Christmas Eve evening stroll on the beach…

An amazing sky over our house early this morning.

Tonight’s moon over north Cornwall - taken from our garden gate

Who did what in early modern England? New #OpenAccess book, 'The Experience of Work in Early Modern England' by @jwhittle.bsky.social, @markhailwood.bsky.social, @hkrobb.bsky.social & @aucointaylor.bsky.social, based on thousands of #EarlyModern court depositions 🗃️ Read it: doi.org/10.1017/9781...

Been reading up on when sailors became a distinct profession and of course it’s meant reading some Roman texts. Came across this from Cicero about founding of Rome and why it was not placed by sea: ‘…maritime cities also suffer a certain corruption & degeneration of morals; …

New adventures! New job! Back to school!

The other half went for a themed cake for my birthday this year!

Finally getting around to unpacking the cat…

John just about to be abducted by aliens…

Casper has met the new neighbours!

It’s moving day and this is the new view from the kitchen sink window!

Well, I guess the packing is done!

November 1758. Extract of letter from Capt Tyrell (HMS Buckingham) after battle with French: ‘Capt Troy […] at the head of his Marines, performed the Service of a brave and gallant officer’ cleared the Poop & Quarter Deck of the Florissant & drove the French like ‘Sheep down upon their Main Deck’

Spending my lunch hour in the library with this chap looming over my reading table!

Marine officer recounts action 1798 in Battle of Nile: ‘if you look over the returns of all naval actions…you will find the marines suffer in much greater proportion than the rest; here in the poop we are so exposed & then the colour of the cloth, red, attractive mark to shot’

Marine officer recounts tale he heard from R. C. Reynolds (Commander f Amazon) of action by Amazon & Indefatigable against French warship Droits de l’Homme in 1797: ‘we fastened like bull dogs upon the haunches of the great 74…& worried her for 5 hours’

Marine officer writing of return to Plymouth after months at sea (1800s): ‘who has not seen soft Plymouth, the gem of the west, & it’s swelling bosom at Mount Edgecumbe, & Cawsand Bay, & the Sound, & it’s deepening beauties down the harbour, & Mount Wise, & it’s merry shore?’

1805 anecdote concerning ‘fictitious rating’ on board ship: a marine and sailor were crossing the admirals paddock at Plymouth & 2 horses grazing there. The sailor throws a stone at 1 of the horses. The marine says ‘My eyes, Jack, ‘don’t pelt that poor fellow he’s rated quartermaster on our ship’

Took the youngest for a bit of a wander around Gloucester Cathedral - called in just in time to hear Evensong.

Reading a source from 1804 written by a Marine - in it he describes Portsmouth as having ‘within its iron walls, some of the most beautiful women I ever remember to have seen, & whom the witches of Lancashire […] have never outshone’