Tag Archives: staircase

Humpty Dumpties take up residence in run-down farm house (Rousse)

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Dreamaticus

I pushed open the back door of my cousins’ farm house and walked into the kitchen. There several members of my extended family were seated at the kitchen table, but only one greeted me: TB with a low groan. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bedroom, cousins, farm, groan, house, Humpty Dumpty, sisters, staircase | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged antique, argument, auctioneer, Barbara, bed, double, family, handbag, junk, Newcastle, room, sale, sister, spiral, spreadsheet, staircase | Leave a comment

Northumbrian holiday secrets of ABBA (Rousse)

Posted on July 13, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson bounded down the narrow staircase. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad followed more quietly behind them. Nobody had ever spotted the four members of ABBA on their regular visits to Northumberland. It was our family secret … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Abba, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, cottage, holiday, Holy Island, husband, Lindisfarne, Northumberland, sister, staircase | Leave a comment

Online conference revival (Rousse)

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Dreamaticus

Last held in 2013, we all believed that that was the end of the annual Online conference – until this week, when it was revived in London. LVZ was operating the complicated lifts, and my colleague BMR selling miscellaneous books … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged auditorium, book, Christmas, class, conference, Easter, exercise, film, lift, London, Online, revival, spiral, staircase, stall | Leave a comment

Waylaid on Broughton Street by Edwardian hookers and a shop alarm (Rousse)

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Dreamaticus

I knew that I needed to be at Waverley Station to meet JS and RR off the train from Bristol at 18:30. Nevertheless, I cycled down Broughton Street on my static exercise bike, and followed the new-to-me narrow street that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged antique, bike, Bristol, Broughton Street, children, Edinburgh, Edwardian, exercise, hooker, London Street, shop, spear, staircase, station, Waverley | Leave a comment

A marble staircase to the Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris (Rousse)

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Dreamaticus

I agreed to cross the stage at the graduation ceremony as a proxy for LA. This meant that I would go last. This was at the same time as the executive members of the Student Association who failed to complete … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged arthritis, Église Saint-Sulpice, chute, degree, disabled, Edinburgh, graduation, marble, McEwan Hall, Paris, staircase, student, University of Edinburgh | Leave a comment

St Cuthbert and a staircase (Rousse)

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Dreamaticus

I had heard of people trapped in lifts, but what about trapped in a staircase? The irony was that I had told skinny June in the high heels that I was taking the stairs because it was safer. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cathedral, causeway, Durham, handbag, high heels, janitor, lift, St Cuthbert, staircase | Leave a comment

Truck hire Edinburgh (Rousse)

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Dreamaticus

I was impressed with TPR’s truck driving. He sailed with ease along the wide lanes of the M8 into Edinburgh. Similarly, he skillfully navigated the narrow streets of the city, managing to squeeze the articulated lorry down the narrowest of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abseil, car, close, Edinburgh, hire, lorry, M8, magazine, medieval, Old Town, spiral, staircase, toy, TPR, truck | Leave a comment

Manchester’s music scene celebrated at the University (Rousse)

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Dreamaticus

How did I know that I was at the University of Manchester? Because the walls were covered in Manchester band posters. Gathered together like this, you were forced to appreciate the impact of city’s music scene on the history of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged band, foyer, glass, Manchester, marble, music, poster, staircase, step, university | Leave a comment

A murderer on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (Rousse)

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Dreamaticus

We had a couple of hours to spare so crossed the causeway to Holy Island. In the distance on the headland we saw JS. We called ‘Broken bone!’ at her and she responded with a wave and a smile. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bone, headland, Holy Island, Lindisfarne, LJ Ross, man, mother, murder, police, sister, spiral, staircase, woman | Leave a comment