johncolby.bsky.social
@johncolby.bsky.social
Retired, formerly Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University
Blog

... As I haven’t been using my poetic license enough recently, here’s a contribution by John Julius Norwich. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/24/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-25, the eve of Christmas – don’t the years go quick? – flu decreasing
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-25, the eve of Christmas – don’t the years go quick? – flu decreasing It’s Christmas again. Where did that come from? Where did the year go?  Aside fro…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Blog

... This morning, not so much wrapping presents as crumpling paper around them. This afternoon went out to deliver. Now, apart from delivering to a neighbour in the morning, I’m at home until at least the weekend. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/23/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-24 – O Emmanuel – searching for  dragons  but found teapots
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-24 – O Emmanuel – searching for  dragons  but found teapots In my search for stained glass in the area so that I can make comparisons, I’ve been looking at …
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:58 PM
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... I realised that I have forgotten to send any Christmas Cards - the ones I have are supposed to be stained glass magi - so I’m going to send them in time for Epiphany. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/22/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-23 – Hosanna in Excel sheets Deo – Victorian terracotta typo
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-23 – Hosanna in Excel sheets Deo – Victorian terracotta typo A reminder came up on my Facebook page today. I’m reproducing it here because it’s a genuine ba…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:46 PM
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... I also gave myself the dubious honour of the worst present wrapper in history as what I produced first time round was carp (anag). ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-22 O Oriens – more carvings
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-22 O Oriens – more carvings I really should not have restacked the books on my table this morning. Too much time was spent opening them and reading interesting st…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
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... Tomorrow is gift wrapping and starting on the delivery. I already have the white beard, but where did I put those reindeer antlers and that red nose? ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/20/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-21 – O Clavis David – shopping – trial website
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-21 – O Clavis David – shopping – trial website I have a working trial site which is slowly being populated with information. This is a trial site and …
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:55 PM
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... The O Antiphons - O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), from 17th to 23rd December each year. Many composers have recently discovered their potential ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/19/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-20 – O Antiphons – O Radix Jesse
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-20 – O Antiphons – O Radix Jesse Just the antiphon today. Any photographs in this website are not normally enhanced in any way in production save for croppi…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:57 PM
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... Tomorrow it’s the mega shopping (well, mega for me) I think I know what I’m intending to get everyone. Well, maybe….  -ish. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-19 – O Adonai – flu – placeholders
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-19 – O Adonai – flu – placeholders There has been a slight reduction n flu positives, but  it’s still at a level where we can’t ignore it. Lookin…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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... all this started because of a camera with a decent long lens, a torch that shone into dark places where people hadn’t poked a torch before, and people who saw the possibilities of what we found ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-18 – O Sapentia – top down – saint’s pets
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-18 – O Sapentia – top down – saint’s pets The thing about top down design is that forces you to plan. That’s the theory. They tell you that anot…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:36 PM
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... It seems we may have a candidate for a benefactor of the fourteenth century church in John de Harcourt. I’ll need to do more work on this. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/16/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-17 – Easter launch – possible identity of benefactor
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-17 – Easter launch – possible identity of benefactor I pleased to say that what I’m doing fits in with what others are doing. We have an Easter launch date …
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:59 PM
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... the website. Tomorrow sees me asking people what they think of it as I’m producing the schema for people for the morning. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/15/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-16 – snow leopard – lords of the manor
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-16 – snow leopard – lords of the manor Sorting out the lords of the manor is turning into two subject areas: Who had the right to appoint rectors Who paid f…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:37 PM
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... I have been trying to use voice technology to see how it works, hopefully with a reasonable degree of success. But I've found that listening to the radio has its moments as when the announcer comes on their words get shoved into this text ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/14/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-15 – a new type of guide – voice input and radio announcers
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-15 – a new type of guide – voice input and radio announcers The evolution of the history hub website is continuing. Following discussions last night the gen…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:53 PM
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...has supplied a load of evidence was to determine that what we thought was late 14th century or even 15th, was actually at some time between approximately 1275 and 1325. Now this really puts a different slant on the dating of the arcade ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-13 – dating the mugshots – altering the timeframe
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-13 – dating the mugshots – altering the timeframe A few days ago I posted on Facebook group asking for help in trying to date mediaeval mugshots from the he…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:47 PM
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... something I haven’t done for a few years - bought a new sweater. I was amazed to find something in a plain colour, no logos, no designer labels, lust plain knitted cotton. I can now go around not advertising someone else’s enterprise. Yay! ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/11/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-12 – flu affecting the young – Ys, archaeology and La cathédrale engloutie
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-12 – flu affecting the young – Ys, archaeology and La cathédrale engloutie The BBC currently has two flu stories on the top of its front page highlighting t…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:42 PM
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... And, true to my word, I haven't bought a single book. Three of them, yes, but not a single one. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/10/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-11 – digging deeper – pouring to level
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-11 – digging deeper – pouring to level Further to the previous blog, I’ll be doing some more planning in order to make time periods more understandabl…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:45 PM
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... I do like the sound of the term “High medieval” - it has a certain cachet. I can pretend to be posh sometimes. Until you meet me, that is. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-10 – defining periods – when angels got harps
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-10 – defining periods – when angels got harps Couple of disconnected thoughts struck overnight during longer wakeful moments. The first was about when angel…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 9, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Blog.

I have found that medieval fashion reflects status, perhaps even more than currently, and posh people were status conscious. I don’t know many posh people to associate with, so don’t know. Or more likely they won’t associate with me.

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-9 – medieval followers of fashion – status
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-9 – medieval followers of fashion – status What is it with hats? Or headwear? Why was covering the head so important until quite recently? I remember dad no…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:27 PM
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In the Kempe window there are two of the three saints who have pet dragons. St George and St Margaret of Antioch. The other, St Michael, who is seen fighting either the devil or a dragon, is missing from our collection, but two out of three isn’t bad.

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/07/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-8 Second Sunday of Advent – stained glass – pet dragons
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-8 Second Sunday of Advent – stained glass – pet dragons I’ll have to give myself a good talking to. I realised that collecting more books is proving limitin…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
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... by the end of next week there could be anywhere between 5,000 and 8,000 beds occupied by flu patients. The highest level ever recorded so far is 5,400. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/04/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-5 – flu – social context and architectural history
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-5 – flu – social context and architectural history From BBC news front page, influenza infections It comes as the flu season hit a month earlier than normal…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:57 PM
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... This is a generalist sample. I’ll be using more detailed labelled pix of smaller areas of interest as appropriate. The aim will be to use these to indicate where we’re talking about on the tour I’m writing. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-4 – how much detail – and on the ninth day …
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-4 – how much detail – and on the ninth day … Whilst waiting for the arrival of the workbench that should have been with me last week (see below) I spent tim…
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:51 PM
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... I don’t know if any other church has a guidebook on demand via phone, but it may get people to look. I will be testing on site before making too many promises, though. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-3 – site redesign – canine grandstand
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-3 – site redesign – canine grandstand Found myself this morning sitting with a small poodle on my lap. This was at the gathering in the parish hall when my …
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:18 PM
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... I know that this is getting bigger, but most church histories concentrate on the history of the church and do not consider the wider context. ...

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-2 – temporal divisions – no delivery
Sounds of the Season 2025/26-2 – temporal divisions – no delivery  In writing this potted history I’ve been rethinking how I should group the heading for time. I was thinking that we’d …
johncolby.wordpress.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:58 PM
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I know this is crude but I need to consider that the audience may not have experience of maps (or even north and south, let alone any other compass points - that’s from experience with students). ......

johncolby.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/s...
Sounds of the Season 2025/26–1 -Advent Sunday – visualising settlement pattern
Sounds of the Season 2025/26–1 -Advent Sunday – visualising settlement pattern From the outline report produces of the Bosworth excavations, I have been trying to visualise which areas of the…
johncolby.wordpress.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:52 PM