Dr Janet Gunning
@jangunning.bsky.social
British-Kiwi. Full-time carer. Used to work with manuscripts and rare books. Learning to write fiction for children in my spare time. Love my garden. She/her.
Last roses of the summer in the garden.
🌱
🌱
October 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Last roses of the summer in the garden.
🌱
🌱
I was feeling adventurous.
Olive oil ice cream and 80% dark chocolate sorbet.
Delicious.
Olive oil ice cream and 80% dark chocolate sorbet.
Delicious.
August 22, 2025 at 9:57 PM
I was feeling adventurous.
Olive oil ice cream and 80% dark chocolate sorbet.
Delicious.
Olive oil ice cream and 80% dark chocolate sorbet.
Delicious.
Glorious night out at the Proms to hear one of my most favourite pieces of music - Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.
August 22, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Glorious night out at the Proms to hear one of my most favourite pieces of music - Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.
Local tradition says this is the font in which Edward the Confessor was baptised. Top half is medieval, bottom half much later. Now in All Saints Church, Middleton Stoney, it was brought here from the King’s Chapel Islip in the mid-nineteenth century. #medievalsky
August 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Local tradition says this is the font in which Edward the Confessor was baptised. Top half is medieval, bottom half much later. Now in All Saints Church, Middleton Stoney, it was brought here from the King’s Chapel Islip in the mid-nineteenth century. #medievalsky
Little orange ladybird (halyzia sedecimguttata)
on the day lilies in the garden. We are surrounded by mature sycamore trees, which apparently these chaps love, but this is first time I’ve spotted an orange ladybird in our garden.
🌱 🐞
on the day lilies in the garden. We are surrounded by mature sycamore trees, which apparently these chaps love, but this is first time I’ve spotted an orange ladybird in our garden.
🌱 🐞
July 12, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Little orange ladybird (halyzia sedecimguttata)
on the day lilies in the garden. We are surrounded by mature sycamore trees, which apparently these chaps love, but this is first time I’ve spotted an orange ladybird in our garden.
🌱 🐞
on the day lilies in the garden. We are surrounded by mature sycamore trees, which apparently these chaps love, but this is first time I’ve spotted an orange ladybird in our garden.
🌱 🐞
Love the way these kniphofia seem to glow in the evening light. 🌱
July 10, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Love the way these kniphofia seem to glow in the evening light. 🌱
This is the most insane bookshop. A treasure hunt, with extra book-based peril. 📚
July 2, 2025 at 7:13 PM
This is the most insane bookshop. A treasure hunt, with extra book-based peril. 📚
Beyoncé and Renaissance art - fabulous weekend in London.
June 16, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Beyoncé and Renaissance art - fabulous weekend in London.
When I was about 12 I met Sir Edmund Hillary. He came round to my parents house for tea one day (I have no idea why). He was such a lovely man - kind, gracious, and wise.
Screw "never meeting your heroes." What were some times you met your heroes and they were super cool?
May 4, 2025 at 10:53 PM
When I was about 12 I met Sir Edmund Hillary. He came round to my parents house for tea one day (I have no idea why). He was such a lovely man - kind, gracious, and wise.
Celebrating #MayTheFourth with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. We have an X-wing pilot on French horn, Yoda on viola, Chewbacca playing the cor anglais, and Princess Leia playing the double bass.
Glorious. 🎶⭐️⚔️
Glorious. 🎶⭐️⚔️
May 4, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Celebrating #MayTheFourth with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. We have an X-wing pilot on French horn, Yoda on viola, Chewbacca playing the cor anglais, and Princess Leia playing the double bass.
Glorious. 🎶⭐️⚔️
Glorious. 🎶⭐️⚔️
Our annual pilgrimage to see the blossom at Alnwick Garden. With 329 trees, it’s the largest orchard of ‘Taihaku’ trees in the world. 🌱🌸
April 18, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Our annual pilgrimage to see the blossom at Alnwick Garden. With 329 trees, it’s the largest orchard of ‘Taihaku’ trees in the world. 🌱🌸
Excellent thread. 💙
(Love museums on social media.)
(Love museums on social media.)
On the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, we thought we'd answer a question that's often asked,
"If they raised the Mary Rose, why not raise the Titanic?"
Allow our scaled diagram to explain...
"If they raised the Mary Rose, why not raise the Titanic?"
Allow our scaled diagram to explain...
April 15, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Excellent thread. 💙
(Love museums on social media.)
(Love museums on social media.)
Celebrating Mothering Sunday in style with my youngest. Royal Northern Sinfonia providing some movie magic.
March 30, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Celebrating Mothering Sunday in style with my youngest. Royal Northern Sinfonia providing some movie magic.
Trip to London to see Much Ado About Nothing. It was loud, joyous, confetti strewn, hilarious. Loved it.
March 20, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Trip to London to see Much Ado About Nothing. It was loud, joyous, confetti strewn, hilarious. Loved it.
Fun medieval fact for today - St Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers.
February 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Fun medieval fact for today - St Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers.
This thread is sheer joy - over 100 brilliant LGBTQ kids books… from picture books to young adult.
January 23, 2025 at 11:40 AM
This thread is sheer joy - over 100 brilliant LGBTQ kids books… from picture books to young adult.
It’s more than a week since I went to see the ‘Medieval Women’ exhibition at the British Library & I’m still thinking about it. So many extraordinary treasures.
Here’s the earliest of only 3 surviving examples of Joan of Arc’s signature on a letter dated 1429.
#MedievalSky
Here’s the earliest of only 3 surviving examples of Joan of Arc’s signature on a letter dated 1429.
#MedievalSky
January 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
It’s more than a week since I went to see the ‘Medieval Women’ exhibition at the British Library & I’m still thinking about it. So many extraordinary treasures.
Here’s the earliest of only 3 surviving examples of Joan of Arc’s signature on a letter dated 1429.
#MedievalSky
Here’s the earliest of only 3 surviving examples of Joan of Arc’s signature on a letter dated 1429.
#MedievalSky
Reposted by Dr Janet Gunning
Word of the Day is ‘uhtcearu’ [ucht-kay-aru, with the 'ch' as in the Scottish ‘loch']:
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
January 10, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Word of the Day is ‘uhtcearu’ [ucht-kay-aru, with the 'ch' as in the Scottish ‘loch']:
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
Old English for ‘the sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worries crowd your mind.
My favourite Welsh word is ‘cwtch’ - pronounced kutch.
A cuddle or hug, but with a special quality of giving safety or comfort to someone by wrapping your arms round them.
We lived in Wales when our children were young and a cwtch is an essential part Welsh parenting. 😊
A cuddle or hug, but with a special quality of giving safety or comfort to someone by wrapping your arms round them.
We lived in Wales when our children were young and a cwtch is an essential part Welsh parenting. 😊
quote this post with a fun word you know that other people might not know. can be in any language
January 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM
My favourite Welsh word is ‘cwtch’ - pronounced kutch.
A cuddle or hug, but with a special quality of giving safety or comfort to someone by wrapping your arms round them.
We lived in Wales when our children were young and a cwtch is an essential part Welsh parenting. 😊
A cuddle or hug, but with a special quality of giving safety or comfort to someone by wrapping your arms round them.
We lived in Wales when our children were young and a cwtch is an essential part Welsh parenting. 😊
The Medieval Women exhibition at the British Library is just wonderful.
Do go if you get the chance.
#Libraries
Do go if you get the chance.
#Libraries
January 6, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The Medieval Women exhibition at the British Library is just wonderful.
Do go if you get the chance.
#Libraries
Do go if you get the chance.
#Libraries
Golden hour by the Thames today.
January 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Golden hour by the Thames today.
Happy New Year.
‘Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die…’
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson
‘Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die…’
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson
January 1, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Happy New Year.
‘Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die…’
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson
‘Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die…’
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson