Category Archives: Uncategorized

Curry versus keynote (Rousse)

There was barely half an hour before the opening keynote speech and I still hadn’t finished preparing the chicken curry that I had promised for dinner for day 2 of the conference. As soon as the sessions started, I would … Continue reading

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Suing CalMac for ruining ‘holiday of a lifetime’ (Rousse)

We disembarked the CalMac ferry in Stornoway and stood on the dock to wait for the staff to bring our bikes up from the car deck. It soon became evident that the bikes were no longer stowed below. Eventually we … Continue reading

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Hanged for minor misdemeanours (Rousse)

In my new life, in my new town, I immersed myself in voluntary activities. First, I helped out at the public library, and then served on the school board. My main priority, however, was to outlaw the archaic practice of … Continue reading

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Pyjama party for the blue-haired (Rousse)

While her husband K was out of town with the children, DTJ hosted a party for her girlfriends. I felt very out of place in my cotton dress amongst the blue-haired, pyjama-clad youngsters.

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Monkey in a motorhome (Rousse)

With my sister at the wheel of our motorhome, we were driving south through France to the drop off my niece A and her partner D at a ski resort. It was a wonder that we weren’t killed en route. … Continue reading

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John Peel, the Cure, and the B-52s (Rousse)

John Peel and I discussed interesting beats in pop songs. I moved the conversation on to two of my favourites: A forest by The Cure, and Planet Claire by the B-52s.

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The pretend polyglot (Belle)

I met a man at a party who claimed he spoke ‘many languages’. When I asked for an example, he said “Modern Hieroglyphics”.

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Hotel cutlery ‘extras’ (Rousse)

‘Are you insured?’ asked the hotel manager. TPR looked up from his plate of parma ham and Hollandaise sauce. Why did she need to know this? ‘It’s just that we noticed on the CCTV from last night’s dinner service that … Continue reading

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Hotel house Womble greets guests (Rousse)

As the two-foot tall house Womble wandered the hotel corridors, he hailed every guest with a handshake and the cheery greeting: ‘Remember you’re a Womble!’

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Mother and daughter Cosmopolitan cover girls (Rousse)

Hidden in the pile of ancient copies of Cosmopolitan were three issues of particular interest. My mother – aged about 35 – featured as the magazine’s cover girl on two of them, and my sister S on the third. They … Continue reading

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