iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Part of my sporadic, on-going project of broadening my literary horizons. This time, though, it felt like familiar territory. It turns out that other authors I have enjoyed (Eco, Perec & Pynchon) had found inspiration from the themes that Borges explored.

A well worn library book. The upper half of the cover shows a detail from a Hieronymius Bosch painting- slender figures amongst fabulous creatures. The lower half of the book has text on a pale blue background. The title, "Collected Fictions" sits above the name of the author, "Jorge Luis Borges" though his name is partially obscured by a library barcode.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Relics by Ed Simon from the lovely #ObjectLessons series. Extends the idea of relics in interesting ways. He grounds it in the profound value of all of us in our fleshy humanity, which brings it to a surprisingly moving conclusion.

A small book on a wooden surface with a bookmark peeping out of the top. The book has a plain black background with a simple monochrome image of a bone running up the centre of the book. Text at the top reads "objectlessons". Text at the bottom in 3 centre-aligned lines: "relic", "ED SIMON" & "bloomsbury".

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

A book about ultramarine from a series of books each based on a different colour. How could I resist? Alas, it is 25 years since I was fairly fluent in Dutch. Still, the book is a gentle reflection which accommodated my sometimes impressionist reading.

A small book lying on a wooden surface. The book cover is an even ultramarine blue with a radial pattern of white dots of varying density in the center, probably meant to suggest sunlight. At the top of the cover and above the pattern, the word LAZUUR is printed in white capital letters. Below the pattern, the name EDWIN MORTIER, is printed in smaller white capital letters. Below the name, UO is printed in thin, black capital letters (the initial letters of the publisher).

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Antwerp Central Station. I oscillating between relishing the overstatement and recognising that it was built on colonial wealth. That said, the contemporary redevelopment of the station, with platforms stacked on top of each other, is also a bit of an engineering marvel.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I'm back in #Antwerp to give a lecture. The view from my window. I love that there are decorations on the building that only the pigeons get to appreciate.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Museum La Piscine: a converted public baths make a gorgeous setting for fine art, contemporary crafts & design.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Just finished this, by @scalzi.com. Oh man! It has a lovely blend of wit & joy. References scattered through the book grounded it in reality. As a long term fan, the Gary Numan reference brightened the bus ride home. I can't tell you much that alone cheered me up.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

This book manages a careful balance of realism & positivity, which I very much appreciated. Thanks to Imogen, Head of Volunteering @ #EnglandNetball for the recommendation

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Today I am working on a funding bid by wandering around muttering to myself "What is the challenge?"

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Well, this book on #volunteering was packed full of useful detail & judicious insights. The lovely librarians of @newcastleuni.bsky.social bought this at my request but I think I might need my own copy to cherish. Thanks to Matt Hick of @heritagevols.bsky.social for the recommendation.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Enjoyed this book by @portablesound.bsky.social Informed & informative. The book is underpinned by a clear ethical position & leavened with an acerbic sense of humour, which made me smile but also, occasionally, left me chastened.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Enjoyed this article by @tomyarrow.bsky.social Some nice reflections on what care might look like. Heritage railway volunteers show how deep friendships can be formed without discussing emotions share.google/ifmSH34TNV7C...

share.google

Heritage railway volunteers show how deep friendships can be formed without discussing emotions

People can develop intimate and caring relationships, without naming emotions.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

I'm running a survey of volunteer managers from all UK volunteer-involving sectors about their experiences of managing older volunteers. The survey is short (honest) & it runs until Nov 14. Please complete or share. app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/newcastle/... #volunteering #VolMgmt #gerontology

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk

Cessation of Volunteering Survey

Online surveys is a powerful, easy to use tool for creating online surveys. Run by Jisc, online surveys is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK...

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Recently read: Ageing Selves and Everyday Life in the North of England: Years in the Making by Catherine Degnen One of those deeply humane pieces of ethnography that reveals the nuance at work in everyday lives. doi.org/10.2307/j.ct... #Yorkshire #gerontology

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Not an easy read, this one, but an interesting one. Carefully worked out arguments for a moderately extended cognition & maps as cognitive tools. I loved the bit about designing a better maps for pedestrians in Venice. #maps #cognition

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Reposted by Bruce Davenport

Heritage Volunteering Group @heritagevols.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

💼 JOB: Volunteer and Community Coordinator Gydlynydd Gwirfoddolwyr a Chymuned. Remote, £30k, full or part-time, temporary. Closes 3/9 📝 Apply at www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs/ftww-fa... 💻 Join HVG for regular job updates: linktr.ee/heritagevolu...

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Really enjoyed this book by Rouran Zhang. Careful analysis of interview data worked up into some thoughtful discussion. Chinese Heritage Sites and their Audiences: The Power of the Past - 1s share.google/2CDC1kTNdIbq...

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Chinese Heritage Sites and their Audiences: The Power of the Past

Chinese Heritage Sites and their Audiences provides a Chinese perspective on tourists’ relationship to heritage. Contributing to ongoing debates within heritage and tourism studies, the book offers in...

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

The calm prose relates joy, terror & grief in a measured tone. It's a kind of anti-reminiscence - the story unfolds through the refusal to open the suitcase. In doing so, it highlights the uncertain boundary between memory & imagination.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Finished reading this over the weekend. Good stuff: Balanced & thoughtful. Occasionally funny, often deeply saddening. Not sure where that thread of reading will go next.

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Reposted by Bruce Davenport

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Newcastle Uni @hassfacultyncl.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Join the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University for their next event - 'Bridging Seas and Centuries: The Beiyang Sailors Legacy Symposium' on 21 - 22 July. Register for this free event by Monday 23 June >> bit.ly/43O5Ewq

bit.ly

Beiyang Sailors Legacy Symposium - Newcastle University Business School - Newcastle University

Join us 21 and 22 July 2025 for a free symposium exploring memory, heritage, and UK–China maritime history through the Beiyang Fleet Sailors Cemetery.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

I've started to delve into narrative #gerontology, beginning with Cathrine Degnen's 'Ageing selves & everyday lives in the north of England'. Other recommendations around this topic would be welcomed.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

I've a new paper out. It was an enjoyable digression from my usual work on volunteering. The paper looks at the objects & messages that people are leaving beside 5 gravestones in Newcastle and what we can learn from them. The paper is open access so free for all to read. rdcu.be/eqfbO

rdcu.be

Chinese commemorative practices in an English graveyard – observations on the Elswick gravestones

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

More holiday/travel reading. Really enjoyed this. Careful & insightful. The author is grounded in planning & art history, which leaves plenty of scope for more ethnographic work.

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Reposted by Bruce Davenport

Museums Association @museumsassociation.org · 24/04/2025

News | Friends of the Bowes Museum group to close after 75 years — charity says it is winding up in response to falling income and a lack of volunteers

museumsassociation.org

Friends of the Bowes Museum group to close after 75 years - Museums Association

Charity says it is winding up in response to falling income and a lack of volunteers

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Just finished this lovely book on small #museums. Rich descriptions and thoughtful analysis - fabulous stuff.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Currently in Antwerp to give a lecture on heritage volunteering but I gave time, this morning, to visit another museum.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

My first go at reading #Dickens since I left school. I enjoyed it more than I expected. Possibly even enough to try others.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Reviewing academic papers is an unpaid job and publishers, who couldn't function without us, struggle to find meaningful ways to recompense that labour. Here's one: Springer could let anyone who does a review for one of their journsls use their staff cafe when they're passing through London.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Another data gathering day (last one for a while). It is a privilege to be able to meet people & learn from their experiences. Photo taken along the way to the first interview.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Really enjoyed reading this. Thoroughly grounded in research but written in an engaging, accessible style. It is a little old now, so someone ought to pay the author to do an update.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Beautifully written: gentle erudition balanced with a playful wit.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Happily, my paper on the experiences of people leaving #volunteering has been accepted for this year's #gerontology conference, #BSG2025.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Just finished this book: erudite eloquent & thoughtful. It wasn't really work reading but it gave me a useful frame for thinking about what I'm trying to do in my research.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Sunny day in Stirling with good talk & and thought-provoking presentations at #MYMConf2025 #volunteering #heritage #Scotland

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Travelling north for fieldwork tomorrow & presenting at #MYM2025 in Stirling on Thursday. The train journey up the coast to Edinburgh is one of my favourites.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

I'm looking forward to speaking at #MYMconf25 on 27 February older people's volunteering & what happens when they stop. Connect with volunteer organisers across Scotland. #volunteering #heritage You can register at: bit.ly/MYMconf25

bit.ly

Make Your Mark Volunteer Managers Conference: Volunteer-centred support

Join us for a day of talks and workshops about how to support a diverse range of volunteers to ensure they have a positive experience.

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

A paper that I helped to write has (happily) just been published. If you want to read it but can't access it, please get in touch. #heritage #gerontology #China How do older people conserve cultural heritage in rural areas: evidence from Zhejiang, China www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

How do older people conserve cultural heritage in rural areas: evidence from Zhejiang, China

This paper investigates older people’s role in the conservation of traditional cultural heritage in rural areas. The study incorporated surveys of older people and ethnographic field work in rural ...

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Bruce Davenport @bushofears.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Online interviewing for research today, but here's a the view from a recent trip for an in-person interview. #volunteering in #museums

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