Monthly Archives: October 2022

Rubies for Rousse

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Dreamaticus

My sister SEH blew into our flat like a hurricane, dumping her belongings in the study and demanding food. I noticed that she was wearing a lot of gold jewellery, including several ruby rings across both of her hands. Were … Continue reading →

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Retrieving lost PowerPoint presentation slides (Rousse)

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Before bedtime, I placed my laptop and USB stick on the window-sill of LA’s spare bedroom. The next day, all of us walked as a group to the bus stop en route to the campus of the University of Sheffield. … Continue reading →

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The surgeon comic (Rousse)

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Dreamaticus

SM nodded at the screen and – sure enough – the hilarious comic actor was him, albeit a younger and slightly fatter version. None of us knew that while he was building his career as a surgeon in the 1990s, … Continue reading →

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A mop and a scheming queen (Rousse)

Posted on October 29, 2022 by Dreamaticus

We made a purchase in the only shop in town that was open before 9:00am: a huge mop. Then we popped over to the Palace to gather around the whiteboard with the rest of the royal family and listen to … Continue reading →

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Events at Northwick Hall (Rousse)

Posted on October 27, 2022 by Dreamaticus

We employed a team of caretakers to look after Northwick Hall, our rather grand country ‘cottage’. These employees doubled up as duty managers on event nights. Amongst them was my old colleague ED and her husband M. While they did … Continue reading →

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A Mexican double life (Rousse)

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Dreamaticus

I spotted the black notebook lying in a side street of run-down terraced houses. Curious as to their contents, I picked it up from the gutter to take a look. There on the first page my childhood home address stood … Continue reading →

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A motorcycle tour of the Outer Hebrides (Rousse)

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Three of us squeezed onto the tiny motorbike to tour the Outer Hebrides. BC was our driver, TPR sat at the back, and I was squeezed between the two of them. BC had no experience of winding single track roads. … Continue reading →

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Unwelcome house-mates (Rousse)

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Entertaining L,T, P and S was much  more difficult now that we lived in shared accommodation with PhD students. I was hoping that I could shoo the others away the night that I was hosting our dinner party, but I … Continue reading →

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A cat and a cleaner (Rousse)

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Dreamaticus

My former neighbour JS cradled a beautiful tabby cat in her arms. It was a leaving present from her friends. The cat, however, was not the focus of our conversation. Rather, JS wanted to show her displeasure at my nephew … Continue reading →

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University selection criteria (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Dreamaticus

The prospective student from Stockton-on-Tees visited campus with his mother, grandmother, and aunts. He stated that he wanted to study Physics. Since we did not offer a degree in this subject, I started ‘selling’ Computing and Engineering, highlighting that two … Continue reading →

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