The Exploited - God Saved the Queen.
I love the menacing bass line on this track x
NASA
Game of Thrones Daily
AnasAbdin
Xuebing Du
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
KIROKAZE

Andulka
tumblr dot com

Show & Tell
d e v o n
Keni
Peter Solarz
hello vonnie
sheepfilms
Cosimo Galluzzi
Monterey Bay Aquarium
cherry valley forever
Mike Driver
we're not kids anymore.
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@pastedpast
The Exploited - God Saved the Queen.
I love the menacing bass line on this track x

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The Smiths - London.
I don't like Morrissey, but I like this song.
I was searching the Internet for a song or painting to mark tonightβs full Flower Moon when I stumbled across this beautiful piece of artwork: Floralia by Lizzie Riches. Curious as ever, I did a little digging and discovered that Floralia is the name of an ancient Roman festival - still celebrated today by modern pagans - dedicated to Flora, the goddess of flowers and spring. It is traditionally placed between 28th April and 3rd May in modern calendars - so that includes today!
According to the research, the festival was originally instituted in 238 BCE and was a vibrant, often licentious, hedonistic celebration, featuring theatrical performances (mimes and farces), gladiatorial games, and the release of hares and goats, alongside the scattering of flowers and seeds, to promote fertility.
Noticing that the lady in the painting is holding a sprig or a posy of lily of the valley, I wondered what its significance might be. Answer: the plant blooms in late spring, right around the beginning of May, making it "a natural symbol of renewal, joy, and the return of warmer days."
Also - in France, in particular, the flower is strongly associated with May Day. Itβs traditional to give small sprigs of the flower as a token of good luck and happiness. The custom is often traced back to Charles IX of France, who is said to have been given a sprig on 1st May 1561 and then encouraged the practice at court. So while itβs not a universal May Day symbol everywhere, in France - and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Europe - the lily of the valley is one of the most recognisable floral emblems of 1st May.
I can just sense the scent of the flower as I type! And to think I happened to discover this new knowledge all by chance... How lovely x
Seeing as it's 1st May, here is a painting called 'May Queen', by Catherine Gogerty Artist, an artist whose work I have been enjoying for a couple of years or so.
As I'm sure most people are probably aware, (but I'll witter on about it anyway, hopefully without errors!), today marks the Celtic festival of Beltane and the start of summer. It was traditionally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man (where it's known as Laa Boaldyn) with bonfires, dancing, and rituals to encourage fertility and protect livestock. In Wales it was known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf. Parts of England, particularly areas with stronger Celtic roots, also took part in celebrations.
By the Middle Ages, May Day had become a major popular festival across Europe. Villages would gather to erect and dance around maypoles and crown a May Queen. I remember practicing maypole dancing in the village as a child, though I don't recall attending any feasts or public celebrations.
During the 19th century, 1st May became politically significant through the international labour movement. In 1889, socialist groups declared May 1st International Workersβ Day, commemorating workersβ rights struggles. In the UK, it became associated with trade union marches, rallies, and political demonstrations. Londonβs May Day marches, particularly from the late 19th century onwards, became a regular feature of political life. Such marches still continue, usually around the weekend nearest in the calendar.
Right, that's enough. I'm off for a walk now in search of baby balsam shoots and gravestones covered in ivy.
POSTSCRIPT: ADDITIONAL INFO
The term "Mayday" is the international distress signal used in voice-procedure radio communications to signify a life-threatening emergency, typically by ships and aircraft. It signifies imminent danger, such as fire, sinking, or structural failure, and requires immediate assistance.
Repeated three times β "Mayday, mayday, mayday" β to prevent confusion. It is derived from the French phrase m'aider or m'aidez ("help me"). Originally coined by Frederick Stanley Mockford in 1923, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London, to make it easily understood by English and French speaking pilots.

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The evil triffid, Himalayan balsam, is back. I plucked a few baby shoots out of the roadside border yesterday - it's much easier to get them at this stage than wait until they reach the density of 20β50 plants per square metre. They generally don't flower until they've grown quite tall (one of the tallest plants in the UK, they can grow up to 6β10 ft high), but once you know what their leaves look like they are instantly recognisable. If you aren't aware of the significant damage to the countryside caused by Himalayan balsam, there's plenty of info online - please have a read and hopefully you will be motivated to get involved in its eradication. Thank you!
Brilliant weekend. View from beer garden of local pub.
Spotted one of these flitting about today - an orange-tip butterfly. Beautiful!
Today is World Curlew Day!! This global event was founded in 2017 by Mary Coldwell, who walked 500 miles across Ireland, Wales and England to uncover why the number of curlews is in steep decline. That journey led to her book Curlew Moon -- and ultimately to the creation of the charity, Curlew Action. Click here for more information.
I am a bookaholic. I buy books I will probably never read, at least not to completion. I don't care. I still buy them. I love them.
I take photographs of the covers of books and post them on social media. I may read the first few pages, or the first few chapters. Occasionally, I read a book in full, from intro to index, cover to cover.
Whenever I visit a new town or city, I track down libraries & secondhand bookshops. I write notes upon notes taken from books, backing up my findings with information found on the Internet. I have dozens of notebooks filled with my annoying handwriting scrawl, all with notes I've made from books.
My books will be there for me if ever I am housebound, or my mind is at peace enough to sit down and read them in full. If there is a nuclear war, I shall require an extra bunker to safely store my treasured library of books.
To keep my books in some sort of thematic order, I assembled nine bookcases, purchased cheaply from Argos -- and there's one I nabbed from a skip.
Books serve as souvenirs, too. A History of Women in 101 Objects? I bought that in Barcelona. Small Island? Spotted at Hull Library. (I found the Little Miss Helpful toy face down in some mud on the streets of Morecambe - gave her a wash & she became my travelling companion for a while).
Listen - I even studied Information & Library Studies at university & gained a degree.
Why?
Because I love learning about the world we live in... and I love books.

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Hello! The dog recognised you before I did!
Peter Brook RBA, ????
Captain Hotknives - Hedgehogs.
I've had that many blimmin social media accounts over the years that I forget where I've posted what. I don't think I've posted this on here before and I can't be bothered to check! It's a photograph from the time, a few years ago, when I had organised a "history circle" in my local area. I'd had the idea that it would help me meet people who were interested in history from all over the world and of all eras. A few people turned up and we had some interesting discussions. It didn't really catch on, though, so I folded it. However, it was a good experience and I learnt a lot.
Digital collages I made ages ago using a website called freemix.com. As the name suggests, it's free to use. I thought I'd already posted the collages on the blog, but I can't find them in the archive, so here they are.
Titles from top to bottom:
Masculinity
Lou Reed Says Listen to the 'J Is For Jellyfish' Playlist
The Museum Line
I've posted this before, but it's worth repeating.

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Haha, the countdown to MPF 2027 has already begun! I had a brilliant time at this year's event, talking with a lively bunch of fascinating characters in the festival's music venues and around the Redbricks in Hulme -- a 1940s Art Deco housing estate renowned for its vibrant cultural history and strong community spirit.
Sadly, this warm and welcoming neighbourhood of artists and activists is miles away from where I live, culturally as well as geographically. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I felt that all-too-familiar sinking feeling of having to walk back through the village. Only a short distance, but I think I might have to start wearing headphones again to protect my mind from the arrogant chatter -- it's dreadful.
The Lovin' Spoonful - Daydream.