My rash is getting worse. It now covers about 80% of my body and if Mr. Waffle wants to pat me comfortingly, he can only rub the top of my head. Up every 1-2 hours last night applying cold face cloths to my spotty person. Make with the sympathy please. I’m off to see my fourth dermatologist shortly.
Bloody hell. That’s not good. Not good at all. Poor, poor waffley indeed. Best of luck with the derma – for Christ’s sake he better come up with something – set the princess on him if not. 
Aah, thank you sympathetic ones. Things are mercifully getting better…
Which is worse? The fact that the workmen start at 7.00 outside our window giving residents an appreciation of what it’s like to live in a war zone or the fact that they appear to give up for the day at 9?
By the by, please see photo which proves, if proof were necessary, that Belgians regard parking restrictions as pplying solely to others.
There is still no floss in the supermarket.
My parentsÂ’ boiler has been repaired.
And would you like some information on my mystery illness? The touching concern of some friends following my recent post makes me think I should put them out of their misery. There are a few things wrong with me. Starting with the most banal:– I have a rotten cold. Let’Â’s move on to more exciting things. About two weeks ago something started biting me. Could we have fleas? But we have no pets and are reasonably clean and nothing was biting my loving spouse. An extensive examination of the sheets revealed nothing.  They were changed and the mattress hoovered nevertheless. The biting continued. My husband started to worry about me as I crept into the bedroom, pulled up the duvet and pounced on what always turned out to be an innocent piece of fluff (where is all this fluff coming from anyway?).
So it went on. And the bites got worse and worse. And, finally, last week, I consulted my tame medical advisor who, ever one to provide comfort, said that the spot distribution sounded like smallpox, but it was unlikely to be that. Since the tame medical advisor lives in Cork, he suggested it might be worth seeing someone locally who could actually inspect the damage. By this stage, my legs were red, raw, weeping
and swollen up in a most alarming manner and the rest of me was pretty itchy. Walking was painful and difficult. So on Monday, I went to the dermatologist who, conveniently, is a couple of doors down from my house. The result was most gratifying. She called in a colleague. They both oohed and aahed and tut tutted that I hadn’t been to see them earlier.I
held my breath for a photo in the Belgian version of “The Lancet”. They’Â’re not sure what it is and yesterday they sent me off to another dermatologist who isnÂ’’t sure what it is
either. And I have had lots of blood tests and a biopsy which has left two stitches and a glamourous bandage on my neck.
Because of further complications which will be revealed in due course, they havenÂ’’t really been able to prescribe anything except rest but IÂ’’m going back at lunch time to be hovered over by two dermatologists and two other doctors will be phoning in to give their tuppence haÂ’penny worth. More details to follow in due course. By the by, I’d like you to know, they say itÂ’s definitely not flea bites.
on 24 March 2005 at 09:47
Sounds like an allergy perhaps to something like fabric conditioner….?
on 24 March 2005 at 10:32
Poor Waffly – sounds nasty.
I hope they get to the bottom of it and fix you soon.
on 24 March 2005 at 10:34
Poor you, waffly …
(FT hasn’t been bringing any little friends with him, has he? You know how scabrous his hands always are ….).
on 24 March 2005 at 15:41
Hey, I resemble that remark!
Further complications? Unable to prescribe. Hmmm…..mini waffle? Hope you get better soon!!
(Homepage)
on 25 March 2005 at 00:26
Possibly it is scurvy? I have no idea what the symptoms for scurvy are, but have always thought it sounded like an excellent illness to have.
Hmm…yes, it would have been easy to make flea jokes, but that acually sounds quite annoying and a wee bit serious. Anything that requires stitches can’t be good. Poor you. Feel better soon.One other thing, is it just me or does that peugeot look quite small compared to the two lads near it? Do they make mini-peugeots?
on 29 March 2005 at 20:38
Oh Heather, a sweetie, you are kind. Yes, JD, quite possibly, the experts are baffled. I am so proud. Thank you Norah. Thank you Pog, and yes, I have my suspicions about FT also, though I note he denies all. Thank you Sarah, you will be bored by details of my progress. OOOH Beth, maybe it is, cool. Locotes, feel much improved hearing from you – how nice that you are about. Will you come back full time when you’ve finished your degree?
on 30 March 2005 at 16:46
tsk, you should know I had my degree ages ago, your memory of me obviously faded quite quickly! 😉
This is my MSc I’ll have you know – the path to oodles of cash! Well, I can dream…
As for the full time, only time will tell – I’m trying to put a stint in now, but of course that could also be because I’m avoiding work. Maybe. Possibly.
on 01 April 2005 at 20:09
Yes I know you already had one and were getting a second for the hell of it…do keep avoiding work.-
on 01 April 2005 at 20:32
Oh I will, don’t worry. All part of the studenty job description. Glad you had a nice time in Ballycotton by the way – though surely Rocky Bay can’t be beat?
So, other news from the Waffles. They are replacing the lead
water pipes on the street. This is particularly good news for
those of us who choose to drink the tap water in Belgium.
On the minus side, they begin digging outside our bedroom window at 7.00 and tend to cut off the water at random intervals during the day. This is scheduled to continue for a couple of months.
Today the Princess is being taken for a scan. She won’t like
that. It’s at lunchtime and she can’t eat for three hours
beforehand. She won’t like that either. I am nervous and I
can’t feel that this counts as “taking it easy”. Sniff.
I missed a major opportunity for fame. A friend is a journalist
on a magazine here and he asked would I be prepared to talk about my blog for an article on Belgian blogging. “Oh yes, new readers” I salivated but alas due to constant meetings at work (ref para 1), I missed the all important interview slot and didn’t make the article. Am gutted.
on 22 March 2005 at 11:23
Can I have your autograph?
And good luck with Princess/scans and lazing about …..
on 22 March 2005 at 13:51
I am Belgian and I read you regularly. Feel better?
Too many readers destroy the pleasure. You’ll feel like you shouldn’t disappoint people and it won’t be natural anymore.
If you agree I’ll link you on my blog, I’m far from famous but that should attract more “francophone” readers for you.
on 22 March 2005 at 18:02
The cure for what ails you, and as luck would have it, the way to increase readership is to floss more often. Oh, sorry!
(Homepage)
on 23 March 2005 at 03:03
You will be missed.
Best wishes to you on your road to recovery!
on 23 March 2005 at 10:18
Jack, do you think, I dunno, I think fame would have suited me. Pog, join the orderly queue. Peggy, je suis tres contente, moi aussi je ferais un lien vers ton site! FT less of it from you. Tried to mail you a number of times but looks like your email is down. Speak to Messrs Peak Peak. FP, you mistake, I am promising more blog now that I am taking it easy, not less!
on 10 March 2005 at 09:41
Norah, glad you are pleased. Yes, Beth, the friendliness of the Belgians is notorious.
Me: Hello, I’m wondering about how to register my little girl for school.
Snooty lady: Was she born in 2005?
Me: What, in the last month?!
Snooty lady (coldly): Yes, in 2005 as we have a couple of spaces left
for the younger siblings of older children in our school. Does
your daughter have an older sibling in the school?
Me: No.
Snooty lady (in tones of deep satisfaction): Well, I’m sorry, you’ll have to try elsewhere.
I’m beginning to get nervous. Still, it’s not like England where a (catholic) friend of Mr. Waffle’s got involved with her local protestant church with a view to getting her children into the good school attached to it. She is chair of the flower arranging committee. But they didn’t accept her child for the school. And she’s still stuck on the flower arranging committee. And I bet she’s no good at either because, let’s face it, flower arranging is a protestant virtue.
on 12 February 2005 at 21:47
noooooooooo she’s tooo small to be given over to the education system
on 12 February 2005 at 23:42
That’s odd. The Belgians don’t seem noticably more educated than other Europeans to me.
