belgianwaffle

Fraternal Visit


Posted in: Siblings

Up on Wednesday morning at 6.15 to drop him off at the station to get the Ryanair bus to distant Charleroi. He arrived Tuesday morning at 9.30 and therefore spent just under
24 hours in Europe’s capital.  He used to live here so instead of spending his precious 21 hours in Brussels looking at monuments he ate waffles. He seems to have enjoyed himself.

The Princess is getting quite used to constant visitors and took his arrival in her stride and his present as her due. However, she showed a lamentable tendancy to confuse him with Mr. Waffle’s brother who was here over the weekend.  Given that, physically, they are entirely unalike, I can only attribute her confusion to the fact that she realises that they are both siblings of parents and so in some way interchangeable. My daughter is a genius.  Other explanations for this confusion are, frankly, unwelcome. My
brother spent some time coaxing her to say his name and clarifying his
identity. I think he would be sad to know that, when she woke up the morning he left, she asked politely after her paternal uncle. My brother is also the reason I threw up at lunch time on Wednesday. We went for lunch together on Tuesday and I ordered flat water. Conversation as follows:
Him: Why aren’t you having fizzy, you always have fizzy.
Me: Well, at the moment fizzy makes me sick.
Him: But that’s ridiculous, we’re having lots of spicy Italian food for lunch and you’re saying fizzy water makes you sick.
Me: Yes, look, I know what I want.
Him: Snort.

On Wednesday at lunch time, I thought, well, maybe he was right, it’s
been a while since I’ve been sick and I like fizzy water. So, I had fizzy water with my lunch and threw up.  Sigh.

Comments
Jordana

(Homepage)

on 13 May 2005 at 13:14

The major thing I learned in early pregnancy is, If a pregnant woman wants/does not want an item of food or drink, that item must be had immediately/avoided studiously. There is no compromise when Bone-Melting Nausea is involved.
Fortunately, my husband is still traumatized by that experience, and is quite easily bent to my late-pregnancy will regarding food.

NorahSplog

on 13 May 2005 at 14:01

When my own feckless younger brother was the same age as the Princess he cottoned on to the idea that our eldest brother’s girlfriend was called Amanda (or ‘Veranda’ as he put it). For quite a time, any girl brought to the house by either of our older brothers was called Veranda. Nothing would change his mind much to the boys’ consternation. Like the Princess, he too must have noticed the interchangeability of the girls variously attached to my brothers. Genius.

belgianwaffle

on 13 May 2005 at 19:27

Norah, truly terrifying. Assume this is the detox brother.
Jordana, am relieved that I am not the only sick one. Poor us.
JD, um, yeah..

The indignities of motherhood


Posted in: Princess

Princess (loudly and clearly): Qu’est que-ce tu fais Maman?
Me (whispering):� What do you think I’m doing?
Princess (gleefully and loudly):� Maman fait un gros caca!

I would like to point out that this was (a) untrue and (b) even if it were true, not the kind of thing I would choose to share with fellow bathroom users.

Comments
beachhutman

on 08 May 2005 at 21:58

Splendid. When she grows up she can engage in that excellent game of being British but actually understanding what they are all saying abroad. Often highly revealing!

poggle

on 09 May 2005 at 11:13

Oooh – the lil minx!

Minkleberry

on 09 May 2005 at 18:09

brilliant! toilet humour already!

belgianwaffle

on 12 May 2005 at 19:27

Norah, Pog, Minks, yes.
BHM, you know we’re Irish, don’t you? You should be reading this blog with a Cork accent.

Planckendael? Bah Humbug


Posted in: Belgium

Hurrah, my traffic has gone through the roof, Beth has mentioned me on her blog.  Otherwise today has not been a fantastic day.  No work. Good.  Decided to go to Planckendael. Bad. When we left Brussels, it was nice and sunny. I was wearing my trail about in the mud flares that I got in a mutton dressed as lamb moment. This is important. It was raining in Planckendael. It was muddy.  Unlike teenagers who don’t mind being wet to the knees in their trendy trousers, I like to be dry. So I rolled my trendy jeans up to the knee exposing a lot of hairy leg (look, I am still getting over the rash, shaving is not good – if you care, you will be glad to know that, at least, my legs no longer
look leprous). This is not really the look I was going for.
Meanwhile my daughter splashed in numerous puddles and had a fab time getting wet to the knee. The animals were all, very sensibly, indoors and invisible. Mr. Waffle pointed out that for 30 euros less and considerably more conveniently, we could have had the same experience in the park round the corner from our flat. Without wishing to sound at all partisan, I would like to go on record as saying Planckendael is not half as good as Fota.
We arrived home sodden and muddy. Put the Princess to bed for a nap and collapsed on the sofa. Mr. Waffle’s brother and his wife are coming to stay this evening. I hope that they’re prepared for a quiet time with lots of lovely babysitting…

And she won too.


Posted in: Reading etc.

Heather is in the Swiss blog awards. I don’t think she’s really too pushed about it herself but you know, I thought it would be nice.  But I can’t work out how to do it and unless someone explains to me soon, I won’t bother (though, I suppose since HJB doesn’t care, it’s no big deal or anything).

Comments
jackdalton

on 05 May 2005 at 15:00

I wouldn’t vote for her… she’s too good to win. Only mediocraties ever win those things.

dmts

on 05 May 2005 at 15:06

Oh Waffly – how lovely. Actually this is the Swiss being terribly punctual about things – I don’t think it’s happening until next year but Matthias asked me to mention it on the blog and I thought that a bit of blatant electioneering mentioning a few other Swiss blogs would be good.
Jack, that’s terribly sweet of you. I think.

KateEvans

on 05 May 2005 at 19:55

I thought Mediocrates was a Greek philosopher.

NorahSplog

on 05 May 2005 at 20:08

Until you discovered Smirnoff?

jackdalton

on 05 May 2005 at 22:49

And there I was quietly patting myself on the back for a reasonable, two-layer word-play when who comes along but The Spokesperson for the League of Anti-mediocrities herself….
There are times when I give up on this deep humour thing, KateEvans. Because there’s always a bigger fish… 😉

KateEvans

on 05 May 2005 at 23:26

So the old ones really aren’t the best ones, then? Rats.

jackdalton

on 06 May 2005 at 00:06

Only when they are delivered with panache and a certain kind of wide-eyedfaith. 😉
ps not a good idea to mention rats… it might upset someone round here.

poggle

on 06 May 2005 at 11:00

I heard that. Mind you, they don’t do so well round here ….

beachhutman

on 06 May 2005 at 11:25

Soddit, how DO you get a link into comments? I had some good ratty stuff here: http://www.20six.co.uk/nextEntries/qgmiaosnfzv5

belgianwaffle

on 06 May 2005 at 21:26

Pog, you are all knowing. Ta. Jack, Kate, Norah, this is all a bit beyond me, I hope you realise that. BHM, as a person who can’t even work out how to vote in blog awards, I am poorly positioned to answer that.
HJB, NEXT YEAR??? You realise that by then I will have three small children and it will take all my energy to get out of bed, pull on my dressing gown and struggle to the kitchen. If they can’t take my vote now, it may never come…

Those go ahead Americans


Posted in: Siblings

My sister wants to know what I know about copyright and trademark law.  Not a lot.

“Reason I ask is that a colleague from work and I would like to file a patent but the US government patent site is very confusing.”

Comments
Locotes

on 05 May 2005 at 15:48

Unless it’s a patent on a product that makes internet sites easier to understand. Could be a winner…

Friar Tuck

on 05 May 2005 at 15:49

Ah, good. You do pro bono work. Expect my packet of questions in the post.

belgianwaffle

on 06 May 2005 at 21:24

JD, good point. Locotes, even better point. Have no idea what it’s for, this is her description “Its definitely worth investigating. Probably a better way to spend my time rather than playing Spider Solitaire”. And who am I to quibble with that?
FT, no.

English Whimsey; American Genius


Posted in: Reading etc.

Am back rereading the collected Dorothy Parker. Particularly liked this from a review of an A.A. Milne offering.

“The cabinet minister talks softly and embarrassingly to Sally – “Ah Selly, Selly, Selly” – but that is not enough. He must tap out to her, on the garden wall, his message, though she is right beside him.  First he taps, and at the length it would take, the letter “I”. Then he goes on in to “l”, and, though surely everone in the audience has caught the idea, he carries through to “o”. “Oh, he’s not going on into “v””, I told myself. “Even Milne wouldn’t do that to you”. But he did. He tapped on through “v”, and then did an “e”. “If he does “y””, I thought, “I’m through.” And he did. So I shot myself. [….]

The play ends with him sitting at his desk, one hand tapping out “Good-bye, dear” – what a man; he must have had woodpecker blood in him! – while the other grasps the pen…”