Author Archives: admin

Reading List 16

Posted on December 31, 2021 by admin

I finished a round 60 books in the second half of 2021, exactly half by non-white-males. The other measure I’m starting to keep track of is the number in German — 14 this time. Short stories Subtly Worded and Other … Continue reading →

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Catalogue d’oiseaux

Posted on December 26, 2021 by admin

The ebird bird-listing site has a different challenge each month, and December’s was to make 50 documents — recordings or pictures — of birds. I decided to challenge myself a little more and try for 50 species. We usually see … Continue reading →

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Gutenberging: Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion

Posted on August 24, 2021 by admin

Recently I’ve been working rather slowly on some big projects — first London Labour and the London Poor, and now Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion, by John Cuthbert Lawson. This project took five year from its beginning on … Continue reading →

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Reading List 15

Posted on July 1, 2021 by admin

I finished an industrious 54 books in this six months — more than my rough target of two a week. Also pleasingly, exactly half were by non-white-males. So woke. There were also a few big books, notably Doris Lessing’s and … Continue reading →

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Cottbusian Corvids

Posted on April 23, 2021 by admin

An unexpected pleasure of life in Cottbus is the number of corvids we share the city with. Most characteristic is perhaps the Hooded Crow, which has weirdly divided the European continent with the Carrion Crow roughly along the lines of … Continue reading →

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Proper Winter

Posted on January 9, 2021 by admin

Our first proper winter for several years is upon us. The safest view is from inside: Outside it’s pretty stark: Rooks keep an eye on things: While blackbirds nibble: The larger animals are on the move, looking for food: Or … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Nature | 5 Comments

Reading List 14

Posted on January 1, 2021 by admin

A total of 46 books in the last six months; with the 55 last time, that makes a pleasing 101 for the year. In the spirit of the times, I made an effort to be a bit more diverse in … Continue reading →

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In Praise of the Treecreeper

Posted on December 31, 2020 by admin

One great advantage of the winter months is the disappearance of all those pesky leaves. As a result, treecreepers in particular seem to appear from nowhere. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily obvious though; while they’re quite common, their resemblance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Germany, Nature, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Zamenis longissimus

Posted on December 26, 2020 by admin

Z is for Zamenis longissimus (“the longest tetchy one”), or Aesculapian snake. The scientific name is rather unfair, as it’s nonvenomous and quite pacific in its habits, and it was encouraged to live in the temples of Aesculapius in ancient … Continue reading →

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Yellowhammer

Posted on December 25, 2020 by admin

Y is for Yellowhammer. Wikipedia provides us with another gem: “The pine bunting and yellowhammer are so closely related that each responds to the other’s song. The male yellowhammer’s song is more attractive to females, and is one reason for … Continue reading →

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