Tag Archives: student

The computerisation of sanitation businesses (Rousse)

A mature student with a Geordie accent, supported by a gang of friends, was trying to persuade me that it was appropriate that he write his dissertation on how to revive his wife’s failing sanitation business. I explained that this … Continue reading

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A French language refresher course in Paris (Rousse)

I accepted the offer of a place in Paris to undertake a six-month long refresher course in French. Although downhearted at the prospect of a long time apart, TPR kindly accompanied me to France to help me settle in. The … Continue reading

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Angelina Ballerina fans interviewed by Rolf Harris (Belle)

My friend JB and I were on one of her famous ‘pantomime crawls’. We arrived at the theatre in time for the Angelina Ballerina curtain call.  Small children were screaming with delight as a hippopotamus in a tutu took a … Continue reading

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Bare bottom disgrace (Rousse)

Princes Street was brimming with brides in town for wedding shows. Fortunately none paid any attention to me, struggling to cover my bare bottom with a pair of big white pants. There was, however, one person who was rude to … Continue reading

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The value of writing concisely (Rousse)

‘The greatest skill that we learnt as undergraduates’ announced JS to the audience seated before her on rows of hard wooden chairs ‘Is how to write concisely. I can turn one person’s long-winded paragraph into three neat sentences – as … Continue reading

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Middle-aged errant husband enjoys ‘space’ in the arms of a 21 year old student (Rousse)

TPR announced that he needed some ‘space’ so he moved out of our marital home and into a shared flat in Bruntsfield with a bunch of undergrads and some young professionals (one of whom had just been offered a lectureship … Continue reading

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Paris waves freeze on last day of finals (Rousse)

I took my last final exam on the day that the Paris waves froze. My entire cohort was gathered there in summer dresses – even DM, slim and beautiful in red, yellow and blue. I had done no revision at … Continue reading

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How long does it take to write up a PhD? (Rousse)

By my calculations (in pencil, on a grid) it would take at least another 38 days to complete the write-up of the thesis. This was double the student’s estimate. It also meant that the submission would be delayed even further … Continue reading

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A mother on horseback and men holding hands (Rousse)

This I had to see: my mother on horseback. From a distance I observed that my sister was leading the two-horse hack, encouraging mother to whip her steed into action. The horses broke into a trot. Almost immediately my mother … Continue reading

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Dinner party distractions (Rousse)

TPR interfered with my cooking arrangements so now all the plans for the dinner party had gone awry. He even let a plastic spatula melt in a saucepan. Meanwhile JLW wasn’t doing much better at setting the table for 16 … Continue reading

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