Tag Archives: parents

Foil-wrapped Easter bunnies prove more interesting than professorships (Rousse)

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Dreamaticus

We ejected the two students from the table and got down to business. Our newly-appointed bearded colleague contributed much to the discussion. This was just what we hoped for when we took the decision to recruit external experienced staff on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged appointment, appointments, beard, birthday, bunnies, bunny, cafeteria, experience, foil, parents, present, presents, professor, professors, professorship, professorships, promotion, rabbit, rabbits, staff, student, students, table, university | Leave a comment

Diversionary tactics and the ugly child (Rousse)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Dreamaticus

Although long-divorced, P and G put on a cheery show when they brought their two children to the party. I’d met the little boy before, but was unsure as to the parentage of the girl named Chloë. I wondered whether … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged achievements, boy, child, Chloë, daughter, distraction, diversionary, divorce, girl, insult, parents, pondering, report, rude, school, son, sport, tactics, ugly | Leave a comment

Old university perks (Rousse)

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Dreamaticus

Now I understood why my colleagues at Edinburgh University were more productive than me. When my friend took up her new chair there, not only was she provided with a PA, but her department also paid for her parents to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chair, child, colleagues, department, Edinburgh University, job, leave, maternity, PA, parents, perks, post, pregnant, professor, university, University of Edinburgh | Leave a comment

Sorting sleeping arrangements for house guests (Rousse)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Dreamaticus

My parents had only been in the house for 12 months and already it was looking shabby. I almost tripped over the split lino as I ran upstairs to check who was sleeping where. If we weren’t careful, we would … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accommodation, alcohol, attic, bed, bedroom, beds, crisis, daughter, daughters, double, friend, guest, guests, house, lino, Lucy, mark, pal, parents, party, shabby, single, sleep, sleeping, staircase, stairs, TPR, university | Leave a comment

Advantages of going to college close to home (Rousse)

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Dreamaticus

I signed up for (yet another) degree. This time I would be studying at the Hexham campus of Northumbria University. As I started planning how to arrange my belongings in my tiny hall of residence room, I congratulated myself on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged campus, college, degree, dorm, hall of residence, Hexham, home, laundry, mother, Northumbria University, parents, washing | Leave a comment

Garden overhaul leaves daughters unimpressed (Rousse)

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Dreamaticus

My parents had been busy upgrading the White House. In the garden beneath the arched window they had laid a marble pétanque board, there were exercise hoops installed next to the summer house, and a red outdoors telephone where one … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged age, arched, back, board' exercise, door' forget, entrance, entrances, garden, hoops, motionless, parents, pétanque, pond, red telephone, sister, summer house, White House, window | 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

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

Skiing in Scotland: chairlifts, cafés and crime (Rousse)

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Dreamaticus

There was something not quite right about this Scottish ski resort. The main drag lift, for example, pulled skiers uphill at such a speed that TPR and I found it almost impossible to cross their path while out on our … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ankles, cafés, cafe, chairlift, chairlifts, cheese, children, clean, couple, crime, dinner, drag, face, faces, laps, parents, resort, restaurant, roll, runner, sandwich, Scotland, Scottish, ski, skiing, snow, staff, stains, tips, TPR, village, waitresses | Leave a comment

A sister’s wedding, smokers and cycling (Rousse)

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Dreamaticus

We all gathered at my parents’ house in a small town off the M4 corridor for my sister’s wedding. It was a huge affair, largely because the expected guest list of family and friends was supplemented with the names of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged acquaintances, bicycle, bike, Blipfoto, bridesmaid, Bristol, child, commuter, corridor, cycling, east, family, Friends, guest, guests, Lucy, M4, parents, pink, Reading, room, seats, sister, smoker, smokers, tables, toddler, wedding, west, woman | Leave a comment