Tag Archives: Scottish

Bruce Springsteen spends Christmas in Scottish Highland lodge (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Bruce Springsteen was amongst the dozen or so guests at the highland lodge over Christmas. Bruce and I exchanged a couple of words as I was gathering some of my belongings from the deck as the first stage of packing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bruce Springsteen, celebrity, Christmas, comedian, dandelion, deck, heated, highland, loch, Lodge, Scotland, Scottish, swim, swimmer, water | Leave a comment

Shorty gets lost with a stranger in the Scottish highlands (Rousse)

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Dreamaticus

‘Hey Shorty!’ I heard someone shout behind me. A course figure lumbered into view. I couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman, but s/he was definitely calling me. ‘I need a lift to work’ said she, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged biscuits, car, car park, glen, highlands, lift, Scottish, Shorty, work | Leave a comment

A neglected guest witnesses wax flowers, uncovers a property tax dodge, and sticks up for non-smokers (Rousse)

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Dreamaticus

I visited J and GC at their new house in the US. They had relocated there for G’s job. His role now extended beyond sound production and included procurement. These days star-struck hopefuls would approach him seeking fame and fortune … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged deck, decking, dodge, eat, flower, guest, highlands, jet lag, neglected, Norwegian, phone, podcast, property, restaurant, Scottish, shop, smoking, sunbathe, tax, TPR, US, wax | Leave a comment

Actor Bill Paterson is Mr Diamond selling tea at the Gorilla Arboretum (Rousse)

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dreamaticus

RR almost smashed into two cars in the car park of the Gorilla Arboretum. He simply did not see the brown Ford Escort Mk 4 as he reversed into what he thought was a free parking space. On his second … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged actor, arboretum, Bill Paterson, bin liner, car, clothes, cowboy boots, Ford Escort Mk 4, gorilla, jeans, Mr Diamond, park, place mat, Scottish, shop, tea chest, thermal vest | Leave a comment

Arran by bike (Rousse)

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Dreamaticus

I was the front passenger on a blue five-saddle tandem steered by my nephew P from very the last seat at the back of the bike. To ride the winding one-track roads of the Isle of Arran without protective clothing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arran, beach, bike, holiday, island, museum, nephew, Scottish, sister, tandem | Leave a comment

Coach plunges into Scottish loch, many feared drowned (Rousse)

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Dreamaticus

As the coach left the outskirts of Glasgow, I tested the reclining bed that I had discovered next to the window. It was very versatile, with several options for its positioning. The traffic had thinned out by the time we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accident, bed, coach, driver, drown, Glasgow, loch, passenger, Scotland, Scottish, shore, swim, TPR, water, window | Leave a comment

Paternoster panic and a dreary dance (Rousse)

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Dreamaticus

After scaring myself silly on the library’s open paternoster podium (at the instigation of LM), I followed a student in highland dress to the graduation ball. The latter was a grave disappointment. In a tiny meeting room at the back … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged academic, bagpipes, ball, ceilidh, celebration, dance, dreary, graduation, library, man, panic, paternoster, podium, Scottish, scruffy, student, year | Leave a comment

Scottish island cycling skeleton surprise (Rousse)

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Dreamaticus

Cycling in the Scottish islands in May is always a pleasure with the lengthening summer days and low likelihood of rain. However, it is not so enjoyable when your wheels take you over a massive seaweed-covered midden where the skeletons … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bike, bone, cycle, dead, island, islander, May, midden, rain, Scotland, Scottish, seaweed, skeleton, summer, surface, tour, wheel | Leave a comment

Lobbying the Scottish Government: in person, on a Sunday, face-to-face, in French (Rousse)

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Dreamaticus

So impressed were we of RG’s athletic feat that we lobbied the Head of the Scottish Government – in person, on a Sunday, face-to-face, in French – to mark her achievement with a line of text carved in stone at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged achievement, athletic, audience, bid, carve, community, council, Coventry, employment, face-to-face, flaw, forget, French, government, head, hide, i3 conference, ignore, letter, lobby, memory, nomination, official, opportunity, prospect, recite, refuse, research, restaurant, risk, Scottish, stone, Sunday, supper, team, text, treasury | Leave a comment

Monkeys and kangaroos stalk the glens (Rousse)

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Dreamaticus

The monkeys and kangaroos that recently escaped from Edinburgh Zoo have colonised vast swathes of the Scottish Highlands.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Edinburgh, escape, glen, highlands, kangaroo, moneky, Scotland, Scottish, stalk, zoo | Leave a comment