Grumpy today and it's grey and dismal so #UnconfinedWalks along the cycle route because it's good for autumn colour. The textures and rich colour have brightened me up a bit.

#UnconfinedWalks was the 6.5k canal loop which is lovely at this time of the year.

#UnconfinedWalks left me in no doubt that this is one of the most spectacular #MastYear s I've ever seen. To the retail park and back along the canal.

#UnconfinedWalks was bathed in low golden sunshine at Brandon Nature Reserve. There were swarms of ladybirds; we were covered in them. Also saw a guy wandering the paths in bare feet for reasons best known to himself. There was also a hornet nest in the pine cone art installation!

Gorgeous #UnconfinedWalks this morning with M who, having better spatial awareness than me, bolted together the best bits of 2 walks. Breezy and sunny, with lots of canal soup thanks to storm Amy.

No words. Lots of very loud screaming but no words! #PUSB

#Birmingham People's History Archive event Saturday 4 October from 10am (talk at 1.30pm) Please note the venue: All Saints Church, Kings Heath (not at the archive in Margaret Street)

After the #ArchivesWM AGM in September the annual review for 2024-2025 is now available via the website! Introduced by The National Archives it offers an overview of the work of the charity and includes 'Around the Archives' sharing news of the great projects taking place across the region #Archives

Sluggish #UnconfinedWalks but that's where the hashtag really motivates.

Calling all #ArchivesWM members - a free online course on carbon literacy! No limit on number of staff/volunteers joining and specifically shaped for the #archives sector Mon 26 Jan 2026 (9.30am to 1pm) & Tues 27 Jan 2026 (1 – 4.30pm). Must attend both days of the course.

I'm off work for a couple of months and looking for an in-person volunteering post for about half a day a week starting now to give a bit of shape to my week.

#UnconfinedWalks pavement loop. Our post box is doomed and staff in the post office don't know how the automated one will work or when it's coming. Google search says they're whizzy solar powered thingies, but ours is in shade most of the day. Hmmmm. Have some late summer flowers instead!

Why aren’t Police Records in England & Wales covered by the Public Records Act? We've been campaigning on this since 2012 - blog for more info: www.campaignforrecords.org/blog/why-arent-police-records-covered-by-the-public-records-act #publicaccountability of interest @andyburnham.bsky.social ?

Yesterday we sent out this briefing to all UK MPs and our press list. It is our response to calls for digitisation of adoption and care records. We believe there is a better - & much needed - solution to make these records more accessible to those that need them. #LongLostFamilies bit.ly/4mBqsxo

Today's #UnconfinedWalks was a glorious 19000 steps circular canal loop around Stockton, Warks. Crab apples and wild pears underfoot, fabulous pubs and great company.

📣Job Opportunity📣 Stoke-on-Trent City Council seeks innovative & experienced Archive Services Manager to lead the Stoke-on-Trent City Archives team, following recent relocation to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery(PMAG) Closing date for applications: 7 October #Archives #ArchivesWM

Spectacular #UnconfinedWalks yesterday in which I was called 'water witch', 'druid' and 'lunatic'! Dowsing at the Rollright Stones with M (who can't dowse) and friends (who can)! Thanks to all who were open minded enough to try, particularly the Canadian lady whose yelp of surprise made my day!

A new season of talks from the Centre for Midlands History & Cultures begins next month! We begin with a house history - Winterbourne, Edgbaston, #Birmingham 📅Thurs 16 October 🕰️7:00-8:00pm Online via Zoom All Welcome @archivewhg.bsky.social

#UnconfinedWalks was full of glossy conkers and inky berries, with a side of bright blue sky.

My new small museums for mental health w'shop is on Sat 4 Oct Recent compelling research shows that collecting & arranging collections neatly alleviates anxiety & lifts mood. Includes: 🌿2 hr zoom-we'll make & photograph small museums 🗝️30% off my Etsy shop: workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/smal...

Aren't there a lot of berries on #UnconfinedWalks this year? And we've got 'canal soup' following yesterday's winds.

Dramatic goings on here. We converted our fish pond to a wildlife pond after a horrific attack by either an otter or a mink. We re-homed all but 4 elusive goldfish. Bought a wildlife camera and got this footage over the last two nights.

M and I rescued a drowning Vapourer moth during #UnconfinedWalks this morning. We also got very close to a heron.

Hope you have a productive week!

#ArchivesWM was delighted to welcome Saul Nasse, Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records, The National Archives to its AGM at Staffordshire History Centre. Saul gave an enlightening talk about TNA’s vision and strategy for the future. (2/2)

A really rewarding day all round. A great opportunity to hear what our members are achieving, catch up with friends and colleagues, and meet Saul Nassé, Chief Executive and Keeper at The National Archives.

Simple, lovely canal loop for #UnconfinedWalks this morning. The cows seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Interested in Local History?  Joining a Local History Group is a great way to get to know people and learn about your local area.  You can find contact details for the local history groups in York on our website on the link below. #Archives #LocalHistory #York https://shorturl.at/TVcTt

Really special #UnconfinedWalks today. Dad read Hoskins' The Making of the English Landscape a few years ago and said it lit a star in his mind. By parking strategically, today I managed to get him into a field system nr here which is rich in evidence of the past. Dad loved it. Special.

A great article about our archive collections featured in the @yorkpress.bsky.social‬ by our Head of Archives, Julie-Ann Vickers, discussing the international appeal of the archives here at Explore York.  https://tinyurl.com/mwjdnbnj #york #archives

Glorious #UnconfinedWalks in late summer sunshine. I call this the Hoskins walk; it's a walk of Middle England rolling landscape and big skies. Turns out the cows poo in furrows but not on ridges. Every day is a school day!

Badly mistimed #UnconfinedWalks in which I admired an idyllic country wedding with bells next door, reached the towpath then the heavens opened. Thunder, lightning, the works. Temporary shelter under Bridge 51 but I abandoned when the tow path flooded! I am a drowned rat! No sign of wedding party!

Managed #UnconfinedWalks today. It's muggy, with thunder forecast for later. Very Autumnal, but a whole load of trees and leaves missing out Autumn colour and going straight to scorched, shrivelled powder.

Speechless!

This changes EVERYTHING. I'm in tears. A total miscarriage of justice laced with fraud and financial mismanagement, decades of angst are now behind us. Doug King, thank you from the bottom of my heart. #PUSB

Exhibition at #ArchivesWM member Dudley Local Archives and Local History Service From Agenoria to Beeching: The First & Last Days of Steam in Dudley 11 October - 20 December 2025 Organised by Dudley Archives and the @blackcountrysoc.bsky.social as a contribution to #Railways200

Muggy #UnconfinedWalks. The quarry water levels are really low. This is the section that was flooded and impassable all Winter and Spring.

Why oh why can't I type 'the'????? Any variation of letters you like except the right one. Mainly 'teh'. Grrrr.

The latest 'interesting' development in a summer that has been rather too incident packed for my liking. I discovered a mating pair of what we think are Noble False Widow Spiders this afternoon while getting the washing in. Doubtless they are making venomous babies as I write...

Watching Apollo 13 for the gazillionth time tonight in memory of one of my all time heroes who did earlier this week, Commander Jim Lovell.

And so it begins. Pre-season friendly V Real Betis live on YouTube with excitable Spanish commentator. This is demonstrating that I am rusty! City less so ... 1-0 up!

#ArchivesWM members a free one day course in carbon literacy! Run twice to maximise members’ opportunities to attend. Increase your awareness of the carbon emissions with regards to archives, records management and special collections. Developed by The National Archives & the Carbon Literacy Trust.

Overcast and muggy #UnconfinedWalks. I saw sloes and damsons. In July?!! My walking shoes have been #UnconfinedWalks -ed into oblivion so I'm road testing my new ones. So comfy!

Including a couple that involved a proper catalogue structure (but fake) to go with the (fake) catalogue numbers. Please don't use AI to conduct your archives search, and please don't argue with archives workers who tell you that those items don't exist. We are here to help.

#UnconfinedWalks felt like breathing tepid soup and not really very nice at all. I saw a cow with a wonky tail and a brown hawker. Fields still scorched and brown.

Just been for a swim. My parents took me and my brother swimming from an early age but even 50 odd years later, when I get to the changing cubicle, part of me stands around waiting for my Mum to dry me off! And then I wait for Dad to ask if anyone fancies chips on the way home! #PavlovsDog

We are recruiting! Are you a qualified archivist who is looking for an 18-month, full-time position? Would you like to work in a stunning location with a wide range of collections? Enjoy being part of a team and talking up archives to a wide audience? www.northeastjobs.org.uk/job/Archivis...

#ArchivesWM is delighted to be offering this training to members. A chance to learn about climate change, how it impacts on archives and think about steps we can all take to make positive changes for the better.

Exhibition News! Visit Sandwell Archives to celebrate 40 years of the West Bromwich African Caribbean Resource Centre Monday 4 August– Friday 29 August 2025 #ArchivesWM