Ralph Mills PhD
@ralphmills.bsky.social
Historical archaeologist, oboe and tenor saxophone player, photographer, runner (slow), 35 years vegan, gardener. Researches nineteenth century miniatures, working class mantelpieces, figurinai, and old railway wagons. Four cats. Saanich, BC π¨π¦
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Ralph Mills PhD
@ralphmills.bsky.social
Β· Nov 23
My research (www.ralphmills.ca/ralph_mills_...) focuses on ornaments, especially figurines, that nineteenth century working people displayed on their mantelpieces, and what we might learn from them about their owners.
Minus one for the mention of Indiana Jones; plus one for not using the word β treasure!β A good read!
February 11, 2026 at 7:54 AM
Minus one for the mention of Indiana Jones; plus one for not using the word β treasure!β A good read!
Oboe day at UVIC yesterday = >20 #oboes and 6 cors anglais. What an amazing collective sound! Plus a masterclass and many words of wisdom. Great fun!
February 10, 2026 at 4:25 AM
Oboe day at UVIC yesterday = >20 #oboes and 6 cors anglais. What an amazing collective sound! Plus a masterclass and many words of wisdom. Great fun!
Ran 7km today despite oboe day (good fun) yesterday and too much rum last night. Progressing cm by cm!
February 9, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Ran 7km today despite oboe day (good fun) yesterday and too much rum last night. Progressing cm by cm!
My philosophy is: if I, who hated PE at school and never ran for anything other than a bus, can do it, so can anyone! YOU can do it!!
February 7, 2026 at 3:41 PM
My philosophy is: if I, who hated PE at school and never ran for anything other than a bus, can do it, so can anyone! YOU can do it!!
Horrifying that the world record for someone my age (77) is something like 40 minutes. But then I tell myself that the elite athletes have been running all their lives, while I started when I was 65 and am lackadaisical about training...
February 7, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Horrifying that the world record for someone my age (77) is something like 40 minutes. But then I tell myself that the elite athletes have been running all their lives, while I started when I was 65 and am lackadaisical about training...
Started running (if you can call it that) again this week and have managed a 5.5 k and a 6.5k without collapsing. So there's hope! Aiming for a gentle 10k by the end of the month. #running #slowrunning
February 7, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Started running (if you can call it that) again this week and have managed a 5.5 k and a 6.5k without collapsing. So there's hope! Aiming for a gentle 10k by the end of the month. #running #slowrunning
I need motivation to run, so I've signed up for a 10k race at the end of April. It's several years since I last ran in a race, six months since I last ran, so I'm going to have to work hard to get back into form. My goal is to finish in under an hour, but I'm older and creakier than before.
February 7, 2026 at 5:09 AM
I need motivation to run, so I've signed up for a 10k race at the end of April. It's several years since I last ran in a race, six months since I last ran, so I'm going to have to work hard to get back into form. My goal is to finish in under an hour, but I'm older and creakier than before.
So this morning the annual tradition of sitting in a queue of 20,000 people on the Parks Canada web site at exactly 8:00 and not being able to reserve a camp site at Pacific Rim. Ho hum⦠It would have probably rained!
January 29, 2026 at 9:41 PM
So this morning the annual tradition of sitting in a queue of 20,000 people on the Parks Canada web site at exactly 8:00 and not being able to reserve a camp site at Pacific Rim. Ho hum⦠It would have probably rained!
A morning spent happily removing invasive Scotch Broom at Whittyβs Spit, Metchosin, Vancouver Island with other CRD Parks volunteers.
January 12, 2026 at 7:11 AM
A morning spent happily removing invasive Scotch Broom at Whittyβs Spit, Metchosin, Vancouver Island with other CRD Parks volunteers.
Would be fun drawing those sections though: a whole roll of
Permatrace?
Permatrace?
January 9, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Would be fun drawing those sections though: a whole roll of
Permatrace?
Permatrace?
My 2025 triumph was to successfully graft cuttings from my favourite (but dying) plum tree onto new root stock. First time Iβve tried grafting. Thanks of course to all those online experts who showed me how!
January 1, 2026 at 9:11 PM
My 2025 triumph was to successfully graft cuttings from my favourite (but dying) plum tree onto new root stock. First time Iβve tried grafting. Thanks of course to all those online experts who showed me how!
Trifle for breakfast!
December 26, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Trifle for breakfast!
βLetβs do a round of names, and todayβs ice-breaker question isβ¦β
December 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
βLetβs do a round of names, and todayβs ice-breaker question isβ¦β
My diet, though the only reduction Iβve noticed after following it devotedly for many years is number of brain cells!
December 16, 2025 at 5:21 PM
My diet, though the only reduction Iβve noticed after following it devotedly for many years is number of brain cells!
My right hand little finger hasn't been the same since I played first oboe in Brahms Third Symphony in 2010! It adopted a slight bend...
December 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM
My right hand little finger hasn't been the same since I played first oboe in Brahms Third Symphony in 2010! It adopted a slight bend...
Playing with the magnifier feature on my iPhone in between removing invasive Scotch Broom in Francis/King Regional Park yesterday. The mosses are wonderful at the moment, and amongst them are tiny toadstools! #fungifriends
December 1, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Playing with the magnifier feature on my iPhone in between removing invasive Scotch Broom in Francis/King Regional Park yesterday. The mosses are wonderful at the moment, and amongst them are tiny toadstools! #fungifriends
November 28, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Changed/improved the scenery a little up in Mill Hill Regional Park this morning by removing invasive Scotch Broom, plus a twig of the day! #fungifriends #Saanich #habitatrestoration
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Changed/improved the scenery a little up in Mill Hill Regional Park this morning by removing invasive Scotch Broom, plus a twig of the day! #fungifriends #Saanich #habitatrestoration
At Enfield Primary School I spent quite a lot of time as milk monitor, ink-well monitor and stationery shop monitor. My most anxiety-causing role was pressing the button to announce the end of periods.
November 20, 2025 at 4:21 AM
At Enfield Primary School I spent quite a lot of time as milk monitor, ink-well monitor and stationery shop monitor. My most anxiety-causing role was pressing the button to announce the end of periods.
My class (I am standing seventh from the left in the back row) included a goodly mix of characters, from crew cut rebels to immigrants from Poland and other eastern European countries, and of course me, a "pom". I always wonder what lives and adventures my peers have experienced. I love this photo.
November 20, 2025 at 4:21 AM
My class (I am standing seventh from the left in the back row) included a goodly mix of characters, from crew cut rebels to immigrants from Poland and other eastern European countries, and of course me, a "pom". I always wonder what lives and adventures my peers have experienced. I love this photo.