Tag Archives: mother

Cake, china cabinets, and Charles Dickens (Rousse)

When LM and I returned to campus, we were shocked at the neglect that it had suffered in the past year. We hoped that the new students would not be disappointed with their choice of university. Whatever their opinion of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

London to Oxford and Oxford to Edinburgh by train (Rousse)

It really was too much to ask my 81 year-old mother to walk all the way from London to Edinburgh, so I suggested that we cut a few miles off the route by taking the train to Oxford. In the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Free trial liposuction, force-fed kipper, and ferocious wolves (Rousse)

I was disgusted at the rope of white marshmallow-like goo extracted from my midriff by the white-uniformed beautician. My first experience of liposuction was definitely going to be my last. I asked the beautician to stop my free trail, gathered … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Expensive Scottish border sandwiches, sandals, and snow (Rousse)

As we crossed the border at Carter Bar, I calculated that we would reach my mother’s house around 4pm. By this time my passengers would be rather hungry. I would not take any chances on the stock of my mother’s … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An unintentional insult (Rousse)

Through the car window, I thought that I saw KA wearing a long thin pale yellow jumper dress in the new deli in Hexham. I parked nearby and walked back along the road to the shop. Sure enough it was … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abusive parental role play (Rousse)

This was not my best idea for a bonding exercise: find a partner; allocate the roles of mother and daughter; perform role play on the basis that the parent hates the child.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A family drive along the south coast (Rousse)

With my mother at the wheel, and all three sisters on the back seat with Baby Ted and my panda, we drove along the south coast of England. ‘Is that the Isle of Wight?’ I asked, pointing to a beautiful, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A (possibly) dead husband and a stolen Christmas parcel (Rousse)

Life had been difficult since TPR died of cancer, but I resolved to lead as ‘normal’ a life as possible, and went to work as usual. I needed to tell the powers that be that the arrangement for collecting deliveries … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two deaths for Daddy (Rousse)

Both the hospital and EasyDeath had lied. It was impossible that those ashes in the box on the mantelpiece were my father’s because here he was still clinging to life, looking for fish in a low river with my mother … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A lobster-pot daughter and dodgy art work cleaning (Rousse)

Even though he obviously was not her father, TPR was the primary carer for our tiny new African baby. She was so beautiful that even I found it hard to believe that she was my very own daughter. We were … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment