Mosaic with head of Medusa. 1st Century BC from Pompeii. Now in Museo Archaeologico Nazionale di Napoli. #mosaicmonday 📷 by me

Visited the Mary Rose for the first time. A remarkable insight into the mid-16th Century, not least through the recovered day-to-day artefacts. 📷 By me

Mosaic of Mediterranean sea life. Pompeii, House of the the Geometric Mosaics. An octopus fights a lobster surrounded by a myriad of sea life. Early 1st Century BC. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli #mosaicmonday 📷 by me

Finally, yesterday, I made it to #Pompeii. It was everything I expected it to be, and more besides… Photos 📷 by me

It’s too late now guys. I won’t see the UK back in the EU in my lifetime. Why would the EU take us seriously? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Danebury Iron Age Hillfort in Hampshire. Fabulous first time visit. Monumentality writ large. #HillfortsWednesday 📸 Mine

Broken record here, but we cannot fix, save, improve, renew or whatever English universities if we only attend to taught students, DfE and OfS. Universities are major engines of research, innovation and civic good. Minimally DSIT must also be centrally in the frame. They're not big schools.

I guess we can welcome this, but it makes no practical difference for those who will never pay off their loans www.theguardian.com/money/2026/a...

Roman fort at Ambleside in the Lake District. Stunning location at the head of Lake Windermere. #RomanfortThursday Photo by me.

Strangely I haven’t seen this headlined in the Daily Mail… flip.it/9sptNc

Skyscraper boom in London grinds to a standstill flip.it/bKqbo9

I’m not normally one to boast about my educational achievements on social media, but in 1965 I received 1st prize for good attendance at Manchester Road Methodist Sunday School in Burnley.

This would be a much easier deal to do if the domestic fee charged to UK students actually covered the universities’ costs. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise – most of them are closed to the public”. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Temperate rainforest alive and well in Langdale.

Here lies the remains of Britain’s only truly europhile prime minister. Salisbury Cathedral.

I’m really enjoying reading this. It’s a real page-turner. The adopted long-term perspective on the relationship between UK and EU brings fresh insights @tommctague.bsky.social

Swarkestone Bridge near Derby. Most southerly point reached by the Jacobites in 1745.

: Half of UK universities face a deficit next year. Up to 50 could close. That is a sector in crisis. Simply blaming a tuition fee freeze and nudging fees up with inflation is not a plan. Where is the long-term strategy for higher education? #Universities #HigherEducation

Difficult times for UK Universities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I remember seeing a Capercaille in the Cairngorms back in the 1980s. It’s sad to think I might never see one again. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“I believe funding study from general taxes is a good thing for the UK and despise the older generations who went to university for not paying their share and lumping it onto my generation.” www.theguardian.com/money/2026/f...

This is excellent -highly recommended. I say this as someone who has worked in the university sector for 40 years. Cap doff to @gsoh31.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...

Winter Sun. On campus @uniofreading.bsky.social

It all started with the Trent Outrage..

Build, baby, build? www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Note the increasing tendancy of specifying the UK and Europe as if they are separate places. Geographically (and meteorologically) the UK remains part of Europe. “Cold snap grips Europe’ would have been fine. www.theguardian.com/world/galler...

This does not even remotely compare with the operation previously run by the Stasi, but nevertheless… www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Hairy Turkey Tail?

A tragedy that seemingly has little prospect of closure www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Large Panel System (LPS) housing in the news again www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottis...

It’s possible to have a nice evening walk even if you live in Reading. Fabulous campus @uniofreading.bsky.social

King's Foundation chair and nominee peer admits 'misleading' doctorate claim www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark flip.it/Z6JFKK

In the current climate every piece of good news needs to be celebrated. And, if true, this is very good news indeed. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

City & Guilds is a brand that is synonymous internationally with skills and training. The headlines are entirely predictable following its acquisition in October by an offshore commercial entrepreneur. The irony is rich. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

It would be nice if this initiative formed part of a coherent strategy which included quality of training provision and productivity improvement. Systemic problems need systemic solutions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Actions and words have consequences. How bad do things have to get before the ‘Little Englanders’’ are happy? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Actions and words have consequences. How bad do things have to get before the ‘Little Englanders’’ are happy? www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

There are no winners here. The 39% partication rate speaks to the desperate sense of disillusionment among HE staff. This is unlikely to improve given the brutal context of ongoing cuts and redundancies. I fear for the future. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucu-str...

It's official: 400 redundancies and a campus closure. At-risk staff will get a letter next week. Absolutely no serious consideration of any of the union's counterproposals. Please share widely.

A rare piece of good news… www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Frozen tax brackets upsetting you? Going to have the same salary for years on end? Congratulations, you're just feeling what academia has been like since 2018

It seems TV personalities have their uses after all… www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Another reminder of what we already know yet consistently choose to ignore…. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Words and actions have consequences www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

No way Sherlock www.bbc.com/news/article...

No news here - just another day for the cities which host universities www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Short thread of songs which helps me make sense of Armistice Day. We can remember them without the trappings of institutionalised remembrance. Please free to add to the list. open.spotify.com/track/3WFcgb...