Monthly Archives: August 2017

The wrath of Florence (Rousse)

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Dreamaticus

SS pulled me back. ‘Don’t venture down the executive corridor’ she cautioned, ‘Unless your are prepared to face the wrath of Florence’. This intrigued me – and I decided to risk it. I continued through the double doors and past … Continue reading →

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Spurned in Pitlochry (Rousse)

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Dreamaticus

SC and TM invited us to Pitlochry for a barbecue. There they announced that S was expecting a baby girl. Although not religious, I was sick with jealousy when they invited CT to be godmother. To be second choice was … Continue reading →

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A rescue from classroom chaos (Rousse)

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The classroom was in chaos. Bowls of soup dropped down from the ceiling. My ex-colleague KB had prepared far too much for a one-hour class, and I was unconvinced that colouring-in was an appropriate undergraduate activity. JM came to the … Continue reading →

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An unusual source of gift wrap (Rousse)

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I cycled the country lanes, picking up rolls of wrapping paper along the way.

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Bid to honour Hartburn home (Rousse)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Dreamaticus

There was a move to honour the White House (Hartburn, Stockton-on-Tees) as a national monument on account of the parties held there in the 1970s and 1980s. I doubted that it merited such attention: it was not as if my … Continue reading →

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Secrets of Sir Ian Brindley’s affair hidden in porridge (Rousse)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Dreamaticus

My cousin B finally revealed the solemn secret that she had been harbouring for years. During the war my grandfather had been in a relationship with Sir Ian Brindley. ‘There’s further information in there’, she said, pointing to the museum. … Continue reading →

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The value of writing concisely (Rousse)

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Dreamaticus

‘The greatest skill that we learnt as undergraduates’ announced JS to the audience seated before her on rows of hard wooden chairs ‘Is how to write concisely. I can turn one person’s long-winded paragraph into three neat sentences – as … Continue reading →

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Cocaine addiction and twins (Rousse)

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Dreamaticus

We helped out at a party in a top floor apartment hosted by two gay friends. Inevitably one of the young women became addicted to cocaine that very night. We drove home in TPR’s brand new black Golf GTi with … Continue reading →

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Greedy Labrador scoffs B&B guest’s burger and chips (Rousse)

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Dreamaticus

Mr and Mrs K ran a bed and breakfast in the Lake District. I visited with the intention of staying there to finish my first novel. I ordered burger and chips for my breakfast. The Ks’ yellow Labrador took a … Continue reading →

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A relation from Barnsley (Rousse)

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I recognised the man’s voice immediately, but what was my father doing at the conference? When he stood up I could tell that this wasn’t my father after all, but someone who sounded and looked like him. He was even … Continue reading →

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