Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rousse nets £25 million research grant, and mends her glasses

The bad news at work was that I couldn’t shake off the ranting member of library staff from the University of Birmingham. It was unclear why she felt that she had to tail me all day, but I wished that … Continue reading →

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10k personal best opportunity squandered at the supermarket (Rousse)

I powered round the last bend of the race cheered on by FM. With a personal best of 48 minutes, she glowed with pride. There were just a few hundred metres to go and even I would make it within … Continue reading →

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Elizabeth Taylor’s multiple husbands not unique (Rousse)

Counting Richard Burton twice, Elizabeth Taylor had eight husbands – and so did I! By some miracle there were eight TPRs in the house. This was extremely handy, albeit a bit of a squash at bedtime. One day as I … Continue reading →

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Celebrating Twitter’s fifth birthday in a London skyscraper (Rousse)

Our new offices were on the fifteenth floor of a London skyscraper. I was pretty pleased with how my old belongings fitted into my new space until RK invited me into his new room – or, should we say, “suite”. … Continue reading →

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Duran Duran and a new TV detective drama (Rousse)

Simon le Bon and other Duran Duran band members milled around the set, but the real star of the new detective drama was RH. It was RH’s first performing role, and quite a departure from his day job as assistant … Continue reading →

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Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen share a drink (Belle)

I was standing at the bar with the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall. I was telling the Queen about how my tour of America with the Duchess had gone. “Of course, most people haven’t got a clue who she … Continue reading →

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A campus love affair rudely interrupted, and a seaside crime (Rousse)

While most colleagues met for Friday night drinks in Bruntsfield, I discovered that the senior staff held a private reception on a secret campus. I set off to investigate. I spotted current and former colleagues through the windows of a … Continue reading →

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Anti-French feeling and fossilised fruit (Rousse)

We even surprised ourselves when we signed up for the mediterranean cruise. However, this was a cruise with a difference. The small wooden boat was so packed that we fought for sleeping space at night, and most of the other … Continue reading →

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Queen cuts down official duties (Rousse)

The pensioner at the till was agog. Could it really be true that the Queen would put in an appearance later in the day? What on earth was she doing in a tea shop in St Ives? Yes, came the … Continue reading →

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Top fashion designer turns her talents to academia (Rousse)

Award-winning dress designer MSB swapped her sewing machine for a computer screen and started work as my assistant. Grant-making bodies and research councils would soon sit up and take notice of the work of our amazing proposal-generating dream team.

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