Category Archives: Uncategorized

Bedroom design ideas (Rousse)

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Dreamaticus

I stood at the top of the steps that led down to my sister’s master bedroom, astonished that she could possibly accuse me of self-importance. She and her husband had built their bedroom on the scale of a Norman cathedral. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bathroom, bed, bedroom, beds, bottle, cathedral, daughter, design, Henry VIII, ideas, lettering, Listerine, Norman, palace, palaces, pebble, pillow, Princess, self-importance, sister, sleep, son, symbols | Leave a comment

Ceremony blunder (Rousse)

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Dreamaticus

When my nephew PF ran back and told us that he had spotted a small man in a loud shirt at the ceremony we all knew who this was. The photographer and I sneaked up to the group. CO was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged celebrant, celebrants, ceremony, cloak, iPad, man, nephew, photographer, raspberries, script, shirt | Leave a comment

Dangerous driving in the United States (Rousse)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Dreamaticus

After a quiet Christmas Day, TPR and I set off to visit KR. It was a long time since we had driven in the US, and the first time that we had taken our own right-hand drive vehicle on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alleyway, alleyways, America, American, beggar, beggars, bend, bends, car, Christmas, Christmas Day, drive, driving, freeway, freeways, hand-out, hand-outs, medieval, narrow, passenger, right-hand drive, town, TPR, traffic, underpass, United States, US | Leave a comment

Hall of residence handicrafts at the University of Birmingham (Rousse)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Nobody needed any persuasion to take to the floor at the Manor House reunion disco. With the first beat of the first record it was filled with enthusiastic dancers. I mentioned to TPR that we should list all these popular … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Birmingham, Birmingham University, card, cards, Christmas, dance, dancers, disco, father, hall, hall of residence, handicraft, handicrafts, library, Manor, Manor House, paper, papers, party, playlist, record, records, reunion, scrap, scraps, surname, university, University of Birmingham | Leave a comment

How to write a winning grant proposal (Rousse)

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Dreamaticus

Was this cheating? I could just about see the competing grant application on the screen across the room. The authors were huddled around the computer, unaware of my presence. I didn’t know any of them personally, even though two of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged application, cheat, cheating, computer, funding, grant, incentive, incentives, screen, submission | Leave a comment

Trapped in (seminar) space (Rousse)

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The big hand was edging closer to the hour and I just about managed to close the seminar discussion when AD started it up again. It was another 40 minutes before we eventually persuaded him that it was about time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clock, discussion, meeting, meetings, seminar, trap, trapped | Leave a comment

To Torquay by tram (Rousse)

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Dreamaticus

All around the new housing estate they’d put up old-fashioned sign-posts pointing in different directions to cities, towns and villages all over the UK. I decided to follow the route to Torquay – by tram. I wondered if I’d ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Edinburgh, sign-post, sign-posts, signage, signpost, signposts, Torquay, tram | Leave a comment

Rousse misses an important appointment

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The woman sharing the pavement with me eventually lost her temper and ordered me to stop texting. I was making it impossible for her to get past me. Rather than meekly give in to her wishes, I decided to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged appointment, cab, Criaglockhart, Edinburgh, i-phone, immigrant, Jew, Jewish, linen, London Road, loons, path, pavement, phone, sheep, T shirt, taxi, temper, text, texting, trousers, Water of Leith, woman | Leave a comment

Young “Arthur Weasley” assists in railway murder hunt (Rousse)

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Dreamaticus

The biggest clue that I had time-travelled was that Mark Williams (better known as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter movies) looked so young. He must have only been in his mid to late twenties. As the manager of Worcester … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arthur Weasley, bodies, body, clue, dead, death, enquiries, enquiry, Harry Potter, hunt, loose, manager, Mark Williams, murder, murderer, railway, serial, spotting, station, time travel, time-travelling, track, tracks, train, train-spotting, trains, Worcester | Leave a comment

An unplanned journey to the Hebrides (Rousse)

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Dreamaticus

My father paid £19 each for all five of us to visit the castle and within minutes I had ruined everyone’s day. How was I to know that the bus was not a shuttle around the estate, but instead a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bathing costume, beach, beaches, bus, castle, coach, Dane, dressing gown, father, foreigners, Harris, Hebrides, house, houses, journey, Kyle of Lochalsh, Lewis, mobile, mother, phone, separation, shuttle, sister, sisters, swimming costume, swimsuit, tartan, tourist, tourists, towelling, worry | Leave a comment