Monthly Archives: July 2017

Plant of the Month: July 2017

Posted on 30/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

Regrets, I’ve had a few … but none so profound as for the fatal day on which I gratefully accepted a kind neighbour’s gift of a single plant of Meconopsis cambrica. Up to my oxters (whatever they are) in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cats in Art

Posted on 28/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

If you were to be foolish enough to Google ‘Cats in art’ (and I really don’t recommend it) you would get ‘about 37,600,000 results’ – probably more by the time you read this: and a great many would look something … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Literature, Museums and Galleries, Venice | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Joseph Was An Old Man

Posted on 23/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

… and a very old man was he, according to the Cherry-Tree Carol, at any rate. William Henry Husk points out, in his note on the carol in Songs of the Nativity, that the description of Joseph as old has … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Curious Herbal

Posted on 16/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

In Modena recently, we were having a nice mooch round the Biblioteca Estense in the Palazzo dei Musei, which also houses the Galleria Estense, the Lapidario Romano, the Musei Civici di Modena, and several other collections. (A tasting session for … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Bibliography, Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, London, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hortus Academicus

Posted on 10/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

The botanic garden in Leiden is always associated with its hugely distinguished first director, Carolus Clusius, and sure enough, his bust is the first thing you see at the entrance. I wasn’t aware, however, until our recent visit, that other … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Botany, Gardens, History, Natural history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments