Archives for July 2004

on 29 July 2004 at 13:25

A whole month of holidays?? Bloody hell, it’s fine for some. Have a delightful time – I’ll keep an eye out for herself dragging you down Patrick’s Street. I might even give you a free paper – can’t say fairer than that. 😉
Have a great time!

on 29 July 2004 at 18:43

‘Mille grazie – cin cin’ should probably do it, but enjoy yourselves anyway you lucky lucky people.

pipstar

(Homepage)

on 30 July 2004 at 03:12

Hello, I have been reading your site for a little while and love it. I don’t know what I will do with myself for the whole of August without your posts! You better have a fabulous holiday 🙂
Look forward to hearing all your stories!

dmts

on 30 July 2004 at 09:47

Have a fantastic time.

Thierrry

(Homepage)

on 31 July 2004 at 20:05

Bonnes vacances et ? bient?t !

on 01 September 2004 at 11:30

Thank you, thank you. Delightful time had by all. However, as discussed in post mountains of washing beckon and cannot rely on Princess sleeping indefinitely.

More shoes please

28 July, 2004
Posted in: Mr. Waffle

This day three years ago, Mr. Waffle and I got married. Only fancy. It was the only fine day that summer. To celebrate, I thought I might list 10 of the reasons why my husband is perfect:

1. Because he is amusing and entertaining and, better again, he thinks I am amusing and entertaining.

2. Because he’s a genius and knows everything.

3. Because he is always on my side.

4. Because he has never once reproached me for my complete inability to get a job.

5. Because he never says – what do you do all day?

6. Because he is pleased when I spend his money on shoes.

7. Because he gets up at 7.00 with the Princess every Saturday and Sunday and during the week comes home from work and gives her her dinner.

8. Because he plans everything. And insists on getting faxed confirmation of all our bookings.

9. Because when he is annoyed, he grinds his teeth (that’s it, that’s the most annoyed he can do).

10.Because he, very sensibly, chose to marry me (see also point 2 above).

Minkleberry

on 28 July 2004 at 13:52

What a fabulous husband. I’m directing Jimi over. congratulations on your anniversary

on 28 July 2004 at 15:42

And let’s not forget, of course, that he has a splendid name. Happy anniversary.

KateEvans

on 29 July 2004 at 01:06

Gosh, he sounds wonderful. Best wishes, you two.

on 29 July 2004 at 09:22

Thank you all very much. He is perfect though having to guage your husband’s mood by watching his chin can be tricky..

on 29 July 2004 at 13:31

This Mr Waffle – he sounds a decent chap. Which always helps. Hearty congratulations on your three years. Did you get each other presents? Or did you just buy more shoes?

Sofa tragedy

27 July, 2004
Posted in: Belgium

We have just had a sofa delivered. The best dressed diplomat and her husband are leaving Brussels and we bought their sofa (though we took most of their other stuff – the beanbag, the mobile phone, the wine, the champagne etc.). It arrived today. We had asked for an outside lift. The movers when they arrived had no lift. They said they would carry it up the stairs. They did. They got grease from the lift on the arms and back. Which is exactly what happened to our last sofa when our movers brought it up the stairs. Which is why it was rejected by the Salvation Army and now sits alone and dejected in our garage. The movers say that this was my fault because I didn’t tell them about the lift (and ok I feel a bit stupid) but I was upstairs when they brought it up and I assumed that because they are professionals (unlike the chancers who moved our stuff) they would have wrapped the sofa. I should have checked. Bitter, bitter, bitter. The best dressed diplomat and husband are gutted (because they are very nice souls) and arrived round this evening with flowers, strawberries and promises to claim on their insurance.Is this not very annoying?

And here, for good measure, is our last sofa:

Comments

on 27 July 2004 at 22:44

Have you seen my pics? They only reinforce the ghastliness of matters…

on 27 July 2004 at 23:01

Nice lamp. Are throws fashionable in Belgium at all?

dmts

on 28 July 2004 at 08:05

I think they’re certainly going to be, silver.

on 28 July 2004 at 13:16

Hmm. Thanks people. I already have a throw but I wanted to give it to the Salvation Army but it looks like I may need to hang on to it a little longer..

adam_ball

on 17 August 2004 at 13:21

Bad luck – I witnessed our movers bodging a rectangular wardrobe through a doorway – widthways! Took three of them but they managed it in the end.

Cultural activities in Belgium

25 July, 2004
Posted in: Belgium, Princess

Today the Princess (much recovered thank you) and I had fun at two unusual locations. Firstly, the musical instruments museum where she danced around the exhibits (hanging on to the handrail) with her headphones on to the amusement of myself and other punters and secondly, Bruxelles les bains where we spent the afternoon at the seaside. Brussels is a two hour drive from the coast but for the next month they have closed off a quay on the canal filled it up with sand (imported from beaches on the north sea) and exotic food stalls and turned it into Brussels on sea. The Princess loved it. She was particularly keen on the water feature which was a series of fountains. A number of children were running through them in their swimming togs regardless of the chilly weather. The Princess wanted to run through them too and, with help from me, to her enormous delight, she ran before she could walk. We both got a bit damp but only one of us has a sore back.

I decided we would dine at the seaside and I bought a range of goodies which I thought might tempt her highness. She was not impressed. She sniffed at the tortilla, pointed out that she had already had a boiled egg today and asked whether I wasn’t worried about her cholesterol levels. The empanada was alright she conceded. Then she caught sight of an olive. She pointed at it imperiously. Being as putty in her hands, I passed it over and held my hand under her chin to catch it when she spat it out (I love the glamour that comes with motherhood). To my astonishment she loved it. She ate all the olives and lamented when they were gone. Is this not odd? She is clearly born to be a party girl, she can survive on olives alone. All I can say is, I hope she is not ill tonight from a surfeit of olives.

Comments

on 26 July 2004 at 12:38

Has she been watching her mother in action by an chance?

on 26 July 2004 at 12:58

DX, do you think they count as a portion of veg? Silveretta, fat chance, alas.

Friar Tuck

on 27 July 2004 at 00:03

I’m no expert on child pyschology, but could it be that Princess already knows that July in Belgium mean mussels? She was probably expecting mosselen, frieten and a cold Hoegaarden.

on 27 July 2004 at 22:48

FT, um, no, no musssels in a month without an r. Unless, of course you mean Zeeland mussels?

Elves and illness

24 July, 2004
Posted in: Princess, Reading etc.

I saw the Lord of the Rings on DVD last night. Very good. Mr. Waffle rang at one point.

Him – Hi, it’s me.

Me – This isn’t really a great time. They’ve just reforged the sword of Elendil.

Him – (Deep sigh – he’s not much of a Tolkien fan, why do you think I never saw it in the cinema? He refused to take 3 hours of elves.) I take it everything’s ok then?

Me – Yeah, fine.

At 11.30, the Princess started roaring. I ran to her room to find her sobbing convulsively and when I picked her out of her cot, she was like a little oven. I brought her into our room and fed her nurofen which she promptly threw up over herself, me and the bed and continued roaring. I sponged her down. Still roaring. I gave her a perdolan (paracetemol suppository). Crying and shaking (her not me). Anxious mother worries – is she having febrile convulsions? But I held her in my arms and she started to calm down and after about half an hour fell asleep. Put her back to bed. Tried Mr. Waffle, phone out of range. Then worried that she hadn’t thrown up all the nurofen and that with the perdolan she might get liver damage. Rang my unfortunate parents, who know about these things. Roused them from their beds. Got the boxes of medicaments and told them of the dosages. Was reassured that she would be fine. Had I sponged her down? Yes. With tepid water? Yes. Call again if there was a problem. Went to bed. Lay in bed. Had the sponging water been tepid enough? Maybe she was cold. Went to her room. Felt her arm and head. She wasn’t cold but she did want to chat. Burbled at me for half an hour and finally went back to bed at 2.00. Woke promptly at 6.00 ready to face the day. Poor little thing, she isn’t really 100% today but then neither am I. I blame Tolkien.

Comments

on 25 July 2004 at 19:36

No, I’d blame Mr W for not taking you to see LOTR in the cinema in the first place – then this whole mess could have been avoided. Oh yes.No offence intended here, and feel free to disagree, but I’ve noticed a few times now that you seem to worry easily about herself. Though I’m sure it’s fair enough that parents are quite anxious when it’s their first child. It’s just that I wonder if these episodes where she’s bawls her eyes out (possibly mortifying you at Belgian parades) are because she know’s you guys will come running and attend to her every desire. Is that fair of me to say?

ps – I notice that you’ve joined the ‘new background’ gang also – even more cosmopolitan than before! 😉

on 25 July 2004 at 20:02

Beth, she is not a Mr. Bloom fan, particularly not with those long golden tresses…must have been something else.
Locotes, alas, we are all too conscious that we readily give in to her whim of iron. We were discussing the other day whether we could change her habit of chucking her food overboard for the hell of it. This is our new target. So far, results have been poor, much wailing (on our part) and a refusal to eat (on hers) until she has been given the wherewithal to create a dreadful mess. Will keep you posted on how the battle of wills develops. So far Princess 1: Parents 0.
Yes am v. proud of background. You should try it, go on, you know you want to..

on 25 July 2004 at 20:22

Maybe she’s an Aragorn kinda girl instead. Or Gimli even…he’d be more her size I suppose…Despite it all, I can’t help but admire herself’s innate feeling of self-worth and self-importance that any proper Corkonian feels. True, it makes your lives that smidgen more harder – but at least they’re qualities that will hold her in good stead in later life. I look forward to battle of wills updates. 😉

I had actually made a note of the code involved with backgrounds at least 6 months ago, but of course never got around to it (yet again living up to my blog name) – though I don’t know if 20six handle it easily now? I’ll have to wait until this blog-changing fuss dies down, I can’t be seen to follow the crowd. 😉

on 26 July 2004 at 12:57

Locotes, yes, I think you’re right, Gimli would be more her size and she would love that beard. Of course, she’s only half Cork, but yes, still showing through. Only changed my background because I found the option when I inadvertantly deleted my photo. But I am very proud of myself now and feel I am surfing the wave of youthful trendiness. If you had had it before it was easy to do, we would all have been very impressed but it’s too late now..

on 26 July 2004 at 13:55

Don’t worry, your youthful trendiness has always been apparent.
So there is a new option for the background. Dang. There goes my opportunity to impress you all (as you so generously pointed out) – I’ll have to find something else now. Some sort of dancing art-loving squirrel perhaps…

on 27 July 2004 at 22:46

Loc, I LIKE the dancing squirrel. Impress us.

National Day

22 July, 2004
Posted in: Belgium, Mr. Waffle

Yesterday was Belgian national day. Mr. Waffle was off work. Everything was closed. Stalls were put up. Military hardware was paraded. The royal family was out in force. I only know this from last year because when we went into the Sablon to partake of this year’s fun, the Princess didn’t want to join in and howled continuously until we agreed to take her home again. Trying.

And this evening Mr. Waffle leaves for his brother’s stag w/end (in Wales where a bunch of the lads will be running up Snowdon for fun – what an odd bunch – Mr. Waffle plans to take the train up, he’s not stupid, my husband) and he won’t be back until Sunday. Woe.

Comments

on 22 July 2004 at 20:28

Um, is this one of your clever puns? If yes, alas, don’t get it. Very distressing. If no, I haven’t a clue, but suspect it is slow.

KateEvans

on 22 July 2004 at 20:34

I find silveretta’s clever puns distressing too. And now I’m jealous of your wallpaper.

on 22 July 2004 at 20:34

None of my puns are clever BW. I simply meant that if the train won’t see him back till Sunday then it must be slow.I’ll get me coat.

on 22 July 2004 at 20:35

Yes – your wallpaper is the best, along with Bobble’s.