🎁 Dear Father Christmas…Boots by Andrea Pfister, France, c1979. Via LACMA. #advent #christmas #red #boots

We return to Germany for our 11th #yulefolklore tale, in a cold December night, when the birds suddenly fall silent. Ominous enough, since our feathered friends are often seen as messengers between our world and the next since days of old. Read the story following the link below. 🎨 Karel Zeman

Here’s Beowulf battling Grendel’s evil mother in her evil subterranean pit courtesy of Lynd Ward. #WyrdWednesday

Today's eel post isn't a history post per se. But it's cool! Do you know that eels hibernate? It's true. When it gets too cold, they burrow into the mud at the bottom of their home waters, curl up, and chill out until spring. Is the day feeling too cold and stupid? Maybe be like an eel, friends.

TORC!! ... and if you want to know all about the lovely Snettisham Grotesque torc from this video, you can radar about it here: bigbookoftorcs.com/2020/09/22/t... #Archaeology 🏺

I’ve posted this before but the light was perfect today- a little Victorian cat paw in a brick at the front of the old Norfolk & Norwich Hospital. As this is on the front-facing corner of the main gates, the bricklayer quite clearly put it there on purpose, at a height where children would spot it.

Thanks to everyone (especially @adambarnett.bsky.social) for the suggestions. There were so many pro-Putin statements by Farage, we turned them into a Griftmas Advent Calendar bylinetimes.com/2025/12/10/n...

Does anyone know of a #poem for women who died in the service of their nation in war time? I cannot seem to find anything.

Many stories yet to reveal Size 17 by 13 inch on paper Medium.oil Original sold Digital files available. And prints

It’s really reassuring (derogatory) to know that my MP posts about horseshoe theory on X (whilst keeping it all profeshional on other social media platforms because being twitterbrained doesn’t stop him from being a triangulating dickhead

US foreign policy also for sale in the Balkans: "The Maga push overturning US policy in the Balkans" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Yeah, right, because we can really trust the Trump administration to uphold its side of the bargain 😡😡😡

Debunking Brexit Benefit 1: turns out “we got the same trade deals for free” is… not a thing. Side note: I can already hear Brandolini somewhere laughing at me.

A commission from earlier this year that I am finally allowed to share! One for a lovely Dad. And his two lovely woofers. Again with the TEEFS. Huzzah. Happy birthday Malcolm… #commission #watercolour #art #dogs #cambridgerfc

Reading the highlighted text there and my head immediately thought, 'Crusades' - not thought through yet, but Trump certainly wants Europe to feel that he is our saviour that he is going to rescue us from evil and only he can do that - with a bit of help from his mate Putin

Are you suffering from a problem with your housing? Well, now you can solve the problem with the patented Private Eye method of dealing with the housing crisis… From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

Today’s historical anniversary begins with a question:

I give up. This has been tried by recent Tory govts AND other countries and backfired every single time. Even in Denmark, usually put forward as the (one!) example of this strategy being successful (Blue Labour argues this, too), its protagonists are significantly falling out of favour with voters.

Beneath the #Wiltshire Medieval hilltop town of Malmesbury lies a 9ha Iron Age hillfort Here looking east: Now (© Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard) and then (© Athelstan Museum) A wee thread for #HillfortsWednesday 🧵👇

NEW 3rd petition petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Day 10 of our advent calendar and we're sharing one of our favourite photos of the Undercroft. Taken at this time of year - the sun is streaming through the medieval oak screen of the chapel. The space however hasn't always been so serene... 1/2

Starmer: we’re the economically serious party, the grown-ups in the room Also Starmer: we’re happy to hit the economy by up to £10 billion to appease racists.

When I was in Brussels last month I visited the Council of Europe. They told me UK's proposals to change the ECHR are nothing new. There has long been a coalition of nations, led by Meloni, to reinterpret the convention. Everyone accepts it needs updating, they don't need to be told by Britain.

I can’t help thinking that when, in future, people ask what UK political leaders said as it became undeniable that US saw European liberal democracy as its no1 strategic foe, Starmer and others will regret that the answer is “not much, shuffled awkwardly, looked at their feet”.

Can I brazenly point out that someone might appreciate poetry for Christmas? amzn.eu/d/8GeJEBX

In a Flemish folktale, there used to be a nobleman who had sold his soul to the devil. One dreadful night, the castle sank into the ground, as did the man who was sitting in his carriage. He still haunts the area, and it's said the bells of the castle can be heard on Christmas Eve. #WyrdWednesday

If you'd like any of my gardening books or limited edition art prints for the holidays, please order by Monday to give me time to sign and pack them all :) I'm always happy to write personalised messages. www.jackwallington.com/shop/

And it made front page

Nigel Jones's ouevre - or perhaps Gesammelte Werke? - includes an admiring book on the Freikorps, a brief biography of Oswald Mosley and a play about French Vichy collaborator novelist Louis-Ferdinand Celine and he stood for UKIP in Eastbourne in 2015 - so he's well qualified to apologise for Nazis.

In the 1250s, records from Ely note an old eel-rent, since commuted to a monetary rent, that local fisheries owed to the bishop. The original rent was for 3,300 sticks of eels. A stick was a unit of 25. So that works out to 82,500 eels! Or...you know...enough for a party. 🗃️🧪

Ha!

🦣 The Mastodon giganteus of North America /. Boston: J. Wilson, 1852.. [Source]

The UK flag flew at the European Parliament for 47 years Brexit brought it down on 31st Jan 2020 The US under Trump, the US siding with Russia instead of the UK and Europe, the world has changed The sooner the UK flag is raised up again at the European Parliament, the better

Hugh 🌹 A party leader is being investigated for potential electoral fraud, not a word said about it. Why? Because it’s Nigel Farage. This isn’t good enough @lisanandy @darrenpjones @DavidLammy @RupaHuq @Ofcom Get Gibb off the Board. #PoliticsLive

It is strange what Lens can do. #Shropshire

In other news, this is always my favourite guy at Pitt Rivers.

Roman bronze figurine of a little mouse nibbling on bread! Squeak squeak! 🐭❤️ Landesmuseum Württemberg, Stuttgart 📷 by me #Archaeology

I found this today (from Peter Kellner/YouGov) which answers part of your query.

Wait, what?

I am deeply sorry to hear of the death of a member of the UK Armed Forces in Ukraine. My prayers are with their family. We stand with them and with Ukraine as they continue to resist Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

Two males fight over female. When it's lions or monkeys David Attenborough manages to make it sound entirely natural - the young pretender creeps away to lick his wounds, but he'll be back..maybe with a PhD next time..

We don’t do court reports, especially when it comes to violent crime, but there’s always an exception.

Today the i get the exclusive on our latest policy recommendation - how to get a UK EU Youth scheme over the line for the under 30s. It's a floor not a ceiling and should form the basis of negotiation discussions. I am extremely proud of the team and all our trade commissioners for their work. 🇬🇧🇪🇺🤝

🚨🚨Major #EU news: More than 80 percent of Europe’s companies will be freed from environmental reporting obligations after @europarl.europa.eu and @consilium.europa.eu reached a deal on a proposal to cut green rules on Monday. 🧵 www.politico.eu/article/eu-s...

A little bird-shaped rattle found in an area called Diqdiqqah about 2km from the ziggurat complex in ancient Ur

In today’s instalment of “I am so tired…” #SciArt

When you come across a forgotten grave in that part of the boneyard that has already been reclaimed by the wood it was once cut from, your memory for superstition sharpens. You recall unbidden how if a name is erased on a stone, the dead below wake. – #MattAdams, 1981

Day 9 of my Edwardian #AdventCalendar is this elegant embroidered silk dress. Dating to c. 1908, it was made by Madame Alice Manton Patrick who clearly took inspiration from the styles being produced by the Liberty department store. @jbrightcollection.bsky.social collection. #fashionhistory

India shows how BritCard Digital ID could be weaponised Starmer’s BritCards have cited India’s Digital ID system as a positive example – here’s why that should scare you | Dean Conway @deanconway.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk