Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Big changes at the University of Birmingham (Rousse)

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Childhood friends SB and KH met me in Birmingham to scope out venues for next year’s university reunion. We were in for a shock when we reached the University of Birmingham campus. The French department was completely unrecognisable. The corridors … Continue reading →

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University finance genius earns special treatment (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

DM brought a sudden end to the lunch party, reminding her guests that some important afternoon commitments now required her attention. As she shooed us out of the door, she checked that I had remembered to collect my raspberries and … Continue reading →

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Cargo bike crisis in Newcastle (Rousse)

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I travelled all the way to Newcastle by cargo bike. Almost at my journey’s end, at Haymarket another cyclist rode up to tell me that I had lost my cargo, and that I had a flat tyre. I was grateful … Continue reading →

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Teased by a £50 note (Belle)

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was walking down a tree-lined street and autumn leaves were falling around me. Admiring this spectacle, I noticed that one of the leaves was in fact a £50 note. As I tried to catch it, it was caught by … Continue reading →

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Trapped at the death clinic (Rousse)

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Dreamaticus

TPR had previously campaigned vigorously against assisted dying, almost causing a riot outside when GG and his ex-wife J entered the clinic to seek its services. It therefore came as a terrible shock to learn that TPR had switched sides. … Continue reading →

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Greeted by a huge sawn-off-at-the-shoulder bloodied arm (Rousse)

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Both my mother and TPR were released from their respective care homes for the day. My mother was in particularly fine fettle. She was able to keep up with my father’s walking pace – albeit at a distance – and … Continue reading →

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Time-saving Victorian costume changes (Rousse)

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Dreamaticus

To save time in costume changes, TPR wore both his outfits simultaneously. To the left he was an navvy in a brown overall; to the right he was a Victorian gentleman. He dressed like this all day, even when looking … Continue reading →

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Party treats of burnt prawns and carbonised sausages (Rousse)

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Our lodger FR hadn’t quite got the hang of our kitchen. She crammed far too much blue and white crockery into the glass-fronted cupboards, then cleared a drawer to store a single cake. More annoying, she didn’t clean up after … Continue reading →

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Banned from aquafit (Rousse)

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was expelled from my aquafit class for making 16 errors in the morning’s routine. (I had also worn my outdoor shoes at the poolside – a much greater crime in my books – but nobody seemed to have noticed.)

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Marriage break-up consolation prize (Rousse)

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Dreamaticus

While TPR insisted that our marriage was over, he offered me a consolation prize. From the back seat of the car, he told me that his predecessor ST was currently available.

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