Tag Archives: hall

Medicine as a mature student at the University of Cambridge (Rousse)

Posted on November 9, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Aged 25, and after several exam attempts, I was finally admitted to the University of Cambridge as a medical student. My mother and sister S came with me to Cambridge on my first day to help me settle in. They … Continue reading →

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Big changes at the University of Birmingham (Rousse)

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Childhood friends SB and KH met me in Birmingham to scope out venues for next year’s university reunion. We were in for a shock when we reached the University of Birmingham campus. The French department was completely unrecognisable. The corridors … Continue reading →

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In defence of the ‘Nonsense Norwegian’ (Rousse)

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Dreamaticus

The residential staff retreat was a dreary affair. As I stood in a queue waiting for my turn to take part in the next ‘exciting’ activity – charity shop shopping – my mother-in-law lifted my woollen jumper to check that … Continue reading →

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Gatecrashing the Choral Society concert (Rousse)

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Dreamaticus

I was desperate to the attend the sell-out concert at the drill hall. Without a ticket, I hatched a plan to gatecrash the event. Just before the concert start time, I walked boldly into the reception area of the hall. … Continue reading →

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A holiday cottage and wedding invitations (Rousse)

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Dreamaticus

I was worried about the safety of the family’s holiday cottage. Although the front door to the building that we shared with the neighbours was secured with a Yale lock, the door to our porch and the second one from … Continue reading →

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Moth escape (Rousse)

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Dreamaticus

TPR and I were halfway across town when we realised that we had abandoned our elderly charge at home without leaving details of our whereabouts. We made an about turn and rushed back to the house, praying that she had … Continue reading →

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An inconvenient house in the Highlands, with stunning medieval hall (Rousse)

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Why did we ever buy this inconvenient house in the Highlands? The only advantage of living here was that you could leave your front door unlocked without any risk of burglary. The layout of the building was ridiculous. You walked … 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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Scruffy cellar dwellers (Rousse)

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Dreamaticus

I dropped a line of muddy footprints along the pale blue carpet when I came into the house from the garden. I really should have taken off my wellingtons at the back door. Now I would have to waste time … Continue reading →

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Fear of the dentist cured by beans (Rousse)

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Dreamaticus

We returned to our old dental practice, hoping that they would take us back. The elderly dentist ushered us into his premises through the tatty hall (littered with spent tissues and lumps of chewing gum). At the waiting room counter, … Continue reading →

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