Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Dreadful driving with the Bay City Rollers in Birmingham (Rousse)

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was a terrible driver anyway, but when the accelerator of the huge Ford Granada got stuck to the floor as I drove through Birmingham, I was in big trouble. I had no option but to steer the car wherever … Continue reading →

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A home in the Pentland Hills and a bad tempered husband (Rousse)

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Dreamaticus

High in the Pentland Hills, we moved to a lovely large bungalow with beautiful views of the city of Edinburgh in the distance. The one drawback was that our new house was underneath a pylon and several criss-crossing electricity cables. … Continue reading →

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A helicopter ride and Prince William’s patchwork Harris Tweed flat cap (Rousse)

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The big treat at BR’s decade-late retirement party was a helicopter ride for his closest colleagues. Since I’d worked with him for a decade and a half from the late 1990s until mid twenty-teens, I was welcomed aboard as one … Continue reading →

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The fate of Hostage John (Rousse)

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Dreamaticus

JG and I relived our student days of 1982 with a trip from Paris to the Middle East. TPR joined us to help find the old lecture theatre that used to double up as a party venue. It seemed to … Continue reading →

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A lost white Volvo, a 10K race, and a needy husband (Rousse)

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Dreamaticus

My sisters argued that my mother’s white Volvo would look good in her care home car park. I refused to move it there. In any case, I had no idea where it was. I also had other things on my … Continue reading →

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Two double beds, four American exchange students, and an older woman (Rousse)

Posted on May 10, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I soon guessed WB’s plan when she invited me to spend the day with her at her ex-husband AB’s house in the country: matchmaking. I willingly made the visit with her, but also insisted afterwards that the pair of us … Continue reading →

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The first cuckoo of Spring (Belle)

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Dreamaticus

My tiny home was being ‘cuckooed’ – every day more people that I didn’t know were moving in and it seemed my ex boyfriend was the instigator. I eventually snapped when I realised that someone had secretly replaced my step … Continue reading →

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Racing across the world exposes dirty linen (Belle)

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Apparently I was “the worst-prepared contestant” the programme makers of Race Across the World had ever seen. When I arrived at the starting point I didn’t even have a rucksack. The BBC production team forced me to fashion one out … Continue reading →

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The Le Creuset criminal (Rousse)

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Not only did the new Le Creuset salesman switch my perfect frying pan for a dud, he also stole my idea of collecting pots, pans, and other kitchenware to create a Le Creuset rainbow.

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Looking for loos along the LNER East Coast route (Rousse)

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

All the toilets at York railway station were out of order – and I was desperate to go to the loo. The only option was to catch the next train south, travel 125 miles to Peterborough, and use the facilities … Continue reading →

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