I would NOT have done a military gap year. Why would I want to be shouted at, call people sir or ma’m, be at risk of sexual harassment and wear a uniform?

Something lovely for the weekend! Beautiful blue glass beads from the late Bronze Age 💙 Ploughed up by a farmer in Denmark in 1885, analysis shows the beads were made in Mesopotamia, pointing to long-distance trade in luxury goods some 3,000 years ago. 📷 National Museum of Denmark #Archaeology

Blimey. It’s only 9.30 on Dec 27. And the first tree has been thrown out by someone! #RecyclingChristmasTrees

Despite frequent remonstrations from digital archivists, Persephone never accepted that she could not photocopy a whole book in one go.

Something lovely for the weekend! A 1,800 year-old Roman glass flask shaped like a mouse! Squeak squeak! 🐭❤️ 📷 by me www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti... #Archaeology

When you're told 'no more chocolates' but it's okay because you've got deep pockets... Painting: Captain Sir Thomas Dutton, circa 1605-1615, artist unknown. From the collection at Sherborne Park Estate in Gloucestershire.

Like the world wasn’t bad enough. Even a small glimmer of light about reintroduction of birds has to be extinguished.

uh oh

Following yesterdays Cumberland Rum Butter purchase, today’s “buying food from my childhood Christmas” is Scottish Tablet. Known as Granny R Fudge. I was horrified when I found commercial fudge was a strange thing the texture of plasticine. What Granny made was actually tablet: hardish and grainy.

FFS, just go ahead and ban ALL the best people, why don't you.

It is an odd specific of UK govt migration policies that someone, somewhere, seems to think that families fleeing in fear of their lives are diligently keeping up with every new announcement about specific changes to the hostile environment.

Just remembered - I wrote my thesis in #Calibri. I guess Marco Rubio will never be able to read it now. He’ll miss out on an important aspect of Brighton & Hove’s nineteenth century history.

Bugger. The short course online about Vikings I was about to start in Jan has been cancelled. For the second time. What should I do instead?

Ridiculously excited that I have just ordered some Cumbrian Rum Butter. When I was a child we used to MAKE it but it will be interesting to find out what the trad. version tastes like.

Time again for my favorite christmas post ever, one that still makes me laugh every time i read it

😍

Wondering if there is any risk that Pickles the Dog will run off with the peace prize? (One for the older readers there)

This Peace Prize is the worst piece of craven toadying since our PM produced a piece of gold-embossed paper inviting the man to have a holiday in Windsor.

Now with alt-text:

Refunds wanted after 'awful' Christmas drone show www.bbc.com/news/article... Yes folks, it’s the 1st entry in the annual “can this be worse than the Grundy World of Christmas” competition. Could George have done a better job? Christmas is on its way. #TheArchers

Anyone interested in interpreting historical documents, (particularly for #familyhistory research) and the pitfalls of making assumptions about people based on shaky evidence, must surely choose Arcadia as Stoppard’s finest play.

Perfect Tom Stoppard story from DTel obituary: His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”

Oh dear, Mary B. doesn’t get her own chocolate.

Went to this exhib @ Brighton Museum. Interested to see how horrid some clothes were: red anorak? Blue pac-a-Mac. I was too young for much of this & it took longer to get to rural Cheshire. Exhib had great music & good mini dresses. If you were old enuf to remember, you needed these handy seats.

I miss the days when Budget Day came with speculation about what tipple the chancellor would have chosen to get them through their speech.

Assume the lights were turned on by Nobby Holder

Met officers often received a reward for gaining control of runaway horses (and the occasional "infuriated cow") in the streets of Victorian London, but these escaped elephants in 1884 Kentish Town were an altogether rarer occurrence ... #Museum30 #animal

So once you are fit after using your Peleton device maybe you’ll be big and strong enough to jump on the box and cut it up so it will FIT in the recycling bin, you selfish git. & don’t tell me the bin was full - you clearly hadn’t cut it up at home so were planning on leaving it on the pavement.

Had to go to hospital twice today because of problems with yesterday’s bloods. Arm feeling a bit like a pin-cushion. But NO PILLS - won’t get them til Monday - assuming the bloods are OK. Am just sooo tired of it all.

Please read, listen, and share widely. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...

Some good things keep on happening no matter what horrors are going on.

Another morning, another chance to be ashamed to be British. People are fleeing war and persecution, which we are often implicated in. Britain, smugly saying it's the best country in the world, takes their last valuables to pay for bureaucracy & sub standard accommodation. Government by anecdote

Most of the people who think Britain was better 50 years ago weren't even born 50 years ago. The second largest group who think it was better 50 years ago were too young to know what was going on. The third group just think it was better because they were 21 and getting a lot more sex than now.

We are devastated to confirm that bio-bead pollution has reached Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. We're working to assess the damage to the precious saltmarsh habitat and plan the clean-up.  Full statement here: https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/bio-bead-pollution-at-rye-harbour-nature-reserve

"We're not in it for the money" tho. Human nature is human nature I guess. I put the blame with successive governments and with heritage bodies who aren't lobbying for better. 🏺

For months, ministers have been pushing a false choice between nature and growth. Now, new research shows just how out of touch they are. With data from More In Common, it's time to set the record straight. 👇

Happy Fenton Day to all who celebrate. Jesus Christ, fourteen years. youtu.be/3GRSbr0EYYU

Really looking forward to hosting Dr Wright, Tuesday 25th Nov, for a @sussexpast.bsky.social online talk. A classic archaeological story, the discovery of a Saxon toilet led to locating of Harold Godwin's Hall. Join us for a great evening of high-status Saxon fun!🏺 sussexpast.co.uk/event/autumn...

😳 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 metro.co.uk/video/robert...

So this government really thinks if they call the results of “getting lots of data and analysing it” “AI-Generated” we’ll all think: “what an effective and modern gov we have” “Well this must increase attendance, it’s AI generated” What fools do they take us for?

Can’t really take knitting as an “against the clock” activity. I do it to relax, not get stressed. So 1st ep of #GameofWool didn’t really do it for me (tho great to see Di Gilpin in her Lyra top (which I’ve knitted - in a lot more than 12 hours. )) @osteoconnor.bsky.social - does S have a view?

Man from Southern Water on radio this afternoon explaining how well the clean up of beads on the beach at Camber was going, and assuring us that SW would pay for the clean-up. “Now you won’t” I shrieked, “we bloody customers will pay for it!”

If the BBC is guilty of anything it has been far too ready and willing to follow the right-wing media narratives pushed by the billionaire press barons, instead of pursuing its own independent journalism based on exposing and uncovering the truth – regardless of whether people want to hear it.

Today’s hospital appointment had 2 medical students in the room. Both seemed very bored and uninterested in what the consultant had to say. As ever, I wanted to shout “How dare you not be interested. You’re geniuses. You’ve got Physics bloody A level”

Was so looking forward to the #SussexArchaeologicalSociety annual conference today. What a day to have The Cold from Hell. I don’t want to be That Person Who Turns Up with a Cold and Gives it to Everyone Else. I’m sure it’ll be great. So sorry to miss it.

“Titular dignity” ? Is that a euphemism for a lady’s undergarment, or a band I saw at the Half Moon, Putney, in 1986?

Evening all. I'm running a study day on Sat 13 Dec at Highgate Lit & Sci about 19th/early 20th century mental health history. We'll explore various diagnoses/labels plus the administration of ‘lunacy’ law and the private and public asylums in the London area. Now booking hlsi.org.uk/courses/day-...

It’s 6 November, and you know what that means, don’t you? YES, THAT’S RIGHT. It’s the 156th anniversary of the death of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s pet wombat

I am SO not the target audience for the John Lewis ad. So I view it as mawkish pap, I’m afraid. Lovely for the menfolk to bond - it appears the women in the household are in the background laying the table. Nice to know they know their place.