Television time delayed due to water allergy (Rousse)

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Dreamaticus

My sister JMH and brother-in-law had added another extension to their house. This was an enormous bathroom off the kitchen. Its ‘walls’ were made of canvas and decorated with swirly orange 1970s patterns.

In the kitchen itself they had installed a massive television screen to the ceiling. This could be lowered to a vertical position for family viewing.

I was looking forward to catching up on some programmes later. JMH promised that we could do so soon. First, however, as she had to send home AMF’s friend because she was allergic to water.

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The long route from Glasgow to Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Dreamaticus

My brother-in-law MF was driving our car with TPR in the passenger seat. I was in the back with another brother-in-law, RH.

It was going to be a long day. Our route was (1) Glasgow to Wisborough Green to drop off MF, then (2) to London for our third visit in a week (to drop off RH), and (3) a final leg back to Edinburgh.

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Decline in international standards at doctoral level (Rousse)

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The senior examiner M-LH was ready to approve the award of PhD, and it looked that GW would also agree with this outcome. However, I was adamant that the student make major corrections to the thesis.

This said something to me about the declining international standards of work at doctoral level.

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Samuel Beckett one-woman play ‘worst ever’ (Rousse)

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Dreamaticus

EH, TPR and I were amongst the audience at a one-woman play by Samuel Beckett. International cellist US was the star of the show.

She delivered her lines very quietly and – apart from those sitting very close to the stage – very few in the auditorium could hear her clearly. Then a child in the row behind us started to strunch up strips of tissue paper, making it impossible for us to hear anything at all.

At the end of the performance the director asked us if we had enjoyed the show. TPR did not hold back. He declared in a very loud voice ‘This is the worst play that I have ever seen!’

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Frank Underwood comments on flood conditions (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Dreamaticus

When I visited Frank Underwood in Washington I had no choice but to drive. As things turned out it was not as difficult as I feared to navigate the roads from the suburbs into the city centre.

When I mentioned this to Frank he explained that his own commute could take anything from thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the flood conditions.

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Lunch in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Dreamaticus

On the day that I chucked ECM for writing the most cruel anonymous letters about me I went out for lunch with the M family in the Bois de Boulogne.

Other guests at the table included my sister S, and our other sister’s ex-boyfriend DU.

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Katie Price is a patchwork of plastic surgery (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I joined Katie Price and Peter Mandelson as an extra on a film set in Edinburgh.

Up close Katie Price looked terrible. Her face was a patchwork of plastic surgery and the reconstruction of her teeth barely disguised.

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Missing Antigua (Rousse)

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Dreamaticus

We arrived in Antigua a day too early for our holiday so were obliged to fly back home immediately.

Unfortunately after all this additional travel we slept through the alarm on the day that we were meant to set off for the Caribbean. As a result we missed out on our holiday completely.

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Time-lapse Hebridean video (deleted) (Rousse)

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The bathroom window provided a perfect frame for the Hebridean scene of highland cattle grazing beside the vast beach. Clouds raced across the sky overhead.

I captured all this as a time-lapse video on my iPhone – then just as I was about to show it to everyone, I deleted it.

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Viking parade disrupts travel on the 26 bus route through Musselburgh (Rousse)

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I hadn’t appreciated the urgency of AB’s departure from Musselburgh until after her parents WB and AB had waved her off in a taxi back to the city centre. Indeed I was quite upset because I could have shared the ride (and fare) with her. I was keen to get back into town with my two enormous carrier bags of cushion wadding.

WB offered to order another taxi, but I decided I would brave the number 26 bus instead. However, I had forgotten that all the buses were diverted due to the Viking parade that afternoon.

I stood on the high street waiting for the parade to pass: it was actually quite fun to watch. Then I found an operational bus stop and a service that would take me home.

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