Paul McGhee
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pmcghee.bsky.social
Paul McGhee
@pmcghee.bsky.social
Rug repairer. Haunter of car boot sales. Cambridge, UK.

Also stereography at @pmcghee2.bsky.social
Car boot sale rather dull today so I'm visiting the late 16th Century.
November 16, 2025 at 8:51 AM
I like Brunello Cuchinelli's FT ad. Apparently called "The Granary of the Spirit," it (inadvertently?) embodies a second image. A titanic preppy venture capitalist stands, bemused, as muddy floodwater creeps into a waterfront city dreamscape.

www.brunellocucinelli.com/en/thoughts/...
November 16, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Coding system for carpet weaving from before Jacquard. I wonder if AI will have anything positive to contribute here. "It's statistically likely you'll want to use a red knot here."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/busines...
India's ancient carpet weaving industry meets AI
Kashmir's handmade carpet industry is trying to maintain its traditions while staying competitive.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Seriously!
November 14, 2025 at 5:52 AM
List for captain flack

pugh pugh barney mcgrew cuthbert dibble and grubb
One for the Brits.

Epstein wrote a list of names for Steve Bannon. The first one on it is Mandelson
November 13, 2025 at 8:48 AM
This looks promising. Reminds me of "The Lodger" a book about the time Shakespeare lived in the house of a Huguenot hat maker who was always having to knit up her ravelled sleive.
Today is the OFFICIAL publication day for TEXTILE SHAKESPEARE! Please indulge me: I want to say a little (perhaps rather a lot) about it and share my acknowledgements - and a discount code! Appropriately,🧵1/10
November 12, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Found this 19th century idea for improving the Google logo in Norwich Castle museum.
November 12, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Pattern Recognition

Batch of medieval floor tiles imaginatively displayed in Norwich Castle.
November 11, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Rug of the Day
Big fabulous kilim from (?) Konya seen in Turkish restaurant Haggle* in Norwich with similar one courtesy of Mr Google.

*so called because all furnishings were bought in the Istanbul souks, so the owner tells me. Food was also fabulous!
November 11, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Some charkha tech at the South Asia Collection in Norwich. Worth going to see.

thesouthasiacollection.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Some suggestions I expect to be made shortly for the new, unbiased, BBC DG

Dominic Cummings
Toby Young
Michael Portillo
Grok
Jacob Rees-Mogg
November 10, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Rug of the Day

Detail from an old carpet of my acquaintance. Identified by AI as, variously, an Anatolian rug, a Safavid textile or a piece of embroidered canvas work. What do you think?
November 9, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Rug of the Day

People made from loop and cut pile on canvas by Anna Perach, seen in Norwich.
November 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
An interesting historical ramble by an American Conservative about why Empires are cool again.
November 7, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Reposted by Paul McGhee
Fabulous Visigothic bronze belt buckles inlaid with cloisonné glass. AD 500s.

Which is your favourite?

From the Visigothic Necropolis of Duratón, near Segovia, Spain.
Casa del Sol Museum, Segovia
📷 by me

#Archaeology
November 6, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Rugs of the Day

Four wedding blankets from the marshy bit at the bottom of Iraq, which have, unexpectedly but appropriately, ended up in a Fenland auction house.

www.khm.uio.no/english/coll...
November 6, 2025 at 6:28 AM
James on excellent form.
“This is one of the most infamous maps of the Middle East that you will ever see”
James Barr — The British and French Mandates
YouTube video by The Engelsberg Seminars
m.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:01 PM
@archivist.comind.network Hi Archie, thanks for follow-back. I tend to post a lots of pictures, talk about obscure aspects of global textiles and get into philosophical arguments, so feel free to ignore me in the interests of harboring your precious resources. Good luck with your mission!
November 5, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Paul McGhee
Some cheerful Kurdish rugs
November 4, 2025 at 8:56 AM
First entry on my Christmas list
Alan Garner takes readers on a captivating journey in POWSELS AND THRUMS, tracing his life from a working-class childhood during World War II to the halls of Oxford University, back to the landscapes of Cheshire that fueled him.
Available tomorrow: https://bit.ly/4hHEX1M
November 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Rug of the Day
Seen at the car boot sale.

Solidly built Melas (W Anatolia) rug with silky highlights in the white petals of the flowers
November 3, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Reposted by Paul McGhee
Write something. Write it today. Write your heart out. Write something weird that only you would think of. Your enemies will not topple to your silence. Write your future and live it.
November 1, 2025 at 11:37 AM
That reminds me. Must buy black pudding for breakfast.
Goedemorgen, het is november! 🍂🍁
November 1, 2025 at 5:16 AM
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, and I'm fine, really. I just accidentally pressed my panic alarm and I don't need a carer.
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works and no worries if not.
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works and don't forget to like and subscribe.
October 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Heading into and out of our local M&S
October 30, 2025 at 7:02 AM