A stalk of freshly picked rhubarb, dipped in a small, designated bowl of white sugar for each bite, is my childhood memory of summer days spent at my granny’s allotment. Further down memory lane, a slice of bread dampened with water and sprinkled with white sugar was a toddler’s snack; in its fancier version, it was a slice of bread…

Let’s get political for the first time in my career! You might have heard that we have a new Prime Minister, appointed only last Monday. Political commentators and journalists had a great time in the run-up, analysing the man in question, speculating about his future agenda, and predicting who would form his government. One aspect of those ponderings that caught…

Coined about sixty-five years ago by American economist Thomas Schelling, the phrase “collateral damage” entered the US military’s official language during the Vietnam War to concisely describe any incidental and undesired death, injury or other damage inflicted, especially on civilians, as a result of military activity. Critics of the phrase claim it is a euphemism that dehumanises non-combatants killed or…

I used to walk frequently in the Braes of Glenlivet, a valley at the foot of the Cairngorms, enclosed by the Ladder Hills, less than an hour’s drive from Elgin. I loved its sense of remoteness and wilderness, with its green floor and heather-covered high slopes, populated only by cattle, sheep and wildlife. However, quite surprisingly, there were two rather…

“I love you!” You hear these words, and you instinctively know what they mean. The specifics depend on the context: who’s said them and in what circumstances. You may consider why it was said and what motivated the use of the phrase, but what you certainly wouldn’t ponder is your body’s internal physiological and biological reactions: which hormones have been…