Super speedy 125 leaves passengers in canal (Rousse)

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I had never travelled on so fast a train before.  Its speed was nearer 150mph than 125. It didn’t even slow for the stations, but instead whipped past the platforms  in a terrifying haste.

The train only slowed when it reached the Midlands canal basin. Here TPR had the bright idea of disembarking for a short while so that we could play on the boats that bobbed in the water. GW joined us, tugging his very own dinghy behind him.

We immediately regretted our decision when the train started up again and left us stranded in the canal. There was no way that we could row fast enough to catch up with it, and we were now sure to miss all our appointments in London.

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A dip in the cold (Rousse)

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I was telling my sister an elaborate tale of undergraduate risk (how could I ever have been so stupid?) as we approached the beautiful Italian swimming pool.

I was not tempted to take a dip – it was far too cold – but when my mother bravely dropped into the water, my sister followed.

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A cave holiday with a two-husband trip to Edinburgh Zoo (Rousse)

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Dreamaticus

TPR booked an unheated cave for our summer holiday in the far north of Scotland. Although compact, its floor-space was still greater than our first house in Birmingham. Red curtains at the ‘door way’ mouth provided adequate privacy.

When my second husband – BB – joined us for the weekend, we made an outing to Edinburgh Zoo. On arrival we noticed that some of the dog-goats had escaped their entrance enclosure. Then I remembered that SM had warned us about this – on Saturdays the animals are allowed to roam free, with all visitors warned that they enter the zoo at their own peril.

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Driving backwards to a dinner date (Rousse)

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Dreamaticus

My mother put the Volvo into reverse, swivelled the driver’s seat to face the back of the car, and drove backwards along the dual carriageway. She disregarded my warnings that she risked crashing into the lorry behind us that was now in front.

Later we met JC, her mother, her sister (normally based in Australia) and her old boss (who was paying) for a meal out in Manchester.

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Trolley dolly meets step mommy (Belle)

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I was wheeling a trolley of tea and digestive biscuits on an intercity train when the incident happened. My excitable behaviour resulted in a spillage over a passenger’s lap.

The train guard told me the person I had spilled tea on was my future step-mother, Natasha. I seemed to have forgotten how normal people behaved. I got great pleasure in pronouncing her name “Nat-osha” and chanted it loudly throughout the train.

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An exploration of Edinburgh’s infrared zone (Rousse)

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Dreamaticus

TMcE was at the wheel as we headed along Queen Street, Edinburgh in the middle of the night. We were discussing the concert that we had all enjoyed in Glasgow earlier in the evening when the dark suddenly switched to infrared. This made it almost impossible for any of us pick out the road, the traffic, and the few pedestrians who were still up and about at 01:00am – and for TMcE to drive safely.

Eventually, when we emerged from the infrared zone, we were able to continue our journey in safety all the way to London. Here J and GC awaited us as their next set of guests.

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Sleeping with a student (Rousse)

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Dreamaticus

The most gorgeous boy in class wanted to sleep with me, and the few people who knew this encouraged me to follow him into bed.

I suggested that we delay our tryst until after the exams. My young suitor could not wait. His impatience, however, was fatal to our plans when the others spotted me in the student hall of residence bedroom.

I pulled out of the arrangement at the last moment, primarily to save my career.

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Val McDermid in hidden class act (Rousse)

Posted on November 25, 2018 by Dreamaticus

Val McDermid presented as an invited guest speaker to my undergraduate class. Unfortunately the students found it difficult to see her, hidden behind the stack of tables and chairs at the back of the classroom.

I could have done with McDermid’s knowledge of forensics earlier in the week when someone switched my Mac keyboard with an inferior model. I had left it unattended – along with my iPhone and purse – in the library of a Cambridge college. I had been under the (false) impression that no thieves would dare practise their trade in such an august establishment.

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Viking ship spotted off the Isle of Lewis (Rousse)

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Dreamaticus

On a far northern shore of the Isle of Lewis the locals built a snowman – the size of a house. They saved it from melting over the summer months by topping it up with ice from their domestic freezers.

When I heard that JG was driving RG to the top of the island to secretly dispose of his (stolen?) orange military bags, I asked if we could tag along. We would enjoy a ride out in the car, and combine this with a visit to the snowman.

The timing of our trip was such that from the coast road we also witnessed the progress of a magnificent Viking long ship sailing out into the wide Atlantic.

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Full make-up for a queen (Rousse)

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I wore a face-full of make-up. I was meeting the Queen, after all.

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