Monthly Archives: February 2011

Hunting for a hostel and a night of peace by the river (Rousse)

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I was so sorry, but I had predicted this: two of my friends ended their marriage because they no longer spent enough time together. The husband kept the house, so I offered to help the wife find temporary accommodation. I … Continue reading →

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Belle is disturbed by the mini-Salvation Army

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Tired and hungover, my attempts to sleep in were thwarted by the children playing in the carport under my bedroom window. I begged them to be quieter but it is difficult to muffle Salvation Army musical instruments, junior size or … Continue reading →

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A suitor, a mugger and a midget (Rousse)

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Dreamaticus

A chatty hippy woman accompanied me up the hill to the Business School building. The golden lozenges that hung from her coat like medals distracted me so much that I didn’t hear a word that she said. As soon as … Continue reading →

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Rousse tickles an elephant, misses her sunglasses, and hangs on to her suitcase

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Just how dangerous are 10-foot tall herbivores? This elephant seemed pretty tame. He almost chuckled as I tickled his tummy, and definitely purred while I massaged his feet. Then suddenly his mood changed. He roared hungrily, baring his teeth with … Continue reading →

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Dissertation deadline dilly dally (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Romana left my office carrying three enormous sheets of flipchart paper covered in red writing. My message “Your dissertation won’t write itself” buzzed through her brain. Earlier in the day she had arrived with a stack of empirical data, an … Continue reading →

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A crummy cooker and a corrupt castle (Belle)

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I had invited a family to Sunday lunch and was getting stressed over the cooking. What complicated matters was that we were sailing the high seas on a boat with a primitive cooking range. The beef was in the oven … Continue reading →

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Royal Botanic bathing (Rousse)

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I took to spending my Sunday mornings at the Royal Botanics Gardens, Edinburgh. This was not because I was particularly fond of the plants. In fact, the gardens themselves were a bit of a mess. I noticed that some people … Continue reading →

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Car chaos in central Edinburgh, and mixed Morgans (Rousse)

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I handled the mark 2 silver Ford Granada like a tank, and with complete disregard for the other vehicles parked on Edinburgh’s Cockburn Street. When it came to reversing into a space I was so lazy that I didn’t even … Continue reading →

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Nigella Lawson versus Gordon Ramsey, and information retrieval with Winnie the Pooh (Rousse)

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The terms “August” and “camping” go well together. However, when the word “Scotland” is thrown into the same sentence, a small alarm bell should sound in your brain. Unfortunately TPR and I were so delighted when my sister J and … Continue reading →

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The “dead” return to life at the British Library, and deer management concerns (Rousse)

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I walked into the foyer of the British Library and identified the conference registration desk. Beside it some delegates were crowded around an electronic display board on the wall. Some others were fighting over a grubby postcard at a table … Continue reading →

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