Tag Archives: family

A posh yacht passenger and a PhD (Rousse)

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Dreamaticus

I ran up to the deck when I heard that the CalMac ferry was stopping in the Minch to collect the dirty washing from a posh yacht. Helpful as ever, I lent a hand to winch the bundle of clothes … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adventure, baording school, Billingham, blue-eyed, bundle, Calmac, captain, children, crew, dirty, examiner, external, family, ginger, guest, ICI, land, Minch, Mrs Crawford, passenger, passengers, Perth, PhD, posh, red-head, rigging, Teesside, thesis, TPR, travel, twin, undergraduate, unprofessional, vessel, washing, waves, winch, work, yacht | Leave a comment

Hugh Grant lookalike cited in affair accusations (Rousse)

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Dreamaticus

I tried to work out why TPR and I were staying in this business hotel by peering at the badges of the other guests. One man appeared to be “the friendliest of the friendly”. This didn’t help, other than suggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accusation, accusations, affair, appeal, aunt, aunties, aunts, badge, badges, bathroom, black, blame, business, case, child, court, cult, family, friendly, Fringe, golden, guest, guests, hair, hotel, Hugh Grant, husband, locks, look, lookalike, niece, raven, room, shock, suggestion, thick, town, TPR, unrecognisable, wash, worry | Leave a comment

Unwise words and a Christmas tragedy on the Thames (Rousse)

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Dreamaticus

“How awful that your daughter-in-law’s father is a crook, and that her mother is a burnt-to-a-crisp, over-tanned, airhead shopaholic!” said N. More awful was that she uttered these words while (unknowingly) sitting right next to the daughter-in-law in question. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accident, airhead, balcony, bar, Birmingham, blood, boatman, car, catch, celebrate, celebration, celebrations, Christmas, city, colleagues, crook, daughter-in-law, death, die, drink, drive, drown, fall, family, faux pas, invitation, jelly beans, jetty, ladder, London, motorboat, motorboats, neck, party, pub, red, shopaholic, skyline, slip, students, tan, Thames, toilets, tragedy, water, wine bar | Leave a comment

Family fun outdoors (Rousse)

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Dreamaticus

I rode with my family in an open train carriage across the wide salmon river. It had been an eventful day: my middle sister had taken my little sister to the hospital for an operation that she claimed to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aunt, canyon, carriage, family, fun, funeral, grandmother, granny, hospital, leap, level, operation, outdoors, river, salmon, silver, sister, sisters, skirt, split, stay-up, stockings, taffetta, train, water | Leave a comment

A cholera expert in the family (Rousse)

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Dreamaticus

My sister S was a world-leading authority on cholera.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged authority, cholera, disease, expert, family, sister | Leave a comment

New CalMac service covers land and sea (Rousse)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Dreamaticus

We caught the new CalMac service that travelled to the Outer Hebrides via Hexham. It was a very special boat that could cover both land and sea. I very much enjoyed riding along beside the dolphins, even though trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged boat, Caledonian Ma, Calmac, camera, Darlington Road, dolphin, dolphins, drama, Edinburgh, Elmwood, family, fete, film, garden fete, Hexham, historical, land, Leith Walk, north, Outer Hebrides, photograph, ride, route, Scotland, sea, seat, Stockton, Stockton-on-Tees | Leave a comment

A visit to (the other) Cardiff Castle (Rousse)

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Dreamaticus

I walked barefoot in my purple fleece pyjamas all the way to Cardiff. There I found the secret lane to the J family’s castle. The muddy track was littered with loose change that had been discarded by NJ’s teenage partying … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged barefoot, Cardiff, castle, change, edifice, family, fleece, Friends, granite, gym, house, lane, party, purple, pyjamas, secret, teenage, track, visit | Leave a comment

Antiquarian book collecting for beginners (Rousse)

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Dreamaticus

Each morning we swam with seals. RI would join us, provided that he had not stayed out too late the night before on “tom cat” excursions. In the afternoons we liked to vary our activities. Today OC took us to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged a catalogue, activities, afternoon, antiquarian, beginners, binding, book, books, British Library, cartoon, charity, Christmas, church, collect, collecting, collection, donation, drawing room, family, highlands, holiday, house, janitor, morning, nineteenth century, parents, photographs, pile, presents, rare, retire, seals. Late, stockings, swim, tarpaulin, theological, theology, Tom cat, treasure, venture, White House | Leave a comment

Simon Le Bon leaves Yasmin and takes new lover to Aberdeen caravan hideaway (Rousse)

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Dreamaticus

Simon Le Bon left his wife Yasmin – for me! Our first trip together was to Aberdeen beach to visit the Le Bon family’s caravan. I had expected it to be a luxurious trailer. Instead I discovered a tiny old-fashioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Aberdeen, caravan, family, gloves, Marigold, Marigolds, shower, Simon le Bon, trailer, trip, washing up, Yasmin Le Bon, Yasmin. | Leave a comment

Queen and Duke of Edinburgh spend Christmas with commoners in Northumberland (Rousse)

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Dreamaticus

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh decided to break with tradition and spend Christmas away from Sandringham. Instead of surrounding themselves with members of their own family, the royal couple accepted an invitation to celebrate the festivities at my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Christmas, commoners, couple, Duke of Edinburgh, family, festivities, house, invitation, Northumberland, parents, Prince Philip, Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, royal, Sandringham, tradition | Leave a comment