belgianwaffle

It’s the Most…Socially Demanding Time of the Year


Posted in: Dublin, Family, Ireland

Between illness and the general social whirl, I have not updated you on December’s activities. Fear not, that, somewhat delayed, update is coming.

The boys had their annual Christmas performance with the school. Daniel who has been learning the tin whistle since November played a solo Christmas carol. We were very proud. Poor Danny, however, was a bit too nervous to enjoy it. Although we couldn’t tell that he was nervous and he played perfectly, he did not enjoy the experience, I think.

He was scheduled to play at the church Christmas fair but, unfortunately I had booked tickets for us to see a production of “A Christmas Carol” the same evening so it was not to be. He and his sister who was to sing at the event were not entirely delighted with me. Fortunately, Daniel quite enjoyed “A Christmas Carol” so I trust that that may have helped to deal with the pain. I decided that we would go to Milano’s for dinner in advance as a treat. I did not book. This turned out to be a poor idea, as it was full, and we ended up walking around Temple Bar trying to find an acceptable substitute. For the boys, there isn’t really such a thing. Oh woe. It is hard when what was planned as a “delightful Christmas outing for all the family” does not quite materialise as hoped.

We had people around for Christmas drinks on the day after the play. I may have mentioned that I was ill (ahem) but, really, we couldn’t pull back on all the invitations. My sister came up which was lovely but overall, I could not be said to have hugely enjoyed myself.

Later in the week we were scheduled to go to another friend’s Christmas drinks. Unfortunately, it coincided with the Christmas concert in the Princess’s school. We told her we couldn’t make it. She replied

Oh that’s a shame. I was in London at the weekend so didn’t make yours; in contrast I understand to [mutual friend] who thought it was on this coming weekend. I am up to date with [mutual friend] as she arrived to my house last night, for this evening’s party. We are all at the top of our respective games.

Oh yes we are. The Princess’s Christmas concert featured her singing “Silent Night” solo but it was, alas, a bit difficult to hear her due to the enthusiastic amplification of the keyboard which accompanied the singing. Some of the students put on a very clever and quite funny Dublin version of “Romeo and Juliet”. Honestly, I have paid for productions I enjoyed less. I am really going to have to do some work on my Irish though. Although “Romeo and Juliet” was in English, everything else was in Irish and a lot of it was quite baffling to me.

By the time I finished work on the 23rd, I was, at last, recovered but really a shadow of my former self between socialising and coughing.

More Christmas news to follow.

Updated to add: Today, January 11, Mr. Waffle had lunch with a friend who hadn’t made it to our Christmas drinks. She confessed that she and family had turned up on the following day and seen us all through the window sitting around not partying. Realising that they had mistaken the date, they tiptoed away. Mr. Waffle expressed regret that they hadn’t come in but personally, I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Happy New Year


Posted in: Family, Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Twins, Youngest Child

I have another cold. On the evening of December 30, I got a headache and by new year’s eve, I was so miserable that I went to bed at 11 unable to make the party to which we had kindly been invited or even to stay up to listen to the bells ringing in the new year. Frankly, not an auspicious start to the year. Yesterday, I didn’t feel up to going to the new year’s day party to which we were invited. We spent the day at home. My sister-in-law and her husband from London came for lunch and stayed for a couple of hours. They are very soothing, undemanding guests, while also being entertaining so it was quite pleasant for me. Mr. Waffle felt that they might have been a bit bored by spending an afternoon listening to me recounting my various ills but I am sure that they had a lovely time. The boys went off to a birthday party and stayed over with the birthday boy, so the evening was very peaceful. I was very sorry for myself. Today I feel alright but not fantastic, still mainlining lemsip and somewhat fed up. The boys will be home shortly from their birthday extravaganza to tend to their sick mother. I am sure that they are looking forward to that. And back to work on Monday. Sigh.

More news to follow. In the interim, I trust that your Christmas was satisfactory and wish you every happiness for 2016. As you know, every reader is precious to me.

What George Boole and I Have in Common


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

Over the summer, the children and I went on a George Boole themed tour of UCC. Among the things I learned about the great man was that his wife was a great believer in an early variant of homeopathy and firmly believed that giving you a small dose of what had made you sick in the first place would help to cure you. The great man got a cold after walking home from work in the rain (something those of us from Cork are all too painfully familiar with) and his wife wrapped him in damp sheets to help him recover and it was too much for his constitution and he was carried off by pneumonia at the tender age of 49.

As attentive readers will know, I got sick on Sunday, December 6. I have been utterly unable to shake the cold since and announced to Mr. Waffle on Friday that if it was not better by next Friday, I was going to see the doctor and check whether it was pneumonia (a colleague has been diagnosed with pneumonia, it’s on my mind). “Good luck with that,” said he “as next Friday is Christmas Day.” Happily, however, this weekend, I finally, finally seem to be recovering. I am, fortunately, never normally ill. As a colleague who suffers from regular colds remarked to me, disapprovingly rather than admiringly, I thought “You normally have the constitution of an ox, don’t you?” I certainly have never had a cold for this long. Every night last week I was up for at least an hour between 2 and 4 coughing my little lungs up. I had to absent myself from the hall during the course of the Princess’s Christmas concert and cough away in the toilets and also, during a work conference where, mercifully, I was not required to be on the podium but where I hacked through the conference dinner like typhoid Mary [actually, does typhoid make you cough? You know what I mean anyway].

I don’t think that my condition was helped by the fact that every time I hopped up on my bike, the heavens opened and it lashed rain. It never normally rains in Dublin but apparently this has been the wettest November ever in Dublin and the rain held on grimly into December. There is no better way to get soaked than on a bicycle regardless of how good your rain gear might be.

But where you ask yourself, is my George Boole link? It was a low point, I have to tell you. I had returned from work late, peeled off my damp cycling gear, crawled into bed with a hot water bottle, a dose of Benylin, a lemsip, a temperature and my ever-present friend the cough. I was woken up some time later by the distinctly unpleasant sensation of wet sheets. Alas, my hot water bottle had leaked.

Saint Nicolas on Tour


Posted in: Belgium, Twins, Youngest Child

Michael: How far is to Saint Nicolas?
Me: Well, we haven’t lived in Belgium for a long time now and, um…
Him: When is it?
Me: Well, some people might say it has already passed. Technically.
Him: When is it?
Me: December 6. But, you never liked the chocolate Santas anyway, he had to bring you crisps.
Him: That’s hardly the point.
[His siblings emerge from their bedrooms looking peeved.]
Me: Um, well, it’s really up to Saint Nicolas and I suppose we don’t live in Belgium any more….
Him: There will be three pairs of shoes beside the fireplace tomorrow night. Saint Nicolas had better deliver.
Me: Um, ok, we’ll have a word with him.

Exploring Dublin


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Princess

Herself was off school today. Her cousin who lives across town was in a school play. The Princess decided to go and see her little cousin star in Matilda. My first born, therefore, spent two hours today criss-crossing the city on Dublin Bus. She is still alive. I am very proud. She tells me Matilda was pretty good as was the post-play lunch with the relatives. Who’s a big girl then?

Unrelated: I’m still sick, thank you for asking.

Seasonal Affliction


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

I went to a Christmas bazaar on Saturday afternoon. I was uncharacteristically dissatisfied with the merchandise on offer. I didn’t buy much and trudged home disconsolately afterwards. Little did I know it but I think, even then, evil germs must have been coursing through my system removing my otherwise unquenchable appetite for Christmas tat.

I went to a Christmas party on Saturday night. The party givers had a beautiful large, two storey over basement Victorian house with a sea view and I felt very unseasonal envy. Afterwards giving our babysitter a lift home, she remarked that I was a bit hoarse but I felt fine and attributed it to uncrushable envy or shouted conversations over several hours. I was fine on Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon, I went to my Sunday afternoon bookclub Christmas tea. It was in the Westbury. It was pricy but, in fairness to the Westbury, it was delightful. I had a lovely time but by the end of the afternoon I was hoarse again. Cycling home, I felt light-headed and by the time I got back, I had a nasty sore throat and sore ears and sore sinuses.

Herself was sick last week. “I’ve caught your cold,” I said bitterly to her. “No, you haven’t; every cold virus is different.” Fine. I am sick anyway. After lying awake half the night hacking I decided to cancel my dental appointment this morning (I left a message on the machine at 7.30 but have had a painful conversation with dental receptionist just now where she sounded like she didn’t believe my story of illness but thought I was malingering – were you looking for paranoia, well, it’s available here) and stay out of work sick. I can’t remember the last time I was sick enough to stay out of work and I feel distinctly sorry for myself. I haven’t even eaten anything yet today which is, frankly, unheard of (though even as I type I think I might be able to fancy a lightly poached egg – is this the harbinger of recovery or just the lemsip talking?)

I have my Monday evening bookclub Christmas meeting tonight and I would love to go, I have even bought the present for the Kris Kindle thing. I suppose if I don’t go, it can be repurposed as a teacher present.

Yes, it’s all the problems of the world here today; bet you’re glad you dropped by for this fascinating account of a bad head cold. I think I might light the fire to speed my recovery.