You must have wondered, Dick, what physics, if any at all, these youngsters did when they disappeared from Drummond Street tea-breaks for periods of 30 months journeying to Antarctica?
As one of them, I can only speak for myself.

The first physics problem I remember tackling was that of establishing, despite any kinaesthetic evidence, that we were upsidedown when our ship had reached the Southern Ocean.
The Moon seemed reason enough. Its appearance was upsidedown compared with how it had been when we had left Britain.

I have mulled over this problem ever since and now know that the Moon’s inversion is not proof that the Earth is round.

Here is an essay on this subject that I had published in our journal 2 years ago:

The Earth is a balloon

Dick, I know you like adventure stories because I have seen you with an Alexander Kent book. Perhaps that is why you often had afternoon tea with Joe, Munro and the other Fids in Drummond Street, because there were often strange tales being told.
Here then is a tale of some adventures of an anorak physicist, with a sub-plot on an adventure with time. I hope you enjoy them.

Time trip

The sad tale of Booboo

Dick, this is a lovely idea of Winifred’s to collate greetings from friends in celebration of your 80th birthday. Sheila and I send our best wishes.
We hope that you have a very happy birthday and that you receive lots of reminiscences and bits of physics from friends to delight in.
Have a very happy birthday.
With best wishes,
Jim Jamieson