Tag Archives: children

How the other half (barely) lives (Rousse)

When I was supposed to be at work I poked around my sister J’s vastly extended house in West Sussex. On the ground floor there was a luxurious self-contained holiday cottage that looked out onto a large rectangular pond destined … Continue reading →

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Introducing the London Dockland Golden Pyramid Cinema Complex and Ski Resort – and a skier in a Brian May wig (Rousse)

KPMG had poured millions into the construction of the London Dockland Golden Pyramid Cinema Complex and Ski Resort. The first time that I visited it I was convinced that I spotted my school friend KC with her husband and two … Continue reading →

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Hamleys for the depressed (Rousse)

Bored, lonely and depressed in London, I headed off to Hamleys. On the ground floor I visited the dull Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy exhibition. Then I walked up several flights of stairs with a pair of very overweight American … Continue reading →

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An encounter with a narcissist robot (Rousse)

I was an unexpected, and unwelcome, guest at the house of a woman who was in my year at school. We barely knew one another. I had simply spoken to EC, a retired accountant, at a couple of reunions in … Continue reading →

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Cancer patient makes an early, and ill-advised, return to work (Rousse)

LM was shocked to see me in the corridor on campus. ‘Whatever are you doing here?’ she shouted. ‘You’ve got cancer. Go back home to your sickbay!’ My own opinion was that I was fit to work. Then I tried … Continue reading →

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Arnold Schwartzenegger’s boring speech (Rousse)

Two of my Polish colleagues had commandeered my office while I was on long-term sick leave. My desk and other belongings were now all squeezed into a dark corner. I hoped that this was a temporary measure and that I … Continue reading →

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A Canadian in the UK (Rousse)

My extremely tall, dark, handsome Canadian cousin was living in the UK with his Italian girlfriend and her two children. One day I had a go at being as tall as my cousin. I discovered all the inconveniences that extra … Continue reading →

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Academic is owner of magnificent mansion on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (Rousse)

I knew that it was unconventional to take one’s sibling to a school management meeting, but now that mine worked at the University (albeit in a different department), I thought that I would get away with it. SS glanced over … Continue reading →

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Angelina Ballerina fans interviewed by Rolf Harris (Belle)

My friend JB and I were on one of her famous ‘pantomime crawls’. We arrived at the theatre in time for the Angelina Ballerina curtain call.  Small children were screaming with delight as a hippopotamus in a tutu took a … Continue reading →

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Easter egg wedding presents (Rousse)

AL and EF turfed out their tenants and returned to the flat above ours to host their wedding celebrations with their two children. There was no wedding list. As a result, AL and EF amassed a load of unexpected presents. … Continue reading →

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