Slowly but surely the thick layer of snow that has covered Brussels the past week is yielding to warmer temperatures, so I’m afraid we’ll have to stick to dreamin’ this year. The image shown above is from last Saturday and as usual I couldn’t choose so here’s another one, and here, here and here too. While I love the heat of the tropics, there is a certain magic in the frosty brilliance of a snow-covered forest in bleak wintry sunlight. Anyway, merry Christmas to all of you!

After shooting all those politicians in Paris, forgive me for thinking there wouldn’t be any left for the rest of the world; hence the surprise. These here would be trust-busting European Commissioner and, according to Forbes, one of the most influential women in the World: Neelie Kroes, and Dutch state secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport: Jet Bussemaker. They met with me today in Brussels so I could upgrade my handshaking network and now I’m up to date again.

The first snow of the season arrived today around noon and it arrived in vast quantities. Especially the forest, where the falling flakes drown out all sound except the occasional happy twittering of a bird that hasn’t yet discovered it’s bad news for her, becomes a place of magic. One almost feels as if one’s the first to ever walk underneath its lofty canopy, trodding through centimeters of a snowy white blanket where no tracks yet exist, while mere minutes later the evidence of one’s own existence has vanished under a fresh layer. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

One of the good things about having a dog is that you’re out in the woods several times a week. One of the bad things about having a dog is that you’re out in the woods even when it rains (and I hate rain). It didn’t rain last Friday however so I got to shoot a less moody autumn variety of my best-selling “on the origin of barcode”. Now, six days later, it seems autumn has already left the building and winter has arrived.

Meet Miss Bubbles, our young English Springer Spaniel who is eating away my time, our furniture and my wife’s leather bags. Officially known as Britt of the Southwest County, named after the dog kennel where she was born on August 1, we decided to christen her after and with our favorite drink -yes, that would be champagne- and it certainly reflects her sparkling personality. She’s also the single reason why you haven’t found any images of Brussels on this site; they will arrive in due time. Well, off I go then, scooping up some poo, my favorite pastime these days…

By the time you read this, the Mac I wrote these words on is safely tucked away in a container awaiting delivery in Brussels by the end of August. That means I have something in common with the woman in the image as I’m homeless this summer. Luckily, for me that doesn’t mean sleeping on Rue de Rivoli. We’ll be spending our nights in hotels in Brussels, Sweden and Tuscany instead while this blog will be having a siesta. So here’s wishing you all a wonderful summer and see you in September!

(…) Fever / in the morning / fever all through the night (…)

Not just any fever, but hay-fever and not only in the morning and all through the night, but 24/7. However much I love flowers (ask my wife, she gets them… uhm… once a year?) I really hate it that this spring, for the first time, I have a serious bout of hay-fever. The strange thing is I only seem to have it in France, so maybe this is nature’s way of telling me it is time to move on. And so we’ll do, this summer, to Brussels.