belgianwaffle

Insights from Old English


Posted in: Family, Princess

Herself has started reading bits of “Beowulf”. I don’t know, maybe it’s helping her German? Anyhow she was marvelling at how the Normans arrived and English changed. “How many generations did it take?” she asked. “I mean,” said she, “it might only be a relatively short period. Would they even have know that their great-great-great grandparents spoke such a different language. Look at how English usage has changed since the middle of the 19th century. No one corrects you now to say that you’re not speaking correct Victorian English.” Pause. “Except Cork Grandad.”

In further news, she held a students’ council meeting over zoom yesterday afternoon and all of her committee turned up. She was delighted with herself. It all went very well, even though one of the second years still hasn’t learnt to mute herself and they all heard her mother giving out to her for using 4G instead of wifi.

Weekend Round-Up


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

On Saturday night we had “Rouge” from the French film festival for cinema night. Honestly, the excitement of seeing something new was thrilling. Mr. Waffle was able to book a slot and stream it from his laptop via the projector onto the screen. This, frankly, opens up a whole world of films for cinema night. The film itself was billed as the French “Erin Brocavich”. And, yes, imagine Erin Brocavich as made in France: not much humour and a fair bit more nuance. It was good but I’m still a bit traumatised.

I bought Christmas leaf teas in Lidl and spent all weekend sampling them. Delighted with myself.

Untitled

Daniel spent a good while on Saturday working away at his physics problems for this outside school course he is doing during Transition Year. He got through them and was quite pleased with himself. On Sunday he cycled to and from training in the rain and was much happier than you might expect afterwards. Particularly in view of the fact that he appeared to have lost much of the epidermal layer on the left side of his body following what I can only imagine was a spectacular sliding tackle on the astro turf pitch.

Mr. Waffle and I made Michael go for a walk around the block with us in the rain so that another weekend would not pass wherein he had not seen outside. Herself spent most of the weekend studying in line with a punishing schedule she has devised for herself. She did take a brief break on Sunday afternoon to go for a walk with a friend in the rain.

I forgot to mention that our lovely childminder who we had for years sent the boys a birthday present which arrived in the post on Monday. He went back to Paris to work as a tour guide and I worry that he is on the breadline (it is not a good year for tour guides) and shelling out from his savings to send them presents. I do hope not. The boys were genuinely delighted to get his card and present though which was nice.

And still no cleaning rota. There had better be a plan to exit level 5 soon or the house may become a health hazard.

Mary Swanzy


Posted in: Reading etc.

Just before my mother died, I went to a wonderful exhibition of Mary Swanzy’s paintings in the Crawford gallery.  She was apparently a second cousin to Oswald Swanzy who would have been…unpopular locally. 

As well as the beautiful paintings there was a recording of an interview she gave on television shortly before she died in the 1970s.  I was very struck by it at the time but then my poor mother died and this post stayed in my drafts but now is its time to shine.

In her television interview she was sharp as a tack and very interesting on the Dublin she had known growing up in the late 1800s (she was born in 1882) and the Dublin of the 70s.  She commented bitterly that “You line your streets with motor cars” and that “The visual eye is hurt.”  That is even truer today than it was in the 70s.

She waxes nostalgic for a time when everybody lived over the shop and you didn’t have to take a car way out into the country to get out of Dublin.

When pressed on the poverty there must have been in the 1890s compared to the 1970s she agreed that “You never see a bare-footed child; you never see a raggedy child.”

She harked fondly back to an earlier time and a friendlier Dublin though she did call it  “Friendliness without familiarity” reflecting her own age and class.

Speaking of herself and her age, she commented to the interviewer: “We all turn into dowdy old ladies, you know.” She was quite fascinating which is hard to convey with a couple of quotes. I have had a look online to see if the interview is available but it seems not, unfortunately. Definitely worth a look, if you ever come across it. She talks a lot about art as well, obviously, but it was her descriptions of a long gone Dublin that I found most evocative.

RTEA3778

Saturday, November 14, 2020


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

Daniel and Michael went on a scavenger hunt around town with school yesterday which they both enjoyed. Michael could not find Leinster House, the seat of the Irish parliament which I have been pointing out to him for a lifetime. Who’s sorry now, eh?

We had take away from the local gastropub (parents) and Domino’s pizza (children) for dinner last night. Satisfactory though possibly not healthy.

I worked yesterday afternoon instead of taking my half day but the advantage of this is that I have hardly taken any work home this weekend which is an absolutely massive improvement over the last two weekends.

I slept until midday today. I am really a champion sleeper (we take our achievements where we can) and after a leisurely brunch faced into my day. I had bought Michael two pairs of new trousers online. Right in the leg but too wide on the waist we discovered. Daniel took one pair but the other are too small for him and too big for Michael. Alas. Perhaps he will grow into them. Herself pointed out that I have bought my teenage sons trousers that would be perfect for retired British army officers and I realise that is true. She has started calling Daniel “Major Major” which did not add to the already limited enthusiasm he was showing for brown corduroy trousers. In my defence I offer that they looked less late middle-aged online and there weren’t a huge heap of choices on the website.

Mr. Waffle and I went off to the bathroom shop as part of our very slowly progressing plan to redo the upstairs bathroom. In exciting Irish celebrity news on our way there we saw Conor Pope consumer correspondent of the Irish Times heading into Lidl and when we got there design legend Hugh Wallace (so described in every episode of “Home of the Year”) was ahead of us in the bathroom shop and spent ages talking to the shop assistant. A thrill a minute, lads.

Basically, all quiet on the Western Front and tonight is cinema night. Hurrah!

Favourite Re-reads


Posted in: Reading etc.

It’s still only mid-November, but yet inspiration is running a bit thin.  Here is a list of my favourite re-reads (books or authors) for when I am not feeling strong.  Do tell me yours.

We had a big hardback collected Fr Brown Short Stories by GK Chestertonbook at home when I was growing up but I only turned to them when I had read “The Queer Feet” in a school anthology.  I am still very fond of them.

My sister-in-law introduced me to “The Diary of a Provincial Lady” by EM Delaware and I love it.  I still have her copy – for which I am truly sorry – and the sequel (which I bought for myself and is very good also but not, alas, as good).  It’s a series of diary entries by the slightly hapless provincial lady of the title.  Laugh out loud funny sometimes.

I very much enjoy the “Mapp and Lucia” books by EF Benson.  The later books, set in lovely Rye, feature two middle aged middle class English ladies who are bitter rivals.  The earlier books before  Lucia moves to Rye and encounters Miss Mapp are hilarious also.  Delightful.

Any regency romance by Georgette Heyer as explored extensively recently.

The Terry Pratchett “Discworld” books. I particularly like Tiffany Aching, junior witch.  Some of the “Discworld” books are better than others but I usually enjoy one that features Death and/or witches.

“Pride and Prejudice” is everyone’s favourite Jane Austen book for a reason.

All of PG Wodehouse.  Like everyone, I love Bertie Wooster but I also have a soft spot for the golfing stories.

Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple detective stories are great for a comforting re-read.  There was an excellent article in the Irish Times recently about how well she stands the test of time.

Like many another person, I do like “Cold Comfort Farm“.  Comforting and funny at the same time with a neat happy ever after ending for everyone.

I’m a big fan of children’s books.  I’ve been re-reading the CS Lewis “Narnia” books for years.   I have also re-read all of the JK Rowling “Harry Potter” books a number of times which considering that the first one came out when I was 28 suggests an ongoing openness to children’s literature.  I really enjoyed the Noel Streatfeild books when I was a child and I still like them.  “Apple Bough” is my favourite.

I’m a big fan of the Saki short stories which I first discovered in school through “The Lumber Room” and the slightly sinister “Sredni Vashtar”.  Now though, I like the chronicles of the utterly, vile and unscrupulous Clovis the best.

I enjoy the Myles na gCopaleen collected newspaper articles which my father introduced me too when I was young (by introduced I mean he was always re-reading them and I was curious).  Consistently clever and funny.

Be Prepared


Posted in: Middle Child, Twins

Three children in Daniel’s class were put together for a geography project. One of them took the lead and developed the presentation and did the work. The other two had a brief look over it and declared it to be good. Alas, for them, when the moment came to present to the class, the student who had actually done all the work was out so the other two had to present. As Daniel said, it’s hard to spontaneously deliver someone else’s presentation on Cambodia. I imagine it is.