Our friend the Antioquia Beaked Toad lives on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia! Many other toads in genus Rhinella have long and pointy noses, but the Antioquia Beaked Toad has one of the longest! (photo by Khristian Venegas Valencia)

6 Jan 1486: b. Martin Agricola, composer & musical theorist #otd

'Notting Hill Gate' by Denys G. Wells (1881–1973) (Private collection)

The Vale of York Viking Hoard was found by detectorists David and Andrew Whelan in a North Yorkshire field #OTD in 2007. A Frankish gilt silver cup brimming with coins was the focal point, and the objects range in origin from Ireland to Afghanistan. 📸Portable Antiquities Scheme #medievalsky

Wordle 1,662 5/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Took a bit of finding.

Epiphany-tide goes on for a while. Today is Epiphany day. This is my attempt to make the famous story relevant for us now.

Did some work on my #FungiJournal the other day. A work in progress. I’ll finish it one day. Music: Detectorists - Johnny Flynn. #FungiFriends

Only Nature could get away with this ~ my favourite outrageous caterpillar, the spectacular Saturniidae (Marco Fisher)

A 2,300 year old gold oak wreath from the Royal Tombs of the Macedonian Kingdom of Aegae (modern Vergina, Greece)

Loch Glassie, where we had lunch today.

I love the Romanesque Capitals. They are worth observing.😘

Bird Spatula 11th–16th century Popayan The spatula was used for the powdered lime which was added to chewing coca.

Wordle 1,661 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Steady par.

There are astonishing things at the British Museum, but it's the 2000-year-old Roman muffin tin that speaks to me. Humans are humans, through time and across continents. A long time ago, somebody, somewhere undoubtedly got really pissed because she burned the dinner rolls.

A label or tag from Roman Chester (Deva) belonging to Julius Candid of the Twentieth Legion. The label was attached to baggage whilst in transit. Now part of the collections at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester. 📸 My own. #RomanBritain #Chester #GrosvenorMuseum

Five soldiers ready for drill with pike & shield, from 1618 drill book illustrated by Adam van Breen. Today is his day.

Ideal for Epiphany, maybe?

A thousand years ago (or so) someone threw this gorgeous brooch down a well. There's got to be a novel in that, somehow.

Title-page of six designs for a series of costume figures: the painter in his studio Signed by Willem Buytewech, c. 1620-1622 (British Museum)

Card making continues.

On Dun Hill, looking across Aberfeldy to Faragon.

Wordle 1,660 3/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Start the week with 3.

14th century musician from St. Peter’s Church at Hanwell in Oxfordshire. 📸 My own. #StoneworkSunday #Hanwell #Oxfordshire

Finished this #embroidery - now for sale on #etsy! thistleandcrowstudio.etsy.com/listing/4435...

I've reviewed an excellent late medieval book with lots of great illustrations depicting Medieval daily life. Art review: Flemish book of hours (1400s) You can check it out here; fakehistoryhunter.net/2026/01/04/a... Or here; fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/art-review...

A morning walk by Aberfeldy.

Wordle 1,659 4/6 ⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟩🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Stupid error on line 3!

'Explosion' of water vole numbers across the East of England www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A seal holder in the form of a book, ca. 1599 - ca. 1624 (Rijksmuseum) It's just 3.5cm x 4.6cm x 0.4cm in size. A must for all book lovers.

As @holidayhighlands.bsky.social knows well, there is no better place for a holiday than the West Coast of Scotland. Check it out in this book. #Holidays #Highlands #Coast www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Eilea...

Holiday place. 5 nights. 🙂

PHOTO OF THE DAY. London telephone engineer (1925). 📷 Donald McLeish

"I wish I had more time to read history." If this is you, why not have a look at my Kindle list. My pieces are short, inexpensive and by no means superficial. Based on 40 years of studying and teaching. #History #EarlyModern #19Century #20Century #Kindle georgehharris.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-bi...

As @holidayhighlands.bsky.social knows well, there is no better place for a holiday than the West Coast of Scotland. Check it out in this book. #Holidays #Highlands #Coast www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Eilea...

Wordle 1,658 3/6 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Always pleasing.

There is no better place for a holiday. See my blog-post. georgehharris.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-...

@christinarosen.bsky.social Many thanks for the repost. 🙂

@drrjwarren.bsky.social Thanks for reposting my garden blog. I'm going to enjoy rereading them.

Interesting. Perhaps the skill set was stamping? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Here's the first one. January 4th (we're away then) 2022 #WildLifegarden #Biodiversity #Nature mywildgardenyear.blogspot.com/2022/01/foxe...

Wordle 1,657 4/6 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Much thought required!

The last 6 months I've done more writing than painting. But I've spent the last night of 2025 painting cards. Maybe an omen for 2026. Happy New Year everyone.

As the year draws to a close, I’m signing off 2025 with a magical find! An ancient amber bear. Carved some 10,000 years ago, it washed up on a beach at Fanø, Denmark, from a submerged Mesolithic settlement in the North Sea. ✨ Happy New Year all! ✨ National Museum of Denmark 📷 by me #Archaeology

Open up this picture fully. Then look at the surface of Mars. Then look up to the top right. Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky. Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos. That's Earth.

Early 15th century fragment of a stall end from Kings Lynn in Norfolk depicting a ‘mantichore’ - a man eating best with a lion’s body, a human head, and the tail of a dragon or scorpion. Now part of the collections at the V&A in London. 📸 My own. #Woodensday

Wordle 1,656 5/6 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Slow and steady.

As 2026 approaches a happy new year's toast to you all with this marvellous 4th century Roman cage-cup, which bears an inscription, a toast that reads: BIBE MULTIS ANNIS - Drink for many years! Cheers and here's to a far better year in 2026! 🥂 #NewYear2026 🍀

Wordle 1,655 4/6 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Steady par.

"I wish I had more time to read history." If this is you, why not have a look at my Kindle list. My pieces are short, inexpensive and by no means superficial. Based on 40 years of studying and teaching. #History #EarlyModern #19Century #20Century #Kindle georgehharris.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-bi...