Painted study of red peonies on white background.

Peonies, study, Martin Schongauer, 1472.

Suffrage Stories: The WSPU Illuminated Address. Is This Sylvia Pankhurst’s Original Design? Material owned by the Metropolitan Police Service Museum, licensed under the Metropolitan Police Service Non-Commercial Licence. (This image must not be reproduced without permission from the Metro…

Thanks to @mpsheritage.bsky.social I think I may have identified an original Sylvia Pankhurst artwork. Altho' for licensing agreement the pic below isn't the original - but to unravel the mystery read on...
womanandhersphere.com/2026/04/17/s...

That night Toad looked out of his window."Toad, Toad,” cried Frog. “The sun is shining! The snow is melting. Wake up!”

“I am not here,” said the voice.

illustration inspired by Charlotte Perkins-Gilman's 1891 short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" depicting a woman touching sickly yellow torn wallpaper on a wall while shadowy hands reach toward her. There is another tall shadow of a figure on the wall and both figures look toward the viewer.

"The color is repellent, almost revolting; a smouldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight."

I made a "Yellow Wallpaper" piece back in 2017, but I re-read the story over the weekend and wanted to try again. Much happier with this version 🖤

Such a genius way of displaying photos of lawn tennis parties in a historic house. Love it! @nationaltrust.org.uk #RainhamHall

What a lovely hidden #NationalTrust gem in London.
#RainhamHall

Embankment Gardens being pretty

Wooden sculpture: an enquiring face looks down from a tall column of stacked books.

The Spirit of Mount TBR wants to know if you _really_ believe you have enough books yet.

Close-up of a nodding yellow wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), its slender stem arching gracefully so the flower hangs downward. The soft petals, washed with green and gold, catch the light against a blurred background of spring colour.

Tulips were cultivated in the Ottoman Empire long before they reached Europe. Their name is thought to derive from the Turkish tülbent, a turban cloth, the flower’s form resembling its folds. In the 17th century, they sparked the famous Dutch “Tulip Mania”.

With all the narrative in the USA about London being overrun either by atheists or muslims imposing Sharia law (delete as appropriate), it's been fun dipping into the very US-centric Threads app and reading Americans being amazed that we get a four-day weekend for the Christian festival of Easter.

Pair of rounded oblong buckles consisting of a ring of two rows of paste ‘diamonds’ in a steel frame that could be attached to a pair of shoes. One of the buckles tests in a case lined with greenish silk on the bottom, white silk on the underside of the top

Late #c18 #c18th #18thc shoe buckles with glass paste ‘gemstones’ and original case, Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

My painting PURPLE CONEFLOWERS

Fabulous views from the chimney lift experience at #BatterseaPowerStation

These paintings completely got my attention in Imperial War Museum’s new exhibition Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art

This breathtaking high-angle photograph by hamnin1027ie captures the peak of cherry blossom season in Mie Prefecture, a region renowned for its stunning natural landscapes and sacred sites. The image presents a dense, almost impressionistic canopy of sakura, where the varying shades of white and deep pink suggest a mix of different cherry varieties, such as the classic Somei Yoshino and the more vibrantly hued Yaezakura. The soft, diffused lighting creates a dreamlike atmosphere, making the sea of blossoms appear like a delicate, frothy mist settled over the land. The composition is anchored by a solitary figure in the lower-left quadrant—a person wearing a traditional red kimono and carrying a matching wagasa (oil-paper umbrella). This tiny splash of crimson amidst the vast expanse of pastel blooms provides a sense of scale and introduces a human element that is deeply rooted in Japanese cultural traditions. The act of walking through the blossoms, known as hanami, is a centuries-old practice of appreciating the transient beauty of flowers. In this frame, the individual seems to be following a winding path, disappearing into the floral labyrinth. The juxtaposition of the permanent, dark roof of a small structure on the right with the fleeting, soft blossoms perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic of mono no aware—a bittersweet awareness of the impermanence of all things.

This high-angle photograph by hamnin1027ie of Instagram captures the peak of cherry blossom season in Mie Prefecture, Japan, a region renowned for its stunning natural landscapes and sacred sites.

I was looking at old school log books today and arguments about hair have always been there.
One entry from 1876 said 'Alice Marshall sent home to have her hair done up properly and her father, taking offence, has removed her from the school.'

By Battersea Power Station. Just recently opened and will be there until January I think.

Ramses the Great exhibition - stunning objects to see

Frog and Toad jump away from a big green snake. From "Dragons and Giants" In *Frog and Toad Together*

A big snake came out of the cave. “Hello lunch,” said the snake when he saw Frog and Toad. He opened his wide mouth.

Frog and Toad jumped away.

A fabulous exhibition at the #FanMuseum: Fans during the time of Jane Austen.

Delightful visit to the newly opened in London the #JaneAustenCentre

"This is a life and death story for the UK – so why is it being brushed under the carpet?"

Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth Plummeting. 📉

It is a hideous scandal that they can publish a chart as obvious as this and not even mention the words 'covid infections'.

Londesborough Hall demolished by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in 1818. His commitments to improving Chatsworth made it unaffordable and they had seldom visited it since 1753 when was inherited from the 3rd Earl of Burlington. Its footprint exposed by drought. The Duke donated several vases to Buxton

Something other than the news

Criminal records | 150 years of the Crime Museum - Museums Association This sensitively curated exhibition at London's Metropolitan Police Museum shines a light on the work of those who expose murderers and fraudsters

Review | Criminal records: 150 years of the Crime Museum 🚓

This sensitively curated exhibition at London's Metropolitan Police Museum shines a light on the work of those who expose murderers and fraudsters