belgianwaffle

Mr. Waffle

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

They are always sick


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Princess, Work

Just back from an, ehem, exotic destination where I went for work earlier this week. I had planned to blog like mad in my quiet evenings but found I couldn’t attach my laptop to the internet thingy in the wall of my hotel (no sniggering please) so my evenings were entirely blog free. I’m sure you missed me. Not as much as my poor husband though. I had no sooner set foot on the plane than herself came down with a mystery ailment which involved much unhappiness for everyone (I will spare you the details). Anyway, by the time I got home, she was entirely recovered but I don’t think he has yet and I’m pretty sure that the rug never will.

Off to Ireland for a long weekend now, so normal service will only resume next week.

Early photo


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Princess

The tasteful layout provided by twentysix doesn’t draw attention to new photos quite as vigorously as Mr. Waffle would like – no flashing lights, no rotating 3D letters. So here’s a tasteful pointer: there is a new photo over there.

Comments

UndercoverCookie

on 14 January 2005 at 11:50

Now, as her mother, I am sure you think Princess is utterly gorgeous…
well you’re right: she is.  

Beth

on 15 January 2005 at 00:10

What a doll! 

belgianwaffle

on 15 January 2005 at 10:54

Jack, under where it says new photos. Are you back or just visiting?
Cookie, you are a kind cookie.
Beth, thank you!  

jackdalton

on 15 January 2005 at 18:01

I knew that!!! It was a joke, see? Just visiting – life is gone mad 🙂
And just visiting Jardin Botanique et environ too, as it happens…. 

poggle

on 17 January 2005 at 11:52

Purty ….  

belgianwaffle

on 21 January 2005 at 22:39

Thank you, your pogness.

Better


Posted in: Mr. Waffle

I got an email from my friend C saying how nice it was to see me over Christmas etc (she’s very polite, I like that in a friend) and she added, tactfully, that I looked very well and, as I never change, I must have a picture in the attic although it’s a pity I hadn’t put it up in my early 20s rather than my early 30s. I am still mulling on the full import of this.

Meanwhile, a colleague of Mr. Waffle’s whom I met at this party yesterday said to him “I had no idea that your wife was so much younger than you”.  “She’s not” he said shortly.  Ha.

Comments
Beth

(Homepage)

on 11 January 2005 at 02:12

Picture in the attic? Ok, you lost me again.

Friar Tuck

on 11 January 2005 at 05:39

But everyone knows that men become more fascinating as they age, while women become, well, older. Take me, for instance.
So maybe less smugness is in order, hmm?

Friar Tuck

on 11 January 2005 at 05:46

Beth, it’s a reference to The Picture of Dorian Gray

Kathy

(Homepage)

on 11 January 2005 at 15:40

Isn’t that fun?! All my husbands students think he ‘robbed the cradle.’ They’re surprised when they find out I’m only 9 months younger than he is!

stroppycow

on 11 January 2005 at 22:59

I can’t believe he denied it.

Mikeachim

on 11 January 2005 at 23:05

Hm. Yes. Mixed messages. Either way, it sounds like you look good, so I don’t think there’s cause for worry…. 🙂

belgianwaffle

on 12 January 2005 at 18:07

Thanks Bobble.
Beth, I am honoured to have a BOB finalist comment. Have been working my little fingers to bone voting for you. FT, is correct re attic pic.
FT,less smugness from whom?
Well, Kathy, mine is a year younger than me, so even better. Ha ha.
Ahem, yes Stroppy, I know.
Mike, you are kind and good.

No flirting for me


Posted in: Mr. Waffle

This afternoon we went to a party hosted by a Dutch-Italian couple who were in college with Mr. Waffle. It was full to the brim with kiddies and we had a lovely time (imagine, there was a time when I believed that this would never be possible). It’s the kind of party your parents used to bring you to when you were little.  It features a large dead pig which the host imports annually from Italy in a special case designed for this purpose. It’s all very thrilling.

However, I had two conversations with Italian men which confirmed my worst fears:

Conversation 1

Me:  Hi, I shook hands with you at mass the other week and I don’t think you recognised me.

Him: Ah, it was you, no, I didn’t but now of course I know you are ….(very long pause) oh yes, you are, (rummages about in the back of brain)…um..

Finally to the enormous relief of both of us, he produces my name.

Conversation 2

Me:  Hello Marco, how are you?

Him: (slightly nervous smile, big kiss on each cheek) how wonderful to see you, it’s been ages.

Me: You don’t remember my name.

Him: (smiling winningly) But I remember YOU.

Me: But my name?

Him: (nervously) But I remember your status.

Me: I beg your pardon? You mean you know my husband?

Him: (winning smile again) Exactly, you are married to Mr. Waffle, no?

I tell you, there was a time in my life when Italian men used to remember me. I’m feeling my age here.

Comments
Friar Tuck

on 09 January 2005 at 23:41

And another thing… You’re married, have a small child and wonder why Italian men have stopped paying attention to you?! You didn’t learn much about Italian men, with all due respect.

Bobble

on 10 January 2005 at 00:29

Italian men – my mother warned me about them. She still wanted me to marry one however…Alas, my countrymen are too short for me. And like Porchetta too much.

jackdalton

on 10 January 2005 at 01:41

If that’s your worst fear, ‘waf, you’re doing ok 🙂

Kathy

(Homepage)

on 10 January 2005 at 19:49

I wish I could say that…”there was a time when Italian men remembered me.” I just have to be happy that MY man remembers me! LOL

belgianwaffle

on 10 January 2005 at 21:04

FT, funny. Bobble, you are tall? Lucky, lucky you. JD, hello, where have you been? Kathy, well, all you had to do was spend some time in Italy in your late teens or early 20s, I wouldn’t get carried away here, but ta..

Bobble

on 10 January 2005 at 22:11

Sadly not – I am average height 1.66cm – but my male friends from Rome and southwards were invariably the same height as me. Damn.

Mikeachim

on 11 January 2005 at 22:57

I thought it was *bad* when Italian men remember you? As in “oh yess, I remembera you, darling, hehehe”, “Oh godddd”, etc.
Hm.

belgianwaffle

on 12 January 2005 at 18:08

Mike, well, I guess it depends.
Well, you’re taller than me Bobble, I am a miserable 164.

Christmassy things


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Princess, Work

Here I am, so keen on my new job that I did a bit of work this evening. And promptly lost it. So while microsoft tries to retrieve it for me, I will take deep breaths and blog.

I love the job, so far, I mean, it’s early days and I haven’t got paid yet, but I am enjoying myself.  And even though the poor Princess was sick last week, I am still glad to be back.  Dutifully, Mr. Waffle took time off on Friday to mind sick baby and take her to the doctor. This was the first time he has taken her to the doctor. Last time, she didn’t like it much.  But it was September and in his other office. However, our girl is a hard hater. She arrived, took one look at the doctor and began to roar. Mr. Waffle tells me that when the trauma of the examination was over he let her go and put her on the floor so that she would understand she wasn’t being held against her will.  Apparently, she promptly ran for the door.

Anyhow, you will be delighted to hear that she appears to be largely recovered. We went to the Christmas market today and had a ride on a merry go round which was most pleasing to the royal person. We also went to a crib exhibition which I thought she might like. In we tripped to the church and she promptly mortified me by roaring “Mass, no, pas mass” and grabbing on to the church door like something from the Exorcist. Apparently, she finds mass dull. Anyway, she was mildly interested in the cribs but fascinated by the styrofoam on the floor which served as fake snow. After a quick roll in the styrofoam, Mr. Waffle took her home while I went to mass (well, I was hardly going to take her). Mr. Waffle informs me that he spent some time removing strofoam pieces from up her nose on his return. The simple pleasures of parenthood.

Comments
Friar Tuck

on 12 December 2004 at 22:56

Good thing you didn’t feed Her Highness pea soup before going to the exhibition!
on 13 December 2004 at 18:29

Work’s going well? Splendid!Princess hates doctors? Can’t blame her!

Princess finds mass a bore? Can’t blame her!

Princess enjoys shoving styrofoam up her nose? Can’t bla….err….haven’t tried it myself.

belgianwaffle

on 13 December 2004 at 20:33

Bobble, how very exotic of you. FT, indeed. Locotes, you never know until you try..