Author Archives: dgm

A week or so before Christmas I posted the following tweet: of me looking vaguely Dickensian. At the time it probably looked like a bit of festive fun – which it was. Recently they have restored the Victorian Fountains in … Continue reading →

Earlier today I posted the following tweet: in response to an article on Phys.org that suggested that goosefoot could form an important food source. Well, if you’ve had amaranth in an Indian meal, or eaten quinoa, you’ve eaten Chenopodium. Goosefoot … Continue reading →

Every year, I send out a Season’s Greetings tweet, usually enlivened by an amusing image I have shamelessly ripped off from somewhere. This year it came from some seventeenth century ballad sheet purely because the last two lines of the … Continue reading →

Well it was Christmas Day Chez Moncur. We had feasted, talked, skyped those we should skype, phoned others and by mid evening we were heading for that Christmas day slump provoked by a combination of turkey, ham, champagne and mince … Continue reading →

Earlier today, I tweeted a link to a New Scientist report that a monkey in a Minoan wall painting from Thera had been identified as possibly a Grey langur from the Indus valley, a couple of thousand kilometres from Thera … Continue reading →

Saturday night, and what to do? Well last night J and I went to a concert – the Lofty Viol of English early music in the old town hall, just 5 minutes walk from our house. And it was a … Continue reading →

A long time ago, I became fascinated with the story of Sighelm the ealdorman and whether he ever made it to India. This minor obsession broadened into a wider fascination with early travel and a possible pilgrim route via the … Continue reading →