Lizzie Speller
@l1zz1e.bsky.social
Tutor CW Cambridge. Ex Classicist.
Love poetry, water, ruins, churchyards.
Author,The Return of Captain John Emmett; At Break of Day, memoir, lyrics. Short-listed Forward Prize. Judge London Hellenic Prize.
Live Suffolk & Greek island.
Love poetry, water, ruins, churchyards.
Author,The Return of Captain John Emmett; At Break of Day, memoir, lyrics. Short-listed Forward Prize. Judge London Hellenic Prize.
Live Suffolk & Greek island.
“Man’s biologic urge to readjust
The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts increase;
Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust;
And crown their heads with blind vindictive peace
The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph
Bowed. As he walked away I heard him laugh”
Siegfried Sassoon b.1886
The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts increase;
Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust;
And crown their heads with blind vindictive peace
The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph
Bowed. As he walked away I heard him laugh”
Siegfried Sassoon b.1886
February 2, 2026 at 6:00 PM
“Man’s biologic urge to readjust
The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts increase;
Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust;
And crown their heads with blind vindictive peace
The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph
Bowed. As he walked away I heard him laugh”
Siegfried Sassoon b.1886
The Map of Europe, Lord of Hosts increase;
Lift up their hearts in large destructive lust;
And crown their heads with blind vindictive peace
The Prince of Darkness to the Cenotaph
Bowed. As he walked away I heard him laugh”
Siegfried Sassoon b.1886
Thank heavens the next series of The Night Manager is in production!
Bravo for the last two. #thenightmanager
Bravo for the last two. #thenightmanager
February 2, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Thank heavens the next series of The Night Manager is in production!
Bravo for the last two. #thenightmanager
Bravo for the last two. #thenightmanager
The last full moon of meteorological winter- #snowmoon #hungermoon
February 2, 2026 at 7:58 AM
The last full moon of meteorological winter- #snowmoon #hungermoon
And every time one looks up, there’s that sense of wonder. As people will always have experienced.
as with John Atkinson Grimshaw!
as with John Atkinson Grimshaw!
February 1, 2026 at 11:25 AM
And every time one looks up, there’s that sense of wonder. As people will always have experienced.
as with John Atkinson Grimshaw!
as with John Atkinson Grimshaw!
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
“This isn’t a moment, it’s a movement”
January 31, 2026 at 1:25 PM
“This isn’t a moment, it’s a movement”
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
Is it about time that someone told @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social that their "Tourmaline stone axe" is actually made of cheese?
January 27, 2026 at 9:59 AM
Is it about time that someone told @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social that their "Tourmaline stone axe" is actually made of cheese?
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
January 27, 2026 at 12:22 AM
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
27th January 2021
Two of the six Gate of Honour sundials at Gonville & Caius College show time passing as a University messenger does the same.
Picture from my new book 'Cambridge - Light & Shade'. Available at www.cambridgebooks.co.uk/cambridge-li... and all bookshops.
Two of the six Gate of Honour sundials at Gonville & Caius College show time passing as a University messenger does the same.
Picture from my new book 'Cambridge - Light & Shade'. Available at www.cambridgebooks.co.uk/cambridge-li... and all bookshops.
January 27, 2026 at 10:39 AM
27th January 2021
Two of the six Gate of Honour sundials at Gonville & Caius College show time passing as a University messenger does the same.
Picture from my new book 'Cambridge - Light & Shade'. Available at www.cambridgebooks.co.uk/cambridge-li... and all bookshops.
Two of the six Gate of Honour sundials at Gonville & Caius College show time passing as a University messenger does the same.
Picture from my new book 'Cambridge - Light & Shade'. Available at www.cambridgebooks.co.uk/cambridge-li... and all bookshops.
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
An observation test for your inner 8-year-old.
You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes.
From Treasure magazine, 1963
Official answers coming soon
(Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)
You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes.
From Treasure magazine, 1963
Official answers coming soon
(Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)
January 24, 2026 at 8:17 AM
An observation test for your inner 8-year-old.
You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes.
From Treasure magazine, 1963
Official answers coming soon
(Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)
You’ll be doing well to spot 12 deliberate mistakes.
From Treasure magazine, 1963
Official answers coming soon
(Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one?)
I thought boy in uniform eating an ice cream was one. Def was a crime at my school!
January 24, 2026 at 10:09 AM
I thought boy in uniform eating an ice cream was one. Def was a crime at my school!
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
NATO did not "stay a little back, off the front lines."
Danish, British and Estonian troops served in Helmand, and Canadian forces in Kandahar - the two most dangerous Afghan provinces.
Denmark, UK, Estonia & Canada suffered amongst the highest per‑capita soldier death rates when defending the US.
Danish, British and Estonian troops served in Helmand, and Canadian forces in Kandahar - the two most dangerous Afghan provinces.
Denmark, UK, Estonia & Canada suffered amongst the highest per‑capita soldier death rates when defending the US.
Trump on NATO: "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That's really the ultimate test. I'm not sure of that. We've never needed them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines."
January 22, 2026 at 2:02 PM
NATO did not "stay a little back, off the front lines."
Danish, British and Estonian troops served in Helmand, and Canadian forces in Kandahar - the two most dangerous Afghan provinces.
Denmark, UK, Estonia & Canada suffered amongst the highest per‑capita soldier death rates when defending the US.
Danish, British and Estonian troops served in Helmand, and Canadian forces in Kandahar - the two most dangerous Afghan provinces.
Denmark, UK, Estonia & Canada suffered amongst the highest per‑capita soldier death rates when defending the US.
St Agnes’ Day.The sensuality of Keats’ ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ lures the artists. A hidden lover watches:
“Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees
Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one;
Loosens her fragrant bodice by degrees
Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees”
“Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees
Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one;
Loosens her fragrant bodice by degrees
Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees”
January 21, 2026 at 10:55 AM
St Agnes’ Day.The sensuality of Keats’ ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ lures the artists. A hidden lover watches:
“Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees
Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one;
Loosens her fragrant bodice by degrees
Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees”
“Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees
Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one;
Loosens her fragrant bodice by degrees
Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees”
Clouds and grey green slippery outside but I bought my Camellia into my kitchen when promising buds froze in last cold spell. Definitely a reward to start each morning.
January 21, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Clouds and grey green slippery outside but I bought my Camellia into my kitchen when promising buds froze in last cold spell. Definitely a reward to start each morning.
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
Beavers are back in London 🦫
Here's how (and why) we did it ⬇️
Here's how (and why) we did it ⬇️
January 21, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Beavers are back in London 🦫
Here's how (and why) we did it ⬇️
Here's how (and why) we did it ⬇️
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
We have made the decision to formally close our X social media account. Once a vibrant platform to promote the interests of authors, we feel X is no longer a trusted place for balance, community support, and reliable information.
January 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM
We have made the decision to formally close our X social media account. Once a vibrant platform to promote the interests of authors, we feel X is no longer a trusted place for balance, community support, and reliable information.
Wake up in darkness with ( hefty) cat on my chest— sleepy photo without lights on reveals his inner fiendishness.
Made me think I bet Henry Fuseli had a cat……
Made me think I bet Henry Fuseli had a cat……
January 20, 2026 at 8:08 AM
Wake up in darkness with ( hefty) cat on my chest— sleepy photo without lights on reveals his inner fiendishness.
Made me think I bet Henry Fuseli had a cat……
Made me think I bet Henry Fuseli had a cat……
“Texas A&M University. Days before the spring semester began, Martin Peterson, a philosophy professor, was ordered to remove Plato’s Symposium from the list of assigned readings for the class “Contemporary Moral Issues.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Texas Sends Plato Back to His Cave
Even in ancient Greece, people worried about philosophy’s subversive effect on tender minds.
www.theatlantic.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:14 PM
“Texas A&M University. Days before the spring semester began, Martin Peterson, a philosophy professor, was ordered to remove Plato’s Symposium from the list of assigned readings for the class “Contemporary Moral Issues.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Yes, Christmas deflates itself with a wheeze and a whimper.
January 19, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Yes, Christmas deflates itself with a wheeze and a whimper.
Reposted by Lizzie Speller
I doubt I will ever see a more inspired bit of upcycling.
January 18, 2026 at 8:55 AM
I doubt I will ever see a more inspired bit of upcycling.
I’ll definitely have to buy your book!
January 17, 2026 at 7:25 AM
I’ll definitely have to buy your book!
I expect you know the 1870’s engraving of Seven Dials by Gustave Doré?
“Seven Dials, the British equivalent of Paris's St. Antoine”
. . . where misery clings to misery for a little warmth, and want and disease lie down side-by-side, and groan together. — John Keats on Seven Dials.
“Seven Dials, the British equivalent of Paris's St. Antoine”
. . . where misery clings to misery for a little warmth, and want and disease lie down side-by-side, and groan together. — John Keats on Seven Dials.
January 16, 2026 at 9:38 PM
I expect you know the 1870’s engraving of Seven Dials by Gustave Doré?
“Seven Dials, the British equivalent of Paris's St. Antoine”
. . . where misery clings to misery for a little warmth, and want and disease lie down side-by-side, and groan together. — John Keats on Seven Dials.
“Seven Dials, the British equivalent of Paris's St. Antoine”
. . . where misery clings to misery for a little warmth, and want and disease lie down side-by-side, and groan together. — John Keats on Seven Dials.