 1.5K posts
Poetry fan, avid reader, provides editing and self-publishing services as well as transcription, based in Albany, Western Australia.
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This little green cicada is from a c1300-1325 version of "Der Naturen Bloeme" by Jacob van Maerlant (c1200-c1272). It seems to have a mouth which may explain its anxious expression as medieval cicadas were said to lack mouths . #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #beasts #cicada #cicadas
Looking to the right and sandwiched between sepia-coloured text, a worried-looking green bodied insect appears to be hovering. It has upraised dull green wings and a segmented pointed body. It appears to have four very substantial legs, although it may in fact be eight very thin legs. It also seems to have a strand of greenish hair (perhaps an antenna?) trailing down its face by its eye. It has a blunt nose with a line that looks like a mouth. Image from British Library, Additional MS 11390 (Der Naturen Bloeme), folio 70r.
November 11, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Our medieval beast this week is the cicada which was thought to be born from a cuckoo's saliva. This image of five cicadas is from a 1447 French translation of "De proprietatibus rerum" by Bartholomeus Anglicus (1203-1272). #medievalmanuscripts #medievalbeasts #beasts #cicada #cicadas
Within a square gilt frame, on a red background sprigged with thin gold branches, five bug-eyed insects are in formation (three above, two below). The insects have veined gauzy white wings folded on their backs and brown striped dark yellow bodies with pointed rears. Their heads are obscured by enormous dark brown round eyes. Image from Bibliothèque d’Amiens Métropole (Bibliothèque Louis Aragon), Ms. 399 (Livre des propriétés des choses), folio 144r.
November 10, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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A painting by Isidro Ancheta (1882-1946) is our writing prompt today. What is this young woman making so intently? #writingprompts #writingtips #writinglife #isidroancheta #artworks
A young woman with her dark hair in a bun at the back of her head is seated on the floor working on a large white cloth at a low table. She is wearing a long red skirt with a puffy shawl-style creamed top with long draping sleeves. The room around her looks like some sort of workroom with a bundle in a white cloth on a pile of material behind her, a basket with a trailing black cloth at one side and a higher table with stacks of books and a pinned out paper in front of her. There is a pair of black slippers at one side and a wooden step to the left of the shoes. The woman appears to be sitting beside a screened wall with a large window/opening showing a blue sky. Image by Isidro Ancheta (1882-1946) from Wikimedia Commons.
November 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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'"Last Friend Alive" by Caro Carver is a thriller featuring three friends on a beach holiday when long-buried secrets begin to come to light and their friendship takes a very dark turn. #bookrecommendations #tbrlist #carocarver #lastfriendalive
Book cover.
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Leave your editing and self-publishing to Jumble Publishing and Editing (jumblepublishing.com) so you can get out and about.
Image: Percy Thomas Macquoid (1852-1925). #jumblepublishing #publishing #selfpublishing #editing #percythomasmacquoid
A smiling woman in an elaborate yellow satin gown and feathered hat is curtsying to a smiling man in a green satin jacket and breeches sprawled on a cloth-covered sofa. He has an 18th century-style white powdered wig and is holding a saucer up in one hand from which a brown cat is eating as it balances on the back of the sofa. Two other cats are visible on a table behind the sofa, a white cat is lolling against the man's legs on the sofa, two white cats are curled on the floor by one of his feet, a tabby cat is on the floor by the sofa, a grey cat is eating from a saucer on the floor at the other side of the sofa and a black cat is just visible in the foreground. There is a very small black and white kitten between the man and the woman. Image by Percy Thomas Macquoid (1852-1924) from Wikimedia Commons.
November 7, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This particular medieval kingfisher is surprising in that it actually looks like a kingfisher as we know it, even to the colours. It is from the Alphonso Psalter, dated to 1284. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #kingfisher #kingfishers
A blue-headed kingfisher with a raised orange-brown beak looking to the left. It has an orange-brown belly, folded greenish wings and a blue back and tail. It is surprisingly realistic and detailed even to the facial stripe of a pale fawn. Image from British Library, Additional MS 24686 (Alphonso Psalter), folio 11r.
November 6, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This delightfully cross-looking medieval kingfisher giving the viewer the side-eye as it stomps across the page is from Ann Walsh's Bestiary (dated 1400-1425) which is known for its whimsical drawings. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #kingfisher #kingfishers
Between text on a manuscript page, a brown-winged blue bird with a firmly closed, long hooked brown beak is stomping across the page towards the right on large brown webbed feet. It appears to be giving the viewer the side-eye and appears to be scowling. It is unclear if it is walking on a shore or on the blue waves of the background. It is oddly rounded and short. Image from Kongelige Bibliotek, GKS 1633 4° (Bestiary of Ann Walsh), folio 36v.
November 5, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Medieval kingfishers were said to lay their eggs in the sand by the seashore at the height of the stormiest part of winter. While the kingfisher is incubating its eggs and tending to its young, the sea remains unnaturally calm. This kingfisher with its eggs is from a French bestiary (c1275).
A large white bird facing to the right. It has a long curved neck and a large open brown beak. It is standing on sand with three white eggs by its big webbed feet. It looks more like a pelican than a kingfisher and has very stylised feathers. It seems to be balancing on its back claw with its webbed feet hovering above the sand. Image from Bibliothèque Nationale de France, lat. 3630, folio 87v.
November 4, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This week's medieval beast is the kingfisher which may (or may not) be the same as the modern bird of the same name. It is commonly shown reaching back to its own tail feathers as in this image from the Aberdeen Bestiary (c1200). #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #kingfisher #kingfishers
A large, rather thin, bird with detailed feathers with a long neck reaching back over its raised wings to its tail feathers. It is blue white colour and has a long curved teethed orange-brown beak. It has large webbed orange-brown feet. It is shown in a red and blue ring on a gilt background in a red and white frame. Image from Aberdeen University Library, Univ. Lib. MS 24 (Aberdeen Bestiary), folio 54v.
November 3, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Our writing prompt this week is older than it looks as it is from the 17th century by an unknown Northern Italian artist. What story are you going to write to explain this amazing figure? #writingprompts #writingtips #writinglife #artworks
Against a vaguely classical sunset background, a vaguely feminine figure is lolling on the floor, leaning against a stone step. The figure is made up of flowers, fruits and vegetables and its hands (made of peapods) are holding a basket of more vegetables. It is wearing a necklace and bracelets of vegetable-beads as well as a flower wreaths around its head and draped over its shoulders. Image by an unknown Northern Italian artist (17th century) from Wikimedia Commons.
November 2, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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"Slayers of Old" by Jim C. Hines is an urban fantasy featuring three Chosen Ones forced out of retirement to save the world yet again. #bookrecommendations #tbrlist #slayersofold #jimchines #urbanfantasy #fantasy
Book cover.
November 1, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Jumble Publishing and Editing (jumblepublishing.com) can handle your editing and self-publishing so you have time to catch up with the grandchildren.
Image: Jacob Gløersen (1852–1912). #jumblepublishing #publishing #selfpublishing #editing #jacobgløersen
An elderly woman with a blue scarf over her hair wearing a red-trimmed green/grey shawl over a white-aproned dark skirt is seated at a folding table busy with some handcraft while a young girl with a long braid of fair hair down her back is kneeling beside her looking out through the window. The girl is wearing a long-sleeved striped gown and a red-backed waistcoat with a grey (?fur) trim. The window is covered by sheer lacy curtains and has potplants on the sill. A dark grandfather clock is behind the woman in the corner and there is a dark wooden chest of drawers to one side with a white lacy cloth on its top as well as a red-velvet covered, gold trimmed casket, a small blue vase and a large oil lamp. A landscape painting is on the wall above the chest. The walls and floor are uncovered wood. Image by Jacob Gløersen (1852–1912) from Wikimedia Commons.
October 31, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This may be my favourite illustration of the yale, although its colour doesn't match the "black" of the description. I love the way its exaggerated horns actually appear to be moving and its dainty pose. It is from a British bestiary dated to c1200-1210. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #yale
At the bottom of a manuscript page, stretching out of a gold rectangle with an inner blue frame, a lean brown quadruped is stretching out daintily with one hind leg extending out of the rectangle. It has a tufted tail and a very narrow head with a boar-like snout and tusks. It has extremely long and pointed green horns flexing in different directions. It has small pointed ears and appears to be smiling. Image from British Library, Royal MS 12 C XIX, folio 30r.
October 30, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This medieval yale has an unusual set of horns in that they are branched like antlers, although they are still pointing in different directions. It is from an encyclopaedia written by Thomas de Cantimpré (1201-1272) around 1240. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #yale
A very cow-like black beast with large white antler-style horns, one facing forward and one facing backward. It seems to be posing prettily on brown grass against a red background with occasional gold spots. It is looking sideways with a definite smirk. It is in a gilt frame on a manuscript page. Image from Bibliothèque Municipale de Valenciennes, MS 320 (Liber de natura rerum), folio 62v.
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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The medieval yale was also described as being black and its only known enemy was the basilisk as shown in this image from a bestiary by Pierre de Beauvais dated to the 13th century. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #yale
A smiling bulky black quadruped with very long pointed horns, one facing forward and one backward, lying on a brown hill with a flying creature (it has the white head and body of a rooster joined to the curled brown end of a serpent) pecking at the top of its head. The black creature seems to have a ruff and has a blunt snout. Image from Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms-3516 (L'Image du monde / Bestiaire of Pierre de Beauvais), folio 206v.
October 28, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Our medieval beast this week is the yale. It described as being the size of a horse with long flexible horns which it can move in any direction. It also has the tail of an elephant and the jaws of a boar. This image is from Isabelle of France's Psalter, dated 1303-1308. #medievalbeasts #yale
A slightly dappled silvery-coloured quadruped with very long and slender pointed horns. One horn is pointed over the beast's back and the other points over its head. It has a boar-like snout with small tusks as well as a horse-like mane. It has a whip-like tail. Image from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod.gall. 16 (Psalter of Isabelle of France), folio 38r.
October 27, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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A painting by Pedro Weingärtner (1853–1929) is our writing prompt today. Are you going to focus on one of these two women? Or is your story going to focus on why they are working? And what they are making? #writingprompts #writinglife #writingtips #pedroweingärtner #artworks
In the light of a large window in an otherwise dark room, a dark-haired woman is working on a large dark-framed loom. She is looking down at the fabric she is weaving and is obviously intent on her work. Her hair is covered by a red scarf and she has another red scarf arranged over her white top and is wearing a white skirt or white apron. A younger woman, also wearing a red scarf over her dark hair, is seated to the side of the loom winding thread. She is dressed in a red bodice over a white blouse and a light brown skirt with a wide black stripe above the light brown ruffle. There is a bench in front of the loom upon which a fringed red shawl and a black shawl have been thrown. Image by Pedro Weingärtner (1853–1929) from Wikimedia Commons.
October 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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"Murder Two Doors Down" by Chuck Storla is a cozy mystery featuring an insurance fraud investigator who finds himself investigating a murder in his suburban subdivision to stop himself being framed. #bookrecommendations #tbrlist #cozymystery #murdertwodoorsdown #chuckstorla
Book cover.
October 25, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Let Jumble Publishing and Editing (jumblepublishing.com) handle your editing and self-publishing so you can carry on with the rest of your life.
Image: Hugo Salmson (1843-1894) #jumblepublishing #publishing #selfpublishing #editing #hugosalmson
In the foreground, seated side-on at a table, a smiling young woman, dressed in dark clothes, with fair hair worn in a single braid pinned around her head is rocking a wide wooden cradle where a bonneted baby is lying beneath a patterned red blanket. To the left, also at the table but seated on a wooden settle, three women are seated drinking from white cups while talking. The nearest woman is young with fair hair in a single braind wound around her head, wearing a bright red skirt and a white-collared dark top. The other two women are much older with black scarves completely covering their hair and dark dresses. On the far side of the table, two children are talking, one drinking out of a saucer and the other holding a cup. A window is behind the table and looks out onto a white building. Image by Hugo Salmson (1843-1894) from Wikimedia Commons.
October 24, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Our fourth different medieval anthus is again from a 1287 edition of "Der Naturen Bloeme". All the images I have been able to find of the anthus have been from "Der Naturen Bloeme" or "Liber de natura rerum". #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #anthus
In a gilt-edged frame against a red background, a brown bird with a gold beak is eating grass towards the left. The texture of its feathers is shown by a variety of patterns and it has a fairly long tail. Image from Lippische Landesbibliothek, Ms. 70 (Der Naturen Bloeme), folio 66r.
October 23, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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The medieval anthus was said to eat grass which was the reason it was in such conflict with the horse. This anthus is yet another style of bird. It dates from 1350 and is from another edition of "Der Naturen Bloeme" by Jacob van Maerlant (c1235-c1291). #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #anthus
In an elaborate rectangular frame on a manuscript page, a red-brown bird with a very long neck and very large white feet is facing left and eating what is supposed to be grass but looks like worms. Stylised trees are visible on both sides. Image from Koninklijke Bibliotheek, KB, KA 16 (Der Naturen Bloeme), folio 77r.
October 22, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This particular anthus from an early 14th century manuscript of "Der Naturen Bloeme" looks like a parrot highlighting the extreme vagueness of the bird's description in medieval manuscript. #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #anthus
A large grey-winged, green body parrot-like bird faces left between text to a trotting horse which is mostly outlined, although there seems to be pale shading. The bird seems taller than the horse. Image from British Library, Additional MS 11390 (Der Naturen Bloeme), folio 41r.
October 21, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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Our medieval creature this week is the anthus. It is described as a small bird which fought horses as in this 13th century illustration from "Liber de natura rerum" by Thomas de Cantimpré (1201-c1272). #medievalbeasts #medievalmanuscripts #thomasdecantimpré #anthus
In a square frame on a manuscript page, against a gold-spotted red background, a very angry-looking grey/black crow-style bird is attacking a blue-grey galloping horse which is giving the bird the stink eye. Image from Bibliothèque Municipale de Valenciennes, MS 320 (Liber de natura rerum), folio 101r.
October 20, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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This painting by Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) is our writing prompt this week. What sort of story are you going to write in this setting? #writingprompts #writinglife #writingtips #edwardmitchellbannister #artworks
A somewhat dark scene showing a red-brown rowboat, almost hidden by tall green reeds, tied up at a rudimentary dock beside a pasture. A path is shown leading through the pasture behind the dock, disappearing through a stand of large green trees. A brown beast (probably a cow) is grazing in the pasture on the left and the pasture seems surrounded by trees with a large hill in the distance and a shadowy white house just visible beyond the trees. Over all is a blue sky studded with white clouds and streaked with the yellow of sunrise or sunset. Image by Edward Mitchell Bannister (1828-1901) from Wikimedia Commons.
October 19, 2025 at 2:00 AM
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"Dead & Breakfast" by Kat Hillis and Rosiee Thor is a cozy mystery featuring a married vampire couple running a bed and breakfast who find the local mayor in their begonias. #bookrecommendations #tbrlist #deadandbreakfast #kathillis #rosieethor #cozymystery
Book cover.
October 18, 2025 at 2:00 AM