Yes, told about it by my Mum, who would have been 16, in tones of hushed and still raw horror

If you read four history books on the same topic, you will inevitably notice how the historians pick what makes it into their account and how they’re responding to other historians. Then you pick a favorite and begin to feel deep antipathy to the other chosen paths. Welcome. You are now an academic.

Such a gorgeous church - visited recently and it’s so atmospheric

I used to offer book stamping as a stress relief to colleagues when working in a Library - they’re ace

Trump would tell his partner she’s disgusting at that point I think

Holy shit, lads.
I've just seen this footage of Penelope Keith running away from the grassy knoll.

A podcast dream team combination of you and @weirdinthewade.bsky.social

Sorry the matter is grim and awful but the idea of workaholic Chartists has absolutely tickled me.

Whilst church crawling today thoroughly enjoyed finding this very venerable looking chest with a Christmas tree shoved inside it for handy storage.

Soon.

Ha! This year my daughter has developed strong opinions about validity of costumes and I’m slightly worried she’s going to tell off the Taylor Swifts or Minecraft people for not being true book characters. A bit ashamed to say I’m somewhat proud whilst also worried about the social fallout.

Pancake Day tradition sees kids gather on a Beds hill and listen for witches Some children say they can still hear the witch frying her pancakes beneath the hill

Happy pancake making witch of Toddington day for all who celebrate www.bedfordshirelive.co.uk/whats-on/str...

You’ve got a friend in meeeeee #writing #reading

A fallen tree, in a scrubby woodland. The fallen tree is covered in an orangey red growth.

I’m getting slightly obsessed with this red rusted tree. I assume the red is from a lichen or fungi but if anyone knows exactly what it is as I’m curious to know…

In Peterborough Cathedral there is a panel explaining that during the Reformation, when soldiers came to smash the monuments, steal the gold and burn the books, a monk managed to save just one book from the library, claiming to the illiterate soldiers that it was a bible that must not be burned.

blue tit on a branch of catkins

Each catkin consists of 240 individual flowers on a dangling stem, & when fully ripe it only takes the slightest touch to release a cloud of microscopic pollen grains. These can be carried over a great distance on a favourable breeze in the hope of reaching a female Hazel flower. 📸 R Wilmshurst

The Romantic's Gothic revival lasted up until the mid-20th century when we see skyscrapers built in the Gothic style. A truly strange and beautiful monument to romanticism.

Follow and repost if you're enjoying this series on The Romantics. 10/10

Feel like Kent and Somerset are winning here.

Entrance to Dudley Castle

A cluster of bats clinging to the ceiling within the castle.

A lone bat hanging.

Went into the ruins of Dudley Castle and checked out some creatures of the night...

I feel like hydrangeas are never as vivid anywhere else!

Really enjoyed this! I had no idea the timber for Ely Cathedral came from Chicksands, I sometimes think Bedfordshire can feel a long way from the Fens but the river links make sense.

In related news, my Blythe obsession is getting out of hand and genuinely priced up buying every volume of his Church Times pieces the other day. There are 25 unread books by the side of my bed. This is not a sensible choice to make.

I missed this lovely piece on Ronald Blythe, focussing on his faith. He captures the spirit of the good bits of the CofE. The rector of my childhood church used to have semi regular crises of faith that everyone just accepted as perfectly rational. Meeting other groups of Christians was a shock!

The holy trinity of English village life: pub, church, standing stones

First #moth trap of the year here in Bedfordshire had a very respectable 19 moths of 6 species in it, including a couple of Small Brindled Beauties #TeamMoth

A black cloud of thousands of starlings over Penzance harbour with St Mary’s Church as the backdrop.

👀 #Penzance #Cornwall

Tonight’s #Starling #Murmuration

These are my photos from Sept 24, the circle was very pronounced when I visited but there were lots of other timbers about that looked similar? That beach can look so different and the sands move so much over time as well, I haven’t looked for it again. Very exciting the idea there could be more!

I do think Virginia Woolf would be terrifying tbf

Paul Nash 'Landscape of the Megaliths',1937

Why conspiracies are so popular — and what we can do to stop them - Berkeley News UC Berkeley Professor Timothy Tangherlini uses lessons from folklore and AI to understand how social media fuels the spread of conspiracies, and how we can use storytelling tools to stem the tide of m...

Using folklore to address conspiracy theories: news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/05/w... #folklore #conspiracy #folkloring #conspiracytheories