No more nice cheese, no more malmsey, no more mince pies, no more holiday.

Cavolo nero, onions, garlic, green olives, pine nuts, broad beans, chickpeas, sundried tomato, harissa paste, ras el hanout - roast. To serve - lemon, yogurt and tahini dressing.

-2C by the Union Canal in Edinburgh. Only a swan could fall through broken ice so gracefully. 🦢

The wisdom of Mr. Rogers is eternal:

Noticed this when, as a childless former cat lady, building my snowman yesterday. Most adults sort of crab walked past me and avoided making eye contact. Otoh,it's right outside the window and later on could see, and hear delighted comments (especially when bathroom window was out 🙄) from all ages.

Spotted by alert #biscuiteer @fidaisyg.bsky.social 👀 Always a delight to encounter applied biscuit appreciation in the world #TheBiscuitAppreciationSociety

January (detail), Castello del Buonconsiglio (Trento, Italy), c. 1400

The next online talk will look at life on the road in the mediaeval period. What was it like to travel, who could be found on the road, and what observations did they leave us? I'll be live online at 7pmGMT on Wednesday 28 January. Booking & more info: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-mediae...

Hwæt!?

It's back in its proper place and functioning better than ever.

I can't seem to reply to @lakesstiles.bsky.social post or the original - but he's drawn attention to some great #biscuiteering - real gold medal effort #TheBiscuitAppreciationSociety

2026 is full of surprises. Just went up stairs to discover bathroom sash window completely removed from its frame on the coldest day of the year. "It just came out."

Absolute scenes in IV2 @simonvarwell.bsky.social @dgplacenames.bsky.social

We used to watch this in my.very not French primary school and it baffled and irritated the beejeezus out of me. Much preferred The Tinder Box.

2026

And more #snow in #Orkney West Mainland - the first two images are our view, the third image shows the drift next to our garage.

There are now just 4 spaces left on my botanical illustration & mental health zoom workshop,10 Jan. I teach you: 🌿how to draw plants 🧠how creative activity improves mental health I trained as a molecular cell biologist & am also a professional illustrator: workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/bota...

Thought it was a gingko leaf at first 😬

@thoscochrane.bsky.social icymi

ICYMI over the holidays

Corrado Gex wrote poetry in the patois of Val d' Aoste, which I've heard spoken on a handful of occasions by older people. Shockingly, once had an Italian from Piedmont say French is not a significant language in the valley anymore. It certainly is, although the Walser dialect seems to be lost.

Ha! Lundy 🔥

Some stray #EcclesiastocalCones* and a helpful fingerpost for #FingerpostFriday Hambledon, Rutland *the parish Church is right behind me

@martingillie.bsky.social keep reading...

Surprise find while tidying up my laptop tabs (a la @drspacejunk.bsky.social), this fantastic map of prehistoric tombs, settlements and standing stones located on the North Isles of Orkney from the @uhiarchaeology.bsky.social 'Tomb of the Isles' project. 😍 archaeologyorkney.com/tombs-of-the...

I can't believe quite how lazy I feel this evening.

County, of course. Thanks, autocarrot 🙄

Anyone have a picture of the Ullapool creel Christmas tree they'd be willing to share?

Welcomed by a peacock at the George Inn, Oakham, Rutland before Christmas. #PeacockBluesky (Part of our project to spend the night in every historic country.)

Stop scrolling for a minute and watch the waves gently break on a Scottish beach.

⬇️⬇️⬇️ have never had or seen a problem with dogs ever when walking in the Alps. Dogs stay at heel or are on a lead and don't roam all over creating havoc for wildlife and stock. If the sign says no dogs, people don't bring their dogs. Unrelated, people often bring their cats camping.

Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over

Something I really miss are the epic chats, banter, and discussion we used to have on the other place. Some of those people are real life friends now. Just don't feel bsky is going to be that sort of place. 🫤

Yes, this is a brilliant book by @dannybate.bsky.social , who hosts the great podcast , ‘A Language I Love is …’ This book such fun, very clear, packed with information about how spoken and written language have interacted.

Reading my Christmas present from @martingillie.bsky.social @dannybate.bsky.social 's MARVELLOUS book. Am reminded of a colleague and I writing hawk, hock, hark, haugh, & hough on my office whiteboard and charted the pronunciations of anyone who wandered in (UoE careers service, coincidentally)

I made a mistake and opened the halva.

@drleonj.bsky.social seems to be a theme for me in what's left of 2025...

A new type of party ring #TheBiscuitAppreciationSociety

I was managing a travel bookshop in Boston. A man came upstairs to the European travel section and asked, "Where's Paris?" I replied, "In France."

Can anyone recommend an online tutorial to learn portrait painting for a complete beginner? There seem to be gazillion YT videos and I cannot tell where to start because most seem to assume you can already draw a portrait.

It's been a long year for us all, Henry.

A ballerina in Manaus.

#TinShedTuesday St Swithun's Church yard, Great Chishall, Essex or Cambridgeshire depending on your mood.

A cluster of cones taking cover from the cold. St Swithun's Great Chishall #EcclesiasticalCones #ConeEcclesia

Mavis alert @mostlyrambling.bsky.social

Oh my! Via @thros.bsky.social

OS tiles I have known...