Little Wandering Wren …. chats!

It is with great sadness that I see my Twitter feed  filling up with news of the Brussels explosions.  Belgium is a country that we know well, having lived there on two occasions for over eight years. My son was born there, and until fairly recently it was the country that our kids knew the best. Here are a few pictures from my most recent trip in May 2015 as I share some of my thoughts and memories. Brussels - Euro Statue All three of our children attended the local French speaking schools. They all started at Maternelle, like their fellow classmates when they were two and half years old. 'That's young' I hear you say. Which is true, but with three kids under five, I was not complaining. This early crack at education has given them a life-long linguistic advantage and some beautiful cursive writing... Well, whilst they might be linguistically gifted, it is only compared with their parents. It is certainly not compared with the other students. Yo...

  'Are we getting an advent calendar?' my 19 year old son asks hopefully? 'Nah, you're too old' I reply! Then out shopping I couldn't resist, and bought an advent calendar... Which I presented to my youngest with a Ta-ra! 'Thanks Mum, you're the best! ' Which did make me feel a tad guilty... The age of innocence... Because every year we tell the advent calendar story. The one of many moons ago, when we lived in a far away land  the land that chocoholics dream about - Belgium. Where I could have bought some local Godiva chocolates But no! They don't call me 'the best' Mother for nothing. I  drove to the British shop, Stonemanor in Everberg   and splashed out many, many francs,  it was well before the Euro. I bought him a Cadbury's Dairy Milk advent calendar. These ones were special,  not one single chocolate behind each purple window,  but a whole bar. Yumm... He's grown a bit ...

                                                             "Waterloo" 'My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way The history book on the shelf Is always repeating itself...' What do you know about Waterloo? Do you say the words 'Waterloo',  and immediately launch into Abba's famous song?! If so, you're right! 'At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender' Fast forward two hundred years, and local Waterloo Blogger Gattina is kindly showing me the famous sights of the  Battle of Waterloo . Where Napoleon's tyrannic rule ended, changing the direction of Europe. As we arrive at the man made Butte Du Lion we notice masses of soldiers ready for action, as if they were going off to fight in 1815. The area appears to be a massive construction site, wi...

A whiff of waffle! May 2015 With that first smell of sweet waffles,  cooking on the street corners,  I knew I was back! I have lived in Belgium twice.   All of a sudden it seems a lifetime ago, indeed nearly 20 years,  since our son was born here. So many fond memories and  lasting friendships formed in the school playgrounds... Brussels is a fabulous city to live and also to visit. It's small enough, to enjoy the major visitor attractions in a big weekend;  Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Royal Palace, Parlamentarium etc. A dd in a few museums, some art galleries  and enjoy a beer or kir royale, whilst chomping through some  pomme frites with mayonnaise,  or how about a fresh crusty baguette with gorgeous cheese  from an outdoor market? A nd before you know it, you're sad you're leaving, but have had a cracking time.  I am here to wander  and enjoy wrapping myself  in the familiarity...

Did you know the first British Empire shot fired   in World War 1 came from Australia? Me neither... Lest we forget As the world commemorates the 100th anniversary  since the start of World War 1 our Aussie news is full of world leaders across Britain and Europe attending the various WW1 services. Britons were urged to:  ' Turn your lights out to remember the fallen' and our young royals have been in Belgium. Wild seas have claimed many a life here at Point Nepean but the single shot changed the course of history... I feel connected. I remember our family members lost.  The Great War started after Germany invaded a small country called Belgium. A country we know well, having lived there for many years. We have trudged around the Flanders fields, we walked with heavy hearts in what remain of the trenches and we've observed the last post at Ypes. Point Nepean National Park Locally on the Mornington Peninsula, an...