My recent life

1. When I was first thinking of coming to Bologna I thought I could happily live anywhere where it's possible to pop into old churches, and this is true. But I do miss England; maybe it's looking at all these charters, but my trip to the south-west over Easter instilled in me an intense yearning to get my hands on a modest estate of a few hides, with a withy stream, and some coppices, and perhaps a bit of dairy mead for a goat. It's so beautiful down there. This feeling that it's land that counts is very tenth-century of me. In the eleventh century, usually my preferred century, wealth was more about displayed objects: lavish ships, like the one Godwin gave to Edward, which gleamed on the water with purple sails; gospel-books in gold bindings, jewelled and figured; precious sword hilts and richly-caparisoned horses. But my charters are all tenth century and I seem to be imbibing their ethos. I wouldn't say no to a richly-caparisoned horse though, a sensible elderly one with a hairy chin.

2. Returning to Cambridge was very disturbing, much more so than would make logical sense. It's not like I'd been gone that long, but it was very very odd to be back. I caught up with quite a few people, especially the digitisation project staff. Various people offered to do photocopying for me and post it in future, which was really very nice of them. But rash, too. Most of the stuff I'm using at present is in things like the Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club, and the Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine. Or the Report of the Marlborough College Natural History Society 87 (1939), which the UL doesn't have.

3. Hurray for Shameless! I loved Paddy Maguire's gay brother Noel. Hurray also for Girls Aloud! The Tangled Up album is good.

4. Figaro seems to be larger than when I left, and has acquired a habit of leaping into the kitchen sink -- an impressive feat from ground level.