Category Archives: Uncategorized

Celebrated Ladies of Great Britain

Posted on 31/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

I’ve already mentioned the treasures to be found in the three volumes of John Walker’s Letters Written by Eminent Persons in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (1813). In Volume 2 part 1, mention is made (in a 1749 letter) of … Continue reading →

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Mr Fairchild’s Mule

Posted on 28/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

In a previous life/blogspot, I mentioned in passing the horticulturalist Thomas Fairchild (1667–1729), who left £25 for the endowment of an annual Whitsuntide sermon on either the ‘Wonderful Works of God in the Creation, or on the Certainty of the … Continue reading →

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The Lapwing

Posted on 19/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

I was aghast to learn a few days ago that the lapwing (or peewit, or green plover), Vanellus vanellus, is now a rare bird. A very long time ago, I saw hundreds of them every Sunday evening, and I had … Continue reading →

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Professor Henslow’s Legacy

Posted on 17/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

To CUBG on Saturday for the Festival of Plants: it started cloudy and windy but cleared up to blue sky and bright sunshine. As usual, there was a marquee with stalls showing the work of the Sainsbury Laboratory and other … Continue reading →

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More Amateur Thoughts on Ruskin

Posted on 12/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

One Saturday in April, I attended a rather brilliant one-day conference at Anglia Ruskin University here in Cambridge, on the subject of ‘Ruskin the Educator’. The tone of the gathering can be indicated by the hissing which greeted a mention … Continue reading →

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‘Books and Dirtiness, the Usual Appendages of Learning’

Posted on 07/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

I had long promised myself the treat of tackling Letters Written by Eminent Persons in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, To Which Are Added, Hearne’s Journeys to Reading, and to Whaddon Hall, the Seat of Browne Willis, Esq., and Lives … Continue reading →

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Retirement: 6 Weeks In

Posted on 05/05/2015 by carolinemmurray

Well, I’ve just been sternly admonished by a friend for describing myself on my Twitter account as an ‘Old Lady’. ‘Lady of Leisure’ has been suggested, but I’ve rarely been so busy. ‘Lady in Retirement’? But that’s reminiscent of the … Continue reading →

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An Afternoon at the V&A

Posted on 20/04/2015 by carolinemmurray

… was preceded by half a morning at the Natural History Museum. I was at the latter on business, but had the great pleasure of admiring Sophie the Stegosaurus, and also of viewing the stunning Audubon birds, which I later … Continue reading →

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Nature’s Engraver

Posted on 17/04/2015 by carolinemmurray

The book I have most enjoyed reading so far in 2015 was published in 2007, and I should have got to it long since, as it was written by one of my favourite authors, Jenny Uglow, whose latest work, In … Continue reading →

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Defining Beauty

Posted on 14/04/2015 by carolinemmurray

Well, the BBC did a bit to justify the licence fee last Wednesday night. First on BBC 4 TV, the amiable Quizeum (silly name, superficial content, Griff Rhys Jones trying too hard, but none the less quite fun), then a … Continue reading →

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