Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tall, dark, skinny, brainy men wanted (Rousse)

“How did you select him?” asked my friend as she scanned the form of my new beau. “Oh, he’s usual type”, I replied “Tall, dark, skinny and brainy, and – this time – with curly hair”. The young man was … Continue reading

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Secret agent Rousse

My new job title was ‘Secret agent’, and my first task to decipher the coded instructions that detailed my contract. TPR was also appointed at the same time. Our cover story was that we were academics who worked in a … Continue reading

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Filthy rich families fight over weddings in space (Belle)

A group of Saudi billionaires had promised India’s richest man that his daughters could be married in space. Sadly the technology had failed and the rockets had never taken off.  Billions of dollars of broadcasting rights had been sold and … Continue reading

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A bulging blackberry bath hat win (Rousse)

SC and I were competing in a river game. As our boat floated several feet above water, we stretched out long rods to pick up booty from beneath us. There were points for sticks retrieved from the water, piles of … Continue reading

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Jimmy Savile back from the dead and on TV again (Rousse)

Jimmy Savile was back from the dead and on television again. We – unwittingly – were honoured guests in the studio because, Savile claimed, we had “beaten the system”. He menaced us in front of the camera by waving plastic … Continue reading

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Dissertation draft literature review disappoints (Rousse)

I had promised my new PhD student that there was nothing to fear at the review meeting – but this was before I realised that she was under the impression that it was appropriate to submit a chapter of creative … Continue reading

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Killer Brillo pads (Belle)

A student was showing me his paper-based Breakfast Survey which he was distributing to commuters at Brockley station. I challenged him, angrily: “So basically you’re simply asking people at which of the expensive cafes near the station they bought their … Continue reading

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Umbrellas for pit bulls, HRT for boyfriends (Belle)

I was in New York in a downpour. A man on stilts wearing a bright red commissionaire’s uniform was holding an umbrella over a gentleman’s pit bull as they crossed the road. As they got closer to me, I saw … Continue reading

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Posing in a posh car in Cardiff (Rousse)

Wealthy TV producer RJ invited me and a couple of others for a ride round town in his enormous car. The vehicle was a huge black and chrome gas guzzler with room for at least nine passengers. As guest of … Continue reading

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Film crew at the farm (Rousse)

My cousins’ farm was looking splendid. It was more spacious than ever, beautifully decorated, clean, tidy, and filled with friends. I was particularly impressed that B and J managed all the house work on their own. I wondered, however, at … Continue reading

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