Mac swap scam alert (Rousse)

Such was the value of my most recent research report that it had been translated into Swedish. I was about to boast about this when SL pointed out that it looked like someone had “swapped” Macs with me. The one now in my possession was much inferior to my own.

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A dress maker takes a break (Rousse)

After a lovely bike ride along the river MSB and I went back to her flat and chatted. This made a welcome change from sewing garments.

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Norwegian munitions cache explodes in central London (Rousse)

ETS soon brought me up to speed on what I had missed at the conference so far. I was delighted when she reported how much she was enjoying the event.

After the evening session we joined a bus tour of central London. The enthusiastic guide told us all about an unreported World War II explosion. A Norwegian munitions cache in Westminster went up with a bang when it was accidentally ignited one night in the early 1940s.

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A polite Newcastle audience (Rousse)

After spending the night at JM ‘s house, I delivered a guest lecture at Northumbria University. Everyone was terribly friendly, listened intently, and kindly ignored my orange stained pale blue suit.

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Chasing Rupert Grint in the dark (Rousse)

My sister J and I walked along the middle of Darlington Road as far as the junction with Kenton Close. The houses were spaced out more widely than we remembered, in a landscape of lush green fields and rolling hills.

As we approached the White House J warned me that we were about to leave my dream and enter hers. We marched across the snow field, pushed open the front door, then chased through the dark corridors in pursuit of Rupert Grint.

Read more about Rupert Grint in Time-travelling Rupert Grint (as Ron Weasley) greets Rousse in the Kingdom of Fife.

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McKinsey incentive holidays trump cinema trip with criminologists (Rousse)

“I flew first class with 90 Russians, and we ate like kings both on the outward and return journeys” boasted TT.

“Who did you work for?” I asked. When he answered “McKinsey” it all made sense.

The incentive event that we were attending on this occasion was not quite so luxurious – although I was looking forward to watching Toy Story with the criminologists.

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Garden overhaul leaves daughters unimpressed (Rousse)

My parents had been busy upgrading the White House. In the garden beneath the arched window they had laid a marble pétanque board, there were exercise hoops installed next to the summer house, and a red outdoors telephone where one would expect to find the back door.

Unfortunately they had forgotten to add any proper entrances to the house. Instead we were expected to get in and out by climbing through a window. “I’m not up to this!” I cried, citing my advanced age.

Meanwhile my sister S gazed up at me from where she lay motionless in the pond.

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Rousse’s Cuban missile crisis

JC, GC, TPR and I were playing outside on holiday in Cuba when we first noticed the military aircraft overhead. When one launched a missile that landed just a few feet from us, we took the hint and ran for shelter in our self-catering cottage.

“They’ll still be able to see us!” screamed TPR, “They’ll use infrared!”

We knew we had to prepare for the worst so I dressed in my millefleurs cotton dress and brown cashmere polo neck jumper, then hunted for my glasses.

The raid came as expected. Once they had rounded up the four of us they bundled us into an aircraft carrier. This sailed a few miles out to sea, then dumped us in the cold water, leaving us to perish.

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Parking problems in Loughborough (Rousse)

Given that my vehicle was a long, orange single decker bus, it was hardly surprising that I was struggling to park it in Loughborough. Nevertheless, LC was still appalled when I attempted to reverse and took out a white-painted post topped with a wooden owl.

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A mother’s secret career (Rousse)

My mother told me that before she married she worked as a nurse in Bristol.

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