Author Archives: rpg

About rpg

Scientist, poet, gadfly

It Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)

Posted on 29 September 2026 by rpg

RAF Fairford has been in the news recently. I’m reminded of a personal anecdote involving RAF Fairford, and, seeing as I’ve just spent a couple of hours rebuilding an old website in order to find said story, I’m going to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in aviation, B-52, Don't try this at home, Geoff, Me, Nonsense, RAF Fairford, terrorism, trouble | Leave a comment

Blue Suede Shoes

Posted on 2 March 2026 by rpg

I’d washed the car for the occasion, but it rained again on Friday, liquefying the mud that had started to dry in the potholes, so that by the time I got to Lincoln I wondered why I’d bothered. The day … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in dad, personal | Comments Off on Blue Suede Shoes

Paranoid Android

Posted on 9 December 2025 by rpg

I hate AI (or to be exact, LLMs). There, I said it. In the day job, that’s not really something I’m allowed to say. It’s supposed to be making our tasks quicker (it doesn’t), and our deliverables more accurate (it … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Ethics, Ill-considered rants, LLM, Me, med comms, wibbling, work, Writing | Comments Off on Paranoid Android

A Long December

Posted on 5 January 2025 by rpg

Last winter seemed to go on for ages. At least, way back at the end of January I remember desperately longing for summer. And then I was made redundant, which hadn’t been on my bingo card for 2024. Some good … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Crowded House, Don't try this at home, employment, Happy New Year, Me, novel, rain | Comments Off on A Long December

Chemistry

Posted on 27 November 2024 by rpg

I got distracted from what I wanted to do by looking for some cufflinks I’ve lost. They’re lovely—in the shape of Spitfires, and a present from Jenny. And I got distracted from that task by discovering some old USB sticks … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in 15MinutePost, chemistry, cufflinks, Don't try this at home, eggnog, Nonsense, saltpetre, wibbling | Comments Off on Chemistry

It’s Only Natural

Posted on 20 October 2024 by rpg

My daughter got married a couple of weeks ago. Read that again. The Elder Pawn got married. It was one of those glorious days we often get at the end of September, with the sun low in the sky and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in 15MinutePost, Fun, kilts, Me, offspring, Pawns, swords, Wedding | Comments Off on It’s Only Natural

Reasons to be cheerful

Posted on 16 September 2024 by rpg

It’s one of those typical mid-September days with the sun shining and the temperature promising to push the low-20s by the afternoon. And I’ve got the day off. We seem to have had a whirlwind summer that was gone before … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in cardiology, careers, clients, hens, job, Me, Rhea | Comments Off on Reasons to be cheerful

This song has no title

Posted on 14 July 2024 by rpg

Jenny has mentioned the non-existent summer. It’s certainly been ‘variable’, with autumnal mornings and more than an inch of rain in 12 hours one day last week. I haven’t quite kept to my commitment to blog ‘about once a week … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in hens, Italy, Joshua, Me, offspring, weather, wibbling, wine | Comments Off on This song has no title

Sunny Afternoon

Posted on 25 June 2024 by rpg

What do you do with 6 lbs cherries? Actually, that’s quite an easy problem, compared with the years we’ve had nearly 30 lbs from the tree at the back of the garden. It’s an old tree, and I’ve put the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in cherries, Don't try this at home, jam, magirism, protein gels, War stories, wibbling | Comments Off on Sunny Afternoon

Our House

Posted on 17 June 2024 by rpg

It’s not just the wrens. This is Shorty. Shorty is a year-old robin, one of the expanding family that lives in the shaggy old laurel tree out the front, and together with his (or her—difficult to tell with robins) parents/sibs, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in bird, birds, Gardening, Me, robin, Shorty | Comments Off on Our House