Today, a friend involved in the Esna restoration project has shared with me his latest stunning photos of the restored ceiling and columns of the Temple of Khnum in Esna, Upper #Egypt. During a multi-year restoration project, the dirt and soot that had obscured the ...🧵1/3 📷 D. v. Recklinghausen 🏺

Fabulous Visigothic bronze belt buckles inlaid with cloisonné glass. AD 500s. Which is your favourite? From the Visigothic Necropolis of Duratón, near Segovia, Spain. Casa del Sol Museum, Segovia 📷 by me #Archaeology

🌿☕ This was posted on a local website recently, reported by Lloyds Weekly in 1844 I wish journalists would write in this eloquent way now, it sounds so.. jolly🎈💃 When hot air ballooning was all the rage for those of a gentlemanly distinguished disposition🕴️ #chrisbeer #cheltenham #hotairballoon

A remarkably well-preserved early medieval comb, found in Trier, 5th century, made from animal bone with iron rivets. The comb consists of three layers: the central strip with fine teeth is decorated with stylized animal heads and is framed by two side plates. To protect the ... 🧵1/2 📷 me 🏺

The garden's looking very Autumnal at the moment, with colourful leaves and fallen apples. It's a bumper year for apples so, as some are quite small, they're being left for the wildlife 🍂🍃🍏Photo by my husband 📷 #wildgarden #organicgarden #homegrownapples #gardeningforwildlife #lefttoitsowndevices

The Westness brooch-pin formed part of a Viking-Age grave disturbed by a farmer at Westness, Rousay, Orkney, #OTD in 1963. It is silver decorated with gold, amber and glass. The grave contained the remains of a young woman and newborn child. 📸National Museums Scotland #medievalsky

Photos taken by my husband 📷😊

In 2018, we lost our c100 year-old pear tree during a storm. We cut off most of the smaller branches but left the main trunk as a bench, which gradually became covered in moss & ivy. Now it also has Turkeytail fungi happily growing on it😊 #fungifriday #wildgarden #naturalgarden #lettingnaturethrive

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”

For #FindsFriday just a few of the fabulous Viking age beads discovered at Haithabu/ Hedeby - 📷 Schloss Gottorf Museum.

#FindsFriday The highly decorated reverse side of a #Celtic bronze mirror from Desborough, Northamptonshire, England, showing the development of the spiral and trumpet decorative theme of the Early Celtic La Tène style in #Britain. #Artwork #History #Art #Archaeology

Some of our Bramley apples appear to be stuck on with glue, & these are far too high to reach, even with an extendable apple-picker, so we'll just have to wait until they fall 🍏🍎 Photo by my husband 😊 #Bramley #apples #bumpercrop #organic #neversprayed #neverpruned #homegrown #gardeningforwildlife

Just when we thought the end of this year's bumper harvest of apples was in sight . . . These were obviously ready for picking but far too high to reach, so we had to wait until they fell today. And there are STILL more on the trees! 🍏 #homegrown #organic #bramley #lordderby #neverending #apples

As Storm Amy will be arriving for much of the UK over the weekend, this paper collage greetings card, made from old magazine pictures, seemed appropriate - "Storm In A Teacup". Stay safe, everyone! #papercollage #greetingscard #oldmagazines #recycling #savedfromlandfill #myowndesign

We were treated to an amazing sunset last night! Photos taken (by me) from an upstairs window, over a period of about 20 minutes, using a Kodak PixPro Camera one-handed! #sunset #changingsky

A little watercolour I’ve been working on, which all got a bit hypnotic for some reason. #oaktrees #savethebutterflies #inverts #nature #wildlifeart #teammoth

#FindsFriday Among star finds from #Saxon Prittlewell Prince burial in Essex were #glass beakers w trailed lattice decoration. Beautiful and rare, so similar they were likely made as a pair, in Kent. Few other examples are known, almost all in high status burials. Southend Museums #Ancientbluesky 🏺

For #foxfriday, this greetings card features #fox place names in the UK. The butterflies were punched out of old atlases, then stuck on a plain red card.

Not to be outdone by the apple trees, our Hawthorn trees have produced hundreds of berries this year! I've never seen so many on one tree. Photo by my husband 🥰 #organic #gardening #gardeningforwildlife #wildgarden

And still they keep on coming 😋 The ruler is 6", to show the size. One of the biggest apples from today's haul weighed almost 11 ounces! All our apple trees are left to their own devices - no spraying or pruning. Photo by me, for a change! 🍎🍏 #organic #apples #organicgardening #gardeningforwillife

New pendant I've made. Boxwood leaves mounted to a walnut branch, set in an oak circle. The circle is only 3.5cm in diameter. #handcrafted #woodwork #woodworking #makersgonnamake #craftsposure #woodcarving #carvedwood #nature #woodland #handmadeintheuk #handmadeuk #ukhandmade

These two apple trees are at the very end of our garden & this is the first year for AGES that they've produced more than a dozen apples between them! The trees must be c. 40 ft high, far too high to pick any apples, so we just have to wait until they fall. Photo by my husband #organic #apples 🍎🍏

It's turning out to be a bumper year for apples and these large ones were collected today, along with around 18 various-sized others. They weighed just over 1lb! More will be collected tomorrow . . . and the next day . . . and the next . . . 😁 #homegrown #organic #apples

These little 'Dotty Ducklings' have the right idea for today's very wet weather! I bought wrapping paper which featured different coloured ducks. After carefully cutting each one out, they were turned into #greetingscards with the addition of feet & various hats #handmade #papercollage

This is so amazing! We have something similar found on the farm where I live in N E Essex, it definitely feels like it was deliberately crafted around the fossil. It hasn’t been officially ID’ed as a hand axe but looks similar!

Something beautiful for the weekend! An extraordinary Acheulean handaxe knapped around a fossil shell c. 500,000-300,000 years ago! The shell’s central display has been described as an example of aesthetic intention by the toolmaker. West Tofts, Norfolk. 📷 MAA Cambridge University #Archaeology

Fascinating world of ancient #glass: Colourful #Celtic glass bracelets found in the surroundings of Bern, Switzerland. Dating around 200 BC. To produce the seamless bracelets hot glass was gradually enlarged with a metal rod and a cone. Bernisches Historisches Museum. 🏺 #archaeology

Linen sampler by Margreet Lucun, embroidered with silk; English; dated 1681 (V&A Museum, London)

Chutney finally made and, once all the liquid had been absorbed, there are 15 full jars plus a silly little bit (as there always is!) of freshly-made unctious-ness 😋 These will now go into a dark place for the next couple of years to mature and lose any vinegary taste #homemade #chutney

It's chutney day today! In the pan are frozen homegrown damsons (from last year), chopped homegrown cooking apples, plus onions, raisins, sultanas, red wine vinegar, cyder vinegar, dark brown sugar and spices. Think I may need a lot of jars! 😂

An early medieval fibula (a decorative pin for fastening garments/a brooch) in the form of an eagle, made of gold and silver inlaid with garnets and lapis lazuli. It's part of the so-called Domagnano Hoard consisting of 21 pieces. They belonged to an Ostrogothic...🧵1/3 🏺 #archaeology

Plastic grass is one of the worst things you can put in your garden. Instead, let patches of grass grow long and give wildflowers a chance – boosting biodiversity, benefitting pollinators, and filling your patch with colour and life. More: bit.ly/3liIFWv

This is one of my favourite places in the garden. Going down into the 'untamed' area, it's like going into another world 😊 Photo taken a few years ago in the Spring #bluebells #wildgarden #gardeningforwildlife #naturalgarden

With apples & damsons harvested from our garden this year, I'll be making chutney next week, & then leave it to mature for 2 years 😋 This batch was made last year, but why is there always a little bit that won't fit into any of the jars? 😁 #homegrown #apples #damsons #homemade #organic #chutney

For #FoxFriday, a flashback to April 2024, when we had a family of two adults plus five cubs. They pretty much stayed with us all year, so it was an absolute delight watching them grow 🦊 #fox #wildlifegarden #organicgarden #gardeningforwildlife

Apple harvesting is speeding up! Today's haul in the first photo, and 'waiting-in-the-queue' apples in the second 😋 #organic #apples #organicgardening

"Storm In A Teacup" It's been quite stormy here today, with torrential rain for a while, so I thought this paper collage card was appropriate. All the pieces were cut out from old magazines. #papercollage #greetingscard #handmade #oldmagazines #savedfromlandfill

Did anyone else hear on the news this morning that GM bananas will be sold in the UK? Apparently, they won't go brown . . . What about making banana cake which needs them to be very ripe and very brown??? No prizes for guessing who won't be buying them! #NOtogmfood #banana #cake #don'tmesswithnature

Another amazing sunset just now - it was so vast, I couldn't get it all in just one photo, and the vista kept changing every couple of minutes. Looking West out of an upstairs window #sunset #redsky #atmospheric

#foxfriday #gardeningforwildlife

Have just found out that it's #foxfriday, so here's one from May when the grass was green. Obviously waiting very patiently, to see whether any food will be forthcoming 😊🦊 #organicgarden #wildgarden #gardeningforwildlife #fox

Fabulous Visigothic eagle brooch, AD 501-533. One of a pair of prestigious eagle brooches worn at shoulder height to fasten clothing. From Alovera, Guadalajara, Spain. Bronze, gold and glass. 📷 Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid #Archaeology

For #InternationalDogDay here are a few paper collage cards. The original dogs were cut out from wrapping paper, and given a tweed/tartan coat plus a suitable hat; the position of the hat gives each dog its own character 😉 #papercollage #greetingscard #reuse #recycle #oldmagazines #savedfromlandfill

And another stunning sunset tonight!

Last night's magnificent sunset, captured from an upstairs window 😍 Living on a hill does have benefits! #sunset #sky

Covid hugely on the up again folks, so if you've got a summer cold, it probably isn't... ... and this year it's extra lucky for me, and folks like me, who've got knackered immune systems, thanks to the meds we're on, etc. Please don't spread stuff, if you can help it! 😊

Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched? No idea what made the holes! Photograph by my husband, as it was found 👀 😁 🍂 #autumn #fallenleaf #pareidolia

Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched? No idea what made the holes! Photograph by my husband, as it was found 👀 😁 🍂 #autumn #fallenleaf #pareidolia

At the start of August, I had every intention of posting something on a daily basis, but failed miserably. However, today I felt maybe a cheery card was called for 😊This #papercollage card is made from things cut out of old magazines & is entitled "Doggy-Paddle" #savedfromlandfill #recycle

Potty McPotface the Vapourer moth after realising it had succumbed to my magical whispering and got itself potted. ‘Let me out’ it cried as I took pictures of its little fizzog #MothFaceFriday