Archaeological Avenues (1): Stunning Photography from Aberdeen

You can see the Finalists' Gallery of a recent photographic competition organised by the Department of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen. I wish I had found this site sooner!

Wonderful Words (2): Save the Words

'I wandered lonely as a cloud'
Wordsworth
(words worth saving)

I have just 'adopted' this word through the Save the Words site. Will you rescue a word, too? If so, why not visit the Language: unpacked site to share it.

Magazine Moment (2): A Parcel from India

This interesting package dropped through my door a couple of days ago, all the way from India. It contained a copy of Metverse Muse, edited by Dr H. Tulsi. The March issue is, in fact, the Silver Jubilee number, and it is packed with poems, articles and reviews. The contributors come from places as diverse as Kazakhstan, Japan and Nigeria; India, Ireland and the USA; Australia, Russia and Brazil. I wonder if I am the only contributor from Wales. There is a feature on the Virelai: no prizes for guessing which form I may try next! You can read a reverse-Davidian by Dr Tulsi on PoemHunter. The Davidian form was invented by Wendy Webb of Norfolk Poets and Writers.

Surprise Subjects (4): Hay Fever

Florida poets in Tampa Bay are being invited to write Haiku about their seasonal pollen infestation. No chance of hay fever in Britain today!

Window on Wildlife (2): While Flocks Last

How many birds can you name on the UK red list? A new book is coming out called 'While Flocks Last', charting the exploits of Charlie Elder, reporter-turned-birder, and his quest to spot Britain's rarest birds in their natural habitats.

On the subject of birds that are dwindling in numbers, I have been writing about the cuckoo. How's this for a novel cuckoo clock-watch? And on the subject of endangered species, there is a current debate as to whether green turtles should be on the red list. You might like to look at the 60th anniversary celebrations for the sighting of Oscar the turtle in a lake in Indiana. Michael Rosen has a new book out about bird poems, 'The Cuckoo's Haiku'.

You might be interested in Built by Animals by Mike Hansell, and endorsed by UK naturalist, Mark Cocker.

Language & Linguistics (2): Conversations in Caves?

If you were making casual conversation as you painted your cave, what would you be saying? The Times has a bizarre feature on Stone Age small-talk.

Do take a look at Professor David Morley's blog, in response to an article in The Times concerning poetry and the origins of civilization. There is a link to the article at the top of the posting.

You may be interested in this overview of the beginnings of English literature from The Yemen Times.

While I am on the subject of linguistics, I would like to mention an article I read about the fact that Shakespeare worked without a dictionary to hand. It is quite a sobering thought. I will give another plug to the truly amazing Save-the-Words site.

John Buchan Stories (3): Oxford Listing

It was good to find Buchan (number 18) in good company (Aristotle, Austen, Burns ...) in the Oxford listing of favourite quotations from the Oxford Book of Quotations. I assume the list is in order of popularity.