After nearly 20 years, I still get a kick out of working with the collections here and finding 'new' material to share. A great chance to lead a fine archive service!

Having my DIY skills assessed after reattaching the wardrobe door

Busy woman, Miss Todd.

Name of the week goes to:

#MondayMotivation from today's freshly catalogued archives

Statement of health policy, 1957. Literally the only document in the archive file with a cigarette burn.

If you can get there, thoroughly recommend a visit - an outstanding building crammed with history

In today's unexpected NUM find, a magazine featuring the launch of Mr Kipling in 1967 through "Shock Troops" "in the Van of the Cake Revolution" (or six blokes in branded suits brandishing platters of cake) ...

Got the scruffy cat cardigan out from the wardrobe for the first time in months...

Week off ✔️ Bakery ✔️ Bread pudding the size and weight of a house brick ✔️

I have questions about archive distance courses and/or part time UCL MA course. If anyone are happy to talk to me as employer/student/mentor of such undertakings (or can point me in the direction of friendly people) please let me know. I am on a fact finding mission.

Got distracted whilst looking for early 20th century sound effects. Can we use this for a 1926 British soundscape? No. Do I want to shoehorn it in regardless? Clearly, yes. www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

Cryptic folk horror road sign season is here again...

Have spent part of today listening to a small but enthusiastic group of children singing 'Happy Ice Cream to Me' to the tune of 'Happy Birthday to You' and this will now be stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend, if not forever.

Tagging @mininghistory.bsky.social for this one in case not previously encountered: front page of The Miner, 1969, highlighting two members of NUM head office staff, originally from Biafra and Kenya, on conference duty in Blackpool. Cataloguing spot from earlier today.

Cat is going through a Francis Bacon phase

May have done extra takes just to stay in the cold

New digitised resource! Yorkshire Miners, 1811-1945: 98 documents online in full at wdc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll... Includes leaflets, pamphlets, photographs and our earliest surviving branch membership records. More to be added in the next 12 months!

Opting to use my #ChEUROty2025 team pick as an excuse for cake. Hoping for a win but, if not, there is pastry.

1949. When it was decided that the best way to teach children road safety was by colouring in pictures of demonic toys.

Less than 10 minutes into the MRC #ChEUROty2025 derby match v. @anoldhand.bsky.social and I've opted to open the geographically appropriate wine Força, Força, Portugal! ( and #PUSB ) 🇵🇹

Nearly

Fan on table: helping. Cat on knee: not helping.

This sounds like either a threat or a Richard Osman novel

Have spent a brief period today not sitting down and this is apparently completely unacceptable.

On to the important archives now

Petition to save Bangor University's Archives and Special Collections www.change.org/p/save-your-...

Interested in digital heritage and community engagement WE ARE RECRUITING Mining Landscapes Ecomuseum are looking for a student or recent graduate to join the team over the summer (full time paid role) for info and how to apply see www.mining-landscapes.org/news Closing date fast approaching 4 June

Tuesday.

Norfolk Record Office appear to have found an archive with the dark power to summon silverfish

Minutes into a train journey from London after doing a thing and already regretting not buying something involving pastry

Holiday reading is up to the usual uplifting standard this week

658 boxes done, now to move on to the big bit of the collection...

Unexpected appearance of a squirrel drey in the trees beyond the back garden, revealed when squirrel junior shot up a branch before being loudly wrestled back into the nest by squirrel parent

Looking forward to this! Time to develop 15/20 minutes worth of coherent thoughts on history from below, 'shadow' archives mirroring those destroyed in repression, and recordkeeping mixing bureaucracy, resistance and community pride

A visitor described the process of ordering up archives as 'Basically like Argos then' and I am completely stealing that for when I go back to running intro sessions

Today's #Archive30 is #ArchiveAnimals, so time for a short 🧵 on Trade Union Cats... This 1967 cover star of the USDAW magazine 'New Dawn' outshone the Prime Minister, whose new year's message was relegated to inside pages. The floof was captioned "...after the night before" for unexplained reasons

The Pareidoliac Letter Boxes of Venice an occasional series

Currently having a battle of wills over whether I'll open the back door or whether she'll use the completely open window about three feet from where she's meowing at me

Seeing this project develop from initial appraisal to (ongoing) cataloguing and now the start of outreach work has been a real privilege Happy to chat formally or informally about the post and project...

On Friday of #ShakespeareWeek I returned the #StratfordUponAvon Parish Register to Holy Trinity Church, to show the Baptism entry for Anne #Shakespeare, William’s sister Cared for by #SBTCollections @shakespearebtrust.bsky.social this is a @unesco.org #MemoryOfTheWorld Shakespeare Document

Feeling disrespected after a trip to the vet on what is apparently 'Respect Your Cat Day', the cat has retired to the airing cupboard for a extensive washing session on the ironing pile

New band name

Also very much appreciating the epic side eye from some of the animals, as spotted by @rumpolebayou.bsky.social

Desk fortification status: High

Welcome to the new Bluesky account for Explore York Archives! We hold, care for, and provide access to archive and local history collections of the City of York and its communities for over 850 years. We look forward to sharing our collections, events and stories with you all. #Hello #Archives

Ghost scissors in the archive

(1) I've seen smaller barn doors than this 1890s Barnsley scrapbook (2) Hello Al (and Dave) SUPER LEEDS in 1973