Tag Archives: summer

Australian dinosaur surprise (Rousse)

Although it was the middle of December, I was luxuriating in the warmth of summer thanks to a speaking invitation at a conference in Australia. Dressed in a light cotton skirt, I wandered through the grounds of the conference centre … Continue reading

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A reunion with Gandalf, Dumbledore, Beowulf, and Basil Fawlty (Rousse)

Gandalf and/or Dumbledore was dead. I saw them wheel his body into the hall on a trolley. The white sheet was meant to cover the entire corpse, but strands of long white hair could not be contained and peeked out … Continue reading

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BBC sponsors Fife summer fair (Rousse)

Just across the Firth of Forth in Fife a state secondary school hosted an annual summer fair. It was odd that we had never known about this, especially given the BBC sponsorship of the event. I turned up on the … Continue reading

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Julian Clary, seals, and a dolphin on the Isle of Harris (Rousse)

Comedian Julian Clary led the workshop in a house just above the village beach in Northton, South Harris. As well as displaying his extensive knowledge of local archaeology and wildlife, he also performed magic for his audience. Like everyone else … Continue reading

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A trip to Middle-earth, the Shire and Hobbiton (Rousse)

She was only just back from her summer holiday, yet already AM was off on another exciting trip – to Hobbiton in Middle-earth. I clicked the link that she had posted to her Facebook wall and marvelled at the photographs … Continue reading

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Badger cull targets head north of the border to attack household pets (Rousse)

Something yellow and blue was peeping out of the undergrowth in our back garden. Was it a parrot? Yes, a parrot, in Edinburgh, at the tail end of summer! I ran to the kitchen to grab the camera only to … Continue reading

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A fishy tale of fighter jets and a missed meeting (Rousse)

From the coach window in Ireland EH, NU and I watched fighter jets sketch vapour trails into the blue summer sky. “How do they do that?” I asked as the planes created a small shoal of vapour trail salmon for … Continue reading

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Sir Paul McCartney sings for information scientists (Rousse)

BC organised an evening reception for all the summer information science interns based in the US. I was delighted to be invited: I’d been getting very lonely living in a shed in my hosts’ garden. I was beginning to feel … Continue reading

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Brad Pitt’s summer secrets (Rousse)

Brad Pitt had managed to remain incognito for much of his visit – many of the students had simply not recognised that we had a Hollywood superstar in our midst – but soon he would be returning home. I’d really … Continue reading

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Snow and a new suitor in Sydney (Rousse)

My cousin B sat at a picnic table in the garden of a Sydney suburb with a handsome Asian man. Even though it was the height of summer, flurries of snow fell all around. Shouldn’t Australians be enjoying evening barbecues … Continue reading

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