Brussels 1
I arrived in Brussels in October 1993 and didn’t leave again until the summer of 1995. I lived in a lovely house in a distant suburb with two French women and a half-Belgian Norwegian. It is to this period that I ascribe any fluency which I now have in French. Parisiennes do not hesitate to correct you when you make a mistake; it’s part of their charm. After a year in the lovely house, the owner wanted it back. So one of the French girls and I moved into another house together and then another flat. All delightful. Brussels is heaven for tenants with really wonderful places to rent. I always think of this as my “Vile Bodies” period. So many parties, so many people from all sorts of nooks and crannies of Europe. I was full of energy and joie de vivre; particularly surprising since I never seemed to get to bed before 2. This, I think, is the energy that nature intended me to use for night feeds for small children.
My mother had, meanwhile, been scanning the papers for jobs in Ireland for her daughter and, eventually, she found one and I was, with some regret, lured to Dublin.
In other news, would you say that this dialogue is positive?
Me: Grandma and ?
Daniel: Grandad.
Me: Nana and ?
Daniel: Cork Grandad.
Me: Uncle G and ?
Daniel: Aunty S.
Me: Mummy and ?
Daniel: Aunty Helen?