Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Treasures of Ophelia and the Brontë sisters (Rousse)

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Dreamaticus

‘This is our sculpture of Ophelia’, I announced proudly, pointing at a pile of weed in a dirty stream. ‘And behind us, under that hillock, Jane Austen buried a relic of the Brontë sisters’. My new colleagues were either genuinely … Continue reading →

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Bill Murray, boob man (Belle)

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Located in a massive mountain lodge, I was working at the ‘industry event of the year’. It was my job to make sure the booze and the conversations flowed freely. I ran around all night, breaking my previous Fitbit records. … Continue reading →

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University fairground attraction with lemon drizzle cake (Rousse)

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Dreamaticus

I panicked when I first arrived at work because I thought that I had forgotten to pack my trousers. It was such a relief to find them at the bottom of my bag, and be able to dress for a … Continue reading →

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Dirty animal invasion (Rousse)

Posted on February 23, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Two surprises greeted me when I came home. First, my mother had cooked a delicious dinner and already washed up; second, the C-Is had come to stay. There was a problem, however, with the latter. RC-I brought with him a … Continue reading →

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Party crashers (Rousse)

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Dreamaticus

It was meant to be a small gathering of my immediate colleagues, but the invitation had  spread much further than intended. Now I found myself serving food and drinks to a wide range of staff. I was so overcome that … Continue reading →

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Audience pities overweight dancers (Rousse)

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Dreamaticus

On stage three extremely overweight young women performed an elaborate dance. Meanwhile the extremely overweight young woman seated next to me shifted in evident discomfort, most likely picking up the pity of the audience for the artistes, and reflecting on … Continue reading →

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Badger captures squirrel (Rousse)

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Dreamaticus

A badger sped past with a grey squirrel (most likely dead) in its mouth.

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Dreamaticus is unpopular (Rousse)

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Dreamaticus

Three decades after we first met, I came face-to-face with SB-V again. Whereas in the past she had been a willing participant in my work, for example as a placement host for undergraduate students and a visiting speaker on business … Continue reading →

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The forgotten face of Leith (Rousse)

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Dreamaticus

My mother’s teenage face covered the advertising hoardings of Leith. When I pointed out to her the pictures and accompanying quotations, she confessed that she had no recollection of ever volunteering her image and views for any 1950s publicity campaign.

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Dead father dines (Rousse)

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Dreamaticus

My mother’s driving was truly terrible. Why was she in such a rush to reach the coast? The beautiful weather was forecast to hold, so there really was no hurry. When we stopped at the hotel for lunch, it all … Continue reading →

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