Another old favourite...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Calling all postgraduate members of the Society for Early Modern French Studies!

This Friday we will be having the first of our monthly PG Coffee Breaks from 1-2 GMT. Come along and get to know your fellow PGs in a casual online setting ☕️

Happy Christmas from a very snowy Nova Scotia. I tried my hand at a Bûche de Noël for the very first time this year, and I must say I am quite pleased with the result!

Thinking about Julius Caesar's horse today, who was said to have had toes like those of a man. This description was clearly taken very literally by this engraver in 1687 (possibly Peter Tröschel).

I think this might come as news to Aristotle.

Seeking poetic inspiration at St Andrews Cathedral, wondering what it would have been like in 1538 when Ronsard was here for the wedding of James V and Marie de Guise.

I want to buy a Ronsard sticker for my laptop because I'm a nerd and, while I found one, I don't think I can take seriously a company that claims to love French poetry all while selling this 'Rimbaud' bookmark 😭

I can’t even begin to describe what an enriching, challenging, wonderful time I had in Argentina working to improve my polo skills for the past couple of weeks. I feel so lucky and grateful for ponies, sunshine and friendship.

I participated in an equine behaviour study today that meant having to make very angry faces at little Norman here 😭

Oh no! That's the pits, I'm sorry. Here is an old photo of my Izzy helping me with marking a few years ago. That girl could hear pen being put to paper from anywhere in the house and materialise within seconds.

First day back to polo practice means time well spent with the wooden horse (it's not so much the being on as the getting on that kills you...)

It is! It's a beautiful part of the world - I always think much of Fife looks like the old Microsoft desktop background.

A shame I don’t have £800 on hand!

Oxford bound on a beautiful Scottish morning.

While I try to get organised here, please enjoy this engraving of a horse named 'Le Bonnitte' from Antoine de Pluvinel's L'instruction du Roy en l'exercice de monter a cheval [1625].

This is the horse that Louis XIII will ride during his titular instruction from Pluvinel.