Nothing in this world makes sense. Apart from Sphenodon punctatus, last survivor of the reptilian order Rhynchocephalia.
If only there were a woman like it – cold, efficient and brutal in
love, but also able to feed off small animals, inhabit the breeding burrows of certain small petrels and be in possession of a vestigial third eye. Zoologist M (51), possibly a little too close to his work. And his mother. Box no. 01/05
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!
T’choupi is the world’s most boring mole. Our infant daughter loves him. They have a T’choupi book at the creche and she had to be wrenched away from it kicking and screaming. Mr. Waffle decided we needed to lay in T’choupi resources of our own and went to the bookshop this weekend to stock up. He couldn’t see any T’choupi stuff on the shelves, so he asked a bored assistant whether he was familiar with T’choupi the mole. “No, can’t say I’ve heard of him….unless you mean T’choupi the famous mole?” and he led Mr. Waffle round a corner to a shrine dedicated to T’choupi. Bingo.
Meanwhile the Princess and I were visiting the Glam Potter and little L. It will come as no surprise to learn that L has her own T’choupi volume and the two girls sat on the floor tugging at it and screaming “T’choupi, T’choupi” until I came and separated the combatants and escorted herself, kicking and screaming (T’choupi) to the car.
What with one thing and another, “T’choupi” was my book of choice for mass this
morning. We were somewhat mortified as we went through the mole’s adventures sotto voce to see that the child next to us had a range of religious books which he was carefully perusing. Came home and related our discomfiture to Mr. Waffle. “And” I said “one of the books was called ‘Je vous salue Marie'”. “Yes?”. “But don’t you tutoyer God along with parents, friends and pets?” “Oh yes but you vousvoyer Mary”. Dear Lord will the mysteries of French never cease to baffle me?
O my dearest friend
Let not thy vengeful ghost
Haunt those thoughts we shared together, you and I,
For thou art not
And I alone must seek solace with another.
Anyone for “I breathe Byron”?
Sitting in the back of the car with her menagerie, the Princess picks up a soft toy and holds it up to the window “Look, Sheepsie, a blue van”. Anxious to ensure fairness in all things, she then picks up a bear and presses its little nose to the window “Oh, Isabelle, a tram, look, look”. Finally, she waves doggy in the direction of the window “Doggy, see, lots of cars”
This email from a friend:
Thought of you the other day when reading about Noel Coward – he met a friend at a party – “we don’t have time to talk about each of us so we’ll just talk about me”
My parents’ heating has died. They have been cold for a week. It is snowing in Cork. Four men have already shaken their heads at
the parental boiler. They’re getting a blow heater and a draft proof front door tomorrow.
on 25 February 2005 at 17:11
No problem there on equality and distributed love!
Your friend is cruel.
Poor parents. A heating system that doesn’t is among life’s greatest find something to kick incentives.
on 05 March 2005 at 15:03
Well, pog, she has time.
JD, well, yes, cruel but not, I confess, entirely inaccurate.
This from Thierry about Dr. Rice’s visit
You will recall that Mr. Bush is coming to us next week. The Economist summarises matters nicely with this week’s cover :
Meanwhile, they’re sealing all the rubbish bins in the European quarter.
on 20 February 2005 at 15:50
Seen Doogle.. it’s a few of the Trinity CS crew that are behind it 🙂
The heads-up on The Suit and The Shades is excellent; thanks!
