Tag Archives: Cambridge

Litter

Posted on 06/01/2021 by carolinemmurray

A couple of months ago, I became a signed-up, official Volunteer Litter-Picker for Cambridge City Council. This came about because I get furious about litter all the time, but had no idea what to do about it in any systematic … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Botany, Cambridge, Natural history | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

The Vernal Equinox

Posted on 20/03/2019 by carolinemmurray

‘The vernal equinox has come too soon’ is, Him Indoors assures me, the opening line of a welcome ode written to celebrate the visit of Her Majesty The Queen to his school at some point in the 1960s. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Cambridge, London, Museums and Galleries, Natural history | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Enter by the Founder’s

Posted on 26/08/2018 by carolinemmurray

… and exit by the gift shop. You can of course, alternatively, enter via the Courtyard, which takes you through/past the gift shop first, on your way to the café. Cambridge friends will realise that I am taking about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, Cambridge, Classics, History, Italy, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The King’s Faithful Servant

Posted on 16/09/2016 by carolinemmurray

Rustat Road in Cambridge is where, in a former century, one used to go and pay one’s water rates to the Cambridge Water Company. I haven’t been able to find a picture of the building online, but I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Cambridge, History, London, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Capabilities

Posted on 29/04/2016 by carolinemmurray

To the auditorium of the Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge (the amazingly heavy door of which was clearly not designed for the demographic of the Friends of Cambridge University Botanic Garden). However, we are stalwart types, and having overcome this obstacle, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Gardens, History | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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 , , , , , | 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 , | 5 Comments

My Favourite Potholes

Posted on 02/10/2015 by carolinemmurray

To survive on a bike in Cambridge, ‘Cycle City’ of the Fens, it is essential to assume that all fellow road users – drivers, pedestrians and (especially) cyclists – are rude, unpredictable, illiterate and terminally stupid. (The last of course … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Sister of the More Famous Maria

Posted on 02/09/2015 by carolinemmurray

You could have knocked me down with something between a feather and a dumbbell, when, while mooching round Mill Road Cemetery in Cambridge, I came across the grave of Lucy, wife of the Rev. John Robinson, of the Armagh Observatory, … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Cambridge, History, Literature | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Object of the Month: August

Posted on 24/08/2015 by carolinemmurray

This month’s object is a painting from the Museum of Cambridge: it depicts the famous carrier Thomas Hobson, whose method of business brought the expression ‘Hobson’s Choice’ into the language, and who was a great benefactor of the town of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cambridge, History, Literature, London, Museums and Galleries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments