Dr Amelia Dowler
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ameliadowler.bsky.social
Dr Amelia Dowler
@ameliadowler.bsky.social
1.5K followers 1.5K following 130 posts
National Officer FDA Union; Non-Stipendiary Research Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies; Researcher in numismatics
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ameliadowler.bsky.social
Still getting a good harvest of leeks, winter radish, cabbage, and a kohlrabi (last one - we’d missed it when we harvested them all!)
A pile of vegetables in a sink - long leeks, cabbage and kohlrabi on top of black winter radishes.
November 9, 2025 at 5:21 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Elsewhere on the allotment the winter radish/spinach bed is doing ok, as are the leeks. Very excited about the celeriac which is starting to swell up!
A bed with six rows of seedlings A bed full of leafy leeks A close up photo of celeriac plants showing the base of the plants near the soil where it is clear the root is swelling to form a celeriac.
November 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
I’ve finally got the broad beans in! There are still winter radish and fennel in the middle of the bed so I’ve planted around them - hope it all works… 🌱 #allotment
A long allotment bed with raked bare soil. This is where the bean seeds have been planted. There are feathery fennel plants and wider leaved radish plants in the middle.
November 9, 2025 at 5:16 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
My copy of Obsessed With Pipework is here! I’m really pleased to have two poems published in this edition - thanks to the editors Charles and Penny @blossoms21.bsky.social #poetry
The cover art of Obsessed With Pipework 112. It is a photo of three painted pebbles against a textured outside backdrop. The smaller two pebbles are painted blue and the larger pebble has a ghostly cheering face drawn on it. My two poems on facing pages. Blue Monday The sleet turns to rain and by morning streets fall under a writhing surge. Blue Monday is just a marketing ploy, still, millions dream, listen to inner voices summoning them to salt water. Yellow eels wait till the end to slip the shore; transmutation of glass to elver. Downpours saturate high ground and forecasters warn of water flowing from fields, turning to ice. The jet stream roils overhead as the eels silver in the rivers. Beyond the year’s corner there’s an eel unmoored in Hastings New Town bereft of passing trade, inked wintertide caught at Jempson’s Cafe and cast to sea. Dogwood Dogwood is exposed by the death of leaves, stiffened, pigmented burgundy with rust thin and catching in the sliced air, crossed and lonely as blood burning down to dust. A charm of goldfinches moves the nailed iron lingering in the air, redder than gold flitting and fragile as when they plucked thorns from the Calvary crown, staining their faces. Flying to chatter the ice to slivers, they strike prime against a frosted palette quivering soft wreaths of spring together resurrecting the dogwood to green again.
November 7, 2025 at 3:44 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Our local robin was also pretty excited by our work - lots of worms brought to the surface! Bit of a long range photo but I didn’t want to frighten him off
A well camouflaged robin against some bare soil
October 26, 2025 at 1:37 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Excitements of the morning: our superb sweet potato harvest (from only two plants!), nice leeks and winter radishes, and (what a triumph) we got some of the allotment supply of manure before it all ran out. All in all a good morning!
A bag full of pinky-purple sweet potatoes Two leeks and a bunch of black skinned winter radish lying on the grass A neat pile of manure on an allotment bed
October 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Everyone keep your fingers crossed the fennel comes good (and the badger leaves us at least one fennel bulb) 🦡
Two short rows of frothy fronds - at the base of some of them they are starting to thicken up
October 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Chilly morning at the #allotment! We went mostly to get this area weeded ready to plant over-wintering broad beans but some harvesting too…
A bare patch of soil at an allotment
October 26, 2025 at 1:29 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Today’s harvest! Last of the pumpkins - first of the leeks… The brassicas are still going strong - they’re getting a bit of flea beetle now but with a decent rinse it’s all still good! 🥬 #allotment
Veg on a kitchen worksurface. There are two big orange pumpkins, a pile of kale and savoy cabbage, two leeks, and small piles of padron peppers and winter radishes.
October 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Here’s the new radish patch 🌱. We’ve planted black and white winter radishes, and daikon as well. The nearest two rows are spinach rather than radish - I know it’s meant to be easy but I’ve always struggled so wish me luck! 🤞
An allotment bed with six rows of tiny green seedlings. The two nearest rows have longish leaves while the other rows have quite rounded leaves.
October 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Harvest haul from the autumnal #allotment! Slightly terrified by the pumpkin 🤣! We’ve harvested the first winter radishes - and have planted lots more to keep going over the winter 🌱
A large pile of vegetables. In the centre is a giant pumpkin, it is surrounded by green tomatoes, kohlrabi, smaller squashes, cabbage, chillis, padron peppers, mini aubergines, and winter radishes.
October 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
I’ve just received my copy of Orbis 213 - I’m really excited to be published alongside such great writers! Huge thanks to Carole (editor) for her support.
The front of Orbis magazine, which has a cover design called “the cats of Istanbul” with blue domes and black cats The back cover of Orbis, which has the list of authors. My finger is pointing to my name in the list!
September 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
I’ve also managed some giant sunflowers this year - they are so cheery looking over everything at the allotment! 🌻
A close up of a giant sunflower head backlit by the late afternoon sun so that the outer petals are a lighter yellow and glow with the sunshine streaming through them.
August 10, 2025 at 7:28 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
A week or so away from the #allotment and the courgettes have got quite big! And a huge haul of other goodies including padron peppers and the three plums we’ve managed to grow this year… Plus the bowl of extras from the garden. Beans tonight!
A pile of fruit and veg on a kitchen work surface. There are enormous green and yellow courgettes, a huge pile of kale, pears, blackberries, plums, cucumbers, French beans, padron peppers, and some tiny tomatoes.
August 10, 2025 at 7:04 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Yesterday’s haul from the #allotment - looks like it’s allotment surprise for dinner all week! 🤣
Four courgettes (two yellow, one long green one, and one round green one) and a large pile of French beans. A large summer pointed cabbage on top of a large pile of kale. Next to them is a box of blackberries.
July 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
A good evening up at the #allotment tonight! Well, apart from finding no seeds in the daikon seed packet… 🤣 Must have planted those last year! We planted fennel seeds, and planted out kohl rabi and celeriac. And got in a good harvest! The first courgettes and kale, and the artichokes continue… 🌱
Vegetables arranged on a work surface - there’s a big pile of cavolo nero kale, three big artichokes and two courgettes. One of the courgettes is a standard long dark green courgette but the other one is a round courgette like a small green football.
July 7, 2025 at 7:53 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Genuinely excited for broad bean season… (soon!) 🌱 #allotment
A close up shot of a mass of broad bean plants with white and black flowers.
April 27, 2025 at 7:50 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
The @fdaunion.bsky.social delegation has arrived at @tuc.org.uk Black Workers’ Conference and it’s about to start! Our delegation will move a motion tomorrow #TUCBlackWorkersConference
A view of the conference hall from the back towards the stage. There is a big screen with the title “TUC Black Workers Conference: Educate, Agitate, Organise”. The hall is full of rows of seated delegates and people finding their seats.
April 11, 2025 at 1:21 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Actually it turns out I do have another translation! The 1935 reprint of Lord Derby’s translation (first published 1910) - he appears to have similar lines to Fagles…
Lines 377-419 of Book 5 of Derby’s translation Lines 420-462 of Derby’s translation
April 3, 2025 at 11:01 AM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Looks like the OCT agrees with Loeb. I only have the Fagles tranlation so can’t check any other translations for line slips!
A page of text in Greek from Book 5 of the Iliad.
April 3, 2025 at 10:49 AM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
And we’re still managing to harvest from last year’s crops - parsnips and leeks today!
The inside of a bag for life containing small leeks and very muddy parsnips
March 16, 2025 at 7:10 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
My over-wintered broad beans are still looking good 😍
A bed full of small broad bean plants. There are four neat rows
March 16, 2025 at 7:09 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Bright but brisk day at the #allotment - got the shallots and onions in, as well as first two types of potatoes. We went for starting our shallots/onions in the greenhouse over winter this year rather than sowing direct and looking good so far… 🌱
A long allotment bed filled with small plants with long leaves - shallots and onions An allotment bed with three parallel ridges, the traditional ridges of a potato bed. There are white stakes at each end of the row with potato bags marking which type is which
March 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Laura Bright, @fdaunion.bsky.social delegate from our Fast Stream section spoke today to support Motion 31 “Industrial Strategy is a women’s issue” @tuc.org.uk Women’s Conference, talking about STEM skills #ResistPersistDeliver
Laura speaking at the podium with a large screen with the motion’s title to her side. Laura speaks in front of a large audience in the conference hall.
March 7, 2025 at 12:05 PM
ameliadowler.bsky.social
Leila Kelly, @fdaunion.bsky.social Vice President, presents our report on “The Crown Prosecution Service’s role in increasing prosecutions of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls” to @tuc.org.uk Women’s Conference #ResistPersistDeliver
Leila stands at the podium holding up a copy of the report. She is standing in front of a large audience in the hall and by a screen with the title of the motion “Prosecutions of Rape and Serious Sexual Assault”
March 7, 2025 at 9:58 AM