Happy #InternationalCatDay from Sir Biscuit, who is fairly small of brain but very big in snugs & hugs. Fortunately he’s grown quite successfully into his face.

Took the Devil’s Bridge railway today for a school holiday jaunt with La Smol. The perfect dose of sunlit whimsy after a long & stressful week. Home now for podcasts & spaghetti bolognese for dinner.

Same. This is my fine fellow, Sir Biscuit. Very small of brain but large in courage.

As it’s apparently #InternationalCatDay here’s one of our feline friends depicted in The Worksop Bestiary (MS M.81 f. 47r, Morgan Library), alert & ready to go to town on the mouse & mole shown on the next folio. #MedievalSky #digitalhumanities

Can I join you in this lovely bit of pareidolia with some snow from January that looked like Debbie Harry?

Well pals, it’s here. I hope you like it (or never tell me how much you hate it). It’s eye-wateringly priced, but please convince your institutions to buy it. Some of you are in the acknowledgments (& many more in the references). What a ride. #MedievalSky books.google.co.uk/books?id=yKL...

Blaenavon mountain. Everything incredibly, distressingly dry, & in the distance the smoke from a recent fire still smouldering.

Last day of term for me & magically another year of study completed. The second year slump was/is real & I’ve much diminished spoonage. However, Small’s off to a mate’s tomorrow & I’m having a day in the library to finish my draft chapter. For now, it’s an early night with Burton & Taylor ahead.

Almost a perfect weekend. Inched ever further afield in My First Car™️ & also got notification that the Book is moving towards completion. Seems selfish to say, whilst the world is aflame, that on a personal level, this has been one of the best years of my life. #MedievalSky #DigitalSky

No doubt it’ll be this trio of Mad lads from a fresco detail from the Rila Monastery, taking advantage of my having kicked the covers off LIKE A RECKLESS IDIOT.

To cheer myself up let’s have a ridiculously elaborate initial T from the Stammheim Missal (MS 64 f.52v) @gettymuseum.bsky.social. The manuscript contains the prayers said by the priest & the chants sung by the choir at Mass, & is illustrated throughout with vibrant imagery. #MedievalSky

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed.

Small went off to a World Thinking Day event today. She asked me what I’d think about whilst she was gone. Mostly, I thought about the injustice of being awake at 7am on a Sunday. But, she had fun & I managed to clean the house, put all the laundry away, make soup, & do some editing. Frabjous stuff.

This bold chap landed in the garden earlier whilst we were doing some digging & clearing. He was very chill & would’ve happily hopped into Small’s hand if we’d let him. #gardentales

Pancake Day. Particularly tricky for me as I’m seemingly unable to eat egg. Small’s verdict: the first pancake was great, the others were too thick. She would not accept my argument that Nutella covers a multitude of sins.

Just another day on the Welsh Riviera. Library now, & hopefully some writing.

Just me & Small & our friends for tea, in a two up, two down, crooked house by the sea.

Not bad, February. Not bad at all.

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring – When weeds, in wheels, shoot long & lovely & lush; The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush… What is all this juice & all this joy? A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning… Gerard Manley Hopkins | Spring

Double bubble (just).

We got snow! Practically unheard of here on the Welsh Riviera. An actual treat. Did some snow angels, threw some snowballs, & home by 11am for hot chocolate & pancakes. What a way to end the Christmas break.

Idly wondered what the cat was up to. Think he’s enjoying the indoor camping setup more than Small is.

It’s my Nan’s birthday. She’s been dead 3 Christmases, which seems like a nonsense. I was making breakfast &, having a peculiar moment, wished her Happy Birthday. The cat chose that moment to take a dump & smear it over the floor. Guess Nan doesn’t like heavenly regards. HB Nan, nevertheless.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. We’ve been awake since 4:50am so I’m praying for an early(ish) night. Biscuit got a new laser light & some crinkly, catnip-laced fish toys; Small was spoiled in the nicest way, with one of her most loved gifts being a bee rescue kit. Contentment abounds here.

Insomnia kicking in hard at the moment, so here’s some pre-Christmas shenanigans with La Smol, & an obligatory Elder Millennial selfie to round it all off. My favourite time of year. Hopefully the big guy will deliver me a full night’s sleep when we’re home next week.

Took Small to @librarywales.bsky.social to catch their new portrait exhibition, then home afterwards for hot chocolate & a movie. Absolutely knackered at the moment but there are 2 weeks off on the horizon & I’m very excited for them.

The Small has gone to a birthday party so I’ve seized the opportunity to visit @librarywales.bsky.social for their Portrait & Power exhibition. Lovely to see @jonpountney1.bsky.social on the walls, & I’ve had an introduction to the work of Sue Williams & Taiye Omokore. A cwtch for my brain.

One week away from a *slightly* adjusted submission deadline for the book. Just as I start to see light at the end of the tunnel, I’ve started to think about what I’ll be writing about next. What’s wrong with me? #MedievalSky #DigitalSky

I’ve just killed 3,000 words. Went off on the most enormous tangent about polytheism & I don’t think it even works in this chapter. Saved them to a separate page, but. Fuck. Plus side, I found Matthew lurking on f66r of the St Francis Missal, & thought him worth sharing. #MedievalSky