Monthly Archives: July 2024

(More) conference confusion (Rousse)

My sister S drove the rickety old grey Land Rover. Her passengers were my other sister, her husband, their daughter, and their daughter’s partner. They carried hardly any luggage having ‘gone minimal’ after their recent house clearance experiences. This meant … Continue reading

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A burglar’s furniture fetish (Rousse)

Every time that I walked into the sitting room, the two sofas were arranged in a different way from before: both pushed against the window; one upside down, one upright; one next to the radiator the right way up, the … Continue reading

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Northumbrian holiday secrets of ABBA (Rousse)

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson bounded down the narrow staircase. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad followed more quietly behind them. Nobody had ever spotted the four members of ABBA on their regular visits to Northumberland. It was our family secret … Continue reading

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A lecture, a disco, and a swim (Rousse)

I lost my place in my notes, then found it again but couldn’t make sense of them. Added to my woes, the few students who had bothered to turn up to my last ever lecture clearly did not appreciate my … Continue reading

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Fish hypnotism (Belle)

As I was being introduced to a stranger, my friend stage-whispered: “She participated in the International Catfish Hypnotism Championships last week”.

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Redesigning tulips (Belle)

It had been my lifelong ambition to improve tulips. I had always felt that they could ‘do better’. After many years, I demonstrated my invention – a velcro-fastened sheath that slipped over the flower and looked just like a tulip. … Continue reading

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A basement theatre and mini garaging (Rousse)

When our neighbours invited us to a performance in their basement theatre, it struck me that we could hire the three rooms at Christmas as an amazing venue for our annual party. I also wondered what use we could make … Continue reading

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