Category Archives: Uncategorized

A haul of hopeless academics (Rousse)

Once again I had disappointed my boss with my lack of financial acumen. Meanwhile I was advising another colleague to be very careful over the content of his e-mail correspondence, and a former colleague was despairing at the cheek of … Continue reading

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Extreme watersports, a spot of ski-ing, and a very clean baby (Rousse)

Our activity holiday comprised water sports with JC, then ski-ing with S and T. I was actually quite frightened when it came to swimming here. JC had already hurt herself when she slipped on the rocks at the loch side, … Continue reading

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Munro bagging for beginners (Rousse)

I overheard a seasoned Munro bagger speaking to my parents. “How far are you walking?” he asked. “Oh, only about 10 miles,” answered my father. “Just over the hill and back again with our three girls”. The man glanced at … Continue reading

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Quidditch team selection rules (Rousse)

Heroku’s latest release was a Quidditch-like game designed by my friend J. It was played with small, brightly coloured plastic sticks and a puck. J was very particular in his requirements when it came to choosing teams. He was not … Continue reading

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Mother-in-law Christmas packing genius (Rousse)

While I sleeping my mother-in-law put up a Christmas tree at the foot of my bed. She then scattered dozens of presents underneath it. When I awoke to this amazing display just one thought popped into my head: how on … Continue reading

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Scottish midges damage Inverness housing market prospects (Rousse)

We were looking around a new housing development in Inverness. Amongst the large modern yellow sandstone “executive homes” were grey monochrome Scooby Doo mansions, covered in creeper with their windows boarded up. “Let’s buy one of the wrecks and renovate … Continue reading

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Australian dinosaur surprise (Rousse)

Although it was the middle of December, I was luxuriating in the warmth of summer thanks to a speaking invitation at a conference in Australia. Dressed in a light cotton skirt, I wandered through the grounds of the conference centre … Continue reading

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Sharon the fine art vandal and a welcome Christmas gift (Rousse)

As she moved the pictures around our flat, the woman with long dark hair complained to me that she hated her name. I suggested that if she really wanted to do so, she could change it from Sharon to something … Continue reading

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A reunion with Gandalf, Dumbledore, Beowulf, and Basil Fawlty (Rousse)

Gandalf and/or Dumbledore was dead. I saw them wheel his body into the hall on a trolley. The white sheet was meant to cover the entire corpse, but strands of long white hair could not be contained and peeked out … Continue reading

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A weekend salmon fishing (Rousse)

“Are you OK to go salmon fishing the weekend of 12th March?” asked EH. “12th March? When does the season start?” interupted some random bloke. I concluded that this man was a half-wit: doesn’t everyone know the dates of the … Continue reading

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