I've followed @themerl.bsky.social for at least 8 years, then, from. But visited for the first time yesterday with @calmerfuture.bsky.social. I went especially for their excellent Radical Rural trail. But we also got childishly excited following the rat trail and lingering in the Ladybird gallery.

Another great episode. And we have our next audiobook!

AND @themerl.bsky.social my students googled me and found the Absolute Units podcast, and asked me why it was called that and what the sheep meant...

New Absolute Units is out now! We're joined by the fantastic author and campaigner @guyshrubsole.bsky.social to explore the question: who owns England? We travel as far back as the Norman conquest, through to the Tudors, Brexit, and right up to the present day. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

This is a great listen. Though I always wish I could punch William The C and his murderous bully mates square in their stupid evil faces (and ideally all the others like them worldwide before or since) when I'm reminded of the Norman Conquest bullshit

It was an honour to chat to the good folks at @themerl.bsky.social about the history of land ownership in England - in which I attempt to summarise 1000 years of dispossession, secrecy & plunder into one podcast; along with fresh hope that the secrecy may finally end soon… bsky.app/profile/them...

Always a good listen.

New Absolute Units is out now! We're joined by the fantastic author and campaigner @guyshrubsole.bsky.social to explore the question: who owns England? We travel as far back as the Norman conquest, through to the Tudors, Brexit, and right up to the present day. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Seeing a bunch of posts on my feed this morning about a UK exhibition on the Bayeux Tapestry made me want to share my favorite April Fool's skeet from this year - Bayewe Tapestry: The Fight to Wool England. I didn't realize when I saw it that there was a real loan happening!

Such a delightful account. Happy to have been following for so long. I learn so much! And their podcast is both interesting and soothing 🐑

8 years???? Happy anniversary to my fave Bsky Museum Acct!

viva MERL!

Happy 8th anniversary to the tweet that changed us forever. Look at this absolute unit.

Come on in. The rats are lovely #MERLRatTrail

In a world of war, anger and despair, this is actually quite lovely. The dull life to which we all aspire.

Pod pause, peeps.

@themerl.bsky.social must have something to do with Big Mangelwurzel

Best in Show (in honor of the Day):

Quick pod update: we're closed tomorrow for a long Easter weekend (which is when we'd usually drop a new episode). So we're going to have a quick podcast hiatus and then we'll be back to regular programming in 2 weeks' time! Explore previous episodes: merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

Ok. This is the kind of April Fool's joke I can work with.

Most am-ewe-sing.

some people are asking us if this is a joke. do you think we would joke about something like this? btw, as part of the exhibition, we're also bringing in another important loan, this time from a Norwegian museum. it tells the lesser-known story of the 1066 Viking invasion, led by Harald Baardrada

Oooo, the Bayewe!

listen up this is the only type of april fools post i'm interested in seeing today (obvious, harmless, and full of sheep puns)

Top work @themerl.bsky.social! Not even subtle 10/10.

This is the only April Fools post I will be laughing at this year.

they said it couldn't be done. but they forgot one thing: The Museum of English Rural Life

Breaking news: we've just signed a once-in-a-lifetime loan agreement to bring rural England's most iconic artwork home for the first time in 1,000 years. Introducing our 2027 major exhibition - Bayewe Tapestry: the Fight to Wool England.

Planning to visit in the next two weeks? Our opening hours are a little different around the Easter weekend. This week, we're open every day to the end of Thursday. Then we're closed over Easter and reopen on Tuesday 7 April. Find out more on our website: merl.reading.ac.uk/visit/

Happy anniversary! Here's the refugee astronaut that you mention in the podcast. I saw it in Haarlem last year

Listen for the podcast where the recording gets completely derailed by a peregrine sighting (100% fair) in the previous episode and in /this one/ you can enjoy rural educational tidbits, chaos plus appreciate the fancy hats in the thumbnail too.

Where better to spend Easter than the MERL?

For any families near Reading: our Easter activities begin tomorrow! Join us for free and low-cost family fun: from the launch of our new Rat Trail, to a workshop where you can make your own protest banners (inspired by @cprecountryside.bsky.social). merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/eas...

That was just the sheep I used for the video, because I couldn't get the rights to the one I really wanted. The sheep that looks like bread:

There’s a fine-looking and sizeable sheep in this informative lecture by venerable livestock portraiture expert, @misterabk.bsky.social. It’s definitely up there in second place, or perhaps even first! www.youtube.com/shorts/8s2_w...

One of my favorite shows, definitely give it a listen if you haven’t already 🐑

in this episode we also ask: should we sit @olliedouglas.bsky.social in front of a computer and make him play Stardew Valley? for science?

yay, happy podcast birthday ☺️🎉 that graphic with the sheep wearing tiny party hats is amazing! hope to visit MERL next time I'm in England. thank you for answering my question, it was a fun idea to do a Q&A for this special episode.

we're so proud of you all

🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

happy birthday to our podcast xxxxx

Absolute Units turns 1! Thanks to everyone who has listened in, supported us, and joined us in the booth in these past 12 months. Here's our special anniversary episode, answering many of the questions you very good people sent us yesterday. merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...

I love a small town museum eg Whitby - what are your favourite museums apart from MERL and why?

happy podcast birthday ☺️🎉 what are you currently reading or what books would you recommend? both fiction & nonfiction OK.

Are there any items you think are haunted? Any you think should be? If you could interview the ghost haunting an item, what kinds of things would you want to learn from them?

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned while working at the museum?

How many oats does one have to give to be blessed by the hogfather?

What is/are the biggest misconceptions about your subject area that you see/get asked about?

What is the spookiest, scariest item in the collection? What aspect of rural life is it connected with? Thanks!