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Owen Sedgwick-Jell @owenjell.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

It might not be the eponymous “Great Northern”, but it’s easy to see why Dick Callum was enraptured by these charismatic birds (cc @aransome.bsky.social, @tarsociety.bsky.social)

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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

‘Swallows’ (1966) Artist: Ronald Lampitt (Birds and how they Live, 1966)

A simple, stylised representation of a flock of swallows approaching the white cliffs of Dover from the sea. The birds in flight are set starkly against a pearly yellow sky.

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Owen Sedgwick-Jell @owenjell.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Hullabaloos, amirite @aransome.bsky.social?

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Polly Atkin @pollyrowena.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Yesterday evening owlet action! #TheCompanyOfOwls

tawny owlet in tree standing v upright with eyes mostly closed

tawny owlet in tree gazing down through leaves and branches

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

If you’re wondering what to do this weekend, why not dive into Swallowdale 📖👇…

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Three million cheers!! Barbecued billygoats, this is top work by @georgeweeks2014.bsky.social 👌

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

As @happybusman.bsky.social points out, a lovely Ransomeness about this drawing … beautiful

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Stiles @lakesstiles.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

A journalist once did an extremely kind piece about the school I was working in and its title was derived from that very famous Swallows and Amazons. I was made up. And at the end of his visit, he played a load of ragtime jazz on our piano to the children.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Ooo interesting observation from @jauzfaktnevim.cz here…. Anyone have any thoughts?

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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

“In the shallow water at the edge of the lake, a coot sits on her nest, which she and her mate have made with pieces of reed stems” Artist: CF Tunnicliffe. Writer: EL Grant Watson

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I really enjoyed reading this …

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Wonderful!👇 (Hope there was no sign of Mr Jemmerling … 👀)

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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 09/05/2026

Get ready to become obsessed. As of today, you can watch our two new nest box cams: we’ve got a pair of blue tits and pied flycatchers, both starting families in their new nests. Follow along as we watch these birds raise their broods: bit.ly/4t5cLK4

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

The bluebells are fabulous on The Coppermines Conservation Area At the moment. Always a little later than the ones in the valley as these are growing up to an altitude of 800 feet above sea level.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Three thousand cheers for this excellent Ransome-ish trip (and three thousand cheers for the most enjoyable photo alt-text)

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

📣📣ANNOUNCEMENT!📣📣 Our next read is going to be Swallowdale! So dry out your cake and watch out for the pike rock, as we dive in to read over the next few weeks. We’ll gather around the campfire (aka Zoom call) to talk about our thoughts/reflections end of June (date TBC). #SwallowsAndAmazons

Image of the front cover of the Penguin 1970s paperback edition of Swallowdale. It shows Ransome’s line drawing of the camp in Swallowdale, featuring a pale blue grey sky, and yellowish green tones in the landscape. The Swallows and Amazons crossed pennants are in the bottom left corner, above the words ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS FOREVER’

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Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Lake District, mid-20th century, by Joseph Hardman, 1893-1972 (Lakeland Arts). Photographer born in Radcliffe, Bury, but moved to Kendal in 1911.

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RSPB @rspb.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Tomorrow is International Dawn Chorus Day! Whether you crack the window open, or step out under the trees, take a moment to pause & listen. We’d love you to share your recordings, photos or dawn chorus moments with us. #DawnChorusClub: It's time. Set your alarms... Who'll be up with the birds? 💚

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

A sublime early morning, drifting quietly around Esthwaite Lake.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Theme for the NYT Strands game today is ‘hullabaloo’ … no sign of ‘Margoletta’ though … www.nytimes.com/games/strands

nytimes.com

Play Strands, our newest word-search game with a twist.

Find hidden words and uncover the day’s theme.

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Nigel Stead @nigelstead.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Arthur and Evegenia Ransome’s grave at Rusland. @tarsociety.bsky.social @aransome.bsky.social

Gravestone of English writer Arthur Ransome and his wife Evgenia at Rusland churchyard in Cumbria.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

If you’re in the UK, this is a lovely programme - Sam West and Ade Edmondson birding in Norfolk. I think the Coot Club would approve! www.channel5.com/show/sam-ade...

channel5.com

No access outside UK

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

📣📣Coot Club zoom chat - Sun 18th, 7.30pm UK time!📣📣 All are warmly invited to a relaxed chat about Coot Club. Doesn’t matter whether you read it 5 mins or 50 years ago! Email winterholidaychat@gmail.com for the link if you’d like to come (my DMs aren’t working)

media.tenor.com

a cow is standing in a field next to a river .

ALT: a cow is standing in a field next to a river .

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Brain teaser for a Saturday morning…

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Three million cheers for @farmerruth.bsky.social for this Coot Club poem!! Thank you so much Ruth 👏👏👏 The Hullabaloos on their cruiser Think Tom will be the loser Get under your sail And you cannot fail To escape from thr figure-head bruiser #SwallowsAndAmazons

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

How would Sun 19th 7.30pm or 8.00pm UK time work for our Coot Club zoom chat? Let me know below or via email to winterholidaychat@gmail.com

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

So … rearranging Coot Club Zoom chat! I could do Saturday 18th or Sunday 19th April any time after 5pm UK time. If you’re interested in joining, either drop me an email (winterholidaychat@gmail.com) or comment below with your preference. DMs not working!

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

📣📣Announcement!📣📣 Many of our number aren’t able to make our 7pm Zoom chat, so instead I suggest we share our thoughts about Coot Club below, at our leisure👇 This means everyone can participate. We can have a think about another read and potentially another zoom later in the year 😊

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

How wonderful… if you post a picture below from Coot Club (any illustration you choose) then our resident poet Ruth may turn one of them into a poem! 📖📸✍️👇 #SwallowsAndAmazons

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

📣📣 Ahoy there shipmates! 📣📣 Ahead of our Coot Club chat on Sunday 12th April, 7pm UK time on Zoom, here are some questions to get us thinking… If you’d like to join us then email winterholidaychat@gmail.com - I will send the zoom link on Saturday #SwallowsAndAmazons

Tom Dudgeon faces a moral dilemma at the start of the book, and his choices have a lasting impact throughout this story, and arguably also The Big Six. Did he do the right thing??

We hear a lot about yacht racing, with Port and Starboard ably helping their father. At one point A. R. tells us: “The Flash had rounded a mark too close and touched it and so was out of her race.” Radek writes, “a long time ago, when I myself raced, I had to do a 360 after touching the mark”. Have racing rules changed since the 1930s? And why do you think A.R. brings racing into this story?

What are your thoughts about the minor characters in Coot Club? Do you have a favourite?

A.R. places animals / nature at the heart of this book. What messages is he trying to convey to his readers?

What role does the sea play in the finale?

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

A magnificent walk up through the woods to Tarn Hows this morning. Only birdsong and the gentle music of a stream as accompanyment.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I’ll be sharing some prompt questions soon, ahead of our Coot Club chat (Sun 12th April, 7pm UK time). If you have a question or two you’d like to add into the mix, do drop me a DM with it, or email me at winterholidaychat@gmail.com by the end of today (Wed 8th April)!

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

And the answers were… 1. Flint; bad; eggs 2. Great Northern? 3. Mr Jemmerling, the egg collector (*shudders*) Bonus: pink Take 1000 cheers for each correct answer!

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The Arthur Ransome Society @tarsociety.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

The Mug family.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

QUIZ! ‘I was wrong,' said Captain _____. 'He's not mad but ___. It isn't only ____ he wants. He wants to take the credit for it.’ 1. Fill in the blanks 2. Which book? 3. Who is ‘he’? Bonus: what colour pyjamas does ‘he’ favour? Reply below, answers tomorrow! #SwallowsAndAmazons

A photo of the spines of several Jonathan Cape editions of Arthur Ransome books. Two have dust jackets and the rest do not.

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Pace Eggs are an Easter tradition in northern England. Hard-boiled eggs often boiled onion skins; but also beetroot, coffee grains and spinach. Pace Eggs are displayed in windows until Easter Sunday, then rolled down a nearby hill. #FolkloreSunday #EasterSunday

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Usually gracing Coniston Water by now, but unfortunately missing this Easter due to mechanical issues. Back soon I hope SY Gondola.

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

As Easter weekend begins, just a reminder that our Zoom chat about Coot Club is coming up soon (Sun 12th April, 7pm UK time), and you are warmly invited! There’s still plenty time to (re)read/listen to the story. We’ll be having a relaxed chat, sharing thoughts/reflections ⛵️📚 1/2 🧵

Line drawing showing the motor cruiser Margoletta. We see her approaching us in an intimidating fashion. Three Hullabaloos are on board sporting fashionable clothes, two sitting lounging whilst the third stands and looks at us through binoculars. Ughhhh.

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Helen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Hot cross buns, anyone? Artist: Harry Wingfield (1971)

Three preschool children are playing dressing up and are having a tea party draped in their mother‘s clothing which is far too big for them. They have prepared tea with a plastic tea set and are serving hot cross buns.

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Ann Gate @ceadela.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Layers: Rannerdale Knotts, Haystacks, Gables

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Watching a cormorants At RSPB Leighton Moss this morning.

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Ruth Harding @farmerruth.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

R4 March 27, 11am Food Programme.🐍

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Ruth Harding @farmerruth.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Ransome readers love a map! I heard a radio programme about eels last Friday. It was a bit sad really but I suppose people have always used what's around them, just like Harry!

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

📣⛵️ A reminder … in four weeks we will be convening via Zoom for our Coot Club book chat, and you are warmly invited!⛵️📣 So … settle down with your favourite rations and (re)read the book over the coming weeks. When? Sun 12th Apr, 7pm UK time Where? Zoom (info/link to follow) #SwallowsAndAmazons

Image of the Jonathan Cape
edition of Coot Club. It has black and white illustrations from the book interspersed with a sort of cerise colour

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Arthur Ransome @aransome.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

I wonder what Harry Bangate from The Big Six would have to say about this… I imagine Daisy from Secret Water would approve though!

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Robin Cooper @robincooper1.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Brantwood has a magnificent Display of daffodils this year 😊 @ruskinsociety.bsky.social

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Alan Cleaver @postalpathsguy.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens

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