Tag Archives: niece

Nicking a notebook, a nightclub, and finding photos from the 1980s (Rousse)

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Dreamaticus

The brand new thick red-covered notebook on my mother-in-law’s kitchen table was ideal for my assessment task. I grabbed a black Sharpie pen, then very neatly wrote the title of my work on the cover. Almost as soon as I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1980s, archive, Brighton, grumpy, kitchen, mother-in-law, Nick, niece, nightclub, notebook, pen, photo, photograph, Sharpie, steal, supper, table, TPR | Leave a comment

Extravagances of a cash-strapped couple (Rousse)

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I suggested to my cash-strapped sister that she offer afternoon teas as a money-making venture. Even if she only catered for paying guests at weekends, the extra income would help address her tricky financial predicament. She turned her nose up … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged afternoon tea, bowls, boyfriend, cash-strapped, extravagance, finance, gazebo, husband, income, money, niece, party, sister, TPR | Leave a comment

A forgetful bald friend and queuing for a flight to Denmark (Rousse)

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Dreamaticus

With her bald head, RJ looked like a cancer patient. I said that I hoped that her family and friends knew that she had shorn off her hair to raise money for charity. Otherwise, they would be very worried about … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged airport, bald, cancer, charity, cycle, Denmark, family, flight, friend, hair, museum, niece, pool, queue, research, sister, towel | Leave a comment

Invited to a picnic then snubbed at a talk (Rousse)

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Dreamaticus

I glimpsed a slim figure sauntering down the hall in a blue and white 1960s sundress, carrying a wicker basket. ‘Who would like to join me for a picnic?’ called my mother, returned to the beauty of her twenties – … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged basket, grand-daughter, mother, niece, picnic, seat, sister, snub, sundress, talk, wicker | Leave a comment

Limbless torsos in Speedos, a bare-breasted woman, children in litter disguise, and booklet giveaways in Morningside (Rousse)

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Dreamaticus

I abandoned weeding a municipal planter on the southern outskirts of Edinburgh so that I could catch a 23 bus back into town and meet my mother on Colinton Road at 6:30pm, as previously agreed. The bus was frustratingly slow. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 23, booklet, breasts, bus, cafe, Colinton Road, cream, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, fuel can, grammar, Holy Corner, limbless, litter bin, Morningside, mother, niece, office, planter, poetry, school, servicemen, shawl, sister, swimming, torso, weeding, youghourt | Leave a comment

Monkey in a motorhome (Rousse)

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Dreamaticus

With my sister at the wheel of our motorhome, we were driving south through France to the drop off my niece A and her partner D at a ski resort. It was a wonder that we weren’t killed en route. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bleeding, blood, death, France, home, monkey, motor, motor-home, motorhome, niece, partner, sister, ski | Leave a comment

Errant father drama (Rousse)

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Dreamaticus

I picked up the phone. ‘Where are your nephew and niece?’ shouted the person at the other end. ‘They are in mortal danger!’ ‘P’s here, and A is in London (I think)’, I replied. ‘Well their father is on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged danger, father, journalist, marriage, nephew, niece, police, secret | Leave a comment

A purple kitchen with an excess of kale (Rousse)

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Dreamaticus

On the spur of the moment we called in on R and SL. SL was particularly delighted to see us, mistakenly thinking that our friend in tow (KA) was our niece AF. While I admired their modern purple kitchen, SL … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged friend, kale, kitchen, niece, purple, retirement | Leave a comment

Salt mine offers ‘magic’ treatment for eczema (Rousse)

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Dreamaticus

It took a long time to cycle the single tracks roads across the wilderness to the immense quarry, but it was worth the effort. The excavation was enormous. I couldn’t wait to see it close up. We dropped our bikes … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bike, car, eczema, Land Rover, magic, mine, niece, quarry, salt, treatment | Leave a comment

Giving up on Argyll (Rousse)

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Dreamaticus

I loved the beautiful arts and crafts house in Argyll that I shared with my parents and husband, so I was devastated when my father announced that he had had enough of the poor road links and isolation and would … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Argyll, arts and crafts, fortune, Hexham, house, husband, isolation, nephew, niece, parents, Scotland, sell, Stockton-on-Tess, wilderness | Leave a comment