Hannah Booth
@hannahbooth.bsky.social
Northumbrian in the Netherlands | Writes about connections between Britain & its North Sea neighbours | Historical linguist turned science writer/editor & communication coach
Writing: https://northseanexus.substack.com
Website: https://hannahmarybooth.com
Writing: https://northseanexus.substack.com
Website: https://hannahmarybooth.com
Pinned
Hannah Booth
@hannahbooth.bsky.social
· Jun 8
Navigating North Sea Nexus
Start here!
northseanexus.substack.com
Introducing North Sea Nexus, a Substack exploring Britain’s ties with our North Sea neighbours, past and present.
Click the link to browse by theme:
🖌️ Art, Words & Music
🌊 Coastal Lives & Livelihoods
🪵 Materials, Makers & Merchants
🌱 Nature & Landscape
🧳 Religion & Exile
🕊️ War, Peace & Diplomacy
Click the link to browse by theme:
🖌️ Art, Words & Music
🌊 Coastal Lives & Livelihoods
🪵 Materials, Makers & Merchants
🌱 Nature & Landscape
🧳 Religion & Exile
🕊️ War, Peace & Diplomacy
North Sea Friday Folk #2 — lives shaped by the shallow sea on our doorstep
Today it’s the turn of St Hild, first abbess of Whitby Abbey
Shown here with ammonite fossils at her feet — a nod to the legend that Hild turned local snakes to stone
📸 Wilson44691 (CC0)
Today it’s the turn of St Hild, first abbess of Whitby Abbey
Shown here with ammonite fossils at her feet — a nod to the legend that Hild turned local snakes to stone
📸 Wilson44691 (CC0)
January 23, 2026 at 8:41 AM
North Sea Friday Folk #2 — lives shaped by the shallow sea on our doorstep
Today it’s the turn of St Hild, first abbess of Whitby Abbey
Shown here with ammonite fossils at her feet — a nod to the legend that Hild turned local snakes to stone
📸 Wilson44691 (CC0)
Today it’s the turn of St Hild, first abbess of Whitby Abbey
Shown here with ammonite fossils at her feet — a nod to the legend that Hild turned local snakes to stone
📸 Wilson44691 (CC0)
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Apardjón is pleased to present its newest special volume, Connections and the Church in Late Norse Scotland, edited by Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax. We would like to thank all authors for contributing, and Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax for their work. #MedievalSky
www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc...
www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc...
January 22, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Apardjón is pleased to present its newest special volume, Connections and the Church in Late Norse Scotland, edited by Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax. We would like to thank all authors for contributing, and Caitlin Ellis and Tom Fairfax for their work. #MedievalSky
www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc...
www.abdn.ac.uk/dhpa/researc...
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Occasionally we get tiny Goldcrests in the garden, hunting for insects amongst the evergreens. They’re resident in Britain, but some Goldcrests cross the North Sea to escape the harsher continental winters; people used to believe they rode on the backs of migrating Woodcocks. (watercolour)
🐡🪶
🐡🪶
January 21, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Occasionally we get tiny Goldcrests in the garden, hunting for insects amongst the evergreens. They’re resident in Britain, but some Goldcrests cross the North Sea to escape the harsher continental winters; people used to believe they rode on the backs of migrating Woodcocks. (watercolour)
🐡🪶
🐡🪶
"Jeevan Vasagar traces humanity's responses to flooding over the centuries, from the deadly North Sea floods of 1953 to the catastrophic events of today"
Looking forward to reading this. Out next month.
Looking forward to reading this. Out next month.
The Surge: The Race Against the Most Destructive Force in Nature
An Observer ‘book to look out for’ in 2026 A New Scientist pick for 2026 The Surge is a timely, gripping account of humanity’s battle against rising waters — and the urgent choices we must make for ou...
harpercollins.co.uk
January 21, 2026 at 7:26 AM
"Jeevan Vasagar traces humanity's responses to flooding over the centuries, from the deadly North Sea floods of 1953 to the catastrophic events of today"
Looking forward to reading this. Out next month.
Looking forward to reading this. Out next month.
Reposted by Hannah Booth
🇩🇪🏝️ Located in the North Sea 60km away from the German mainland, the Heligoland islands are home to 1,500 people & one football club.
But with ferry journeys taking two hours & overnight stays too expensive, VfL Fosite Helgoland cannot play in national competitions and are restricted to friendlies.
But with ferry journeys taking two hours & overnight stays too expensive, VfL Fosite Helgoland cannot play in national competitions and are restricted to friendlies.
January 19, 2026 at 9:34 PM
🇩🇪🏝️ Located in the North Sea 60km away from the German mainland, the Heligoland islands are home to 1,500 people & one football club.
But with ferry journeys taking two hours & overnight stays too expensive, VfL Fosite Helgoland cannot play in national competitions and are restricted to friendlies.
But with ferry journeys taking two hours & overnight stays too expensive, VfL Fosite Helgoland cannot play in national competitions and are restricted to friendlies.
Left: German botanist Jacob Bobart the Elder (1596–1680), first appointed keeper of the Oxford “Physic” Garden, in front of the Danby Gate entrance.
Right: The Danby Gate today at the entrance to the Oxford Botanic Garden (Philip Halling: CC BY-SA 2.0).
1/2
Right: The Danby Gate today at the entrance to the Oxford Botanic Garden (Philip Halling: CC BY-SA 2.0).
1/2
January 19, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Left: German botanist Jacob Bobart the Elder (1596–1680), first appointed keeper of the Oxford “Physic” Garden, in front of the Danby Gate entrance.
Right: The Danby Gate today at the entrance to the Oxford Botanic Garden (Philip Halling: CC BY-SA 2.0).
1/2
Right: The Danby Gate today at the entrance to the Oxford Botanic Garden (Philip Halling: CC BY-SA 2.0).
1/2
This week's North Sea Nexus post on advancing trees and botanical exchanges across the sea
Seeds adrift
Advancing trees and botanical exchanges across the sea
substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 12:21 PM
This week's North Sea Nexus post on advancing trees and botanical exchanges across the sea
🌊North Sea Friday Folk #1 — lives shaped by the shallow sea on our doorstep
Kicking us off is Krijn, the name given to the owner of a skull fragment recovered from the bottom of the North Sea in 2001
A young male Neanderthal living 50,000-70,000 years ago in the now submerged landscape Doggerland
Kicking us off is Krijn, the name given to the owner of a skull fragment recovered from the bottom of the North Sea in 2001
A young male Neanderthal living 50,000-70,000 years ago in the now submerged landscape Doggerland
January 16, 2026 at 8:11 AM
🌊North Sea Friday Folk #1 — lives shaped by the shallow sea on our doorstep
Kicking us off is Krijn, the name given to the owner of a skull fragment recovered from the bottom of the North Sea in 2001
A young male Neanderthal living 50,000-70,000 years ago in the now submerged landscape Doggerland
Kicking us off is Krijn, the name given to the owner of a skull fragment recovered from the bottom of the North Sea in 2001
A young male Neanderthal living 50,000-70,000 years ago in the now submerged landscape Doggerland
This sounds like a wonderful project!
"Blending the sounds of shoreline life with the voices of local communities, Songs from the Solent is the result of Richard Walters’ deep dive into one of the UK’s most distinctive coastal landscapes."
"Blending the sounds of shoreline life with the voices of local communities, Songs from the Solent is the result of Richard Walters’ deep dive into one of the UK’s most distinctive coastal landscapes."
📢New album in support of nature and wildlife in the Solent out now!
Songs from the Solent, created by Richard Walters for his Artist Residency with the Solent Seascape, is available to download and stream now.
🔗 Find out more: https://bit.ly/3YFTiDa
Songs from the Solent, created by Richard Walters for his Artist Residency with the Solent Seascape, is available to download and stream now.
🔗 Find out more: https://bit.ly/3YFTiDa
Songs from the Solent: New album by Richard Walters celebrates local community, culture and the fight to restore coastal nature | Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme
bit.ly
January 15, 2026 at 12:52 PM
This sounds like a wonderful project!
"Blending the sounds of shoreline life with the voices of local communities, Songs from the Solent is the result of Richard Walters’ deep dive into one of the UK’s most distinctive coastal landscapes."
"Blending the sounds of shoreline life with the voices of local communities, Songs from the Solent is the result of Richard Walters’ deep dive into one of the UK’s most distinctive coastal landscapes."
Reposted by Hannah Booth
The Mary Rose ? The Vasa ? Well, I present to you the 'Fin de la Guerre' a massive ship built by Antwerp during the city's siege (1584-1585). The ship was essentially a floating castle that could man 1000 musketeers & countless pieces of artillery. It was so heavy it ran aground.
January 15, 2026 at 7:04 AM
The Mary Rose ? The Vasa ? Well, I present to you the 'Fin de la Guerre' a massive ship built by Antwerp during the city's siege (1584-1585). The ship was essentially a floating castle that could man 1000 musketeers & countless pieces of artillery. It was so heavy it ran aground.
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Once upon a time there was a bustling harbour between Castle Rising and Babingley - deep enough to accommodate large sailing ships that entered from The Wash. But then the River Babingley silted up.
#Ozymandias
#Ozymandias
January 15, 2026 at 6:06 AM
Once upon a time there was a bustling harbour between Castle Rising and Babingley - deep enough to accommodate large sailing ships that entered from The Wash. But then the River Babingley silted up.
#Ozymandias
#Ozymandias
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Among all the details of this great watercolour showing the interior of a British museum around the 1780s, is a #Greenland Kayak (in the upper right corner). This collection of Sir Ashton Lever (1729-1788) echoes the #earlymodern Wunderkammer and adds a colonial interest of the world. #skystorians
January 14, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Among all the details of this great watercolour showing the interior of a British museum around the 1780s, is a #Greenland Kayak (in the upper right corner). This collection of Sir Ashton Lever (1729-1788) echoes the #earlymodern Wunderkammer and adds a colonial interest of the world. #skystorians
Reposted by Hannah Booth
"When it was built in the late 1950s the bunker was more than 100 yards from the sea." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Nuclear bunker nears collapse due to coastal erosion - BBC News
The brick building, on the East Yorkshire coast, is thought to be about 70 years old.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 13, 2026 at 9:46 PM
"When it was built in the late 1950s the bunker was more than 100 yards from the sea." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Itämeri is the Finnish name for the Baltic Sea, literally translatable as 'east sea'. Yet keen-eyed geographers will know that the Baltic is in fact on the west side of Finland. So, Itämeri must be a calque of a Germanic word, likely Swedish Östersjön, coined with the Baltic to the speaker's east.
January 11, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Itämeri is the Finnish name for the Baltic Sea, literally translatable as 'east sea'. Yet keen-eyed geographers will know that the Baltic is in fact on the west side of Finland. So, Itämeri must be a calque of a Germanic word, likely Swedish Östersjön, coined with the Baltic to the speaker's east.
Reposted by Hannah Booth
The #NorthSeaObservatory is a purpose built marine observatory. This stunning building near #ChapelStLeonards on the #Lincolnshire coast looks out over the North Sea
Painted on an original #VintageMap from 1962
#LincsConnect #WomanInBizHour #CraftBizParty #GiftIdeas #Upcycled #ArtForSale
Painted on an original #VintageMap from 1962
#LincsConnect #WomanInBizHour #CraftBizParty #GiftIdeas #Upcycled #ArtForSale
January 12, 2026 at 6:58 PM
The #NorthSeaObservatory is a purpose built marine observatory. This stunning building near #ChapelStLeonards on the #Lincolnshire coast looks out over the North Sea
Painted on an original #VintageMap from 1962
#LincsConnect #WomanInBizHour #CraftBizParty #GiftIdeas #Upcycled #ArtForSale
Painted on an original #VintageMap from 1962
#LincsConnect #WomanInBizHour #CraftBizParty #GiftIdeas #Upcycled #ArtForSale
Reposted by Hannah Booth
Some lovely snowy conditions last week. Not many images are seen like this on the North Northumberland coast 😄
#northumberland #photography
#northumberland #photography
January 11, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Some lovely snowy conditions last week. Not many images are seen like this on the North Northumberland coast 😄
#northumberland #photography
#northumberland #photography
Reposted by Hannah Booth
“That those who are safe on land may ever remember and pray for the many who go down to the sea in ships.”
January 12, 2026 at 6:00 AM
“That those who are safe on land may ever remember and pray for the many who go down to the sea in ships.”
Reposted by Hannah Booth
During these challenging times, we could all benefit from a smile, so I would like to present the oldest smile in the world: the Mannetje van Willemstad (the little man from Willemstad, Netherlands).
The Mesolithic figurine, dating about 5400 BC, was carved in oak wood. 🧵 1/2
📷 me
🏺 #archaeology
The Mesolithic figurine, dating about 5400 BC, was carved in oak wood. 🧵 1/2
📷 me
🏺 #archaeology
January 9, 2026 at 9:05 AM
During these challenging times, we could all benefit from a smile, so I would like to present the oldest smile in the world: the Mannetje van Willemstad (the little man from Willemstad, Netherlands).
The Mesolithic figurine, dating about 5400 BC, was carved in oak wood. 🧵 1/2
📷 me
🏺 #archaeology
The Mesolithic figurine, dating about 5400 BC, was carved in oak wood. 🧵 1/2
📷 me
🏺 #archaeology
Reposted by Hannah Booth
The first Monday after today Epiphany - 6 January) was Plough Monday, the traditional start of the agricultural year. It was celebrated with young men called "Plough Stotts" parading a decorated plough, performing sword dances, and collecting money for church plough
January 6, 2026 at 11:45 AM
The first Monday after today Epiphany - 6 January) was Plough Monday, the traditional start of the agricultural year. It was celebrated with young men called "Plough Stotts" parading a decorated plough, performing sword dances, and collecting money for church plough
No surprise that today’s Copernicus Image of the Day is of the unusually stubborn snow currently blanketing Utrecht
(European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)
www.copernicus.eu/en/media/ima...
(European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)
www.copernicus.eu/en/media/ima...
January 6, 2026 at 9:45 AM
No surprise that today’s Copernicus Image of the Day is of the unusually stubborn snow currently blanketing Utrecht
(European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)
www.copernicus.eu/en/media/ima...
(European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)
www.copernicus.eu/en/media/ima...
Reposted by Hannah Booth
LUSHINGTON, sb. A man fond of drink.
'He's a reg'lar lushington, 'most always drunk.'
'He's a reg'lar lushington, 'most always drunk.'
January 5, 2026 at 7:04 PM
LUSHINGTON, sb. A man fond of drink.
'He's a reg'lar lushington, 'most always drunk.'
'He's a reg'lar lushington, 'most always drunk.'
More snow in Utrecht today, and the trees continue to look like giant Christmas cake decorations
January 5, 2026 at 4:58 PM
More snow in Utrecht today, and the trees continue to look like giant Christmas cake decorations