Category Archives: Uncategorized

His mistress Henry (Rousse)

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Dreamaticus

TPR’s new girlfriend was called Henry. ‘Typical’, I thought, ‘From this fact alone I know exactly her age and social class. I can also guess her undergraduate programme at the University of Edinburgh, and predict with some accuracy her Edinburgh … Continue reading →

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Rousse favours Stuart Maconie over Mark Radcliffe

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Dreamaticus

Stuart Maconie was in my gang. Mark Radcliffe was not – because he did not reply to my texts to their Saturday morning radio programme.

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A purple kitchen with an excess of kale (Rousse)

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Dreamaticus

On the spur of the moment we called in on R and SL. SL was particularly delighted to see us, mistakenly thinking that our friend in tow (KA) was our niece AF. While I admired their modern purple kitchen, SL … Continue reading →

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Bridlington beach debris (Rousse)

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Dreamaticus

JS led us along the Yorkshire coast near Bridlington to a beautiful headland. Beneath the proud cliffs on one side were yellow beaches of the finest sand. On the other was a channel of clear blue water through which the … Continue reading →

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Judgements in pyjamas (Rousse)

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Dreamaticus

For months we had been gathering online to assess the health of academic research in the UK. At last we were meeting face-to-face to undertake the next tranche of work – dressed in horrible pastel-coloured pyjamas. The women looked particularly … Continue reading →

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Remembering the dead (Rousse)

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Dreamaticus

L and TF were avoiding me because we had not acknowledged that the young woman killed in the terrorist attack was their daughter K’s best friend.

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Paddington Bear wannabe is Prime Minister (Rousse)

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Dreamaticus

Unwittingly, I was the star of a new reality television programme. A huge crowd of brash, rowdy women picked on me so mercilessly that the pitying viewers nominated me as a candidate in the general election. Not only did I … Continue reading →

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A snowy, spring, Irish surprise (Rousse)

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Dreamaticus

It snowed all the way through ‘spring’ in the Republic of Ireland. Even in mid-summer big patches of the white stuff were piled at the side of the road and scattered in patches in the fields. TPR and I were … Continue reading →

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Robert Frost and dye (Rousse)

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Dreamaticus

While I spent the summer months researching the life and work of Robert Frost, TPR was experimenting with green and purple hair dyes.

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A sequinned Queen (Rousse)

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Dreamaticus

With notice of about 60 seconds, we arranged ourselves in row to greet the Queen. I was the first in line. She offered her white-gloved hand. I shook it gently while admiring the her elegant off-white sequinned dress. When I … Continue reading →

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