Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm doing an ethnographic study,
that's why I'm talking to you.#AcademicValentines #phdchat

— Juliane (@juliane_thm) February 11, 2016

Roses are red [1]
Violets are blue [2]

[1] J Exp Bot (1993) 44, 1725-1734
[2] Phytochem Rev (2006) 5, 283-291#AcademicValentines

— Dr Paul Coxon (@paulcoxon) February 12, 2014

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I need a coauthor
Could it be you? #AcademicValentines

— Grouchy Grad (@GrouchyGrad) February 11, 2016

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Anthocyanins
Determine the hue#AcademicValentines #AcademicValentine pic.twitter.com/QG6UQWPPDi

— Sean Yap (@SGBeetlenut) February 11, 2016

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I have a comment
And a question too#AcademicValentines

— Doug Brown (@dhlbrown) February 11, 2016

I'm just a boy, in front of his journal editor, asking him/her to publish his article.  #AcademicValentines

— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) February 11, 2016

With regards to our interactions, I believe a meta-analysis of the discursive symbolism thus far would prove fruitful.  #AcademicValentines

— Patrick Gerard (@WritCom) February 11, 2016

#academicvalentines "Every breath you take, every grant application you make, I'll be reviewing you" - Anonymous Stalker Peer Reviewer

— Donna M. Alexander (@americasstudies) February 11, 2016

In our little garden

A stroll in the countryside

Sent from my iPhoneWith our bag packed with homemade scones, Gwen and I set off on a 4 mile wander from Thrupp through Hampton Poyle and Hampton Gay. Gwen was great, walking almost the whole way, and is now napping. We saw a deer up close and got to pat (or try to pat) horses and sheep as we wandered through the fields. She now loves stiles, just like her Nanma!

4 yr old party animal

Sent from my iPhoneGwen enjoyed the chaos of her 4th birthday party.

On the farm

We had a lovely trip to a local farm to jump on hay bales, cuddle lots of animals and feed them (and then eat lamb burgers because it is part of our tradition to see the lambs and then eat them). It was warm enough to lose the winter coats, and with only one week of term left and Adam & I over the flu it felt like a holiday.

The animals were very friendly. Buttercup the cow kept giving us kisses, including trying to give them on the cheek or resting her head on Adam's shoulder. Harris the goat knew handbags carry snacks and had his head in.

We even got to feed a goat a bottle!

It is still winter

This is my first winter without a trip to Africa or Australia in 4 years. It seems long. And cold. And dark. But we still manage to get to the park regularly.

Luckily I am back to a more manic travel schedule soon.

Adventure in the cold

A bitterly cold New Year's Eve adventure to the Rollright stones. Apparently we were lucky to see them all as on New Year's Day some of the stones go for a walk to have a drink! Gwen loved the tales of witches and kings.