Single women looking for men, and a new line in hot tubs (Rousse)

TPR and GJ were sewn into a two-man Black Watch tartan straight-jacket. Forced together so closely, the dancing tutor believed this would speed up the process of teaching them the moves for the forthcoming ball. Neither was particularly charmed by this idea. In complete contrast the entire single female population of Edinburgh could barely contain their excitement, bursting with enthusiasm for the chance to dance with two of the best-looking men in town, with the added bonus of perhaps finding a husband at the social event of the year. I was just grateful that KC featured on the guest list: at least there would be one man at the party familiar with the ways of the dance floor.

TPR and GJ had managed to unravel themselves during the night and looked much more comfortable with one another when they awoke together at the guest house on the Isle of Lewis the next day. I climbed out of bed and wandered off to see if I could find our host. He was nowhere to be seen. Instead I came across a foursome of newly-appointed hot tub salesmen plonked on the sofas in the sitting room. I glanced out the window at the waves rolling in from the Atlantic and commented that I thought it unlikely that anyone who lived so close to the sea would be interested in buying a hot tub. Then I spotted the menacing line tattooed across the cheek of one of the salesmen “guests”. My first thought was that he perhaps sold a new line in “goth hot tubs”. My second was fear.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commuting by ‘Fawlty Towers’ ocean liner (Belle)

The ocean liner departure hall was overcrowded and really confusing, yet still I refused to ask for help. I only wanted to travel as far as Hatfield, but I didn’t know if my ship would be departing from the north- or the south-bound platform. I ran up and down wooden stairs to various levels hoping someone would offer advice. Eventually, I recognised the chef from Fawlty Towers who was now working as a steward. He pointed me in the right direction.

Later, I was back on board, this time to sit an exam. I was sitting in a tight corner in the cabin and writing a powerful essay about the re-use of corporate assets. I was going to be an accountant! The examination brochure was illustrated with irrelevant, black and white police crime photographs. In one, the hull of the very ship I was travelling on was photographed in dry dock, with post-it notes attached to it. Were those bullet holes?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Belle ‘bottles’ Great British Bake Off

Dough by Brendan MacNeill

Dough by Brendan MacNeill

Newly released from prison, I had unexpectedly made it to the semi-finals of The Great British Bake Off. And now here I was, trying to knead dough on a cluttered work surface in C’s kitchen.

It was my first visit to C’s new house and I had taken time to admire the intricate pattern she had created on the kitchen floor using multi-coloured sawdust. Even as I said how lovely it was, she tutted loudly and swept it all away. As I kneaded my dough, it simply disappeared down to dust and to make matters worse I spilled frozen peas all over the newly clean kitchen floor. Then the lamp I had been working under started to smoke. Not only had I created chaos in the kitchen, I was now going to be disqualified from the show.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lost Shakespeare play: Rousse plays the leading lady

Two gorgeous knights of the realm were fighting over me – with swords! One was my lover. The other was the Duke of Northumberland, determined to win me as his own. I buried my face in the right shoulder of my beloved as the Duke lanced his unprotected left armpit. Blood spurted everywhere. I prayed that my parents would not witness the debris. It was simply far too gory to contemplate. Knowing them, they would take the whole thing literally, forgetting that I was the female lead in this “new” long-lost three-person Shakespearean drama.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Judge Judy and some Hollywood greats (Belle)

I was astonished to learn that my best friend’s boyfriend was taking me to Judge Judy’s court for non-payment of a yoga class fee. I burst into his hotel room and told him, in a stream of obscenities, exactly what I thought. Only later did I realise that I would have to repeat my words in court – and on ITV2.

Later, in a badly constructed public convenience, I tried to unravel the complexities of the family trees of Hollywood. It seems Clark Gable was the father of just one of Bette Davis’s twins.

Later I diffused a fight over an Evian water bottle.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regrets of Mrs Harry Potter (Rousse)

Although I was now immensely rich, the downside of life as Mrs Harry Potter was the complete loss of privacy following our marriage.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cornwall via Northampton International (Belle)

As I looked into the bay, I saw an EasyJet plane parked alongside a few outbuildings. I asked my guide what I was looking at and she said, “oh, that’s Northampton International Airport”.

Things had really changed around here – not least the aquisition of a coast line for a previously land-locked county. The profile of Northamptonshire had never been higher. At the Girl Guides camp the Guides were playing an animated version of ‘Cornwall or Northampton?’. As a game show host showed picture flash cards of scenic views the crowd had to correctly call out whether the picture had been taken in Cornwall – or Northampton.

Later I joined the Guides for a circuit on the spinning water ride. Sitting in a buoyant wooden ring I spun round the circuit but was dismayed to find that my ring took me on a short cut and I finished the ride too quickly. My sister, who had also been disappointed, snuck onto the ride again. Once again, I wished I was less honest.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nicky Campbell and graphic design with a message (Belle)

Radio broadcaster Nicky Campbell arranged for me to meet his ex-wife, who lived in the Outer Hebrides. I was furious to discover that I had to travel by plane, while he went on a roll-on-roll-off ferry. This meant I arrived hours ahead of him and had to wait at the port for his arrival. Eventually he introduced me to his former spouse who told me excitedly “I use make-up to express the uncertainty of the world’s economy”. I looked through her portfolio and realised she may have said “make-up” but meant to say “graphic design”. I was particularly taken with the orange and red designs that looked like chemical warning announcements but said things like ‘warning: toxic asset’ and ‘dangerous bank bonus’.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The “sad camel” look in Grantham (Rousse)

My grandmother returned from the dead for a day trip to Grantham by train. I was delighted to see her after almost two decades. However, my happiness turned to horror when we approached an outdoor jumble sale and I spotted amongst the odds and ends on the table a selection of my granny’s finest beige clothing. How would she react when she discovered that, in the twenty-first century, her signature “sad camel” look could be found amongst outdoor junk in a provincial northern town.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rousse ponders a possible abuse of LinkedIn

Surely this was an abuse of LinkedIn? The whole purpose of the site was to display connections between trusted contacts. If BF was correct, and EM and the American woman with the Greek name really didn’t rate me, then why would they share their contacts in this way? More to the point, what about the invitations to speak at the events that they had organised? If I was such a lightweight, what were they doing putting me on a conference podium?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment