Author Archives: dickwife

I came across this just a few days ago. I was checking for (any) precedent for an expression I learnt at school (as you will see at the end of this blog). “The Wheels Come Off” means “things go disastrously … Continue reading →

This last week I have removed (deleted) more than 5,000 Emails dating back to 2011. At last I found the courage to clean-up my mailbox and hopefully keep it that way. No longer can I, nor want to, dwell on … Continue reading →

Well, Yes, You Know…Umm…Err… And it is getting worse! The radio/TV interview where the microphone is dominated by someone who, at the time, has no idea what to say. Not so long back, there was a slight pause (maybe one … Continue reading →

Under the stairs in the school house at Shelsley was a large cupboard full of interesting memorabilia, notably what my dad had from his army years. At the end of WW II he had become a major and soon I … Continue reading →

A couple of times I have mentioned the psychologist who uttered those immortal words “have the courage to be incomplete”. Now take a look at me aged around five trying to please everyone, as I always did for all those … Continue reading →

No, I have never milked a cow. But read on… A quick check in Wikipedia taught me the basics about milking cows: To maintain lactation, a dairy cow must be bred and produce calves. Depending on market conditions, the cow … Continue reading →

My Dad’s name was Archibald Ronald and his Dad (my grandfather) was Archibald Jeremiah. My good fortune was not also be called Archie. Somewhere in my cellar there is a box of old photographs and one day I will have … Continue reading →

Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister on 4 May 1979, the day I left the UK to start my new job at Shell Research in Amsterdam. I had packed what I needed for a month into my car and took the … Continue reading →

If you go back to my blog of 4 August 2013, I wrote about how medicinal scientists are chasing natural molecules in the oddest of places. The need to find new and effective antibiotics is urgent and good old-fashioned synthetic … Continue reading →

Last week Guus received his Masters diploma (here it is called a “bul”) at a short ceremony which left (for us all) a lasting memory. The young man I wrote about a few blogs ago now starts a new life … Continue reading →