Monthly Archives: January 2012

Dog and duck a worldwide hit (Belle)

My dog was an overnight YouTube sensation. It seemed the compilation of clips, documenting his friendship with a duckling, had really touched a nerve. In particular, the final scene, showing him riding around on the (now fully grown) duck’s back … Continue reading

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Bob Dylan’s secret muse (Rousse)

Bob Dylan paused mid-song, stepped to the edge of the stage, and glanced down at a girl in the audience about three rows back. It was rather like the scene in Dancing in the dark where Bruce Springsteen pulls an … Continue reading

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A stay at the budgie hospital hotel (Rousse)

How fortunate that AM and I were allocated to the same hotel bedroom. Without her tutoring, I would never have known that bedside light fittings also double up as iPhone chargers, nor would I have had access to the wide … Continue reading

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Ricki Lake, weight loss, and an over-zealous patrol man (Rousse)

Ricki Lake looked fabulous close-up. She wore a tight black pencil skirt, white blouse and pillar box red jacket over her neat little body. My only criticism was that she was too heavily made-up. On the other hand, this was … Continue reading

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Rousse is left holding the rag doll baby

The excitement invested in anticipating the trip to China and meeting SC, her husband and their children, was eclipsed by the nature of our one and only encounter. We sat in front seats of the Landrover, then they opened the … Continue reading

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Moomin office delight (Rousse)

All my colleagues on campus were dressed in matching black suits with peach cravats (or scarves for the ladies). Most were also carrying wands. I hung my head in shame. It was so long since I’d attended a graduation ceremony … Continue reading

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The super-speedy husband (Rousse)

While SM completed a half marathon in 1 hour, 30 minutes and 1 second, TPR ran the entire distance from Edinburgh to Newcastle along the A1 in just over three hours. By his calculations the distance was 30 miles. I … Continue reading

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Time-travelling Rousse misses several photo opportunities and breaks a promise

I was in desperate need of a decent picture for my photo journal. I simply couldn’t find anything nearby that was interesting enough to snap. Then I struck upon an idea. If I travelled back in time just a couple … Continue reading

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Miss Piggy’s magic stilletoes (Belle)

Miss Piggy’s sparkly shoes looked so small resting in the palm of my hand. Yet when I tried them on, they fitted me. Had my feet shrunk? Taking off the shoes, I could see my feet were still a size … Continue reading

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Shetland’s craziest coach driver (Rousse)

We had both settled into our seats on the train on the way to the airport when I asked TPR what he had done with the suitcase. Although we’d both remembered our rucksacks as hand luggage, he’d forgotten to pick … Continue reading

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