Category Archives: Uncategorized

Breakfast and afternoon tea party prep (Rousse)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Dreamaticus

We forgot that we had invited J, N and baby A around for Sunday breakfast. They arrived when we were still in bed and had no supplies in the house. Even so, we welcomed them in. We left them in … Continue reading →

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Rousse’s driving test

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The task was quite simple: to drive 5 miles back to my sister J’s house. I even had my nephew P as navigator. He’d just run the route in reverse to meet me. What could possibly go wrong? we took … Continue reading →

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The latest in ceiling decorating ideas: carpet (Rousse)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Dreamaticus

My father invited us all to choose our rooms in the new family mansion. My nephew P suggested that I bag the room next door to my enormous bedroom so that I could use it as a lab. I was … Continue reading →

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JK Rowling’s new book (Rousse)

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Dreamaticus

JK Rowling and I were enjoying a quiet day out together in Edinburgh. To begin with we got away with wandering around town without attracting any attention. However, when Jo put on her fur coat and started prancing around with … Continue reading →

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Terry Wogan’s dog (Rousse)

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Dreamaticus

I bumped into Terry Wogan walking his white west highland terrier in the woods. At the time I was carrying a sleek black cat (sneakily kidnapped in the Midlands).

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Unwelcome distraction at the British Library (Rousse)

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Dreamaticus

It was a huge commitment to travel from Edinburgh to London by train every Saturday to study medieval manuscripts in the British Library. This is why I objected so much to the shopping concession in the Humanities Reading Room and … Continue reading →

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Battle of Flodden commemorations preview (Rousse)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Dreamaticus

We were stuck in an ill-equipped classroom several miles out of town away from the excellent resources of our main campus. Somehow I had to entertain this small class of postgrad students with no access to the online materials that … Continue reading →

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Thirsty Queen congratulates academic on latest leg of jubilee tour (Rousse)

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Dreamaticus

For security reasons the date of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee visit to campus had been kept a closely guarded secret. It was a complete coincidence that I happened to come into the office on that particular day at the height … Continue reading →

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Vegetable gardening failure (Belle)

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Dreamaticus

While potting on the seedlings, I had a sudden crisis of confidence. Why had I thought it a good idea to plant tomatoes on the dog’s back?

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Trip to fishing tackle shop trumps rapids ride (Rousse)

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Dreamaticus

For all this time my parents had believed that they couldn’t walk very far, yet here they were heading home to England from Poitiers in France by foot. My mother even managed to carry a heavy shopping bag in one … Continue reading →

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