Just out of curiosity I grabbed a set of spectroscopic images of R Lep using my Star Analyser 100 and DSI Pro III on my LXD75 SN6. Not only is this star deeply red, but it also shows a series of very deep absorption lines in the near IR, presumably due to carbon. For reference I also grabbed a spectrum of SAO 150044, a nearby bluish A2 star shining at magnitude 7.4. It'll be very ineresting to get a spectrum of R CrB before it begins to brighten.

-John