Venus Bivar
@vbivar.bsky.social
Historian of capitalism, pollution, Marseille, farming, land use, plastics, climate, and economic growth; misanthrope; hockey player; expert baker; amateur gardener; works at St Anne's College at Oxford 🇨🇦; lives in York
A fox was interested in the feral cats that live on the grounds of @stannescollege.bsky.social. At one point they approached and sniffed one of the kitties who then whipped around and hissed. The fox retreated (this is when I snapped the pic) but remained interested. It was all most excellent.
November 11, 2025 at 7:17 PM
A fox was interested in the feral cats that live on the grounds of @stannescollege.bsky.social. At one point they approached and sniffed one of the kitties who then whipped around and hissed. The fox retreated (this is when I snapped the pic) but remained interested. It was all most excellent.
Loki gives you a hard agree. Poor boy has been hiding in an upstairs bedroom corner all week :( Attached photo of him getting dinner in bed so that he could keep hiding.
November 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Loki gives you a hard agree. Poor boy has been hiding in an upstairs bedroom corner all week :( Attached photo of him getting dinner in bed so that he could keep hiding.
No words for how much I enjoyed the Arctic extravaganza with brdemuth.bsky.social, lalinepaull.bsky.social, ymalhi.bsky.social, klausdodds.bsky.social, clairewarrior.bsky.social, mendelight.bsky.social, and other brilliant people not on BlueSky. Bjorn, the polar bear puppet was pure joy.
November 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM
No words for how much I enjoyed the Arctic extravaganza with brdemuth.bsky.social, lalinepaull.bsky.social, ymalhi.bsky.social, klausdodds.bsky.social, clairewarrior.bsky.social, mendelight.bsky.social, and other brilliant people not on BlueSky. Bjorn, the polar bear puppet was pure joy.
Amazing to me that it is late October and this is what the garden looks like. Easily the best thing about living in the UK.
October 27, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Amazing to me that it is late October and this is what the garden looks like. Easily the best thing about living in the UK.
A three-hour in the rain with this goober was not on today's Bingo card. If anyone needs me I'll be under the covers until tomorrow.
October 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
A three-hour in the rain with this goober was not on today's Bingo card. If anyone needs me I'll be under the covers until tomorrow.
The chaos of my mahonia both delights and scares me. And this patch of wild daisies that has overrun our front door lights me up every time I see it.
October 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
The chaos of my mahonia both delights and scares me. And this patch of wild daisies that has overrun our front door lights me up every time I see it.
On the eve of my 47th birthday, I am pleased to announce that I have finally purchased my freedom from the debt bondage that is the student loan system. I am very disappointed by how very anti-climactic this feels.
October 23, 2025 at 10:17 AM
On the eve of my 47th birthday, I am pleased to announce that I have finally purchased my freedom from the debt bondage that is the student loan system. I am very disappointed by how very anti-climactic this feels.
Today's Blackwells haul. Thanks to @casparhenderson.bsky.social for the Shrubsole suggestion.
October 22, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Today's Blackwells haul. Thanks to @casparhenderson.bsky.social for the Shrubsole suggestion.
Very cold and very beautiful swim in autumnal Nova Scotia. Thanks to @donalh.bsky.social for teaching me that my cold tolerance is much higher than I thought it was.
October 7, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Very cold and very beautiful swim in autumnal Nova Scotia. Thanks to @donalh.bsky.social for teaching me that my cold tolerance is much higher than I thought it was.
Gorgeous. Also, shout out to yellow walls and turquoise couches. Here is my own .... I think the more muted version chez vous is probably nicer. I might have gone to far.
September 22, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Gorgeous. Also, shout out to yellow walls and turquoise couches. Here is my own .... I think the more muted version chez vous is probably nicer. I might have gone to far.
Amazing. I'll be in Marseille this winter. Will definitely give you a shout. I love that city. Even on cloudy days the light is magnificent.
September 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Amazing. I'll be in Marseille this winter. Will definitely give you a shout. I love that city. Even on cloudy days the light is magnificent.
Well this show at the Royal Academy was extraordinary. Bonus points for the Chicago content.
September 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Well this show at the Royal Academy was extraordinary. Bonus points for the Chicago content.
People who know the history of British urban planning, e.g. @samwetherell.bsky.social , why are there so few trees on British verges, i.e. the space between the pavement and the road? I am looking out my window and it is so so depressing. Concrete and brick as far as the eye can see. WHY?????
September 18, 2025 at 2:29 PM
People who know the history of British urban planning, e.g. @samwetherell.bsky.social , why are there so few trees on British verges, i.e. the space between the pavement and the road? I am looking out my window and it is so so depressing. Concrete and brick as far as the eye can see. WHY?????
I was tying into the search bar 'Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé à' and before I could finish with 'la maison tout en plastique' it auto-filled with 'Ariana Grande'. And now I'm too busy worrying about what is going on with Ms. Grande to continue writing.
September 18, 2025 at 9:24 AM
I was tying into the search bar 'Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé à' and before I could finish with 'la maison tout en plastique' it auto-filled with 'Ariana Grande'. And now I'm too busy worrying about what is going on with Ms. Grande to continue writing.
Poor Loki has had far too many rain days in a row.
September 15, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Poor Loki has had far too many rain days in a row.
When you spend an hour writing about the final shot in a film only to realise that the final shot is not in fact of water, but rather of smoke. Back to square one 😵💫
September 15, 2025 at 10:28 AM
When you spend an hour writing about the final shot in a film only to realise that the final shot is not in fact of water, but rather of smoke. Back to square one 😵💫
This Cashmir cedar on Isola Madre, and originally from Bhutan, was uprooted during a tornado a decade ago and was then cut by a third and rerooted. She is doing marvellously well today. Wee human for scale. God save the trees!
September 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
This Cashmir cedar on Isola Madre, and originally from Bhutan, was uprooted during a tornado a decade ago and was then cut by a third and rerooted. She is doing marvellously well today. Wee human for scale. God save the trees!
I met these bad boys on the Isola Madre in Lago Maggiore.
September 14, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I met these bad boys on the Isola Madre in Lago Maggiore.
I finished this last night. What an extraordinary read. Her tone here reminded me a bit of @noreenmasud.bsky.social - equally good at funny and poetic. Still trying to wrap my head around the connections between the embalming bits and the travel bits. Bodies fixed in jars vs. bodies in flight.
September 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I finished this last night. What an extraordinary read. Her tone here reminded me a bit of @noreenmasud.bsky.social - equally good at funny and poetic. Still trying to wrap my head around the connections between the embalming bits and the travel bits. Bodies fixed in jars vs. bodies in flight.
I have had a lot of fun ordering primary sources from eBay for my current project. Today: a 1954 special issue on the future of plastics.
September 4, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I have had a lot of fun ordering primary sources from eBay for my current project. Today: a 1954 special issue on the future of plastics.
Sometimes research is fun. Just watched Tati's Mon Oncle for the plastic content. The dogs are the real heroes of this film.
September 3, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Sometimes research is fun. Just watched Tati's Mon Oncle for the plastic content. The dogs are the real heroes of this film.
Spring is going to be LIT.
August 29, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Spring is going to be LIT.
Loki would be very happy to assist.
August 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Loki would be very happy to assist.