Tag Archives: sports

From danger in the Scottish hills to a ski-ing trip in Surrey (Rousse)

I struggled up the mountain side, the gap between us widening with every step I took. TPR was miles ahead of me and I would never catch up with him. The terrain was particularly difficult over the grassy banks. If … Continue reading

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Drunk Police fan and dead grandmother responsible for multiple car crashes (Rousse)

With my sister J at the wheel of the Fiat Panda, we turned off the main road and drove past a country pub packed with Eton schoolboys dressed in their school uniform. They couldn’t take their eyes off A, next … Continue reading

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University measures of excellence: showers, smoked haddock and guest speakers (Rousse)

If my life wasn’t complicated enough, I accepted another part-time post at the University of Aberdeen, and was also considering a return to Canada. An advantage of Aberdeen was that CM worked in the university gym. He offered to sneak … Continue reading

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Con-woman cleaner confuses clients with ridiculous rates of pay (Rousse)

The plump red-headed woman offered her services to us as a cleaner. What made her work superior (so she claimed) was her approach to doing the laundry, and the sliding scale for each type of service. I didn’t buy into … Continue reading

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Thirsty Queen congratulates academic on latest leg of jubilee tour (Rousse)

For security reasons the date of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee visit to campus had been kept a closely guarded secret. It was a complete coincidence that I happened to come into the office on that particular day at the height … Continue reading

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A labrador, a poodle and a Yorkshire terrier (Rousse)

The meeting took place at the dining room table of my grandmother’s house in Corbridge. Given that the location was so special to me, I thought that my colleagues could have been more patient when I interrupted the proceedings with … Continue reading

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