Tag Archives: chair

Unwelcome chair, cat, and guest (Rousse)

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Dreamaticus

What was my mother’s old recliner-riser chair doing back in our sitting room? Why was my sister’s cat rolling round on the floor? And – more to the point – how had my sister managed to get into the house … Continue reading →

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Committee meeting expulsions (Rousse)

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Dressed in old stone-washed jeans and a tatty T shirt, and carrying a 4 litre plastic bottle of milk, I ran from my grandmother’s bungalow to the meeting venue. I felt very out of place, and somewhat ashamed, when I … Continue reading →

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(More) conference confusion (Rousse)

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Dreamaticus

My sister S drove the rickety old grey Land Rover. Her passengers were my other sister, her husband, their daughter, and their daughter’s partner. They carried hardly any luggage having ‘gone minimal’ after their recent house clearance experiences. This meant … Continue reading →

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Stirrup hairdressing (Rousse)

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Dreamaticus

I sat at a make-shift hairdresser’s chair with my feet fixed in stirrups. A man attended to my hair, then a woman demanded £60 – for a simple dry trim. What a waste of money.

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Turning down Loughborough (Rousse)

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Dreamaticus

I performed well in my interview for a chair at Loughborough University, and it came as no surprise when Eric (the Head of School) offered me the job. I was delighted with this outcome, as was AM, who had always … Continue reading →

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An unprofessional conference chair (Rousse)

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Dreamaticus

The keynote speaker – Professor EG from Berlin – was so excited to see me that she stretched out her hand and brushed my arm. I recoiled in horror. How could she be unaware that we were still social distancing … Continue reading →

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Reader held hospital hostage (Rousse)

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Dreamaticus

For a change, the book group members met for Sunday lunch. MH offered her sparse flat as the venue, even though she could not attend herself. JS’s sister took MH’s place, holding her head in her hands whenever death was … Continue reading →

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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 … Continue reading →

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Dead man chairs a game of classroom charades (Rousse)

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Dreamaticus

Everyone was seated on rows of chairs in a classroom for the lunchtime game of charades. Those in the front row performed first. Then, as soon as someone in the audience made a correct guess, everyone moved forward a row … Continue reading →

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The value of writing concisely (Rousse)

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Dreamaticus

‘The greatest skill that we learnt as undergraduates’ announced JS to the audience seated before her on rows of hard wooden chairs ‘Is how to write concisely. I can turn one person’s long-winded paragraph into three neat sentences – as … Continue reading →

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