Monthly Archives: March 2025

Identifying elite US and UK universities (Rousse)

I told a gaggle of American students that everything that I had ever learnt about elite US universities came from watching films. They were impressed that this ‘strategy’ of mine was so successful. I then asked them if they could … Continue reading

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Gym attack (Rousse)

I wanted TPR to discuss plans for our round-the-world tour, but struggled to interest him in the conversation while he was at the gym. I sulkily followed him around the gym floor, making weak attempts at exercise. Meanwhile he put … Continue reading

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Sea shells, puppies, and religious services on Shetland (Rousse)

We caught the ‘ferry service’ to the remote island off the Shetland mainland. Open to the elements, the tiny wooden boat only carried around ten passengers. TPR rushed off to secure our accommodation once we reached the shore. Meanwhile I … Continue reading

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A garden corpse hunt (Rousse)

All that I wanted to do was to see if there was any frogspawn in our pond. It was raining a little, but that didn’t bother me. So when I stepped into the garden and saw the massive hole in … Continue reading

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Wee wedding (Rousse)

My mother brought shame on my entire family when she laughed so much at my sister-in-law’s wedding that she wet herself. I tried to make up for this by taking very seriously my role of chief bridesmaid, but failed. The … Continue reading

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Defining a youngster and bonus corvids (Belle)

The new ‘Age Classification System’ I was working on had hit a roadblock. Earlier in the process I had decided that 29-31 year olds should be designated as ‘Youngsters’ and this was causing inevitable problems for me as I tried … Continue reading

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Riding a water envelope is more fun than house clearing and lecturing (Rousse)

When we were recalled to my parents’ house to finish the clearing job, we admired the garden in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our progress was slow, especially because all the utilities had been disconnected. Even the simplest of tasks, such … Continue reading

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Meeting ‘famous’ people in Scotland (Belle)

I was beginning to think the marketing blurb for this Famous People of Scotland tour was slightly misleading. I was introduced to Sean Connery, who was a thirty-something wildlife welfare officer, and to our coach driver, whose name was Rabbie … Continue reading

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