Tag Archives: sister

Fated never to play Catan (Rousse)

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

For months I had been trying to find an opportunity to teach the board game Catan to my neighbour KB and online friend KJD. Now, at last, they were both at my flat and eager to learn. Even my sister … Continue reading →

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An open invitation to theft and burglary (Rousse)

Posted on March 29, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I was asking for trouble when I left my handbag next to a bin beside the road when I went for a run. By the time I returned my bag was gone – and with it my bank cards, keys, … Continue reading →

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A view of Edinburgh Castle and a cat in the dentist’s car seat (Rousse)

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Dreamaticus

TPR and I didn’t miss the city when we moved to the outskirts of Edinburgh. Our house was a luxurious new-build with an extraordinary number of bathrooms. From a thin window on the top floor, we could see in the … Continue reading →

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Riding a water envelope is more fun than house clearing and lecturing (Rousse)

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Dreamaticus

When we were recalled to my parents’ house to finish the clearing job, we admired the garden in the beautiful spring sunshine. Our progress was slow, especially because all the utilities had been disconnected. Even the simplest of tasks, such … Continue reading →

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House clearing woes – again (Rousse)

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Dreamaticus

‘Oh no, here we go’ I groaned as I faced the mess and decrepitude of my parents’ ‘new’ house. I foresaw months of clearing (again). The only pleasure that I could possibly take from this would be to sort through … Continue reading →

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Lion cubs join Oxford University for freshers week (Rousse)

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Dreamaticus

Dressed only in a navy blue towel, I wandered around chilly Oxford cursing the snow – and TPR, now onto the xth affair of our marriage. The new undergraduates looked both puzzled and proud at their achievement of winning places … Continue reading →

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Rude relations (Rousse)

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Dreamaticus

My sister J and her husband M decided to move to Edinburgh. They took a quick look at my flat, pulled out a pad of paper, and drew up some plans. Their big idea was to buy my flat and … Continue reading →

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PhD poser (Rousse)

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I had never heard a voicemail greeting like this before. My sister J started her message in the conventional way, then launched into a long diatribe about the recruitment of PhD students. Very few of her friends, if any, would … Continue reading →

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Spreadsheets, arguments, and a spiral staircase at the auctioneer’s sale room (Rousse)

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Dreamaticus

The auctioneer’s accountant praised the clarity of the layout of our financial transactions. ‘That comes from years of working with spreadsheets’, I said with pride. The accountant’s colleagues were not so happy that we sisters argued openly in front of … Continue reading →

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No junk in Jesmond (Rousse)

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Dreamaticus

I had dreaded the visit to my sister S’s house in Jesmond, convinced that I probably wouldn’t even make it past the front door. This was due to the quantity of junk that she stored from floor to ceiling in … Continue reading →

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