Monthly Archives: October 2011

A doomed flight from Japan (Rousse)

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Dreamaticus

This was my second trip to the far east in a fortnight and, once again, I was astonished at the rudeness of the local population. I’d barely arrived in Japan and already airport staff had launched an enquiry into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Snow, socks and sex (Rousse)

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I rang the editor of Library and Information Science Research from a lone bus shelter on a snowy football pitch in the middle of winter as the sun set. Two strangers listened in. Then I joined in a themed event … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alan Garner time travels (Belle)

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Alan Garner came to visit me in my childhood. We sat in a Morris Minor on a hot, hot day. My legs stuck to the car seat.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Traffic terror on the A1 and a reunion with the Spice Girls (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The traffic on the A1 north of Newcastle was blocked solid. The only way you could now join the carriageway was to first reverse up the ramp, then continue along the hard shoulder backwards until you found a suitable spot … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rousse offers advice on Gaelic, Java and T shirt printing

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Everyone was seeking my advice on their artistic endeavours. First my boss asked my opinion of her latest magazine column. I had absolutely nothing to say about the content. It was composed in Gaelic and I couldn’t understand a word … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Illegal clown disrupts travel plans (Rousse)

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Dreamaticus

We’d waited two hours at Digbeth coach station in Birmingham and still the 22:00 service to Edinburgh was not ready to depart. The tannoy announced that it would now leave at 02:00. This was far too late for us, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rousse messes up version control

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Dreamaticus

As I settled into my seat to listen to the first speaker I caught a glimpse of the conference programme. It looked so much more colourful and detailed than the version that Belle and I had sent to the print … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lamb stew, jelly sweets and a yellow makeover (Belle)

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Although about to fly out to Missouri to give a lecture, I was hopelessly underprepared. I was trying to pack, even as Dame Maggie Smith had the hotel staff move all my possessions to the room next to her. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russell Brand? No, Russell Grant (Belle)

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Russell Grant’s costume was one of the most daring ever seen on Strictly Come Dancing. His underpants had been embroidered in sparkling lurex columns ‘Vote Russell’. While the crowd applauded I called out to someone in the kitchen. “Come and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rousse escapes the timetable but gets trapped by her past

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

A timetabling mix-up meant that it was now up to me to entertain the final year students for two hours. I rummaged in the box of handouts that I had taken to the last class in the desperate hope that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment