Today is Annie Besant’s birthday… an extraordinary Victorian rebel always much under-rated. Do order the book to find out more!

Loving visiting Saltaire, a place I’ve always wanted to visit. The Mill galleries are sensational and full of Hockneys ( better than the Paris Exhibition!)

It’s publication day! To celebrate, here’s the 6th short video about why Annie Besant is so fascinating. And her creepy friend Charles Leadbeater.

5th little video about why I like Annie Besant! thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-nine-lives-of-annie-besant/

Tooting Bec Lido still a glorious 22 degrees and just a small group of early birds there at 6am. Such a joy, but the mornings are getting noticeably darker. I’m enjoying painting it through the seasons.

This is the 4th in a series of short videos about the rebel Annie Besant. The Nine Lives of Annie Besant will be published on 28 August. Pre orders now! thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-nine-lives-of-annie-besant/

Here’s my new book on pre order at a big discount! It’s a good story, honest.

Here’s the third in a series of short videos about Victorian rebel Annie Besant. Book details in bio.

Here’s the second in a series of short videos about the amazing Victorian rebel, Annie Besant. Book details in bio. Via

Looking forward to my new book! 📚Here’s the first of a series of short videos about the life and legacy of Annie Besant. Available to buy here: thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/...

I'm not sure why the cover image is so blurry on the website (maybe it's just my computer?) but I really like how it came out.

Red Star line museum in Antwerp was fabulous. Museum of migration. It bookends Ellis island. I loved it.

It was a delight to see the David Hockney show although much of it was very familiar. Even more delightful was to see it in Frank Gehry’s fabulous Louis Vuitton building.

Another fascinating and utterly distressing exhibition, not least because there are so many shocking echoes now, was the degenerate art show at the Picasso.

Brilliant week in Paris with some stunning exhibitions. Matisse and Margeuritte at the Musee d’art moderne de Paris was a real winner.

Really great exhibition at the Barbican of Noah Davis who was incredibly versatile and died tragically young. Do go.

Fascinating pastel exhibition at the Mall Galleries. I couldn’t believe some were pastel. Clearly more versatile medium than I thought.

Very sad to see that the Theosophical Society LA archives have been lost in the terrible fires.

Delighted to see the amazing Zaha Hadid MAXXI building in Rome and its excellent exhibitions.

The wintry vineyards at Casa Canalitala, Abruzxo.

This week we’ve been wine tasting at Casa Canelitala in Abruzzo, Italy.

Utter delight at Whitstablelifeboat Big Dip this morning. Looking forward to next year already.

Fabulous Boxing Day Big Dip courtesy of #whitstablelifeboat. 9 degrees of joy.

I volunteered last night at this mythical, spectacular, awe inspiring phenomenon. You sign an NDA so I can’t say much except WOW!

Getting tickets for Van Gogh was as hard as getting tickets for Glastonbury. But worth it. Some of the best paintings in the world are here.

Very spooky when you see close up. The faces are made with human skin cells.

Teresa Margolyes Fourth Plinth sculpture looks great in the sunshine

I loved each and every one of Vanessa Bell’s paintings at the excellent Milton Keynes exhibition.

I’ve just been to the National Archives at Kew. It has to be one of London’s greatest assets. Such a privilege to go there.

The hand of Old Croghan Man, a 2000-year-old bog body that has been naturally mummified in a peat bog. The man's apparently manicured nails led to speculation that he was not someone who engaged in manual labour. Based off the man's arm span, he stood approximately 6'6'' tall.

Krishnamurti (born 1895) as a young boy, dressed in Indian attire. He was destined to become Annie Besant’s ‘new world teacher’. Those who met him were often overwhelmed by his beauty… even those who met him when he was elderly.

Tooting Lido last night, looking beautiful, at the art show. Fabulous reflections.

A VICTORIAN MERMAN Objects like this were often made from the torsos of monkeys and the tails of fish. They were displayed by showmen like P. T Barnum to audiences who believed they were real. This particular one is on display at the Horniman Museum, London. #skystorians #histmed #histsci

This is horrific. Labor trying so hard to be the Libs. It feels like we're more and more becoming a one party state... 😒

Today’s book mail! Warm congrats, @freeburian.bsky.social & @manchesterup.bsky.social! X

Extraordinary day today at the BL. The place is deserted. The corridor desks are vacant and so is Humanities 2.

OTD in early television: 9.18pm Friday 18 November 1937, a 5-minute talk billed as ‘Experiments in Science No 4 - Economising Effort’, given by Mrs Winifred Raphael (1898-1978; the 1937 portrait by Bassano Ltd is ©NPG ); this brief broadcast leads us down a remarkable 1930s’ rabbit hole...

This www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Annie Besant’s mentor, the beguiling and charismatic Madame Blavatsky. Woman of mystery.

Annie Besant was born ten years after Victoria came to the throne and died the year Hitler came to power. What a life.

Really fascinating article about early spiritualism and its ‘scientific’ debunkers.

I’ve retreated to indoor swimming but missing Tooting lido. It’s either two minutes in and out there, or a proper swim inside…