Venus Bivar
@vbivar
🇨🇦 Historian of capitalism, pollution, Marseille, farming, land use, plastics, climate, and economic growth; misanthrope; hockey player; expert baker; amateur gardener; works at St Anne's College at Oxford; lives in York (the old one).
Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome Rosie! Loki says 'Hi! Your new humans are wonderful - you'll feel settled in before you know it and will be kicking up your heels and loving your new life.'
Breaking update: The internet tells me I might be able to graft the tree back together. Many zip ties later .... Thoughts and prayers to the gardening gods please!
My plum tree just snapped under the weight of its fruit. I was too greedy 😥 Meanwhile @agatafijalkow.bsky.social is posting about her plum jam. Clearly she had better sense when thinning the fruit.
Oh hi Marseille. 10 o'clock and it only *just* dipped below 90 degrees (32 celsius). It's going to be a tough few days ... Good thing this city is a beauty.
So much for England's 'green and pleasant land'. Climate change has made it brown and crispy. Took this at the dog park last night.
This is one of my biggest complaints about England. This is what our front looks like.
This is for @johnmunro.bsky.social . Spotted on Cape Breton island, a fellow critic of car culture.
Loki's friend Fluegel came by for a visit today and within 5 minutes had pulled all of Loki's toys out and was having an absolute ball. May we all live with such joy and abandon.
This is what the summer looks like. Loki is now a senior and likes to take park naps half way through his walk. Can't complain. There are worse ways to spend a summer afternoon.
Perfect day here in Oxford, enjoying some sorbet while I watch the world go by on the High Street.
BLEAK HOUSE SPOILERS. Finished Bleak House. Gotta say. It pissed me off. Esther Summerson, the narrator, is a super annoying character and remains so until the end - I was hoping for some change there. The dad/husband equivalence is creepy. And Lady D was killed off. Boo. Read on for positives:
Bleak House spoilers alert: I stayed up WAY too late last night to get to the end of a chapter so that I could find out what Dickens was going to do with Lady Dedlock, and I was absolutely not impressed. Bleak House will not unseat David Copperfield as my favourite Dickens. Not after this betrayal.
We have a resident fox at @stannescollege.bsky.social . She got very close to me at dusk last week. It was thrilling.
Loki getting belly scritches at the park. This dude has taught me important lessons in the art of relaxation.
I don't mean to brag, but look at these geums! They will look like this until NOVEMBER. Truly one of the best plants.
For all those looking for a good laugh. Best cat adoption advert I have ever read.
Did not anticipate wishing I had packed sunglasses for a trip to Ireland in April, but here we are. Just spectacular weather on Inis Mór today.
AT LONG LAST. Nothing but sun in the forecast. If you need me, I’ll be in the garden.
Looking forward to celebrating the launch of this bad boy with @smidbob.bsky.social on Monday. Come join us at the IHR if you’re in London!
Too many non-academic posts. I'm forgetting what this account is for! To atone: Le Corbusier had 2 complaints about his brand new fancy building in Marseille: the 2nd was the poisonous smoke making everyone ill (ch 1 of my book), but the FIRST was that tourists were banging al fresco on the roof.