Author Archives: Dreamaticus

Tattoo show-off at the staff Christmas party (Rousse)

Posted on November 6, 2025 by Dreamaticus

When I left the lobby of the the modern tower block to cross the busy road, I shuddered as the cold of the paving slabs hit the soles of my feet. There was no time to take the lift back … Continue reading →

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A proposed oral penalty (Rousse)

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Dreamaticus

EH was away so I was left to chaperone the learned dignitary who had flown in from the US to deliver a guest lecture to the final year students. She was the only British academic to have ever won the … Continue reading →

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An odyssey through London’s night-time economy (Belle)

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was using a borrowed bicycle and decided to park it, along with my suitcase, under a bench where a man and his dog were sleeping. I continued my journey on a night bus, and found a stranger’s handbag on … Continue reading →

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Struggling to rejoin the Camino Português por la costa (Rousse)

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Gathered together in Porto at their annual conference to discuss the nature of being, a clutch of Finnish philosophers welcomed me into their company. They gave me protection from the bullies whose insults referred to my stupidity of flying home, … Continue reading →

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Apple Mac con man scam (Rousse)

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I should have trusted my instincts when the man struck up a conversation with me at the bridge. Instead, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and fell for his charm. Before long I was lifting up the screen … Continue reading →

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Sci-fi at the Four Seasons hotel and an abandoned bike (Rousse)

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The short cycle ride to Waverley station was torturous. From Broughton Street I was diverted onto a narrow, and almost unnavigable, forest track. I dumped the bike, then continued on foot to the Four Seasons hotel. Here thousands of sci-fi … Continue reading →

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A dubious passage to Porto (Rousse)

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Dreamaticus

TPR was determined to revisit Porto. I couldn’t afford to miss yet another weekend at home, so I did my best to persuade him that a return trip to Portugal so soon after our last was not worth the effort, … Continue reading →

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Given away by a Teesside accent (Rousse)

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Dreamaticus

JC retrained as a London cabbie. I only found out when I jumped in her taxi one day. Her hair was dark again and her teeth bigger, but the big giveaway was her Teesside accent.

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Humpty Dumpties take up residence in run-down farm house (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I pushed open the back door of my cousins’ farm house and walked into the kitchen. There several members of my extended family were seated at the kitchen table, but only one greeted me: TB with a low groan. I … Continue reading →

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Horse riding on a Berwickshire beach (Rousse)

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Dreamaticus

AW and I rode from Edinburgh to the Berwickshire coast. We risked our lives – and those of our horses – travelling along the busy A1. At the end of our journey, AW struggled to persuade her mount to clamber … Continue reading →

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