Gillian Grafton
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gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Gillian Grafton
@gilliangrafton.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.9K following 180 posts
Scientist and pilot. Talks about flying, science, politics and random other stuff. Interests include neuroimmunopharmacology, ion channels and blood component manufacturing. Shropshire exile planning my return. No DMs. She/her/Dr 🇬🇧🇪🇺🔶🌈
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gilliangrafton.bsky.social
I was going to post something snarky about US politics but then I decided the world needs better than that. So here is a drawing of me at work. The artists wish to remain anonymous. Lots more details in the alt text.

Enjoy! 😊

#HemeSky #Scientist
A line drawing of a female scientist wearing a buttoned down lab coat. The lab coat is outlined in blue to symbolise that in real life the whole ensemble was blue. We all hated them. The figure is wearing green lab gloves and is pointing a pipette at her shock of shoulder length purple hair. Who knows why?! In defence of the hair style it was during COVID. The figure was drawn by my lab staff and allegedly is of me. Opinions differ.
January 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
A scanned photo from 5th June 1983 shows Space Shuttle Enterprise sitting on top of a Boeing 747. The combination has just landed at Stansted airport. A scanned photo of the shuttle and 747 combination taxiing to the apron at Stansted airport. US and UK flags fly from the top of the 747. In the foreground you can see cars, a caravan for the PA system and a crowd of people. The cars, fashions and complete absence of anyone with a mobile phone give a hint of how long ago this was. Space Shuttle Enterprise is attached to the top of a Boeing 747 in NASA markings. The combination is climbing out of Stansted airport north of London. The grainy photo is scanned from a 35 mm snap taken in June 1983. Space Shuttle Enterprise sits beautifully on top of the 747 against a backdrop of clouds and bluesky. Scanned photo from June 1983.
December 8, 2024 at 11:37 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Viroconium Cornoviorum aka Wroxeter Roman City in the snow and sunshine of a winter’s day (20 Nov 24). Originally founded in AD55 to keep the locals in line, it grew to be the fourth biggest Roman city in the country.

#Shropshire is beautiful. Hankering to move back home.
A 7 metre high Roman wall with a large central entrance is silhouetted against a blue sky and a snowy foreground. This is the iconic Old Work, the largest piece of free-standing Roman wall in the UK. The wall is the last standing remains of the basilica. The Old Work basilica wall is seen sunlit with the remains of the public baths in the foreground. The walls stand out against the snowy ground and the blue sky. The Wrekin hill is visible in the background complete with a capping of snow. The Roman Town House stands in a snowy field. It is a two storey building with yellow plasterwork. There is a one storey covered veranda running across the front. The house was hand built in 2010 using a design of a town house that originally stood on the site. Only original tools and materials were used. It contains some of the original mosaic floor. The Old Work basilica wall is silhouetted against the blue sky of a Shropshire winter’s day. The snowy foreground h includes snow covered picnic tables waiting for warmer days.
November 20, 2024 at 3:56 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
I need a silver spitfire today to cheer myself up. If you need one too, here it is. Spotted at Goodwood this July.
A silver spitfire at Goodwood. Lovers of Cabin Pressure will especially like the registration mark G-IRTY.
November 8, 2024 at 1:36 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Art deco and aeroplanes, truly a combination to make the heart sing. Parked up next to this beautiful Miles M11A Whitney Straight in 2021 at Turweston, the perfect location for an aircraft named after a racing driver. G-AERV is one of only two known survivors of its type.
A silver monoplane sits on a grass taxiway at Turweston airfield. It’s a sunny day with blue skies. There are other aeroplanes in the background, but the stunning art deco looks of the Miles M11A Whitney Straight aeroplane steal the show. Built in 1936, this is one of only two known survivors world wide.
October 22, 2024 at 9:16 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Throwback to April 2015 at East Kirkby airfield, home to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. Beautiful fly past by a formation two ship consisting of a mark XVIII and mark XVI Spitfire.
#Aviation #AvGeek
View of the underside of a mark XVIII Spitfire registration SM845. It is silhouetted against a blue sky with wispy white cloud. You can see the red spinner, the registration marks and the RAF roundells. This Spitfire was built in May 1945 and served with the RAF in Karachi before transferring to the Indian Air Force. It is now at Duxford following a crash in Germany. Two Spitfires flying in close formation against a cloudy white sky. They are a mark XVI Spitfire registration TD248 in front and a mark XVIII Spitfire registration SM845 in the rear.
October 18, 2024 at 7:20 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Shropshire from the air. Every flight is different. The county is populated by old World War II airfields. The county’s airfields intensively trained test pilots, air traffic controllers, and instrument flying systems. History hangs heavy in the air.

#Shropshire #Aviation #AvGeek
The photograph shows a classic triangular RAF airfield. The runways are visible but unusable. This is Wheaton Aston disused airfield. Former WWII airfield used for beam approach training, an early for of Instrument Landing System. The Wrekin seen from the air. It is a heavily forested ridge and the meanders of the river Severn can be seen in the background. An aerial photograph showing the Shropshire town of Telford. The sky is pearlescent with high level cloud and there is a blue band of sky just above the horizon. An aircraft wing frames the top of the scene.
October 13, 2024 at 8:16 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
I’m slowly trawling through quince recipes and there can be none better than @nigelslater.bsky.social Nigel Slater’s wonderful pickled quince recipe. If you have quince, do yourself a huge favour and try this: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Roast quince is next up. Mmmmm
A Kilmer jar full of pickled quince slices.
October 12, 2024 at 6:15 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Even in the light polluted skies of Birmingham, the northern lights are putting on a show.
Northern lights over Birmingham. A red vertical streak against a light shade of purple and hints of green. Northern lights over a rooftop scene. A central red zone shades into purple.
October 10, 2024 at 10:23 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
This is a wonderful podcast showing the reality of life on the transplant list. Please listen and then have that conversation with your family.

There are more stories here of the 100,000 lives saved by the service in the UK:

www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/news/more-th...

#NHSBT #YesIDonate
A banner celebrating 30 years of the NHS organ donation register. The wording is in pink and says “30 years. Go on, get a card. It is our birthday!” There is a picture of an organ donation card beside the words.
October 6, 2024 at 10:25 AM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
I was delaying harvesting my quince but the wind decided otherwise. I need recipe ideas now, but not membrillo. Still got some left from last year.

Please send me your lovely recipes 😊
A collection of just over 50 quinces harvested from my tree today. Now the question is what on earth do I do with them all?
October 5, 2024 at 3:22 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Shared the circuit at Wickenby with this beauty today. The former RAF Wickenby was home to 12 and 626 sqdns during WWII flying Wellingtons and then Lancasters. Seeing the density of WWII aero drones in the area was sobering. #Aviation #AvGeek
October 4, 2024 at 6:18 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Beautiful skies over #Shropshire ahead of the incoming storm. The barometer was dropping rapidly and the cross wind landing was fun. Wonderful day out. #Aviation #AvGeek
High level cloud stipples a deep blue sky, partially obscuring the sun. A lower level line of small puffs of cumulus clouds bobs above the ground. A curved black propeller blade cuts across the bottom right quadrant of the picture. It’s a picture of joy in the air.
September 29, 2024 at 4:34 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Blood red poppies unobtrusively blooming in a verge somewhere in Glasgow. Here for the #BBTS meeting. Any #blood #transfusion folk on Bluesky? Looking for my community.
Blood red poppies growing through an iron railing on a road side verge. I’m here for a blood transfusion conference and the colour and tenacity of these flowers struck a chord. An out of focus red poppy blooming in the verge. Its fuzzy shape reminded me of the doughnut shape of red blood cells.
September 17, 2024 at 7:11 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
A thundery day with little flying happening today. Spot of the day was a T-28 Trojan in USAF markings that dropped by for some avionics work. #aviation
T-28 Trojan aeroplane in US air force markings sitting on the apron of an airfield. The silver aeroplane chimes with the thundery grey skies and deserted setting. There’s a feeling on uneasiness in the air. Close up view of the radial engine and propellers on a T-28 Trojan aeroplane. The symmetry is striking.
September 1, 2024 at 4:13 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
A day spent on an airfield in the summer is pure joy. In between the stresses and anxieties of work, these are the days of our lives.
Sunny day, blue sky, fair weather clouds. A blue and white aircraft sits on an old World War Two airfield. In the background a wind sock points down the runway and an aircraft taxis towards some hangars.
August 18, 2024 at 5:11 PM
gilliangrafton.bsky.social
Happily spending a day tail dragging in a sporty cross wind on a hard runway. Joy! If you know, you know. #flying
Decathlon aircraft sitting on a grass airfield on a sunny day.
August 10, 2024 at 4:40 PM