Monthly Archives: August 2018

Living with art and a skull (Belle)

The move to my new suite at the National Gallery was delayed by the disappointing performance of the decorators. Their slow work had been further delayed by the discovery of a skull in the skirting board. Now, however it was … Continue reading

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How the other half (barely) lives (Rousse)

When I was supposed to be at work I poked around my sister J’s vastly extended house in West Sussex. On the ground floor there was a luxurious self-contained holiday cottage that looked out onto a large rectangular pond destined … Continue reading

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Wine Haiku performance at the National Library of Scotland (Rousse)

I visited TPR in his shared student accommodation. The flat was still a dump, but at least the landlord had at last started to replace the rotting flooring. In the tiny bedroom I worked on my French homework: writing an … Continue reading

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Christmas and Lindtt chocolates in Nottingham (Rousse)

In Nottingham AN interrupted the overweight yellow Harris Tweed clad waitresses as they gossiped about their boss’ complicated love life. “Do you serve lunch on Christmas Day?’ she asked. I was aghast that the idea of not preparing the festive … Continue reading

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Pea soup in confined space (Rousse)

In B & E’s tiny galley kitchen I cooked pea soup on a temperamental electric hob. B was so keen to try the green boiling concoction that he drank some straight from the pan. It was a miracle that he … Continue reading

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Flo-Jo and the mermaid marathon (Rousse)

The streets of Toronto were lined with spectators for the first ever mermaid marathon. There was just one competitor: a green-tailed lady in a raspberry tutu. To add glamour to the event, Flo-Jo had volunteered as the mermaid’s pace-maker. Unfortunately … Continue reading

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Canal dipping off the cycle path (Rousse)

TPR and I were enjoying ourselves on the cycle path when my little sister interrupted our fun – again. She did not understand that her behaviour was inappropriate. TPR suggested that I should make it clear to her that I … Continue reading

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The lost and a linguist in Toronto (Rousse)

TPR and my cousin N both left the shopping mall before I had a chance to put my change into my purse and gather my bags. When I eventually followed them out into the Toronto streets I could no longer … Continue reading

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A PhD plagiarist (Rousse)

My suspicions were raised when I spotted the phrase ‘this doctoral study’ in LC’s honours project submission. It did not take long to confirm that ‘her’ dissertation was, in fact, a patchwork of text stitched together from sections of an … Continue reading

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Red hat disease rife at academic conference (Rousse)

Over the course of the three-day conference I had been allocated three different bedrooms. This was so confusing that I couldn’t remember where I had left my yellow cycling helmet. The situation was more complex now that graduate SG dropped … Continue reading

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