Tag Archives: winter

Alpine pig-snoring and the price of pork (Rousse)

I met my old university pals HVJ, JS, and SPL in the Alps for a short non-ski winter break. Our accommodation was a large room with four single beds, athough not quite large enough for me to pig-snore without waking … Continue reading →

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Tackling Scottish ridge walks in winter (Rousse)

NP was seriously considering TW’s suggestion that they walk ‘The needle’ in January. Neither had the fitness nor skills to tackle this treacherous ridge near Ullapool under winter conditions. I hoped that my pleas would put them off such a … Continue reading →

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Brand new bike giveaway (Rousse)

A woman opened the shed door, pulled out my bike, and rode away on it. TPR explained that he had given it away to her because I hadn’t been using it. ‘That’s because it is winter’, I responded, doing all … Continue reading →

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First frost at Niagara (Rousse)

Our visit to Canada coincided with the first frost of winter. Overnight the Niagara river froze, and the vegetation all around sparkled in the ice. Most beautiful of all were the orchards lined with rows and rows of apple and … Continue reading →

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A naked man and an almost naked swimmer (Rousse)

BD slipped through the door that connected his flat to ours. It was lovely to see him, but I’d rather that he’d visit clothed. He told me that he had run out of underwear and asked me if I thought … Continue reading →

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Unwelcome gate-crasher knowledge extractor (Rousse)

DTJ set a large table in her garden then erected a tent-like structure around it. This allowed her to host a party under some form of shelter outside in winter. She then asked me to carry a sputtering candle from … Continue reading →

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Garden help and a yellow jacket (Rousse)

DH made two trips to Edinburgh before taking up his new post. Although these were supposedly for house-hunting, I was delighted when he started weeding our garden and – at his own expense – planted out some new flowers and … Continue reading →

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Unwise Edinburgh property investment (Rousse)

Goodness knows why we sold our beautifully proportioned Georgian Edinburgh New Town flat. Now, instead, we owned two ridiculous pieds à terre. Even students would turn their noses up at the first. The second was uninhabitable thanks to the mess … Continue reading →

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A crash on the Paris péripherique (Rousse)

Racing through Paris by car without a satnav, TPR’s erratic driving along this haphazard route was bound to end in disaster. We were meant to be heading into town – not out of it – and now I was pretty … Continue reading →

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Bare legs and no knickers in a spanking new library (Rousse)

The reason for baring my legs under a short winter dress, I explained, was that I had mislaid my tights. My companions were unaware, however, that I was also wandering around knickerless. I knew the location of my underwear – … Continue reading →

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