Tag Archives: school

A cross-Atlantic trip to the Liverpool Museum of Prison Life (Rousse)

I hadn’t seen my school friend JB for over thirty years so it was quite a surprise to bump into her in Liverpool. Her husband and one of their four children accompanied her. They’d travelled all the way here from … Continue reading

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How to improve your REF 2014 ranking (Rousse)

Once again, at the airport I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for ages. This time it was MH. Our last encounter had been over quarter of a century ago on the campus of the University of Birmingham. We spent … Continue reading

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A mystery shop and a disappearing pie (Belle)

I had walked past the ‘mystery shop’ several times now and finally my curiosity got the better of my shyness. There was no clue whatsoever as to what this shop was – no sign above the door, no branding and … Continue reading

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School reunion imposter unmasked in Yorkshire (Rousse)

A second school reunion was organised after the success of the 2011 event. This time it was held in the Yorkshire village of Robin Hood’s Bay in a beautiful posh restaurant that looked over the beach. Kev F Sutherland drove … Continue reading

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Jack Dee, school girls in gingham blouses, and dental floss (Rousse)

I couldn’t believe my luck: Jack Dee agreed to coach me for my big lecture in March! In the meantime, there were some more mundane duties to attend to on campus. EH suggested that a couple of glasses of Champagne … Continue reading

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Bad behaviour and an F1 fireball kill conversation (Rousse)

The conference launch event was a Victorian-Edwardian music hall concert in the style of BBC’s Good old days show. I thought this a bit OTT for a librarians’ conference, but this was the US, and it did make a change … Continue reading

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Rousse’s mistaken hot property purchase

I was looking forward to moving house. We were going back to the north east of England to be within a one hour drive of my parents. It would be wonderful to be surrounded by friendly northerners again. TPR left … Continue reading

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Police reopen case into dolly bird disappearance (Rousse)

I dressed in the black school uniform of my little brother and sister and accompanied them to class. None of the teachers spotted that I was an over-age imposter. When one of them confiscated my silver necklace at the school … Continue reading

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Malcolm Bradbury and Diane Abbott predict the next bestseller (Rousse)

The big clue as to the location of the conference was the island visible across the stretch of water to the west. If that was the Isle of Man, then this was rural Cumbria. However, it was impossible to work … Continue reading

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How to cook an elephant (Belle)

The cooking demonstration was underway and there was a palpable ripple of excitement in the audience as the cook revealed her main ingredient (baby elephant) and the cooking method (fiery pizza oven). Appalled, I decided the best thing for me … Continue reading

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