Hi. Do you look like I might have loaned you my copy of Rudolph Fiehler's Strange History of John Oldcastle (bought in a second hand bookshop in New Orleans in 2016, just like the one pictured below)? If you fit that description, I could really use it back. Thanks.

After the year we’ve all had, if it’s okay with you, I think I’d just as well jingle only two-thirds of the way.

Apparently the Barmy Army cheered the players leaving for rain -- they do realise, don't they, that a draw means the Ashes definitely stay with Australia? The only way for England to win the Ashes is to be on the field to bat for an unlikely, but still possible, win.

The Indian crowds rioting in Kolkata because of Lionel Messi is bizarre but craziest of all is that Sunrise (in Australia) thought the best way to cover the story was to cross to their US Correspondent (in New York).

A wonderful scholar was taken from us too soon. Please help to ensure Meghan C. Andrews's book can be made more widely available via Open Access.

In all the back and forward from press and crowds after the first Ashes test, I haven't seen anybody yet say a word of praise to Stokes and (I think it was) Brook, who shook Head's hand after he was dismissed. Fair play, gents, and a good sporting gesture.

Excitement at 6:30 am, as the last of a morning storm rolled past, I was in my study when lightning hit us = electricity surged through the house, a huge bang, lights flickered , and my study light blew. Animals spooked and family woke, but the only casualty was my light bulb.

Marjorie Taylor Greene in a pensive moment ahead of her big press conference.

JOB POSTING! Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints at the @folger.edu amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FSL_Em...

Well, looks like Rep. Clay Higgins just outed himself as being in the Epstein files! #427-1

That's the trouble with that pesky Muse. When she strikes at 4 am, there's no answer to it other than to get out of bed, get ready for work, and head into the office ... and write. So here we are at 4:30, me and my old friend the keyboard. Write.

Roll up, roll up! We'd love to have more entries just to make our job of judging this year's Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize all the more difficult! "It's the best part of my job" and all that. Entries close 21 November, this Friday!

Must be the season -- another beautiful object arrived today, this one with my chapter on authorship and cognitive studies. Huge thanks to @loughnrv.bsky.social and @drwillsharpe.bsky.social for nudging this mammoth volume into reality!

✍ Introducing ✍ Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeontology gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/ AKA What I Did Over Reading Week. #skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing. Love g 🗃️

Bizarre interpretations of events on Cricinfo. Green takes 1/13 and the headline says he was "impressive with the ball as Test side takes shape" whereas Webster took 5/50 and headlines say he took a fiver "on a tough day for his Test chances" = sounds like Cricinfo writers have an agenda LOL

Oh my word, how I hate calculating time zone differences. I was certain I needed to be in my office at 4 am for the Rose talk today, at 4:30 am. Well, I'm here, but the talk, well, it's an hour later. Heaviest of sighs.

A little reminder for those playing along at home. :) Remember, this is UK time. Adjust accordingly for other time zones.

Another AI gaffe. Seeking an article by Grace Ioppolo that mentions John Cholmley, but AI overview said this "refers to a partnership between Professor Grace Ioppolo and the historical figure John Cholmley, who, along with Philip Henslowe, established the Rose Playhouse on London's Bankside in 1587"

Monday 10 November @ 7.30pm online PUB CRAWLING WITH PLAYHOUSES Join Professor Laurie Johnson @lostplayhouse.bsky.social for a ramble around the inns, taverns & ale-houses of Elizabethan London, to discover their role in the emergence of playhouse culture. Book: www.roseplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on

Excited to have this beautiful object arrive in the mail this afternoon, including my “Sallow Hal” chapter on care and concern in the Henriad. Kudos to Darryl and Rebecca for their care and concern in producing this fine volume.

My life at the moment = 9:30 pm on 29 October, I receive an email to advise me that admin have approved a student extension, and their assignment is now due on 27 October, two days ago. I simply cannot with this!

No, Iva with no last name or institutional address, I do not believe that my work on allegory in Shakespeare makes me a perfect fit for your InTech Open book publication on semiotics and translation in the 21st Century. Try harder.

Severe case of tennis elbow. Not bad for somebody who doesn't play tennis. But seriously, doctor got angry and ordered as much rest as possible, and an injection. To all the people expecting words from me, it'll be a bit slower than normal, sorry.

I don't mean to alarm anybody but I think the biggest issue for Australia coming into the Ashes isn't our quicks. Nathan Lyon so far has 2 wkts for 143 runs in two games while his team has bowled sides out for 161, 156, and 240 and currently has Vic 7/121. He is well down on form.

Sometimes I surprise myself. An email from the editor of a journal reminded me that I apparently have an impressive history of publishing in the field of Otolaryngology (in bold) and they welcome my latest work for publication in their journal. Only the best journal. The very best.

I’m doing a thing. Join me, won’t you?

Calling all Australian poets! Three weeks left to submit entries for the Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize! www.unisq.edu.au/news/2025/07...

And so it came to pass that after yet another of "those" meetings, I reached this evergreen stage of my intellectual journey.

Ready with coffee, time for the evening block at Globe4Globe, including my paper in a session on The Little Ice Age.

Out now! My chapter on "Authorship and Cognitive Studies" appears in The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Early Modern Authorship, with my thanks to editors Rory Loughnane and Will Sharpe for shepherding this through to completion. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

A somber note while on a drive with the family around where I grew up - stopping to remember those who lost their lives at the Box Flat Mine disaster, Swanbank. The blast was so powerful it threw me from my bed several miles away.

Feeling uplifted by the message from campus services today. They told me that my request to have my window fixed was "outstanding." Well, thank you for the affirmation, team.

On #PublicationDay for A History of England in 25 Poems, @senatehouselib.bsky.social have published this blog post I wrote about how treasures in the collection inspired and informed the #book. A series of short films coming up, too! #library #rarebooks #archive www.london.ac.uk/senate-house...

He's going to declare every amendment except the second to be null and void, isn't he? Right before he says something about "my cold, dead hands," I'll bet.

LOOK! 🤩 It’s @cathamclarke.bsky.social’s new book A HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN 25 POEMS! I cannot recommend this highly enough! 🐦‍⬛🪺 Out 4/9/25 www.penguin.co.uk/books/461263...

Found footage of @lostplayhouse.bsky.social and I trying to connect to our own uni's eduroam.

Seen southwest of Toowoomba, low in the sky, while driving to work just before 6 am = very bright light for a few moments, then it broke into two smaller ones that moved quickly further west. Did I see a meteor breaking up?!

Hey, history and medievalist friends. If you're doing any teaching on maps this semester, I have a couple of digital resources you might find useful. #skystorians 🗃️ 1. Matthew Paris's Map A fully annotated & interactive copy of Paris's c.1250 map of England. 1/3 historiacartarum.org/annotated-cl...

Ready for the show at The Mersey Beatles!

Seeing reports come in, confirming a 5.2 to 5.6 magnitude (reports differ) quake near Kingaroy. Hope everybody within the vicinity is safe!

Anybody else on the eastern coast of Australia feel a little shake in the ground just now?

As my students know, I have a tendency to overuse "seriously" when teaching, which often leads to Siri piping up. One day, I kicked off an answer to a student with "Seriously, I think ..." and Siri snapped back, "Sure. Here's what I've got on 'slything'," and Jabberwocky was top of the list, LOL.

To the scammer and/or bot that tried to tell me that the Dept of Health Services had winnings for me to collect like hundreds of other winners all over the world, try harder bitch. Blocked.

Misquoting Ophelia:

Recorded this one while I was in my hotel room in Boston for the SAA/RSA conferences, and glad to see it being real out on your airwaves. www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com/leicesters-m...

Thanks to Cassidy Cash for welcoming us to #ThatShakespeareLife to discuss broken hearts in Shakespeare! Always a joy to chat with my brilliant co-conspirator Brid Phillips. Listen here: www.cassidycash.com/wilt-break-m...

Come hang out with me and @leoba.bsky.social as we work our way through this life-size and brilliantly-detailed facsimile of the #Voynich manuscript! www.library.upenn.edu/events/coffe...

Waking up to find no emails arrived in the inbox since 10:40 last night means living with the dread fear of getting to work to find the server is stuffed. Stay tuned.

Got my room booked, one year in advance, for staying in Verona, and my panel is listed on the conference program. It's official, I'm going to be heading to the World Shakespeare Congress, 2026! www.wsc2026.org