Skip religion and get some honey

Yesterday was season's first Fellow's dinner at Homerton College where also new Fellows were sworn in. When I was sworn in exactly a year ago, there was a little card from which I had to read my oath. It was concluded by "...a place of knowledge, learning and research". It turned out some months later that this card was irretrievably lost, and for subsequent swearing in, a new card was produced, with a text from Statutes, with the concluding formula read as "knowledge, learning, religion and research". I remember saying to someone by my side that I was glad religion wasn't mentioned when I was sworn in. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to react. At yesterday's ceremony, the Principal said to the new Fellows: "The oath mentions religion - if you are uncofmortable with it, skip it".

On the table, alongside glasses of champagne there were jars of honey produced on the premises by our fantastic biology Fellow, for sale at a reasonable price.