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Like many blokes I have a hobby. I collect British Victorian stamps, mostly the line engraved ones. And even more mostly, the crinkly ones with perforations. Unlike model railways or rebuilding old motorbikes I don't need a shed, I just need a desk. My desk is a mess. With this in mind, I thought “stick it all online”. That will allow me to chuck out the bits of paper and so clean up my desk. Of course that does not mean that the web site will be neat and tidy by any stretch of the imagination.

I have had an article published, and to be honest, I did not enjoy the process. This may have something to do with the fact that I picked a really contentious one to start with. Perhaps I should have started with something like “I have found this interesting constant variety on...”. Having my notes online does have quite a few advantages, not the least being that I own the site. That means I can write whatever I want, when I want on whatever subjects that catch my imagination. I can do half an article and happily leave it hanging for three years before finishing it, rather like a steam engine kit. Unlike writing a book or an article, I can change the thing as as and when I want. I can ignore conventional wisdom and go my own way. In fact I am making a lot of it up as I go along. If all this does not ring alarm bells in your head, it should. Nothing here has been peer read, nor even proof red.

I was lucky enough to hear David Beech deliver a talk on research. He very sensibly stated that research needs to take as long as it takes before publication, which flies in the face of the preceding paragraph. He also stated that research, when finished, should be published. I have come across several instances where manuscripts remained unpublished, the author pushing up the daisies before the book made the light of day. There has been a lot of wasted research and I am well aware that I will not be the first to travel down some paths. On balance, I feel happier to put it out there as it is whether it is right or wrong. The other side of the coin - I am not deaf. If you disagree with something let me know at andrew.patmore@yahoo.co.uk

Consider yourself warned.

"Old No. 1"

AP

March 2014

NOTICE! This website has been recently updated to a new improved recipe as supplied by Google. Therefore there are going to be bits that have fallen off the cart and will need fixing. Some of the 'Plates' areas are broken as are some parts that had spreadsheets with imbedded links - though curiously not all. It will take some time for me to work through. Nov 2020.