Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Noisy clothing (Rousse)

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Dreamaticus

There was such a loud rustle every time that I budged in my seat that the other cinema goers were leaning over to tell me to shush. I couldn’t understand why my jacket would make such a racket until someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged age, bath, building, chattering, cinema, clean, clothing, fabric, fleece, insect, jacket, lavatories, lavatory, machine, noise, noisy, old, purple, racket, ramshackle, room, screening, shush, tub, washing | Leave a comment

A narcoleptic puffin hunter (Rousse)

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I was a narcoleptic. In some circumstances my condition was barely noticeable. For example, whenever I was late joining SL for our 09:00am yoga session, she simply concluded that I had slept in. Otherwise it could be highly dangerous, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cliff, condition, danger, dangerous, Hunter, late, narcolepsy, narcoleptic, North Sea, pffin, sleep, Whitby, yoga | Leave a comment

Killer eggs of Hollywood (Belle)

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Dreamaticus

The TV was on in the bar but the sound was off. It was the perfect opportunity to show off my knowledge of mid-century historical dramas filmed in technicolour. I took full advantage. I explained that the gilded carriage was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bar, carriage, eggs, film, king, technicolour, television | Leave a comment

To Hexham for celebrities, and to Perth for the pantomime (Rousse)

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Dreamaticus

A crowd of posh pensioners carrying cameras obstructed my way as I attempted to drive my little buggy (illegally) along the pavement of Temperley Place, Hexham. They had their long lenses fixed on a doorway, in eager anticipation of snapping … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BCS, British Computer Society, buggy, camera, celebrities, celebrity, cinema, consort, couple, daylight, doorway, family, fan, Hexham, husband, job, lady, lens, pantomime, pavement, pensioner, Perth, posh, professional body, programmer, Queen, reception, risk, royal, snap, staff, Temperley Place, Thriller, trip, video | Leave a comment

Failing your finals (Rousse)

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Dreamaticus

Now that we were in the second term of the final year of our degrees it was high time that I started work on my dissertation. I caught Mrs S heading into the staff room and confessed to her that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accident, advice, blade, body, confess, deadline, degree, dissertation, fail, finals, ice-rink, Mummy, nose, problem, recover, research, skater, slice, staff room, submit, topic, worry, write | Leave a comment

Dr Who companion travels back in time in vain attempt to stop Brexit (Rousse)

Posted on March 21, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I travelled back in time, unseasonably dressed in furs, to a country fair on a warm summer’s day in 2010. I found the yellow and white striped stand at which I was to deliver my message. I leant over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 2010, 2016, 2018, Brexit, counter, country, Dr Who, failure, fair, fur, future, hardwood, iPhone, man, May, message, mission, mobile, official, referendum, remain, stand, stop, striped, summer, tardis, time, transport, travel, warm, white, woman, yellow | Leave a comment

A floppy disk photograph of Trump’s London parade (Rousse)

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Dreamaticus

President Donald Trump was in London to visit the Queen. I watched him parade up the Mall in a black armoured car, accompanied by mounted members of the Queen’s Guard. I was not there in person, but saw this all … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 3.5 inch, armour, black, box, car, copy, counter, disk, Donald, electrical, floppy, guard, London, mount, owner, parade, photograph, picture, post, president, Queen, shop, shot, television, Trump | Leave a comment

A messy office Christmas party followed by seaside coffee and cake in Aberdeen (Rousse)

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Dreamaticus

A mixture of colleagues from all stages of my career came to the staff Christmas party. These included: my old boss JH; the wife and eldest daughter of my old office-mate SM; current colleagues DB and LD; a tall, skinny, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aberdeen, boss, cafe, cake, Christmas, cleaner, coffee, colleague, daughter, fancy, floor, mess, messy, morning, moustache, note, office-mate, party, seaside, sleep, tidy, university, wife | Leave a comment

Spotted on campus (Rousse)

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Dreamaticus

My return to campus was very confusing. I couldn’t even locate my office. In the end I gave up and met the PhD students in the photocopier room instead. Then I ran into EH. She was curious about my scars … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blister, body, campus, colonise, gel, office, pea, PhD, photocopier, room, scar, spot, student, top, torso | Leave a comment

PhD in Middle Eastern history: the mock viva experience (Rousse)

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I was completely unqualified to serve as an examiner at this mock PhD viva. What on earth did I know about Middle Eastern history? I had been persuaded to participate on the grounds that I could ask all the standard … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aim, answer, candidate, contribution, debate, Director of Studies, exam, examination, examiner, Middle East, mock, PhD, question, student, supervisor, topic, viva | Leave a comment