Monthly Archives: July 2015

A Man and a Brother?

Posted on 29/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

Hindsight is inevitably a snare for the serious historian – how much more so for the dabbling amateur? How could so many normal people (and not just Germans) support the Nazi party? How could so many people (and not just … Continue reading →

Posted in History, London | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Garden Museum

Posted on 27/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

What do the following museums have in common: Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, The Queen’s House in Greenwich, and the Garden Museum in Lambeth? The answer is a good news/bad news one: all three are about to undergo refurbishment, extension or … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, History, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Graves of the Great and Good

Posted on 24/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

I had been meaning for ages to visit the Ascension Burial Ground in north Cambridge, and a tweet from Zoe Cormack about the grave of J.G. Frazer and his wife finally got me off the sofa and out of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, Gardens, History | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Professor of Basket-Making

Posted on 21/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

In the Museum of Cambridge (formerly the Folk Museum) not far from Murray Edwards College (formerly New Hall) but somewhat north of John Lewis (formerly Robert Sayle) there is a bizarre object donated in 1925 by Thomas Okey (1852–1935), first … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, History, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Retirement: Four Months In

Posted on 20/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

First thought: who would have thought it? I should have marked the first three months, or quarter-year, in June, but it passed by almost unnoticed. I see from my diary that on 20 June I was recovering from (and writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, Gardens, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Plant of the Month: July

Posted on 19/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

It doesn’t take a very fertile brain to extend the ‘Object of the Month’ concept to other areas: so welcome to ‘Plant of the Month’. This should perhaps be the titan arum (#tinytitan), which has flowered this year in Edinburgh … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Anna Maria Vassa

Posted on 17/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

Last night, I went on one of the wonderful Allan Brigham’s Cambridge ‘Town not Gown’ walks, intended by Allan (a Cambridge Blue Badge Guide) to introduce the inhabitants of Cambridge to some of the less familiar aspects of their city. … Continue reading →

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Object of the Month: July

Posted on 15/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

While hanging around in the Fitzwilliam Museum, hoping to get a ticket for a talk on Ruskin’s Turners (I did, and it was excellent), I decided that this would be the ideal opportunity to launch a new project – Object … Continue reading →

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The Stone Guest

Posted on 11/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

Actually, on this occasion, the Stone Guest was rather more loam and roughcast than stone. To be honest, he looked as though costumed by a despairing wardrobe mistress as Mr Badger in an am-dram production of Toad of Toad Hall. … Continue reading →

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Think Pink!

Posted on 09/07/2015 by carolinemmurray

You will have to excuse me (though indeed you may be very relieved): this piece is much more pictures than words. Visiting the Botanic Garden in bright sunshine but very high wind, I was struck especially by the pink flowers … Continue reading →

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