Author Archives: Dreamaticus

A lost baby, a father risen from the dead, drug addicts, and an unlicensed driver (Rousse)

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Dreamaticus

‘Wake up! Wake up!’ I screamed at my mother in the bed next to mine. ‘Naomi’s baby has vanished!’ I made such a noise that I literally woke my father from the dead. When I noticed his corpse stir at … Continue reading →

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Fated never to play Catan (Rousse)

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

For months I had been trying to find an opportunity to teach the board game Catan to my neighbour KB and online friend KJD. Now, at last, they were both at my flat and eager to learn. Even my sister … Continue reading →

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The Mother of Minions (Belle)

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was travelling on an American-style school bus and couldn’t remember why, or where I was going. I took a sneaky peak at my fellow travellers – a handful of Minions were sitting quietly staring out of the bus windows. … Continue reading →

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Hair bobble clues point to sub-standard cleaning (Rousse)

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Under a thick layer of dust beneath our bed, I found three hair bobbles. What were they doing there, and why hadn’t our cleaner J found them? More to the point, when had she last cleaned under the bed? Of … Continue reading →

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Contributing to a Media and Cultural Studies compilation in Canada (Rousse)

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had only volunteered to review a couple of papers, so it came as a shock to be told that everyone taking part in the compilation of the book was also expected to write a chapter on a relevant theoretical … Continue reading →

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Rumoured death of Canadian boyfriends 1 and 2 (Rousse)

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was passed from one Canadian young man to another. It was as if the second had asked the first if he could borrow a bag of sugar. This was such a disappointment. I had become quite attached to Canadian … Continue reading →

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Is Olly Murs coming for dinner? (Rousse)

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Dreamaticus

There were several areas set out for dining in the canteen. I first found a table with AA-D. He had placed only two jam tarts on his plate for his main meal of the day. When I questioned this, he … Continue reading →

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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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