belgianwaffle

Archives for January 2005

Belgian Disharmony


Posted in: Belgium

Have I mentioned that it is the 175th anniversary of the foundation of the Belgian state? To celebrate this, let me tell you a little anecdote which gives a flavour of life among the linguistically fractious Belgians. During the week I met my friend the orchestra director for lunch. She used to do policing in Albania but she turned to orchestra directing when work there dried up – now there’s a woman with a second string to her bow (no pun intended, she plays the French horn, since you ask).

Anyhow, her orchestra has been doing a bit of work for the conservatoire – helping them out with their conducting exams. The session is run like a real rehearsal and the student conducts, stops, offers advice and suggestions and conducts some more. The conservatoire used to use the Belgian National Orchestra for this important work but they found my friend’s orchestra more satisfactory. Picture the following scene, if you will. Nervous student conducts BNO. Pauses and makes comments on playing. Trumpeter raises his hand and asks coldly “Can you repeat that in Flemish please?” You can see why the poor students might be put off.

Sick again, eh?


Posted in: Princess, Reading etc.

Herself has a cough. We were all up all night. She is very sorry for herself and keeps saying “poor me, poor mite, cough, cough”. She has also observed “Mummy sick, Daddy sick”. Yes, we’re all coughing. This morning while I had my shower, Mr. Waffle minded her. I came out to find him curled up in a ball on the floor beside the playpen wherein the Princess sat poking him and saying imperiously “plasticene”. We’re all tired too.Nothing daunted, the Princess and I went off to mass (“church ‘n Jesus ‘n Mary ‘n Joseph”). On our way there, we passed the synagogue. There is always a policeman with a machine gun across the road from the synagogue but today, the place was crawling with police and plain clothes types with things stuck in their ears. I asked a policewoman who was fiddling with the strap on her submachine gun what was going on. Apparently there was a special service for the 60th anniversary of the holocaust. Is it not a bit depressing that 60 years after the holocaust the Jewish community in Belgium needs half the Brussels police force out to protect them when going to the synagogue?

And while we’re on the subject, I note that the Irish President said something spectacularly stupid when speaking of the holocaust (which is not all like her). I quote from that organ of record, the Irish Examiner “Speaking on RTɒs Morning Ireland programme on Thursday, ahead of attending the Auschwitz remembrance ceremony in Poland, Mrs McAleese said “They [the Nazis] gave to their children an irrational hatred of Jews in the same way that people in Northern Ireland transmitted to their children an irrational and outrageous hatred, for example, of Catholics.” ”

Oh good grief. She has at least had the good sense to abjectly apologise.

Comments
poggleon 31 January 2005 at 11:46

I must add that, in my view extremely rarely for a politician, she did sound genuinely contrite.

Three cheers for the Dutch


Posted in: Reading etc.

I got this email from the Dutch mama which I found most comforting.

“Read james’ article. What a plonker! I wonder where these guys get off.
Can anyone tell me when (in history) and where (geographically I mean) children are continuously cared for at home with their parents.

In some countries and at some time periods children have worked alongside their parents, but otherwise I don’t know of any situation where children are at home with their parents all day – maybe kids on welfare. Is that what he’s seriously recommending?

Chances are Princess doesn’t mind the creche. Chances are that she’d rather be with you, but hey. Chances are the handsome Prince would rather if he didn’t have to be toilet-trained. Chances are the handsome Prince would rather not to have to eat his dinner. Chances are I’d rather stay in bed in the mornings and eat ice cream.

You know that if she spends every moment of every day with you, even if she thinks she’d like it, it would be bad for her. And no doubt staying in bed and eating ice cream would be bad for me. (though I’d be willing to give it a good try).

Your man hasn’t a notion what he’s on about.”

Am very tempted to email the text in its entirety to the Observer.

Comments
Bobble

on 29 January 2005 at 13:14

Just love her.belgianwaffle

on 30 January 2005 at 14:28

Yes, Norah, Bobble, she is the bee’s knees. She spends her spare time doing her PhD, no really. And eating ice cream, it appears.jackdalton

on 30 January 2005 at 19:19

I’m all in favour of ice cream. Phd’s on the other hand can be a waste of time.

Poetry please


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Reading etc.

In the home of Mr. Waffle’s ancestors at the weekend, I came across his school annual. They put out one every year and aside from the entertainment provided by the photos of people you know as grown-ups looking gawky and adolescent, there are also the articles written by bright boys with notions. How about this?

The Progress of the Literary Society 1984-88

The Literary Society, then just the more loosely bound “Second Year Poetry Club” was officially founded on the Ides of March 1984 by A and B. From then on, the writing of virtually anything was encouraged by the club’s presidents, the best of which – ranging from poems about rugby victories to the ominous spread of “shadowy mists” – were pinned extravagantly on the class notice board. […] our ideas were swiftly adopted, with subscriptions and pseudonyms pouring in, and subgroups such as the Anti Literary club and the Anti Anti Literary Club breeding exponentially. […] trends followed included brief flirtations with premeditative surrealism, quasi inertia, l’ecrit noir, pseudo-carnalism, Romantic perceptions of morality… [S]upport [for the club]…was too harnessed on the fickle winds of fancy to achieve any degree of constancy…

You think I’m making this up, don’t you? If you’re good, next week, I’ll give you a quote from “A Sarcophagic Sonnet” which is also reproduced in the text.

Comments
belgianwaffle

on 30 January 2005 at 14:28

I’ll need more enthusiasm from everyone before transcribing 14 verses.

Nic

on 31 January 2005 at 15:55

Oh, Sarcophagic Sonnet is a good one! Not quite a sonnet though now that I come to think of it (but I’m not one to come between a man and a good alliterative title) Please do reproduce it.
on 01 February 2005 at 15:54

Just a quote will do …. with a title like that, you have to waffley ….

belgianwaffle

on 05 February 2005 at 14:57

Oh all right then

Guilty


Posted in: Princess

See his article in yesterday’s Observer. It’s all dreadfully depressing. The fact that my child roars when dropped off to the creche and has spent her weekend saying “no creche” makes me fear he may be right.Mr. Waffle has comforted me by reminding me that I’m a mother and therefore whatever I do must be wrong. Funnily enough, that hasn’t proved as comforting as you might imagine.

Comments
stroppycowon 24 January 2005 at 20:43

Wait until she is older and bitterly complains when you go and pick her up from after school club at a time she deems too early. I get a barrage of quality sulking everyday !
Mr waffle is correct. A mother’s place is in the wrong especially in the eyes of journalists.

Kathy(Homepage)

on 25 January 2005 at 14:58

You know that the crying is for YOUR benefit. I’m sure she settles in quickly after you leave. She’ll be fine!

belgianwaffleon 25 January 2005 at 21:07

These comments, on the other hand, are very comforting…

Booker, what Booker?


Posted in: Reading etc.

What with one thing and another, I got a lot of reading done.

“The Five People you meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom is a dreadful book. Avoid.

“Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson is very good but has far too many characters for the feeble minded. Hard to follow (is Shirley related to Michelle and who the hell is Caroline and what is Olivia to Sylvia etc.).

“Making Babies” by Anne Enright is not half as good as “Le Bébé” by Marie Darrieussecq. As you might guess, both books cover largely the same territory.

That is all.