Monthly Archives: January 2012

A grandmother, assorted colleagues, South American doctoral studies, and an ex-boyfriend (Rousse)

The venue for KB’s last meeting before she finally retired was the sitting room of my grandmother’s house in Hexham. My last visit to the house was in 1992, but little had changed in 20 years. I tested the comfort … Continue reading

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

More basking sharks (Rousse)

The basking sharks were so close to the shore that I could stroke them. How amazing!

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

Toothbrushes and telephone tutorials (Rousse)

KA won the argument and she, SM and the children would stay the night in Edinburgh rather than face the long drive back to Hexham. As KA got E and R ready for bed, I rummaged around in the green … Continue reading

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

Bose headphones rescued in Montreal (Rousse)

All eyes turned on me as I followed my Canadian cousin TT up to the back of the lecture hall. They must have all been wondering what he was doing in class with an old fogey like me. He was, … Continue reading

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

An alternative use for Stilton cheese (Rousse)

Obedient as ever, I packed some blue-veined cheese to take on holiday. This was at the request of the young hotel proprietor. I assumed that local supplies of Stilton had run out and that my purchase would revive the cheeseboard … Continue reading

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

An intruder, a storm, and the terrible after-effects of tree resin rain (Rousse)

There’d been a number of break-ins at our flat over recent weeks, none of which had triggered our burglar alarm. We were sure, however, that it was just matter of time before we would walk in on the culprit(s). When … Continue reading

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

Rousse’s accidental art and antiquarian book investments

Now that we’d had the charcoal drawing framed it was time to get it valued. We also wondered if the two shabby books that the artist had given us were worth anything. While we waited our turn to be served … Continue reading

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

Deadly and expensive, but ever so cool: Rousse debates smoking with an addict

I didn’t believe JG when he said that he would give up smoking for our Caribbean holiday. A victim of peer pressure in Strasbourg (so it appeared to me, at least), he’d been addicted to the deadly habit since 1984. … Continue reading

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

Ambridge sensation: Pat Archer is “happy” (Rousse)

The months of misery were over and my friend Pat Archer was finally smiling again. “It’s only been on the market for a week, and with the Christmas holiday coming up I knew it wouldn’t sell straightaway, but I’m optimistic … Continue reading

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

Rousse bakes mini lemon meringue pies while her husband holds court in the bath

My first problem was that I had to choose between three competing commitments all taking place on the same night. My second was that I had promised my boss that I would attend one of them. However, I now had … Continue reading

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