A balanced diet . . .

A potpourri of experiences, reminiscences, and anything that takes my fancy

Humour

  • Cricket – ‘The bowler is Holding, the batsman’s Willey’
  • Classic radio – “I’m all for censorship. If ever I see a double entendre, I whip it out.” Kenneth Horne
  • Gerard Hoffnung – It’s all in the timing . . .
  • Tim Vine – Joke of the year

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  • Welcome . . .
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      • In my own words . . .
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Recent posts

  • Four decades of writing about plant genetic resources . . .
  • I broke the habit of a lifetime . . .
  • That was the year that was . . . month by month
  • Have PhD, will travel . . . for half a century
  • Studying at Southampton, 1967-1970 (updated 20 October 2025)
  • A brief trip to Scotland
  • Dance as if no one is watching . . . (updated 17 October 2025)
  • From Wylam, Northumberland . . . to the world
  • Exploring more than 1000 years of history and heritage in Somerset and west Wiltshire
  • It ended 160 years ago . . .

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Top Posts

  • 'Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.'
  • Who is Jacob Collier?
  • The Commonwealth Potato Collection - it really is a treasure trove (revised and updated)*
  • How we speak . . .
  • Norman Borlaug – tireless advocate of research for development
  • Beach-combing along the Durham coast
  • Almost 500 years and 21 monarchs later . . .
  • Celebrating the humble spud . . .
  • Little Moreton Hall - an iconic Tudor manor house
  • Potatoes - the real treasure of the Incas . . .

Comments

  • Richard Lancett on Peeling away the veneers of history
  • Mike Jackson on Potatoes – the real treasure of the Incas . . .
  • somebody on Potatoes – the real treasure of the Incas . . .
  • The Mindful Migraine Blog on That was the year that was . . . month by month
  • Christopher Wise on Studying at Southampton, 1967-1970 (updated 20 October 2025)

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