Made it out onto the moors to talk to sheep for the first time in 3 months.

After years of receiving emails intended for (Australian astronomer) Anne J. Green, today I got one which was meant for Anthony M. Green (a retired British particle theorist who used to work in Helsinki).

Nigel the knee was up to some alpaca feeding:

Very strange to be back in the office (after 'running the gauntlet' of the motorway) for the first time in 10 weeks. [I've very much been working for most of that time, including a School Research Strategy meeting with Faculty while propped up on piles of cushions in bed...]

The women's TDF was more exciting than the men's (in terms of the overall winner at least). And next year it's coming to the UK, including the Peak District.

My first solo trip out in 2 months: a gong bath at a sunflower field.

Freedom! I’m cleared to wean myself off the crutches, and drive. Not wearing the most stylish or flattering t-shirt. But was seeing a different physio than usual and wanted to demonstrate that I’m (in the words of another physio) ‘not an average 50-something woman’.

The 'education gap' being a known thing in much of rural or semi-rural Britain, of course. True in Somerset, Dorset, Norfolk, Suffolk (hence UEA exisiting), mid-Wales (Aberystwyth), east Kent (hence University of Kent, CCCU), Cumbria/NW north of Manchester...

Glen O'Hara@gsoh31.bsky.social · 4w ago

Yeah well, maybe you shouldn't take an axe to its biggest university then, you stupid idiots. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"Turns out that the people who design and run assessments are quite good at their jobs and also care deeply about not disadvantaging candidates" makes for a very boring story compared with "TEENS IN TEARS", but it has the merit of being true.

'There has been a 12 percentage point leap in the number of UK universities reporting cutbacks to research, according to a survey carried out this year by Universities UK.' Being a global research power when you're reducing research by 12% in a year may prove a wee bit of a challenge.

Proportion of universities cutting research increases - Research Professional News

Universities UK survey shows worsening picture but more optimism about future backing for research

researchprofessionalnews.com

This (and many of the other posts on this substack) has me nodding my head vigorously:

OH (on learning how much artisan gongs cost): would gong making be a viable long term side hustle? Me: you're suggesting a theoretical physicist does something involving hot metal...

So it's farewell to the History subject area at the University of Hertfordshire, not the first nor the last to go. One of the best departments in the country, just extinguished like a snap of the fingers. Think of the waste. (1/2)

Enjoying an interesting book (‘Inside the box’ by David Epstein) while enjoying the Sun. But it’s amazing how much the garden has returned to the wild in the last 2 months (and it’s taking a lot of self restraint not to try and sort it out).

Me (while watching Commonwealth games track cycling on the TV): “we should try tandem track cycling”. OH (who hasn’t ridden a bike since childhood): raises both eyebrows. Me: “asking that during a slow-mo replay of a crash was bad timing.”

This week has been a Week. And unfortunately I disposed of my unused morphine (joke), so instead I’m eating a very sickly dessert.

arXiv has spun out as an independent non-profit like openRxiv. Today they announce their new CEO and founding Board blog.arxiv.org/2026/07/30/a...

arXiv welcomes inaugural CEO and founding Board of Directors

arXiv welcomes inaugural CEO and founding Board of Directors

blog.arxiv.org

Walking again! (Albeit very slowly and carefully.)

Happy to finally get my birthday present (a Grotta Sonora sound plate) set up so I can sort of play it (sat on the floor with my right leg locked flat and straight in front of me).

There was a line in UKRI's strategy on Monday that was easily missed, and sounds somewhat innocuous, but I think signals quite a shift for UK research funding By 2030, the funder expects to have completed reform of Research England's quality-related research funding formula 🧵

Pursuing a side interest while working on my tan lines:

From @martinmbauer on X, UKRI and STFC have published the outcome of the STFC prioritisation process: www.ukri.org/publications...

Explainer: STFC prioritisation outcomes 2026 to 2030

ukri.org

I’m partly back to work (emails and meetings at least) at home, but struggling with being stuck on the sofa. So very happy to have bum-shuffled and pistol-squatted my way out to the garden today, and also upstairs for some one-legged gong and singing bowl playing.

We’ve joined the Science Council and other member bodies to issue a joint statement expressing our concerns about the government and UKRI’s recent changes to research and development funding. 🔗 Read the full joint statement on the Science Council website: sciencecouncil.org/science-coun...

Science Council and its members, representing thousands of scientists, alarmed at funding changes

The Science Council and its member bodies, which collectively bring together and support more than 330,000 scientists across the UK, are concerned by the Government and UKRI changes to funding for ele...

sciencecouncil.org

Passing time by watching the Western States livestream while sewing. (The OH is letting me hog the TV and watch all sorts of sports, but inflicting a 100 mile trail race on him felt a bit much).

The OH has had to take over laundry duties, and is being overly efficient:

2 weeks post op: Good news: knee mobility is 4 weeks ahead of schedule (the surgeon should probably get most of the credit for this). Bad news: I’ve already lost a lot of muscle. Just as I thought I’d got to grips with sleeping on my back in the brace, the heatwave has upped the difficulty level.

The OH has bought me a life-sized* cardboard cutout of Midorifuji (one of my favourite sumo wrestlers). * in reality he’s 10cm taller than me (which is very short for a rikishi).

Toaster moved to the kitchen table so I can make breakfast and lunch for myself.

Rikishi in Paris highlights: Yokozunas Hoshoryu and Onosato having fun with baguettes @sumokyokai, Takanosho enjoying a croissant @sumokyokai, Mitakeumi is less impressed with French food @mitakeumi_kouenkai_official IG, Kirishima & Koseiryu went on a side quest to Chamonix @kirishima_f.a IG