Sheep #dog

This Obelisk Quarried At Syene Was Erected At Heliopolis By The Pharaoh Thothmes 1500 BCE Inscriptions Were Added Two Centuries Later By Rameses The Great. Moved During Greek Dynasty To Alexandria There Erected 18th Year Of Augustus Caesar 12 BCE SO WHAT'S IT DOING IN LONDON?

National Gallery Ireland faves Books and writing St Jerome translating the Gospels Nicolas Frances, 1450, with cat detail Studio, 1989, Robert Ballagh, Japanese pyjamas and going out in public Woman writing a letter, Vermeer, 1670

Indeed the colours much richer than expected in online photos This morning my 📸 during its twice weekly one hour reveal Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, watercolour painting from 1864 by Frederic William Burton, housed in the National Gallery of Ireland, in Dublin

The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, FW Burton 1864 This used to be always on display on the National Gallery of Ireland. Probably got wrecked over time. Watercolour and gouache. Nora insists she sees it. Now visible two hours per week. Long queue formed. Backstory: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mee...

Close up of the beach horses we saw this morning - first pic - and the other pics their normal residential environments among the Dublin council housing estates

Sandymount Strand, Dublin Its industrial background especially the tall red and white ESB towers, now a protected monument, are part of the charm Spot the horses, a traditional working class pursuit in Dublin

Burna Boy at the National Bowl Milton Keynes this evening

Birthday boys (it's 5th Aug but we start now). One slightly more flamboyant than the other 🤣

Timely: from my library Les Travaux d' Ulysse, Paris 1640. 57 plates after Primaticcio (1504-1570) frescos for Galerie d'Ulysee, Fontainebleau, engraved van Tuldens (1605-1669), Flemish painter & publisher. The Fontainebleau frescoes were destroyed 1738; this book their only record. #TheOdyssey

De la Chausse 1746 ancient objects including coins, engraved marble, gems and stones, knives and receptacles used in ritual sacrifices, sculptures (some from Egypt), vases, insignia, lamps, objects with phallic motifs, etc. historical and religious context for each item & explanations of their uses

The most common fully illustrated book in the 1500s was Euclid's geometry. Just about the only book topic that really needed, rather than being enhanced, by graphics.

Tie between Raiders of the Lost Ark Chariots of Fire On Golden Pond For Your Eyes Only

Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms swatch collab. Fierce lume game. Automatic movement with decoration unlike either the Omega Speedmaster quartz or Audemar Piguet hand wound, so more practical proposition. Wears a bit large for my taste.

World Cup watch party going as well as might be expected. There's two #dogs in this vid, one complaining loudly, and more people than immediately visible. Lotta action taking place at ground level. Sound on

I document my books with typewriter using printed bibliographies in my home. Internet book descriptions are so full of slop, referring to wrong editions, wrong physical descriptions, hybrids between two books by same author or having similar titles etc, so only way to ground my collection in facts.

New in library Rather magnificent large quarto history of Nero in English. 1627. Lavishly illustrated with coins throughout Prior owners Sir Thomas (1625-1694) & Lady Isabella (1625-1686) Hervey, of Ickworth Hall in Suffolk and William Henry Smith (1825-1891) eponymous bookseller and politician

Gen Z family just made his first phone call from a landline. I had to explain how it worked. "Guy I spoke to was so shocked that these old things even work!" After he was done he asked "how do I end the call". Told him to plonk the handle down on the box. He lifted it to check. "Oh cute, it worked"

"You'll be able to view exceptional quality images from collotype plates with infinite subtle graduations of grey so no one will ever need to visit a library to consult an original again" The exceptional quality plates: What you'd get from using a poor quality 1980s built cheap photocopier

I bought two of these fakes last week on Amazon, apparently good reviews - the fans were tiny compared to the AI images in the adverts: actually one foot high not three foot - the reviews were for a bigger more powerful product. They earned some ok reviews then switched to a toy Returned Refunded

I get my kicks from Barbara Cartland 723 volumes, each sold on average over a million copies. Cartland left a gross estate of only £1.1 million - a penny per book sold - but following debts and liabilities, the net sum was nil. Can't take it with you.

Oh yes that's true. These are proof quality collector coins and I think this set was limited to 500 and this was set number 054. The bullion one ounce coins with Britannia are struck in enormous quantities, probably millions

Five Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Shine Shine Bobo

Four shots of Austin today. #dogs. Later realised I nuzzled his head shortly after the first pic. Ick.

Seven ounces fine proof struck silver with matching cherubs. The George five ounces is .999 pure. The Britannia ounce half quarter and tenth are Britannia .958 standard with weights increased to reflect eg £2 ounce weighs 32.45 grams Austin licked the silver proof Prince George 5 ounce for safety

Happy new owner of a bargain priced 1990s Tudor mini-sub in 34mm thick Rolex signed case and crown, mixed metal. Well worn and evidently polished with the bezel numbers not legible but crystal is perfect and superficially it has a vix fresh look. Heftier on the wrist than a usual 34mm due chunkiness

Americans: this is the Freedom you created after 250 years of progress I cannot wish a happy birthday to this trashcan of a regime

The best bit of this fine piece of history is the Metropolitan Railway paying Pearson's widow, the portrait artist Mary Martha Pearson neé Dutton, a pension even though there was no employee directorship or ownership stake to contractually justify. Pleasing bit of Victoriana doing the right thing.

One of our mutual friends in Dover MA has a bank roll of 1976 halfs (business strikes, not the silver clad imaged below). I suggested he add a bicentennial half on top of the tip as a souvenir for the rest of the year

Seiko Astrolabe diver watch, 41mm, high grade 8L35 movement, same as Grand Seiko 9S55 but unadjusted undecorated And a Nigerian Star beer with same colour scheme The Astrolabe is undoubtedly the best value 62MAS style watch, coming in at less than lower grade 8R movements on the secondary market