Hi everyone, back in August and September last year I shared a little bit about my experiences of exploring nature and photographing butterflies and birds in My Big Brum BioBlitz  and My Big Brum BioBlitz Take Two  blog posts.

I was so very excited to return to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) as a visitor when it reopened in October for a month, the visit confirmed for me that my favourite space is most definitely still the 17th Art Gallery.

For many of us, lockdown has been a time of digital discovery, and volunteers on the Artist Research Team have been online too investigating the personalities behind works in Birmingham’s collection.

As you will have seen in our previous blog post we have been on a journey to visiting different Commonwealth War Graves sites around Lichfield which has led us to wonder what stories these stones could tell.

One solitary gravestone, in a quiet churchyard, was to mark the beginning of a lockdown journey of discovery.

One of the stars of the Industrial Gallery and especially popular with Pre-Raphaelite fans visiting Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, is the trio of Dante and Beatrice stained-glass windows by Florence Camm (1911), this exemplar of her beautifully detailed figure painting received international recognition.

One of my favourite objects in the Birmingham collection is the Sidereal Clock (sometimes called astronomical clock) by Matthew Boulton and John Fothergill.

There is no denying that these are uncertain times we are living in.

Each year at Birmingham Museums Trust we are supported by an amazing team of volunteers.

Having volunteered with the Learning Team since January last year, I have come to know Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery very well.