Adrian Toll
@adriantoll.bsky.social
Flâneur manqué. Variously:
Creator @gilbertwhite.bsky.social and @johnclare.bsky.social
Tech @ www.thebureaulondon.com
Tea boy @ www.arantzavilas.com
Neuroscience @ www.ucl.ac.uk
Sculpture @ www.arts.ac.uk
Psychology @ www.ed.ac.uk
Creator @gilbertwhite.bsky.social and @johnclare.bsky.social
Tech @ www.thebureaulondon.com
Tea boy @ www.arantzavilas.com
Neuroscience @ www.ucl.ac.uk
Sculpture @ www.arts.ac.uk
Psychology @ www.ed.ac.uk
A friend's father was Tom Parry Jones, who co-invented the first hand-held electronic breathalyser. He was from Anglesey and known locally as "Jones the Breath".
December 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
A friend's father was Tom Parry Jones, who co-invented the first hand-held electronic breathalyser. He was from Anglesey and known locally as "Jones the Breath".
"Very warm" was 54°F / 12°C compared to 45°F / 7°C the previous day.
November 19, 2025 at 9:23 AM
"Very warm" was 54°F / 12°C compared to 45°F / 7°C the previous day.
... does not a summer make.
October 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
... does not a summer make.
Brighthelmstone is the old name for Brighton: 'The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book.' en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton
Brighton - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
August 31, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Brighthelmstone is the old name for Brighton: 'The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book.' en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton
He was inherited from White's aunt...
Timothy the tortoise: man's best friend
Timothy, the lovable little reptile who's delighted readers for over 200 years - a tortoise in 18th century England, and the break out star of Gilbert White's 'The Natural History of Selborne'.
pallant.org.uk
August 20, 2025 at 9:15 AM
He was inherited from White's aunt...
At Datchet (near Windsor), on four days (15th, 17th, 18th & 19th) the temperature in a 'shaded' area of a garden was recorded between 90 and 96degF (latter is ~36degC); these values are probably too high by modern standards but give an idea of the intensity of the heat.
July 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
At Datchet (near Windsor), on four days (15th, 17th, 18th & 19th) the temperature in a 'shaded' area of a garden was recorded between 90 and 96degF (latter is ~36degC); these values are probably too high by modern standards but give an idea of the intensity of the heat.
www.pascalbonenfant.com/18c/geograph... July 1825: we only have records for the London & Home Counties area, but in central London (Somerset House) there was a sequence of days from the 12th to 20th (9 days) with the maximum temperature >=27degC, with the highest value on the 19th at ~32degC.
www.pascalbonenfant.com
July 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM
www.pascalbonenfant.com/18c/geograph... July 1825: we only have records for the London & Home Counties area, but in central London (Somerset House) there was a sequence of days from the 12th to 20th (9 days) with the maximum temperature >=27degC, with the highest value on the 19th at ~32degC.
Samuel Grimm illustrated The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne.
Samuel Hieronymus Grimm - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
July 8, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Samuel Grimm illustrated The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne.
Lathraea squamaria: common toothwort. "It is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder, and occasionally other trees, and represents the second occasion on which a member of the family Orobanchaceae lost the ability to photosynthesize and became parasitic."
Lathraea squamaria - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
May 6, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Lathraea squamaria: common toothwort. "It is parasitic on the roots of hazel and alder, and occasionally other trees, and represents the second occasion on which a member of the family Orobanchaceae lost the ability to photosynthesize and became parasitic."
(Love the use of "pillow" as a verb in that poem!)
April 22, 2025 at 11:38 AM
(Love the use of "pillow" as a verb in that poem!)
One of the comments here seems to suggest so.
In Hilly Wood
How sweet to be thus nestling deep in boughs Upon an ashen stoven pillowing me Faintly are heard the ploughmen at their ploughs But near ...
johnclare.blogspot.com
April 22, 2025 at 11:36 AM
One of the comments here seems to suggest so.
This was White's house last year around this time (although can't remember whether there were any harvestable cucumbers or not). He talks occationally about "hot cucumber beds", so I presume this is a recreation of that, although presumably not the perspex...
April 18, 2025 at 8:18 AM
This was White's house last year around this time (although can't remember whether there were any harvestable cucumbers or not). He talks occationally about "hot cucumber beds", so I presume this is a recreation of that, although presumably not the perspex...
Not sure if the perspex is strictly of White's time, but this was a cucumber hot bed at his house in April last year. Can't remember whether there were any swelling cucumbers in there though!
April 15, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Not sure if the perspex is strictly of White's time, but this was a cucumber hot bed at his house in April last year. Can't remember whether there were any swelling cucumbers in there though!
Given you're a translator I presume you know that English wasn't nearly as standardised then as it is now? White consistently uses this spelling.
April 7, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Given you're a translator I presume you know that English wasn't nearly as standardised then as it is now? White consistently uses this spelling.
Unfortunately he isn't actually back from London until the 22nd - I think this entry must have been filled in by someone tending the garden.
March 7, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Unfortunately he isn't actually back from London until the 22nd - I think this entry must have been filled in by someone tending the garden.
Keep an eye out for tomorrow's journal entry!
January 31, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Keep an eye out for tomorrow's journal entry!
0°F is almost -18°C
January 31, 2025 at 8:02 AM
0°F is almost -18°C
Although given that he used social media, perhaps it would just be the case of a retweet bot!
January 18, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Although given that he used social media, perhaps it would just be the case of a retweet bot!
They're easy to build, the hard bit is collecting / transcribing the entries... (Plus copyright issues for someone who hasn't been dead for a few hundred years).
January 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
They're easy to build, the hard bit is collecting / transcribing the entries... (Plus copyright issues for someone who hasn't been dead for a few hundred years).
For a split second there I read that as saying that Flanders was inspired to write the song by Henderson, which really confused me...
December 16, 2024 at 9:54 AM
For a split second there I read that as saying that Flanders was inspired to write the song by Henderson, which really confused me...
Exactly what I was thinking! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhJ1...
Misalliance
YouTube video by Flanders - Topic
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2024 at 8:05 AM
Exactly what I was thinking! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhJ1...
Phalaena is an obsolete genus of Lepidoptera used by Carl Linnaeus to house most moths: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaena
Phalaena - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 7, 2024 at 2:38 PM
Phalaena is an obsolete genus of Lepidoptera used by Carl Linnaeus to house most moths: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaena
Such a lovely link to have. Initially he struck me as rather cantankerous, and while I can still see that side I've grown quite fond of him over the last few years of reading the entries.
November 22, 2024 at 10:50 PM
Such a lovely link to have. Initially he struck me as rather cantankerous, and while I can still see that side I've grown quite fond of him over the last few years of reading the entries.
Thanks. I'll post about it on my personal profile, but prefer not to "step out of character" on the bot accounts so it's solely the words of Gilbert and John. The only time I did that on Twitter was to announce that they were leaving!
November 22, 2024 at 10:05 PM
Thanks. I'll post about it on my personal profile, but prefer not to "step out of character" on the bot accounts so it's solely the words of Gilbert and John. The only time I did that on Twitter was to announce that they were leaving!