belgianwaffle

Dublin

Ancient Rome


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Middle Child, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Herself is doing a project on ancient Rome at school. She’s really enjoying it and has already stripped our local library of its books on Rome and cost us a fortune in printer ink. So you can imagine that I was very pleased when this popped into my inbox last week:

My Museum: A Roman Invasion!

This Sunday, Legion Ireland-the Roman Military History Society of Ireland, will rally their troops and invade the first floor of the National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology! The R.M.S.I. are a society dedicated to portraying the Roman Army and it’s Celtic allies and foes in the first century AD. They use highly accurate reproductions of the equipment and dress of the first century Imperial Army and drill and display, through the use of Latin.

Drop-in to speak with them, try their swords and helmets on for size, explore our Life and Death in Ancient Rome exhibition or have a go at hand-to-hand combat and drill formations!

All ages welcome.

Free of charge!
www.museum.ie
www.romanarmy.ie

Kind regards,

Education and Outreach Department
National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology
Kildare Street
Dublin 2

We took ourselves off on Sunday. It was a qualified success with the target audience. She talked to the lads in their Roman gear and looked at their extensive kit. She played “Nine Men’s Morris” with a nice legionary and had a go rolling his bones. However, she didn’t have half as much fun as her brothers who spent a good three quarters of an hour in gladiatorial combat directed by a man in a tunic.

The Poison Pudding


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Waffle

I decided to make a plum pudding for the first time this year. I got a recipe in the paper and I bought the (lots and lots of) ingredients.

On Friday night I soaked the fruit in stout and brandy.

On Saturday I added the other ingredients. On Saturday afternoon, I realised that I would need some pudding basins.

On Monday, Mr. Waffle ran plastic pudding basins to ground for me.

On Tuesday, I realised that I needed ceramic basins but, after consultation with my sister, I shoved the plastic basin in the oven and put it in a roasting tin of boiling water for three hours. Then I lost my nerve and took it out. The plastic bowl was very, very hot but not melted. The middle of the pudding was cold.

On Wednesday, I put the pudding gloop in a metal pot and put it in the oven in a basin of water for an hour and then I lost my nerve and took it out – largely still cold – re-transferred it the pudding bowl and stuck it in the fridge.

On Thursday I went to the shops to buy a steamer. I could not find one large enough for my pudding bowl. I bought one of those metal things you steam vegetables on. I put it in the bottom of a large pot over a couple of centimetres of water over a low heat. I went out to dinner with a friend and instructed Mr. Waffle to make sure that the water was topped up. I came home to find Mr. Waffle had gone to bed and my pudding was sitting in the pot up to its neck in tepid water (tepid as he had turned off the heat when he went to bed). My instructions were, he explained, unclear also, he had three children to feed and put to bed. And the wretched thing still wasn’t cooked even after being boiled for three hours.

It’s sitting in the fridge as I write. I am going to make a last ditch attempt at steaming in the morning. Do you think that heating gently then cooling several times over a period of a week is going to mean that everyone who eats it will get gastroenteritis? Those of you who studied home economics might raise your hands first.

Have you seen this woman?


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

A couple of months ago, I started to notice this woman in house and flat windows.
statue 001

Now, I see her everywhere.
Statue 001a

Does somebody sell these statuettes to very willing buyers?
statue 005

Does the city council – the main landlord locally – buy them in bulk and put them in the houses it rents out? Your thoughts on this mildly vexing question would be welcome.

There’s always one


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Middle Child, Twins

The clocks went back on Sunday. We forgot. We arrived for 11.30 mass at what we thought was 11.45 (punctual as ever). It was in fact 10.45 and the priest was finishing 10.00 mass. As we walked through the door, he said, “The mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Daniel, who had been the cause of our lateness, was very taken aback. He had been told that, if he hurried, he would not miss the Sunday school thing in the sacristy. Now, mass had ended. He started to howl at the top of his voice (a very loud place), “Mass is ended, oh no, mass is ended.” You might have thought that fellow worshippers would have rejoiced at this evidence of youthful enthusiasm, but no.

Bad News/Good News


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

My bike, my beautiful expensive bike with a child seat on the back, was stolen.

I’d taken the lights off though.