Wednesday, May 14, 2008

A little of this and a little of that

I was sad when I headed out this morning, after reading all the bad and sad news but then the morning became a little sublime, everything was kind of sparkly.

I was offered a place on a Barista course (with a real Italian barista) being held here in Antwerpen after a lovely conversation with the cafe owner ... a woman who makes the best coffee I've had here in the city so far.

Then I accidentally found 2 books, hoping I'm still on the 'fabulous book roll' I've been on of late. Mansfield was adored and devoured, now I have a book by Rasheed El-Enany titled Naguib Mahfouz. This book was the first to be published after the death of Naguib, Egypt's Novel Laureate. A comment on the back reads: He was not only a Hugo and a Dickens, but also a Galsworthy, a Mann, a Zola, and a Jules Romain.
London Review of Books.

And then, writes she who was recently paid, I couldn't resist Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days.

One of the best things about working again has to be the freedom to buy books whenever I want them ... and to travel again ... and to dress in a style I like rather in the style of what I can afford.

It's not that there is a lot of money, it's that I have money again. It's been a long two years in that respect but perhaps it was like having my palate cleansed between courses. I'm more thought-filled about spending, more appreciative of the freedom of it.

And now I'm home to hide from the midday heat and pick up all the children I've acquired over the last 21 years ... I was laughing with the cafe-owner that, although I never got round to dreaming of being a mother, I have surely ended up embracing it in all its forms.

I'm a mother, a stepmother and a grandmother ... and we're off to the library today once some of the heat goes out of this 24 degree celsius day (That's 75 degrees farenheit to you Mary Lou).

Photos ... next task tonight has to be photographs. First the exhibition opening in Zonnebeke needs to go out to all kinds of interesting people, then tomorrow the wedding photographs. I remembered to take a little time off from the constancy of work here.

I'm thinking I might stun everyone and go to the doctor about my knee on Friday. I can't stay on anti-inflammatories forever but I'm surely a believer in their magical powers in these days.

Tot straks from this kiwi.

7 comments:

furiousBall said...

yeah, go see the doc lady, those anti-inflammatories will eventually tear your tummy up

Anonymous said...

I bought myself a Learn Thai and Learn Japanese book today. As if I don't have enough on my mind studying English and Spanish, lol.

Have a great day, tomorrow will be horrible. Humid heat sucks big time.

Anonymous said...

thank you wish it were that waarm here,,, see I do read regularly
Mary Lou lol

Di Mackey said...

There's that, Van and then there's the fact I bought the wine but haven't been drinking any since I started with the anti-inflammatories ... Need to stop soon.

Manic, you are so Belgian with all your langugages. When you've got it, you've surely got it! And then there are the kiwis you know lol ... who are about as linguistic as a rock.

Lol, hey Mary Lou. I thought of you as I wrote out the celsius temperature and had to acknowledge it :)

Anonymous said...

Now Di, rocks can carry messages for ever, so that's Kiwi power. Once all the languages of the world have silenced, you guys will still be able to communicate.

Di Mackey said...

Lol, you lovely plonker :)
I'm hopeless at languages, as you know.

I think I was sent to live in Belgium simply to make Belgians feel like linguistic gods ;)

Anonymous said...

New reader here. I love your internationalishnessism.