Author Archives: carolinemmurray

Two Duchesses (In Two Parts)

Posted on 29/06/2022 by carolinemmurray

I have to say that I am getting a bit fed up with the after-effects of Covid – eight weeks after I first tested positive and had very mild symptoms, I am still feeling exhausted and completely brain-fogged, hence the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Posted on 12/05/2022 by carolinemmurray

I posted this blog ten minutes ago, at which point everything except the title disappeared (possibly not unconnected with the content). So I’m having another go … Among the (very first-world) disadvantages of Covid are: having to cancel a trip … Continue reading →

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St Clement(s)

Posted on 30/04/2022 by carolinemmurray

Out and about in the wilderness populated by dragons that is north Cambridge a few days ago, I visited (as well as Kettle’s Yard – Ai Weiwei, do go!) St Peter’s church, and, on my way back down, St Clement’s. … Continue reading →

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Plant of the Month: April 2022

Posted on 07/04/2022 by carolinemmurray

I first (consciously) saw an Amelanchier lamarckii in the Abbey Gardens at Bury St Edmunds in spring some thirty years ago. At the time, it seemed a delightful, delicate and exotic rarity, but either they have become more popular or … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, History, Natural history | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Saint Pantaleimon

Posted on 04/04/2022 by carolinemmurray

We’re recently back from a week in Venice, where the weather was glorious, and we spent a lot of time in churches, not least because some seem to be open now which never, ever, were in the last twenty years … Continue reading →

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Buds

Posted on 09/03/2022 by carolinemmurray

March is all about anticipation: admittedly, whitethorn and Prunus cerasifera are doing their thing, and Mahonia is almost over, but, in the Botanic Garden, I don’t imagine I am the only person checking up on the great Prunus x yedoensis (the Yoshino cherry) … Continue reading →

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Déjà Vu All Over Again

Posted on 01/03/2022 by carolinemmurray

Sadly, the moment has arrived. Yesterday, I packed up my mug, my spoon and my jar of decaffeinated coffee and left my lovely workplace for the last time. This, as my devoted followers (I can dream, can’t I?), will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Brother of the More Famous Jan

Posted on 24/02/2022 by carolinemmurray

One of the treasures of the Fairhaven Bequest at the Fitzwilliam Museum is the series of twelve flower paintings, one for each month of the year, by van Huysum. Until a few days ago, I had assumed that the artist … Continue reading →

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Two Graven Stones

Posted on 04/02/2022 by carolinemmurray

I had a Grand Day Out in London this week, not the least of its grandeur being my success in walking from Pimlico (where the plane trees have suffered remarkable pruning) to the Garden Museum at Lambeth, then back past … Continue reading →

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Jane Dormer

Posted on 23/01/2022 by carolinemmurray

Back in the autumn, I had the happy experience of wandering around the Palazzo Ducale at Mantua, drooling over the Mantegnas, though rather less appreciative of the efforts of Giulio Romano. More rooms are open than the last time we … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments