Pascale Aebischer (she/her)

I'm not quite sure what I plan to do with it yet, but ahead of my new exhibition fully opening at Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall later in the year, I've set up a BlueSky for the Travelling Players Project! Check out @travellingplayers.bsky.social for what I hope will be some exciting updates 🙂

Illuminated bat from the Ashmole bestiary showing a bat on a gold background inside a red and green frame. The bat is brown with black wings and cartoonish, with incongrously detailed human-looking facial features.

Three outlines of three bats as marginalia in a yellowed page from a Bodleian manuscript. The bat marginalia are hastily drawn (likely added by a different hand than the scribe who wrote and illustrated the rest of the text). The bats have simplistic facial expresisons; one has two eyes and a straight line for a mouth, the second has a soft smile, and the third has something between the two.

A page from a bestiary showing Latin text and a black bat illustration in an embossed gold square. The bats wings look feathered and the shape is bird like, suggesting whoever drew it may not have seen a bat up close before.

An immediately strange looking illustration from a medieval Paduan text. A bat flies above an illustration of a man, and both are roughly the same size. The bat has cat like legs and a long tail, and is shaped like a winged rat.

RIP Ozzy Osbourne. We scoured the archives to find our best medieval bats in the rocker’s honour.

#MedievalMonday.
1. Bodleian Library MS. Canon. Misc. 554
2: Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 304.
3: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 764.
4: Bodleian Library MS. Ashmole 1511.

As it happens, neither way includes primrose-decorated dalliance...

Withered and moss-and-ivy overgrown signpost pointing in opposite directions, "path" inscribed in both directions. Dartmoor.

"This way or that?"
A Monday morning question.

The English Association:a subject association for people passionate about lit, lang, creative writing -from all sectors of education & all areas of English studies.Our publications, events, networks, promote dialogue, distribute knowledge, celebrate the discipline. Join! 🤗

englishassociation.ac.uk

Good morning!
(Rubbish at running, but good at admiring flowers 😉)

‘Student-led’ AHRC PhD places ‘to fall by at least 60 per cent’ Internal modelling released under Freedom of Information enquiry reveals extent of PhD scholarship cuts, with academics fearing impact could be greater still

'The number of student-initiated PhD scholarships funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is set to fall by 60 per cent when new doctoral training arrangements come into effect next year, new figures show.' 1/3

Lecturer in English Literature with Critical Theory (Education and Scholarship) at University of Exeter An opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in English Literature with Critical Theory (Education and Scholarship) is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other acad...

Join our dynamic department : E&S Lectureship in English Literature with Critical Theory. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNV381/l...

Lecturer in Creative Writing (Education and Scholarship) at University of Exeter An academic position as a Lecturer in Creative Writing (Education and Scholarship) is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.

Join our fantastic Creative Writing team: E&S Lectureship in Creative Writing
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNS852/l...

Let officials speak Sir, The government's new guidance that prevents public officials from participating properly in public or stakeholder events is a mistake. Effective government relies on public servants, whose salaries are paid by the taxpayer, hearing directly from businesses, charities, academics and citizens to help them make better policy. They should be able to explain government activity to those same groups. Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, speaking for the government about the guidance, recognised this when she said that there was a "a responsibility on our civil servants to engage every day". The unpublished guidance contradicts this, saying that "officials speaking at a sector-facing event with Q&A and/or media expected to be in the audience... should not go ahead". It is causing confusion and a chilling effect on public discussion. It should be withdrawn.

Dr Hannah White Institute for Government; Theo Bertram Social Market Foundation; Jess Bowie and Suzannah Brecknell Civil Service World; Alastair Campbell former Downing Street director of communications; Sarah Chaytor Universities Policy Engagement Network; Mike Clancy Prospect; Sir Simon Clarke Onward; Polly Curtis Demos; Professor Bobby Duffy Policy Institute, King's College London; David Durant TransformGov Talks; Gavin Freeguard Public Digital Data Bites; Kevin Keith UK Open Government Network; Professor Michael Kenny Bennett Institute of Public Policy; Sir John Kingman former second permanent secretary, HM Treasury; Maxwell Marlow Adam Smith Institute; Daniel Bruce Transparency International; Professor Anand Menon UK in a Changing Europe; Dave Penman FDA; Charlotte Pickles Re:State; Professor Meg Russell Constitution Unit, University College London; Hetan Shah British Academy; Ryan Shorthouse Bright Blue; Baroness Spielman former chief inspector of education, children's services and skills; Matt Stanley Think Digital Partners; Thea Stein Nuffield Trust; Matt Tee former CEO, IPSO, and former permanent secretary for government communications; Jeni Tennison Connected by Data

Govt should withdraw its guidance which prevents civil servants from speaking at public or stakeholder events as this will reduce the quality of policymaking. I’m a co-signatory of this letter in The Times coordinated by @instituteforgovernment.org.uk a
asking for this guidance to be reconsidered

It is worrying to see the attempted normalisation of the ‘we are doomed’ climate narrative.

Such narratives are tactics to facilitate the continuation of activities driving climate change.

It is never too late to act.

It is never too late to protect as many people and places as possible.

Lecturer in Creative Writing (Education and Scholarship) at University of Exeter An academic position as a Lecturer in Creative Writing (Education and Scholarship) is being advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Click now to find more details and explore additional academic job opportunities.

Join our fantastic Creative Writing team: E&S Lectureship in Creative Writing
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNS852/l...

A poster advertising the 'Wills Project Transcribathon' on Thursday 24 July, 1-4pm BST, in the Digital Humanities Lab at the University of Exeter, and on zoom. The poster features black text on green and yellow backgrounds, and three images - a box of folded will manuscripts, an unfolded will manuscript, and the painting Thomas Braithwaite of Ambleside making his will, Abbot Hall, 1607. Photo: Lakeland Arts.

📢Still time to register for our Transcribathon (next Thursday)📢

- Join us to transcribe on Zooniverse, discuss interesting findings, hear talks from the research team, ask questions
- Attend in person or online, for all or part of the afternoon

willstranscribathon.eventbrite.com

#EarlyModern 🗃️

Lecturer in English Literature with Critical Theory (Education and Scholarship) at University of Exeter An opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in English Literature with Critical Theory (Education and Scholarship) is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other acad...

Join our dynamic department : E&S Lectureship in English Literature with Critical Theory. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNV381/l...

The problem is that there is a huge carbon footprint to tearing down old houses, too. There's no easy one-size-fits-all solution, alas!

Aaaaaargh. We're having to have cavity wall insulation *removed* because it is absorbing and storing moisture and making the house damp. Home insulation for older houses isn't quite that simple...

A regular bike, yes. I'm on about ecargo bikes that can easily carry the same amount most people use their cars for; i.e. carrying kids to school, or buying the weekly shop. They cost between £2,000 and £10,000. That's what we should be subsiding to replace second cars in a household at a minimum.

Not really, when the choice is to keep the car running for a few more years or take the plunge to ditch it in favour of an expensive bike that you're not sure will really allow you to do without a car. A big subsidy, linked to ditching the car, would really incentivise the leap!

A newspaper article with the headline: “New grant to push sales of electric cars for net zero”. The strapline reads: “Government offers up to £3,750 off new vehicles”. The article, written by Ben Clatworthy and Will Dron, discusses a new UK government scheme offering up to £3,750 for motorists switching to electric vehicles (EVs). The grant applies to EVs with a list price under £37,000 and will be available until 2029. It is part of a £650 million initiative aimed at increasing EV adoption to meet net zero targets. Key points include: • Models made in Britain will get higher grants. • Chinese-made EVs like BYDs will be excluded. • The grant is applied at the point of sale. • About 80–90% of new cars are bought on finance. • The scheme is not means-tested. • Tesla, Polestar, and high-end BMW, Audi, and Mercedes models are ineligible. • Past grants offered up to £4,500 between 2016–2018. • Only 15,474 EVs were registered in 2018, compared to 381,970 last year. • Private buyers accounted for just under 20% of EV sales. • The policy supports Labour’s goal to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and may later include plug-in hybrids.

Yet again, the UK gov chooses to subsidise the least effective way of reaching net zero. Imagine if did this for cargo bikes instead, effectively halving the price of bikes that can replace the majority of these cars - especially 2nd cars - and funding car sharing schemes instead for longer journeys

If this is accurate, WeTransfer is unusable for professional creative work. Would violate most work-for-hire contracts to share copyrighted material with a third party like this.

This is as if postal services suddenly announce they are going to slit open your envelopes, have a good look through, and sell on whatever they find in them.

Arraignment of Paris is weirdly interesting, actually. Am saving your chapter for when I can't cope with any further Peele 😂

Looking forward to farthingales, too! (Never thought I would write that sentence and mean it.)

Interrail.eu | 1 rail pass, 33 countries Travel across Europe and discover 33 countries by train with Interrail. Enjoy the best rail travel experience in Europe with our Interrail Pass!

People don't seem to know that anyone can buy an interrail pass which makes European train travel much cheaper. Please tell them!

www.interrail.eu/en

You *are* intrepid and cosmopolitan.

Am just thundering very comfortably towards the Spanish border. Only two trains today, but overall it'll be 8, across 3 days, to reach my mum in Switzerland. A great adventure! (And lots of quality time to read Peele and a certain Lees-Jeffries...)

Seeing it, and seeing @ellierycroft.bsky.social's face, was quite enough for me, thank you very much. I might have braved it if the bread had been less white and the gravy looking less like tomato sauce for baked beans... but I can bear witness to Ellie's bravery.

Romeo & Juliet - Exeter Northcott Theatre Book tickets for Romeo & Juliet at the Exeter Northcott Theatre today!

Loved #RomeoAndJuliet at the #ExeterNorthcott last night: pacey, fresh, and such a charismatic central pair that when comedy tipped to tragedy and hurtled towards the end, I found myself wiping away a furtive tear.

On till the end of next week. Watch it!
exeternorthcott.co.uk/events/romeo...

Romeo & Juliet - Exeter Northcott Theatre Book tickets for Romeo & Juliet at the Exeter Northcott Theatre today!

Loved #RomeoAndJuliet at the #ExeterNorthcott last night: pacey, fresh, and such a charismatic central pair that when comedy tipped to tragedy and hurtled towards the end, I found myself wiping away a furtive tear.

On till the end of next week. Watch it!
exeternorthcott.co.uk/events/romeo...

Bring back the ancient woodlands smothered beneath your timber plantations Ancient woodlands are vanishing – and with them, some of our most loved and endangered wildlife. Forestry England manages over 100,000 acres of land that used to be ancient woodland - that’s bigger th...

🌳 Dame Judi Dench is calling for the return of ancient woodlands. Will you sign the petition to help restore the Ghost Woods and protect our green spaces for future generations? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/br...

Bring back the ancient woodlands smothered beneath your timber plantations Ancient woodlands are vanishing – and with them, some of our most loved and endangered wildlife. Forestry England manages over 100,000 acres of land that used to be ancient woodland - that’s bigger th...

🌳 Dame Judi Dench is calling for the return of ancient woodlands. Will you sign the petition to help restore the Ghost Woods and protect our green spaces for future generations? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/br...

The Hunger Gap A gulf in public understanding prevents us from seeing how and why our food supply is at risk.

1. At the Tipping Points conference in Exeter yesterday, I spoke about the likelihood of food system collapse: a massive existential threat few people's radar. If you want a handle on the issue, here's the submission I made to a parliamentary committee.
+ 🧵
www.monbiot.com/2023/03/09/t...