“The most significant acquisition in the Gallery’s history.” Very proud to have campaigned to save Portrait of Mai. Joshua Reynolds’ wonderful work emerged from a private collection (where it was in storage!) and will be on display to all, for free, in perpetuity. Go and see Mai!

Farewell to #FrankField , an utterly principled and good man who fought for the important stuff, including free meals in the school holidays for kids who were going hungry. He answered questions thoughtfully & meant the answers, and was willing to change his mind. I’ll miss him.

Woeful

Dad has just bought a scented candle. It comes with 18 safety warnings.

This might be the ultimate British good news story. Includes jeopardy, mystery, a nice car, and a polite thank you for excellent customer service. And a pheasant.

Walden Local News

My boss Dorothy Byrne - head of Murray Edwards College, one of just two remaining colleges for women in the UK - on her five favourite memoirs by women.

Thank you so much, Thomas, for recommending my book - published in English as The Empress and the English Doctor. I’m thrilled the book is now available in German - entirely appropriate for the story of a German-born empress. Also out or forthcoming in China, Brazil and Russia.

It was a great honour - and even greater fun - to talk about #TheEmpressandtheEnglishDoctor at the Royal RoyalYachtSquadron in Cowes. The Squadron’s bookclub members are thoughtful, hugely knowledgable and welcoming - and they invited me even though my book doesn’t feature boats!

Spring may have come to Bristol, but our Year Abroad students in Latvia are still in the grip of winter!

Our student Maeve, currently in Daugavapils, sent us this evocative photograph of the railway tracks, as seen from 18th November Street.

‘It was a bit scandalous but we had a wonderful time, the first 16 of us.’

Proud to work Murray Edwards College (once New Hall, now Murray Edwards) - a college for scandalous women

Happy #InternationalWomensDay everybody. One of our all-time favourite photos from our Photographic Archive is this undated photo of a very young suffrage campaigner on the streets of Stromness #Orkney , taken by Robert H. Robertson early last century.

This #InternationalWomensDay , can we bury the 🐴 myth for good?

In fact, Catherine the Great used her body for science - to prove the power of smallpox inoculation (forerunner of vaccination).

It’s all in my book, The Empress and the English Doctor 👉 bit.ly/Empress68

People say goodbye to Navalny. We will never forget.

Ты будешь нами гордиться.

Лёша, спасибо тебе за 26 лет абсолютного счастья. Да, даже за три последних года счастья. За любовь, за то, что всегда поддерживал, за то, что смешил даже из тюрьмы, за то что ты обо мне всегда думал.

Я не знаю, как жить без тебя, но я постараюсь так, чтобы ты там, наверху,…

Incredible scenes in Moscow today, surreal even. Hundreds chanting Navalny’s name as his body is brought to the church - honouring a man the Kremlin branded an extremist, and killed

What happens when darkness falls on your degree?

Putin’s war on Ukraine has transformed the meaning of Russian studies. My daughter Ailis Halligan and a fellow Russianist Trinity College Dublin reflect on finding hope in the ‘floating Russia’ of emigrés

thecolloquiummag.com/post/two-years…

The Solovetsky stone in Moscow tonight, covered in tributes to Alexey Navalny

From a Russian friend. She wrote: ‘People just with flowers.’
#Navalny

“Fear nothing. Giving up is forbidden.”
Flowers left by my daughter Ailis Halligan, studying Russian Trinity College Dublin, at Russia’s embassy in Dublin in memory of Alexei #Navalny .