Monthly Archives: February 2016

Object of the Month: February

Posted on 28/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

I urge you to visit the small but perfectly formed exhibition currently in the Shiba Room of the Fitzwilliam Museum, which contains flower paintings from the wonderful collection of Henry Rogers Broughton (1900-73), 2nd Baron Fairhaven, whose bequest to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Botany, Gardens, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Unlit Candles

Posted on 24/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

What I know about the Tractarian controversy of the nineteenth century could be written on the head of a very tiny pin and is mostly drawn from the fiction of Antony Trollope (though I have no reason to believe he’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Classics, History, London, Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Only A Pigeon

Posted on 20/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

I have discovered (as I imagine that many (very) amateur naturalists do) a strong strain of speciesism in my makeup. It’s only a daisy, when looking for wild orchids at Fulbourn Fen; it’s only the collared doves, eating the nyger … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Plant of the Month: February

Posted on 15/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

I decided to write this month about blackthorn, or sloe, the white-blossomed, early-flowering, native shrubby tree so often seen in hedgerows. Then I started doing some research, and discovered how complicated it all is, but I have tried my best … Continue reading →

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

Akragas

Posted on 12/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

So, there we were on Monday morning at Palermo train and bus station, clutching our remaining possessions to us, not sure what else the robbers might home in on – the clothes off our backs, perhaps? Or was the university … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Botany, Gardens, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Orto Botanico

Posted on 08/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

The things I most disliked about Sicily were (a) being robbed; (b) the number of wild birds (especially goldfinches) hung up in tiny cages. On the plus side, there were plenty of things to like, including the Botanic Garden at … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, History, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Cost of Sunshine

Posted on 05/02/2016 by carolinemmurray

‘Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the evening?’ My recent encounters with the criminal fraternity of Palermo were pretty trivial by comparison with the assassination of a President of the United States, but they really brought home to me … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments