Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Violence on the buses (Rousse)

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Dreamaticus

ECM and I were travelling south along the east coast train line. I was heading to a conference in Kent, and she was accompanying me part of the way. It was only when ECM left the train that I realised … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bank, beating, bus, cancel, card, cell, clone, clothes, conference, criminal, forget, gang, help, iPhone, journey, Kent, kidnap, kindness, London, overnight, parents, passenger, phone, pickpocket, prison, purse, regret, soap bag, suitcase, thief, train, violence | Leave a comment

Fracas at conference dinner (Rousse)

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Dreamaticus

As I eavesdropped on the conference conversation at the top table I could sense PB’s increasing frustration at the ignorant pronouncements of the American. ‘What’s the main message of your keynote anyway?’ the American drawled. ‘There’s little point in trying … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged American, assault, comfort, conference, conversation, dinner, eavesdrop, fracas, frustration, head, ignorant, keynote, police, pronouncement, report, speech, strike, table, top table | Leave a comment

Sharing a cabin with Dermot Murnaghan (Rousse)

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I sat next to television news presenter Dermot Murnaghan in the passenger cabin of the tiny plane. Keen not to embarrass him by making it obvious that I recognised him, I engaged him in conversation about Scottish stereotypes (e.g. short, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged air steward, broadcaster, cabin, change, companion, Dermot Murnaghan, flight, ginger, journalist, men, move, news, passenger, plane, presenter, relief, Scottish, seat, short, stereotypes, stocky, travel | Leave a comment

Decomposing body parts left to rot in domestic plumbing system (Rousse)

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The trickiest job of a murderer is disposing of the body and covering the tracks. My innocent-looking accomplice told me that she had flushed the dismembered body parts through the domestic plumbing system from the bathroom basin. She’d done a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accomplice, basin, bathroom, body, clean, crime, decompose, dismember, domestic, evidence, flat, flush, forensic, innocent, murder, murderer, part, plumbing | Leave a comment

Ski-ing in the Philippines (Rousse)

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Dreamaticus

NP marshalled everyone to spend over £1000 each on a ski-ing holiday – in the Philippines. I travelled out with TPR but soon lost him in the transfer between the airport and city centre hotel. He had all the details … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged airport, bus, coach, colleagues, driver, holiday, hotel, lift, Malay, Philippines, ride, Rome, ski-ing, tears, TPR | Leave a comment

Disco dancing in only one shoe (Rousse)

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Dreamaticus

A huge mix of people came to the end of term disco. Many were my current work colleagues (e.g. KT and AD), and amongst them were friends from undergraduate days (e.g. JG, GW). I found the whole set-up rather uncomfortable. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bar tender, colleague, dance, disco, drink, equipmeny, Manor Ball, practice, pub quiz, shoe, snow, undergraduate, work | Leave a comment

Mistaken for a Harvard academic (Rousse)

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I trundled across the playing field of the University of Edinburgh by shopping trolley and suitcase on wheels. It was difficult to balance myself when lying prone on my two vehicles, but manageable so long as there was a slope. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academic, balance, Edinburgh, Harvard, mistaken, shopping trolley, slope, suitcase, sunglasses, university, wheels, women | Leave a comment

A drifting sea horse (Rousse)

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The horse stood patiently on the red deck that was tethered to the end of the pier. Meanwhile, the horse’s owner struck up a conversation with us. Then came a gust of wind and the deck’s mooring broke loose. Within … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged creature, deck, drift, gust, horror, horse, loose, mooring, owner, pier, red, rope, sea, tether, water, wind | Leave a comment

Doing the dirty work for HR (Rousse)

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I was the toast of our HR department. WT congratulated me on having persuaded a hopeless colleague to give up a role for which he was clearly unsuited. It now looked like I was going to be asked to complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged challenge, colleague, congratulate, department, dirty, flatmate, hopeless, HR, note, role, toast, work | Leave a comment

A gossipping wheelchair user (Rousse)

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Dreamaticus

Now going by the name ‘Mandy’, LM drew me aside me to discuss an exam paper. We were just about to consider the questions when my school friend AR (was AH) approached us. She was clearly primed for a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged conversation, curiosity, exam, friend, gossip, mobility, paper, question, school, wheelchair | Leave a comment