Category Archives: Uncategorized

JK Rowling extends her estate (Rousse)

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The best of friends, JK Rowling and I shared a Victorian villa by the seaside. She lived on the top floor, and my flat was below. One morning I looked out of the window and noticed a series of white-painted … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beach, beach-front, beachfront, best friend, best friends, canister, dune, dunes, estate, film, flat, friend, Friends, JK Rowling, lawn, mobile, relaxing, sand, sand dune, sand dunes, sculpture, sea, seaside, shore, stakes, Victorian, villa, white, wooden | Leave a comment

A footballer and a phone (Rousse)

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Even though he was brought up and lived in Cardiff, my cousin played soccer as an England international. I was so proud of him in his white kit. How strange it was, however, that TPR admired my cousin’s hairstyle of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged athletic, athleticism, blond, boots, cell, charity, charity shop, china, England, football, footballer, hair, hairstyle, husband, kit, mobile, phone, shop, soccer, straight, TPR | Leave a comment

Bear attacks party-goer (Rousse)

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I counted myself extremely lucky to have secured a place at the Christmas party with my London colleagues. The animated mix of nationalities and races at our table ate, drank, talked and partied until 05:45. We only took one break. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged arm, attacks, Auld Lang Syne, bear, bears. attack, break, Christmas, decoration, decorations, drinking, eating, field, grass, kiss, light, London, nationalities, nationality, party, partying, pepper, peppers, pet, race, races, rot, run, running, silver, sleep, snog, talking | Leave a comment

Good turns in Paris and Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Dreamaticus

When I came across FD looking lost at the top of Boulevard Raspail she admitted that she had never visited Paris before. I offered to show her the sights. We headed north towards to the river, the Louvre our first … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bank Edinburgh, Boulevard Raspail, carrot, chef, cooking, driving, France, grey, lady, liquidising, Louvre, office, Paris, river, soup, tomato, Twitter | Leave a comment

Police reopen case into dolly bird disappearance (Rousse)

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I dressed in the black school uniform of my little brother and sister and accompanied them to class. None of the teachers spotted that I was an over-age imposter. When one of them confiscated my silver necklace at the school … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960s, book, brother, canteen, case, celebrities, confiscate, criminal, criminals, disappearance, dolly bird, Finland, gate, imposter, jewellery, journalist, London, move, moves, necklace, office, over-age, police, prime suspect, reopen, rules, school, silver, sister, swinging, tabloid, teacher, teachers, underworld, uniform, views, window, windows, workman, workmen | Leave a comment

Malcolm Bradbury and Diane Abbott predict the next bestseller (Rousse)

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The big clue as to the location of the conference was the island visible across the stretch of water to the west. If that was the Isle of Man, then this was rural Cumbria. However, it was impossible to work … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged best, best seller, bestseller, cargo, commune, conference, Cumbria, dead, Diane Abbott, Friends, gloves, island, Isle of Man, KM, knowledge management, lift, Malcolm Bradbury, next bestseller, novel, oven, paternoster, publisher, school, seller, slippery, snow, stairs | Leave a comment

Prime-time reality TV botanic bonus (Rousse)

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I was the star of a prime-time reality TV show. Cut off from the rest of the world as the team leader of six adventurers, I was only allowed one short walkie-talkie call with my family over the course of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bonus, botanic, challenge, collect, family, frame, identify, leader, leaf, leaves, mount, organise, parents, performance, prime-time, reality, series, show, specimen, specimens, star, task, team, television, TV, walkie-talkie, win | Leave a comment

Alice in Wonderland attraction (Rousse)

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The rules of the race stipulated that you would be disqualified if you placed a foot on concrete at any point during your run. I decided to make the wood my starting point and see what would happen. Inevitably I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alice in Wonderland, attraction, clothes, concrete, dress, dressing up, Edinburgh, enlarge, London Road, phone, race, running, shrink, supper, talent, TPR, wood | Leave a comment

A rotten job in Tibet (Belle)

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I had gone to live with the ‘famous ice-makers and ice-breakers of Tibet’. It was now ice-breaking season and family groups, including tiny toddlers, were breaking the ice with pickaxes. However, as an outsider, I was required to serve an … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fish, ice, lift, offal, production line, sofa, Tibet, tower block | Leave a comment

How to cook an elephant (Belle)

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The cooking demonstration was underway and there was a palpable ripple of excitement in the audience as the cook revealed her main ingredient (baby elephant) and the cooking method (fiery pizza oven). Appalled, I decided the best thing for me … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chef, elephant, France, gap year, hospital, kitchen, pizza oven, school, toilets | Leave a comment