Monthly Archives: September 2013

Jane Garvey acrobat commentary, bad taste in clothes, and slum living (Rousse)

Even with Jane Garvey providing the commentary, the Chinese acrobatic performance was dull, dull, dull. Indeed, it was so tedious that I could feel myself drifting off to sleep in my seat. The looks that my neighbours cast my way … Continue reading

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Drunk Police fan and dead grandmother responsible for multiple car crashes (Rousse)

With my sister J at the wheel of the Fiat Panda, we turned off the main road and drove past a country pub packed with Eton schoolboys dressed in their school uniform. They couldn’t take their eyes off A, next … Continue reading

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Bedroom tuition (Rousse)

It was mildly embarrassing to wake up to find ES, DS and another industry guru seated at the end of my bed. On the other hand, I could do with their help in preparing class material for the coming term.

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Back to Birmingham for the finals (Rousse)

Why had I volunteered to resit the final exams of my undergraduate degree? There was no need for me to do this, and I didn’t stand a chance of passing. The only benefit of dragging myself back to Birmingham was … Continue reading

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Graffiti vandal cites Linnaeus’ Species Plantarum (1753) as defence (Rousse)

The back hallway looked so much smarter after TPR painted the walls pale green. A further improvement was the list of garden tasks that I wrote up in blue felt pen on a patch of wall to the right of … Continue reading

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Upstairs, Downstairs and Yorkshire pudding (Belle)

My role as ‘tweenie’ involved acting as a go-between for the ‘downstairs’ staff and our bosses.  I volunteered to take a message so the rest of the staff would not be forced to interrupt lunch. I ran outside and realised we … Continue reading

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Badger cull targets head north of the border to attack household pets (Rousse)

Something yellow and blue was peeping out of the undergrowth in our back garden. Was it a parrot? Yes, a parrot, in Edinburgh, at the tail end of summer! I ran to the kitchen to grab the camera only to … Continue reading

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Knowledge Management on ice (Rousse)

This term I was studying the Knowledge Management module rather than teaching it. The new tutor brought in a number of major changes. For example, most of the classes were taught outdoors in the melting snow, and the regulation module … Continue reading

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Russell Tovey and the two-timing time twizzler (Belle)

Although it looked like a simple cheese grater, I had in fact invented the ‘Time Twizzler’.  I wasn’t sure what it did, but I knew that my life would be tranformed.  Later – and much to my horror – I … Continue reading

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A hen party goes shopping (Rousse)

From the bus stop on York Place I travelled just two stops. Nearing my destination, the grumpy bus driver scraped the vehicle down an incredibly narrow street and pulled up next to the main of St James Centre. Here I … Continue reading

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