Emily Dourish
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emilydourish.bsky.social
Emily Dourish
@emilydourish.bsky.social
490 followers 280 following 470 posts
Rare books at @theulspeccoll.bsky.social, frogs in my garden, medieval nuns. These are a few of my favourite things.
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emilydourish.bsky.social
A previous user of this *library copy* of the War Requiem has marked their line in every page by *gluing on* a small bit of paper. Not even a removable post-it, actual glue. There are no words for the sound of horror I made on discovering this.
November 22, 2025 at 12:34 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Of course the important question is "Is the cat included?"
Screen shot of a Vinted advert showing a black skirt with red, blue and punk ribbons parallel to the hem. And the most adorable tabby cat sitting on it.
November 17, 2025 at 8:13 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Are these the only options Duolingo?
A Duolingo screenshot of the German for Do you love mayonnaise or do you love me? A Duolingo screen shot edited so that it imitates the top class 1990s advert asking which is better, Daddy or Chips?
November 17, 2025 at 12:18 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Erm, thanks I guess?
An email reading "Hi Emily, We're excited to share that [redacted] has been working very hard on Seneca and they've recently unlocked a set of free exam questions as a reward for their efforts"
November 14, 2025 at 8:59 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Got home from work to discover 16yo has made banana bread.

OH NO. Look at those crispy edges THE HORROR.
A loaf tin containing a very delicious looking banana bread. The edges are all crispy with caramelised sugar.
November 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Halloween pumpkin from back when the kids would happily wear my Blue Peter style creations.
A child dressed as a pumpkin. She has an orange body, and a green face with a big green head-dress made of netting.
October 31, 2025 at 11:33 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Also from the V&A, the owners of this dog *really* loved their good boy. Apparently Newfoundland dogs are a large breed, but seriously this painting measures 2 metres across.
A room at the V&A with many paintings. Among them is an ENORMOUS painting by Landseer of a Newfoundland dog called Lion.
October 29, 2025 at 8:13 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Cambridge people: help save these bananas from the bin! Cambridge Fruit Company looking to give away 150kg of over-ripe nanas, address in alt. CFC does great work for the Red Hen Project too, all round great people so happy to advertise them. redhenproject.org www.cambridgefruitcompany.com/shop/
A local greengrocer has lots of bananas to give away. Collect them today Wednesday 29th October from 14 Robert Davies Court, CB4 1TP
October 29, 2025 at 9:03 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
The trees might be settling down for the winter, but there's still plenty of life around @theul.bsky.social. A woodland sunflower by the staff bike shed, and rosettes of the bee orchids which emerged last year.
A cheerful yellow woodland sunflower growing by a brick wall. The distinctive shiny green rosette of a bee orchid, with three large leaves and another curled up in the centre.
October 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
The heron was posing in front of some tourist spots today (the He-Wren Library 😉), and then stalked over to have its portrait taken by Garret Hostel Bridge. @everyheron.bsky.social @trincolllibcam.bsky.social
A heron stands in the middle of a lawn with a large tree and Trinity College's Wren Library in the distance. The sky is overcast. A heron stands on a lawn with the St John's College wedding cake building in the distance. The sky is overcast and there are many autumn leaves on the grass. A heron stalks elegantly along a gravel path with greenery in the foreground. A beautiful heron from close up. It is standing in a green bed of ivy with various green branches in the foreground and autumnal leaves on the ground.
October 23, 2025 at 6:16 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Have found my scary Halloween costume.
An evil-looking criminal from the cyber security mandatory training, stealing my data. He is wearing a hoodie and an eye mask, and although it is a still image you can hear his evil cackle.
October 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Strava AI reading the room very accurately for my cycle ride home across Sheep's Green, where in fact I have never met a sheep but often meet cows.
October 20, 2025 at 10:07 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Ah, autumn. Will 14yo wear a coat with a hood for the half hour walk to school, or carry an umbrella? She will not.
October 20, 2025 at 7:12 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Spotted what I think is white coral fungus in the long grass at the end of the garden. @rogerhorton.bsky.social what do you think?
A white fungus, approximately 3cm high shaped like a candelabra.
October 18, 2025 at 3:21 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Rub it in, why don't you?
Duolingo screen shot with the German for "I only want to read but I have to work"
October 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
In the reading room today: super 1903 book if activities for girls in which Chapter 1 is building things with a hammer and a saw. There's also making fireworks using the metal from your stays. @theulspeccoll.bsky.social 1903.7. 554
What a girl can make and do, by Lina Beard and Adelia B. Beard. Instructions for making a frankly fabulous reading nook chair from packing boxes, upon which to stretch oneself luxuriantly. Instructions for home-made pyrotechnics, including a Snap-fire made from " a side-steel taken from a dress-stay" to fling your firework gaily into the air. Also a Rushing Comet made from a 3" rubber ball: "How heartily you will laugh when it strikes against some object which drives it flying backward". I think these girls are really quite subversive.
October 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Things getting extreme on the local Next door email roundup.
Screen shot of an email. The text has been truncated such that it appears to read "Does anybody know of a charity that could accept an immediate frozen cat"
October 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Shimmering clouds above @theul.bsky.social at home time today.
A tall square tower above a large red brick building. The sky is blue and there are rippled white clouds.
October 6, 2025 at 7:11 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
If there was a word I would absolutely *not* use for the @theul.bsky.social catalogues, it would be SMOL.
Green hardback volumes of a library catalogue. One volume contains authors from SMOL to SNH, although the last author in the volume is actually Snezhnitsky. A beautiful long 1930s room with ornamented windows through which the autumn light is shining onto some of the hundreds of green volumes that make up the old catalogue of Cambridge University Library.
October 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
In the reading room today: the absolutely wonderful Light Car magazine from 1934. #TrafficLight #Aeroplane #GuildfordBypass @theulspeccoll.bsky.social L429:8.b.20
A beautiful 1930s car next to a small aeroplane, in black and white. "The light car of today and its equivalent in the realm of travel by air." "The robot traffic controller" also known as a traffic light. Queued up are two light cars, a cyclist, a van and a double decker bus, all mid 1930s models. "The modern light car really is a go-anywhere vehicle!" A 1930s three-wheeler driving through a river. "The 9 mile Guildford Bypass is due to be opened today." A single 1930s car drives on a brand new dual carriageway. The road appears to have been plonked down in a field. It is quite delightful. Now part of the A3 and rather less charming.
October 1, 2025 at 7:14 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
@camhistory.bsky.social the Stirling building standing dignified behind its hoardings in yesterday's early evening light.
A tall glass-covered 1960s building with wooden hoardings enclosing the lower levels. The late evening light reflects from the glass against a pale sky.
October 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Who needs the real Bayeux Tapestry to cross the Channel when there's this fab version at Mountfitchet Castle starring (15 years ago) my lovely daughter as Harold 😁
A very large reproduction of the Arrow In The Eye scene of the Bayeux Tapestry, with cut-outs so that visitors can put their faces into the story. Harold is represented by an extremely cute and smiley toddler with chubby cheeks and a blonde bowl haircut.
September 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Another artist after my own heart: Carlo Crivelli is a one man book-history lesson.
Four saints holding beautiful books, from Carlo Crivelli's Demidoff altarpiece in the National Gallery, London Saint Jerome holding two lovely books in Carlo Crivelli's Madonna della Rondine in the National Gallery, London
September 23, 2025 at 10:33 AM
emilydourish.bsky.social
Floris van Dijk is definitely my kind of artist. #NationalGallery #WantCheeseNow
Still Life with Cheese, Fruit, Bread and Nuts by Floris van Dijk. Almost all his compositions centre on cheeses on a plate... Caption from the National Gallery. A painting by Floris van Dijk which does indeed feature a whacking great pile of cheese surrounded by very realistic fruits and other delicious foods. Original painting is held in the National Gallery, London. Another painting by Floris van Dijk also of delicious foods and featuring four yummy cheeses. Original painting in the National Gallery, London.
September 22, 2025 at 7:27 PM
emilydourish.bsky.social
16yo trainee heroneer spotted this beauty in our neighbours' garden - we're very suburban and this is only the third time in 15 years we've received a visit. @everyheron.bsky.social
A very elegant heron standing tall on the roof of a back garden garage.
September 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM