Category Archives: Cambridge

Object(s) Of The Month: March

Posted on 14/03/2016 by carolinemmurray

Some of the most ancient artefacts which have survived to grace our modern museums were carved from bone or ivory: hardwearing substances, which survive almost anything except a severe conflagration or a deliberate act of grinding them to shards or … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, Exploration, History, Museums and Galleries, Natural history, Uncategorized | Tagged Scott Polar Museum, scrimshaw, whaling | 2 Comments

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 collared dove, daisy, Jenny di Marzo, mallard, red kite, wood-pigeon | 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 cherry plum, hawthorn, Prunus family, sloe gin, sloes | 1 Comment

Object of the Month: January

Posted on 26/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

Among the most popular objects on display at the Museum of Cambridge (aka the Folk Museum) are two blue glass balls, known as witch balls. I do like a nice bit of glass, and these two attractive blue globes are … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged Charles Dickens, Chauncy Hare Townshend, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Museum of Cambridge, Wisbech and Fenland Museum, witch balls | Leave a comment

Plant of the Month: January

Posted on 10/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

Quite a difficult decision, especially this season, when so many plants are prolonging their flowering, or beginning freakishly early. In the Botanic Garden, the native daffodils seem to have forgotten Perdita’s observation that they take the winds of March with … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged Anglesey Abbey, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Harvey's Garden Plants, hellebores | Leave a comment

Halcyon Days

Posted on 07/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

The myth first. Halcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, the god of the winds. She and her husband Ceyx, king of Thessaly (or of Trachis, in some versions), were among the dim bunch (see Niobe, Marsyas, Ixion et al.) who … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, Natural history | Tagged Cambridge, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Ceyx and Halcyone, kingfisher, Matt Sewell, natural history | 3 Comments

Armenian Bole

Posted on 04/01/2016 by carolinemmurray

No, me either, but I came across the term when I was looking up ‘gesso’, which is (among other things) the adhesive gunge on to which gold leaf is laid in illuminated manuscripts. The recipe for this type of gesso … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries, Printing and Publishing | Tagged Armenian bole, art, bookbinding, gesso, gilding, lapis lazuli | 9 Comments

Object of the Month: December

Posted on 30/12/2015 by carolinemmurray

(Coming in just under the wire …) I had already selected this Christmas print from the Fitzwilliam Museum collection when I was astonished to have another confirmation of my theory that Everything is Connected to Everything Else. I’m reading the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged bagpipes, Calabrian pipes, Italian music, painting, prints | 3 Comments

Professor Hedgehog Does Retail!

Posted on 06/12/2015 by carolinemmurray

Some of my readers will know that I try to support a charity working in Tanzania, EdUKaid. I have regularly done some fundraising at my (now ex-) workplace, but decided this year to bring my offerings to a wider audience. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge | Tagged Cambridge, Mill Road Winter Fair | 5 Comments

Plant of the Month: November

Posted on 27/11/2015 by carolinemmurray

It’s the beech! But why? Surely it’s at its best in spring, when the pale green, downy leaves unfurl from the elegant, tapering buds? At this time of year, buttery Gingko biloba, the exotic Osage orange, or even hazel, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, Gardens, History, Literature | Tagged beech, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, Gilbert White, New Forest, plant of the month | Leave a comment