Back home

Phew.

Amongst the luggage: The Letters of Robert Duncan & Denise Levertov, The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall), The Domain of Images (Elkins), Corpus Socius (Lance Phillips).

And what did we notice about the UK?

a) that you can no longer buy a newspaper without being asked whether you want to buy something else, too

b) that swimming pools are at least twice as expensive as those in Brussels

c) that the experience of driving is essentially one of negotiating roundabouts with short stretches of road in between

d) that the combined forces of the major chains (Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's etc) are infiltrating every aspect of people's lives, living environments, daily habits & thought processes

e) that having a Belgian number plate on your car makes British drivers automatically assume you are a 'bloody foreigner' and merit a gratuituous blare of the horn as they turn off behind you

f) that the mainstream news media are guilty of blatant bias, misreporting and deliberate omission

g) that the price of admission to the Tate Modern special exhibitions - eg the Kandinsky - is (in our opinion) daylight robbery

h) that Blackwells in Oxford has a lamentable poetry section (they call it 'Poets Corner' or some such tosh)

i) that Emma Grover continues to make lovely prints which we would gladly buy if we had the room & spare cash (see image above)

The week ahead: belgianwaffle amuses the wafflettes for five days. Blogging might have to take a back seat.