Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rousse tickles an elephant, misses her sunglasses, and hangs on to her suitcase

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Just how dangerous are 10-foot tall herbivores? This elephant seemed pretty tame. He almost chuckled as I tickled his tummy, and definitely purred while I massaged his feet. Then suddenly his mood changed. He roared hungrily, baring his teeth with … Continue reading →

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Dissertation deadline dilly dally (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

Romana left my office carrying three enormous sheets of flipchart paper covered in red writing. My message “Your dissertation won’t write itself” buzzed through her brain. Earlier in the day she had arrived with a stack of empirical data, an … Continue reading →

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A crummy cooker and a corrupt castle (Belle)

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I had invited a family to Sunday lunch and was getting stressed over the cooking. What complicated matters was that we were sailing the high seas on a boat with a primitive cooking range. The beef was in the oven … Continue reading →

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Royal Botanic bathing (Rousse)

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I took to spending my Sunday mornings at the Royal Botanics Gardens, Edinburgh. This was not because I was particularly fond of the plants. In fact, the gardens themselves were a bit of a mess. I noticed that some people … Continue reading →

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Car chaos in central Edinburgh, and mixed Morgans (Rousse)

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I handled the mark 2 silver Ford Granada like a tank, and with complete disregard for the other vehicles parked on Edinburgh’s Cockburn Street. When it came to reversing into a space I was so lazy that I didn’t even … Continue reading →

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Nigella Lawson versus Gordon Ramsey, and information retrieval with Winnie the Pooh (Rousse)

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Dreamaticus

The terms “August” and “camping” go well together. However, when the word “Scotland” is thrown into the same sentence, a small alarm bell should sound in your brain. Unfortunately TPR and I were so delighted when my sister J and … Continue reading →

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The “dead” return to life at the British Library, and deer management concerns (Rousse)

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I walked into the foyer of the British Library and identified the conference registration desk. Beside it some delegates were crowded around an electronic display board on the wall. Some others were fighting over a grubby postcard at a table … Continue reading →

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Great-grandmother returns from the dead in Lancashire, and a once secret lottery win (Rousse)

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I found my great-grandmother running a busy household in Lancashire. With her beautiful long silver hair, smooth skin and a perfect set of teeth, she looked great for someone who had died in 1967. I never expected to meet her … Continue reading →

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Dog stitched up by fox (Belle)

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I was working in a department store, wearing a crisp white shirt and a pencil skirt. Meanwhile, a fox broke into the house and created a terrible mess – and smell. He then framed the dog who got blamed for … Continue reading →

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Tattoos, travellers and television (Rousse)

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Dreamaticus

I was aghast: TPR’s latest protest at the time that I spend away from him in London took the form of a small tattoo just above his right breast. To me it looked like it spelt out the word “Greece”, … Continue reading →

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