ABSTRACT
NEWCASTLE ON ONE POUND A DAY My return to the fold gave an impression of deja vu. This time Dr David Collinson met me at the airport.
"How nice to have you back", said Collinson. "How was Paris?" "Horrible", I said, "It's only now regaining some normality: just lots
of riots and tear gas. Glad to be back in England." "Welcome!" I was taken to the same beautiful penthouse, designed by Sir Basil
Spence, with panoramic views over the university and the civic centre. This prestigious abode was intended for important visiting academics, rather than research students such as myself. However, Keith Runcorn, head of the School, was a practical man: he realized that it was infinitely cheaper for the School to put the odd visiting Professor in a hotel in town and keep this Romanian in the Penthouse for the whole summer, rather than the other way round. This view, as I was soon to discover, was not very popular amongst the School's academic staff.
