Monthly Archives: August 2016

Never trust an ice-skater (Rousse)

All this time I had occupied the same office and never appreciated that at the far end there was a café, a cinema and an ice rink. Some of the ice-skaters looked a bit shifty. I would need to lock … Continue reading

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A storybook bedroom with spiral staircase (Rousse)

My husband and I snuggled down together in a bedroom that could have featured on the pages of a children’s storybook. The walls were papered with jolly seaside scenes, traditional toys were scattered on the floor, and ornamental mechanical soldiers, … Continue reading

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Naked housework, phone swapping, and Doctor Who accessories (Rousse)

Naked, I tidied up my London flat. I moved slices of white bread from the first floor sitting room windowsill to the kitchen where they belonged. When I returned downstairs a fat woman brandishing a gun confronted me in the … Continue reading

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Three services for late academic (Rousse)

My colleague BEX was dead. Instead of a single funeral, three services were due to take place in honour of his memory. One was in an Anglican church, another in a Catholic cathedral, and the third was the private family … Continue reading

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Return of the student bride (Rousse)

From a pretty ordinary hotel room TPR and I were upgraded to a massive suite. The room included a huge Georgian sideboard and a bed that was positioned in the open air on the balcony giving great views of the … Continue reading

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Rumours of garden corpse in case of missing wife (Rousse)

Each day I offered my new daughter a cup of tea the moment that she came home from school. Every time she ignored me. Similarly her father (my new husband) also wanted little to do with me. Could this be … Continue reading

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PhD write-up distractions: National Trust for Scotland properties (Rousse)

When I returned to work after my summer holiday I discovered that two of my PhD students had each become heavily involved in National Trust for Scotland properties, each of which was supposedly associated with their doctoral studies. How would … Continue reading

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Katie Price takes to the water prior to speaking engagement in Liverpool (Rousse)

Katie Price (aka Jordan) and I lapped the swimming pool together. I wondered whether (her) fake boobs behaved differently from the real thing (mine) when in water, but from my vantage point it was not possible to tell, and I … Continue reading

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Conference title fraud (Rousse)

BB and I caught the train along the coast past the new complex of artificial ski slopes. Once settled at the conference venue we listened to a Norwegian who offered to present in French or English. Meanwhile a former PhD … Continue reading

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Excess body hair and changes in the weather (Rousse)

The reunion brought together folk from my family (my sisters J and S), school (GB and JB now divorced, but at least willing to attend the same event even if they would not acknowledge one another), and university (JS with … Continue reading

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