Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Paying off a £1M drugs debt (Rousse)

Posted on September 1, 2026 by Dreamaticus

Just as I did when I was a teenager, I left my bike unlocked outside ECM’s house, entered the back door, shouted a hello to ECM’s mother, then climbed the pale wooden ladder up to ECM’s bedroom. There we chatted, … Continue reading →

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A soaking for a pie in Lochinver (Rousse)

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Dreamaticus

On the promise of a pie, GC agreed to drive the four of us – himself, TPR, JC and me – to Lochinver. When we reached the edge of town, we parked the car and paddled along the shoreline in … Continue reading →

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A feather baby, the Hanoverian succession, and a multi-coloured merganser (Rousse)

Posted on August 27, 2026 by Dreamaticus

Deep in grief following the death of my two-inch long human ‘feather’ baby daughter, I found some solace in explaining the Hanoverian succession to an Indian. Meanwhile a nearby stranger plucked a pink, white and orange-plumed merganser duck out of … Continue reading →

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Household lighting and dirty laundry at the White House (Rousse)

Posted on August 26, 2026 by Dreamaticus

My brother-in-law M bought an ornate pink and grey painted, fake antique, half-size wooden standard lamp as a birthday present for my sister J. He thought that it looked great plonked in the middle of their bedroom on its very … Continue reading →

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Miami Withnail (Belle)

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Dreamaticus

It wasn’t completely clear whether my new project, being filmed in Miami in a beautiful, bright colour palette, was a documentary or not. I was following two young American strangers as they took too many drugs and repeatedly failed to … Continue reading →

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Abduction on Teesside (Rousse)

Posted on August 25, 2026 by Dreamaticus

I could tell that the police concluded that I knew a little too much about the abduction of the girl from Teesside High School. If I were an innocent bystander, I should not have known the name of the victim. … Continue reading →

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A timber frame house on the Isle of Skye (Rousse)

Posted on August 20, 2026 by Dreamaticus

TPR was now the proud owner of a beautiful new timber frame house built on a remote coastal spot on the Isle of Skye. I loved the floor to ceiling windows for the fabulous views that they gave out to … Continue reading →

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A disputed TV quiz champion and Boris Johnson the clown (Rousse)

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Dreamaticus

I was excited that the winner of a top television general knowledge quiz show was keen to meet me – even though I had heard the rumours that he was a cheat. I was less impressed when Boris Johnson – … Continue reading →

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Book group dinner ideas (Rousse)

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Dreamaticus

I opened the fridge door looking seeking inspiration for the meal that my book group pals expected me to serve within the hour. Whatever could I concoct from a few parched slices of corned beef, some limp lettuce, and a … Continue reading →

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Driving blind (Rousse)

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Dreamaticus

Suddenly everything went completely black. I couldn’t see SM in the passenger seat to the right of me, my hands on the steering wheel, nor – most frightening of all – the road ahead.

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