John and the Gay Car

Our friend (and my former research colleague) John, who runs a large Earth Observation Satellite programme from Bremen, was visiting us this weekend. He was en route to several meetings in the UK. One of the rooms in our home has been designated as "John's Room". Although it's a joke, we are happy that John is able to make use of it quite frequently, as he goes about his distinguished business. I might add that my own collaborations with John have been successful and productive. John and I were joint recipients of the Haagen-Smit prize for 2012, along with other members of a team I led, and I believe that this honour was in no small part a result of having John on the project.

This little FIAT had been booked by John's secretary to pick up at Heathrow. John was shocked at first by its appearance and size, and because of its colour, declared that it was "a gay car". That was not intended as a prejudiced comment, but rather reflects the meaning of "gay" in former times.

In fact, it was a rather good little car. John kindly invited us to lunch, and we went to The Fishes in Hinksey in it. This is a good watering hole that has figured previously in these pages, and my wife and I celebrated our fiftieth Wedding Anniversary there.

Here is a fishy starter to Sunday lunch (a fishboard platter), with its own mini-loaf of bread, while here you should find what I regard as a nice photograph of John in characteristic good mood.