Tag Archives: track

Sci-fi at the Four Seasons hotel and an abandoned bike (Rousse)

The short cycle ride to Waverley station was torturous. From Broughton Street I was diverted onto a narrow, and almost unnavigable, forest track. I dumped the bike, then continued on foot to the Four Seasons hotel. Here thousands of sci-fi … Continue reading

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From a picnic in Glencoe to cheating the GMC (Rousse)

I picnicked with my sister-in-law JLR, her partner J, and daughter F on a heather heath in Glencoe. The moorland beyond us stretched for miles with not a soul in sight, save a small herd of deer. The only evidence … Continue reading

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Lost Middle Earth maps (Rousse)

I let the precious loose-leaf atlas of Middle Earth drop from my hands at just the wrong moment. The fragile leather binder that held Tolkein’s hand-drawn maps fell to the floor of the railway carriage. It slid along the parquet … Continue reading

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Owl attack at railway station (Rousse)

My companion decided to take the shortest route to the platform opposite, and stepped down onto the railway track. I considered this far too dangerous a move. I instead climbed the iron steps and walked over the bridge. The savage … Continue reading

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The Bonnie connection (Rousse)

A small black American stranger asked us if anyone could help her track down someone called Bonnie. ‘No problem’, I replied. ‘Please tell us a bit more about Bonnie. I’m pretty sure that I will know her’. Most of the … Continue reading

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Champion rock climber cheats death (Rousse)

I was so strong that the National Trust (NT) employed me on a regular basis to carry the back end of a Land Rover over rough ground. On this occasion the NT staff were patrolling a site of outstanding natural … Continue reading

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George Clooney and a Sisters of Mercy lookalike above the snow line (Rousse)

We were going camping with our French friends above the snow line in the north west of Scotland. Access to the site was via Forestry Commission trails, first on the dirt track along the shoreline of the loch, then up … Continue reading

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Weymouth from air and shoreline (Rousse)

The flight was not full so we all had plenty of space in the cabin. TPR kept switching seats, mainly for the best views from angle of the plane. When I saw Weymouth from the air for the first time … Continue reading

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Stockton-on-Tees local knows nothing about trains (Rousse)

KA and I shared delivery of the lecture. Somehow I ended up with the ‘hard’ bit: explaining the difference between linear and complex computer programming. My instructions said to use railway tracks as an analogy, and make reference to a … Continue reading

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Spy penguins deployed to improve University security (Rousse)

The University issued an orange and black plastic spy penguin to each member of staff. Mine was tall, thin and male. AL was very proud of his slightly overweight female bird with wide floppy ears. The powers that be instructed … Continue reading

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