My mum got her doctorate in applied maths Somerville College in 1977. She remembers being pushed out: the only women who were welcome were 'the students' wives'. She spent her life in education and knows it all.

Please, can we show her we're listening now?

theguardian.com/education/arti…

My mother, one of a handful of women to complete a doctorate in sciences Somerville College in the 70s, has written this about the synergy of arts and sciences in education: theguardian.com/education/arti…

I am so proud of my mother - an educator all her life - who has written this critique of Tory education: theguardian.com/education/arti…

I keep seeing people buying pleached trees - which are beautiful - and not realising what an amazing, rich social history they have. I think it's lovely to know!

vertigrow.substack.com/p/pleached-tre…

I get to work with the living shapes of trees that Shakespeare uses in Much Ado About Nothing. I love how knowing the nitty-gritty of gardening changes how you read these things. vertigrow.substack.com/p/pleached-tre…

This is me thinking about garden history, ideas of privacy, and what we expect from gardens today. vertigrow.substack.com/p/pleached-tre…

This is a must-read.

Reading The Chimneys of Green Knowe to my daughter, curled up under our patchwork blanket, with a calico kitten purring on my feet ... this is the best bit of parenting, right?

I'm curious - what do people think of this? theguardian.com/culture/2024/a…

You can preorder your beach reading now 🏖️ 📚

I am nearly halfway through Noreen Masud's 'A Flat Place,' and it is such a brilliant book. (I bought it this morning and I have been at work 9-5, so you can tell I can't put it down!).

I'm putting this out there again, because I just went out into the field and found the snakeshead fritillaries have naturalised into the long grass there. You know you want that too. vertigrow.substack.com/p/crown-imperi…

I wrote this yesterday, about fritillaries - which came to England in the sixteenth century - and their beautiful names. vertigrow.substack.com/p/crown-imperi…

Which is your favourite fritillary? I love these chequered ones, but also have a soft spot for the pure smoke-purple f. persica. I wrote about them here: vertigrow.substack.com/p/crown-imperi…

Here's my post about fritillaria, which are gorgeous spring bulbs and nothing like as tricky to grow as their exotic looks suggest. vertigrow.substack.com/p/crown-imperi…

A friend of mine just alerted me to adele geras' 'Apricots at Midnight,' and I am joyfully off to find a copy to read with my daughter.

*extremely just arrived in London voice*
'Oui, c'est magnifique. Mais, ce n'est pas la gare.'

It was great fun - thank you Ken!

This is both terrifying, and also the sort of thing that makes me deeply wish I could get Dorothy Sayers' perspective on the situation.

The first golden Kingcups or marsh marigolds💛
An old name for marigold is Marygold & The OED suggests that the flower may be named after Mary due to its heliotropism - the marigold's opening with the sun read as aligning with Mary's responsiveness to God #SundayYellow ☀️