Tag Archives: Edinburgh

Wedding speaker shamed (Rousse)

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Dreamaticus

VAE stood up from her pew seat, marched over to the speaker, and admonished him in front of the whole congregation: ‘This is a wedding of a couple very much in love. It is customary to speak about them during … Continue reading →

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Poor police response times in Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Dreamaticus

‘All our agents are currently busy and unavailable. If you would like to hold to speak to our emergency response team, please wait and we will connect you as soon as possible’. This was not what I expected to hear … Continue reading →

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Parking scam at the University of Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Bold as brass, TPR pulled into a ‘visitors only’ parking space outside Edinburgh University’s Informatics building. A parking warden immediately scurried over to us to ask about the nature of our visit. TPR guessed at the name of a host … Continue reading →

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Escaped gorillas from Edinburgh Zoo enjoy the Fringe experience (Rousse)

Posted on May 14, 2024 by Dreamaticus

All the animals had escaped from Edinburgh Zoo. I spotted a hippopotamus lumbering along a New Town crescent, then a gnu carefully picking his way along a cobbled street. A family of three gorillas seemed more at home, queuing for … 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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Jonathan Ross lover boy (Rousse)

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Jonathan Ross was a surprise celebrity guest at RC-I’s London flat, where I was staying for a couple of nights. How bizarre to find myself standing next to the star at the bathroom sink, cleaning our teeth together, dressed in … Continue reading →

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Toilet transport for women (Rousse)

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Dreamaticus

While my male ex-colleague SL could happily stand up from the dinner table, cross the room, and find the gents with no trouble at all, any women who hoped to use the facilities at the University of Edinburgh were forced … Continue reading →

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A shoddy Edinburgh welcome at Portobello Town Hall (Rousse)

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Dreamaticus

All business travellers to Edinburgh were routed into the city via Portobello Town Hall. Strips of dirty blue plastic poorly fixed to the hall’s internal steps announced ‘Welcome to Edinburgh’ hundreds of times in a tiny font. Once in the … Continue reading →

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Sausages on a train (Rousse)

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Not long after my mother and I bought half a dozen sausages to cook on the train carriage grill, TPR suggested that we take advantage of the 40 minute break in the journey at Edinburgh Waverley station to play tourist … Continue reading →

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A play, a pie, a pint, and passion (Rousse)

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Dreamaticus

A play, a pie, and a pint was so heavily advertised that all Edinburgh seemed to have gathered at the Festival Theatre for the first performance of the season. I feared that TPR and I would lose one another in … Continue reading →

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