Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Le Creuset criminal (Rousse)

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Not only did the new Le Creuset salesman switch my perfect frying pan for a dud, he also stole my idea of collecting pots, pans, and other kitchenware to create a Le Creuset rainbow.

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Looking for loos along the LNER East Coast route (Rousse)

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

All the toilets at York railway station were out of order – and I was desperate to go to the loo. The only option was to catch the next train south, travel 125 miles to Peterborough, and use the facilities … Continue reading →

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How not to start a start-up (Rousse)

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Following a week of unpaid training, I felt able to offer JS £200 per day to work in my consulting firm. The only problem was that I added to her payroll before we had any clients. In fact, we didn’t … Continue reading →

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Begging Martin Jarvis (Rousse)

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Dreamaticus

When Martin Jarvis was working on the counter of the public library, I wasn’t the only one desperate for him to put down his stamp and read stories to us instead. ‘Just half an hour, please!’ I begged.

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A doomed trip to Orkney (Rousse)

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Dreamaticus

There was quite a crowd of us on holiday together in the north of Scotland. This made it difficult to enjoy time on my own with my Canadian cousins NT and DT, who had crossed the Atlantic to spend a … Continue reading →

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Driving a wooden train and a bonus human pyramid (Belle)

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Dreamaticus

My new job was driving a red wooden train in a New York department store. The best part of the job was tooting the horn and aggressively waving at shoppers, insisting they move to the side of the aisles so … Continue reading →

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In defence of the ‘Nonsense Norwegian’ (Rousse)

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The residential staff retreat was a dreary affair. As I stood in a queue waiting for my turn to take part in the next ‘exciting’ activity – charity shop shopping – my mother-in-law lifted my woollen jumper to check that … Continue reading →

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Boss cuddles naughty magician (Rousse)

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Dreamaticus

A former PhD student of mine asked if I would support her over a difficult issue at work. I gladly agreed to help her avoid the sack, but without realising the extent of her problem. She just couldn’t behave politely … Continue reading →

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Wrinkly faces and a Fiat 500 (Rousse)

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Dreamaticus

JB was alive and well in Birmingham. I admired her Fiat 500 and the way that the family had stuck four large cardboard head portraits of themselves across the car’s dashboard. JB complained that she looked very wrinkled in her … Continue reading →

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Rousse and Belle join the ‘Read an article a day’ (Rousse)

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I signed up for a scheme entitled ‘Read an article a day’. Under sufferance, Belle agreed to ensure that I kept to the regime.

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