Tag Archives: colleague

A woolly drink and a woolly case of mistaken identity (Rousse)

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I made a ‘lovely’ hot drink for TPR. The ingredients comprised hot water, coffee granules, raw sugar, a twist of mustard embroidery silk, and two balls of rusty brown wool. Later, I thought that I had found the lost green … Continue reading →

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Party treats of burnt prawns and carbonised sausages (Rousse)

Posted on September 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Our lodger FR hadn’t quite got the hang of our kitchen. She crammed far too much blue and white crockery into the glass-fronted cupboards, then cleared a drawer to store a single cake. More annoying, she didn’t clean up after … Continue reading →

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REF cheats (Rousse)

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Dreamaticus

I started to write my report about the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in pink ink along the top of the low wall. My source material was a huge A4 binder bulging with print-outs and notes from 2021. I left my … Continue reading →

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Waiting for the headmistress (Rousse)

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Dreamaticus

The teachers stood patiently in a long line, creating a human snake that encircled the school hall. I joined them, keen to discover whether or not the attraction out of sight at the head of the queue was worth the … Continue reading →

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David Baddiel and love (Rousse)

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Dreamaticus

There was nobody more astonished than I was when David Baddiel fell in love with me. We first met through friends, and now we were inseparable. We chatted for hours (I confessed that I used to listen to his football … Continue reading →

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A colour-blind colleague (Rousse)

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Dreamaticus

I told my colleagues that I wanted a grey leaving party. My formerly miserable colleague PT exhibited great enthusiasm for the plans. However, he broke the rules by turning up with a huge, brown, chocolate cake.

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Donald Trump will run for President: exclusive interview from David Elstein’s offices (Rousse)

Posted on February 6, 2023 by Dreamaticus

Donald Trump’s fall from power was so great that he now worked in advertising sales for David Elstein’s media empire. My good friend JM also worked for Elstein, so gave me access to the once ‘great’ man. One day I … Continue reading →

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Green checked shirts and Bible study (Rousse)

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Dreamaticus

EH and I set up camp in a comfortable three-seater with another colleague for our all-School work trip to the US. Occasionally our male colleagues – each dressed in a different take on the green checked shirt – would call … Continue reading →

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Party crashers (Rousse)

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Dreamaticus

It was meant to be a small gathering of my immediate colleagues, but the invitation had  spread much further than intended. Now I found myself serving food and drinks to a wide range of staff. I was so overcome that … Continue reading →

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Climate change and a secret love affair (Rousse)

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Dreamaticus

A rag tag mix of former colleagues and students – including ED, LG, DMcA, and JC of the National Library of Scotland – formed a loose company of actors. We gathered for ‘rehearsals’ in the mews building of my childhood … Continue reading →

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