Tag yourself - taxidermy edition. Never a boring visit to the Tring branch of the Natural History Museum!

New additions to the uranium glass collection - spooky vibes.

Possibly the best use of a morning off work in quite some time - three hours to learn to make all of these tarts! Thankfully two growing boys are helping to destroy all my work.

Off tomorrow to a site which “While not officially confirmed to be a place of Satanic rituals” certainly seems to have a lot of interesting issues! Should have arranged for the end of October. Bad planning.

Seems like a good day to start watching The Leftovers

Tha glamour of my job really is something to envy: I’ve just agreed to meet some people in a cow tunnel beneath the Edinburgh bypass.

That could have been an email.

🚨 JOB ALERT - come work in my team?! Vacancy for an Archaeological Investigator with #LandscapeArchaeology experience. Full time, fixed-term contract until 31 March 2026, based in Cambridge with hybrid working. Apply by 26th Aug 👉 app.beapplied.com/apply/pbdaw6...

Well that was worth the wait. #oasis

Applications are open to become the new Graduate Trainee at HES - after seeing how much fun our most recent trainee had I’m quite jealous! Please share widely: ekov.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Another yeah, another cake theme done. The party had more smoke grenades and ammunition than I ever expect when I had kids, but as there don’t seem to have been any lasting injuries or burns I’m calling it a win for the day and am off to collapse.

Always nice to have a quiet moment at the castle before it opens up for the day - I may be here a lot now but it’s always special!

Today’s adventure was being allowed to climb down into the dewatered lock chambers of a section of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk to inspect the maintenance works being carried out - really something quite special!

The entrance to the secret path is starting to look glorious - always a lovely few weeks when the rhododendrons are in full bloom!

How is your day going? My kids just phoned their uncle as he’s on the way to the hospital to have his first child to wish him luck, and to say they hope nobody dies. I mean…

The role of Inspector of Monuments has come up in the Yorkshire region. A great opportunity for an archaeologist to shape the work of Historic England. app.beapplied.com/apply/zr945m... #archaeology #heritage

My youngest bought himself a laminator earlier and has immediately made bookmarks for my husband and I, and a checklist of daily events for himself….

Not a bad day for site visits I must say - lunch with a view!

Whoop! The swallows are officially home to roost for the summer, I do love seeing them flitting around in the evening sunshine. Zero chance of a decent photo of course.

I can’t help but wonder about the categorisation of tasks that results in FIVE kitchens/utilities in sequence. What happens in the final room of shame? www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

Emboldened by the veil of mist, an increasingly confident gang of lambs plot their great escape.

One very cool uranium decanter and a glow in the dark plastic Jesus (in joke) - not the usual presents perhaps!

Nothing quite like being ‘woken’ by a 7yo presenting you with tea in bed. The tea in question being a blackcurrant tea bag from school. With milk.

Scotland is not a serious country. 18 and sunnny = THE COUNTRY IS ON FIRE. (I jest, obviously it has been very dry and it’s a real threat….. but still)

I’ve been signed off work for two weeks and I’m going to be a NIGHTMARE at home - I don’t do well at staying still. All recommendations for books/series etc welcome - highbrow and trashy alike.

A quick scoot over to Linlithgow this afternoon and was much taken by the spectacular stained glass in St Katherine’s Aisle - installed in 1992 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of St Michael’s church, it was designed by Crear McCartney on the theme of Pentecost.

I came home from work yesterday to find we have a new orchard of pear trees! A local brewer/cider/perry maker had trees but no space, so we’re essentially fostering them. We only had the one vole guard, but he seems to be taking the job seriously at least.

A glorious day to see some areas of Edinburgh Castle that are currently closed to the public - the Western Defences offer gorgeous views and some lovely historic graffiti is a bonus.

I think this takes the prize of smallest functional souvenir from any site my kids have been to - fun!

Words I didn’t expect to be saying to my kids today: “I know you’re enjoying dissecting the buzzard, but you have to stop and have some lunch”

Annabelle looking fabulously awkward as ever this afternoon. 🐐

Well this is far too exciting for a British person on a Monday morning.

A favourite tree for many this #ThickTrunkTuesday - the magnificent Chestnut at Roslin, sadly another branch down following Storm Eowyn.

Top marks for wistful contemplation from my eldest, looking across Shinbane Field (named for the bones that continued to be ploughed up centuries on) where the Battle or Roslin is believed to have been at its fiercest.

Time to brave the potting shed again - much easier on a sunny day. 🌱

Next on the reading list.

I’ve not factchecked this, but it’s presumably of urgent interest to historians

Off to do my part to stay on the good side of folklore today - annoying me is one thing, but the fae….? Rather you than me.

Tell me I’m not the only one that finds this layout borderline disturbing somehow?

So now that we’re back and will be able to start processing all that we saw and did I’ll probably be posting some highlights from each day of our Shetland trip - if you ever have a chance to go then do it, and don’t be scared to take the ferry! ⛴️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏺

Just off the ferry from Shetland, so for #StandingStoneSunday it seems appropriate to post pictures of Clivocast and Bordastubble from our trip to Unst on Friday.

No points for guessing where we are this week - what a place though!

Bruce decided he wanted to be a garden tree, but thankfully avoided becoming an indoor tree by a few metres. Many other trees down but not as bad as we feared. Much relief here today, if still years of work ahead. #stormEowyn 🌪️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🌲

Ugh. Well, we felt that one come down.

Everyone in Scotland jumping out of their skin thanks to the emergency alert system. 😬

Border reiver bastles in the mist today - suddenly appearing across a field. Possibly even better than seeing it on a sunny day!

Feels apt tonight

Finally - my time has come!

We’re getting all arty with our igloo now, given it will be melted tomorrow. Farewell igloo.

Got bored, built an igloo.