Mr. Waffle

Oh hello, I didn’Â’t see you there. I just came in to check the curtains were drawn in the blog – itÂ’s pretty chilly out there and I didnÂ’t want the place to get cold.

Sorry ? No, stay as long as you like – IÂ’ll just potter around for a minute, then IÂ’’ll leave you in peace. Yes, they arrived safely – the Princess is most pleased with her loyal subjects in Cork. Apparently she got to go on a Bob the Builder car outside the supermarket… no, one of the ones for kids where you put a coin in.

The weather ? Bucketing, apparently – same as Brussels. But they’Â’re having a good time, as far as I can tell. Her grandparents are delighted to see her and the Princess is eating vast amounts.

Me ? Oh, IÂ’’m fine. Yes, it might seem as if I had a week of freedom – but it’Â’s still a bit grim when you come back to an empty flat. Well, since you ask I did go out to the pub last night but it was still a school night so I was home by 10.30Â… Anyway, IÂ’’ll let you get on with it.

Sorry ? Well, I might look in tomorrow but I donÂ’t know if it would be a good idea to change too much.

What do you mean by “just a bit ?”

I see. – I donÂ’t know if that would be a good idea …Well, yes, obviously I could keep things ticking over, but itÂ’s her blog and I’Â’d feel nervous…update Lazy Jack Silver ? Who sent you ? What do you want from me ? Get out !

belgianwaffle

on 19 November 2004 at 20:50This may be very bad for our marriage, but I couldn’t help it. Fans of Lazy Jack Silver will find a new update. Fans of the Princess will find a new photo. I may have to find a new flat …
Mr Waffle

belgianwaffleon 28 November 2004 at 15:07

Mr. Waffle has just been let back in. It was raining out there. I am not entirely heartless.

Comments jackdalton on 16 November 2004 at 15:25So does this mean he finds out about you and the “hot”, young, Cork-lovin’ Locotes? 🙂 Friar Tuck on 16 November 2004 at 16:52You can count on us to behave ourselves! *tee hee* Locoteson 16 November 2004 at 16:53What do you mean find out about me? I’m here in the public domain at all times – no sneaking about under cover of darkness here. No sir. And I’m not sure I appreciate the use of quotes around ‘hot’ either – anyone would think you don’t quite believe that jack…Anyway waffle, when do you leave? Or have you left? In which case I’m talking to myself….ahem… *sidles away* Beth(Homepage)on 16 November 2004 at 18:03 You take more vacation than anyone I know – although being American that isn’t saying much. *jealous* poggleon 17 November 2004 at 14:10Is that wise, waffle? I mean, is he tidy? Or is he likely to laze about drinking all your booze and leaving dirty glasses and plates all over the place? belgianwaffleon 28 November 2004 at 15:06I’m back. I fear poor LJS suffered in my absence but otherwise all seems well.. jackdaltonon 28 November 2004 at 17:02See… you weren’t missed at all 😛 belgianwaffleon 01 December 2004 at 22:05JD, hmm.

Over the weekend we went swimming, we went to the Salvation Army shop where we bought all sorts of things we don’t need, we walked around the area round the shop and saw vats of wholesale olives for sale, the Princess nearly lost her life as we dragged her away (she is inordinately fond of olives) and we went to a tapas bar and a photograph exhibition and the park and dinner on Saturday night. We’re shattered.

Dinner on Saturday was interesting. It was at the home of my oldest friend. Not the friend I have known longest but my friend who is oldest. There were two other couples there who I had not met before. Mr. Waffle and I had the distinction of being the only couple who came from the same country (the issue of Cork’s independence being still undecided). There was much talk about bringing up bilingual children. Since most of the people there had children in their twenties they were able to speak confidently of their success. Oh the sophistication of it. Then we sat down to dinner. For reasons which are now not entirely clear to me, the issue of Cyprus came up. I said something flippant along the following lines: “weren’t the Greek Cypriots bad to vote no to reunification?”  Then, as everyone looked at me in horror, the Greek man across the table leapt in and asked me about the knowledge of the agreement. Detailed knowledge. Ladies and gentlemen my knowledge is scant, very scant. It is gleaned from scanning cross items in the Economist. This was quickly revealed by my opponent and after that my downfall was inevitable. As I drowned in Greek facts about the number of Turkish troops on the island, I cast a pleading, desperate glance around the table. Mr. Waffle looked at his plate, the nice Canadian lady tried entirely unsuccessfully to change the topic, the Greek gentleman’s wife tried to draw him off but to no avail, he had scented blood and was closing in for the kill. Somebody murmured “Mr. Verheugen (EU enlargement commissioner, if you really want to know) is in complete agreement with you”. Like a drowning man clasping at straws I said “And he’s Dutch” and pointed at my immediate neighbour, a Dutch gentleman in the hope that he would then take the fall for the EU commissioner’s views on Cyprus. It was then that Mr. Waffle decided to intervene “um, actually I think Verheugen is German”. Oh you do, do you? I can tell you there were words about this in the Waffle mobile on the way home. Anyway, my straw was snatched away by my husband and we were off again “Oh yes, I remember being at dinner parties in 1974 saying Turkey would invade Cyprus and they laughed at me…”. I was a shadow of my former self, I can tell you.

And then on Sunday, I was looking at myself in the mirror and pawing anxiously at my hair. “I look like one of the Hardy boys” I moaned. And for the first time in living memory my husband made a negative comment about my appearance (well, he’s not stupid). “It could do with a cut alright” he said.

Goodness, it’s been one disaster after another here.