Spring has sprung...

Well, sort of.  It has been unseasonably cool in Brussels so far this April, with temperatures hovering around 10 degrees for much of the time.  Usually April is much warmer, but it seems that we have traded with Canada for the moment.  Yet there are still some unmistakably Belgian signs of the end of winter, such as the many flowering trees.  Frequently when people ask me which commune I live in, and receive the answer of "Watermael-Boitsfort", there is a gasp of appreciation, and a mention of the many beautiful trees that show their colors this time of year.

It has been raining a lot, and this is a rainy country to begin with.  Even the cars and trucks seem to be sprouting grass...

Speaking of cars, I took the bit between my teeth this week and braved the line-ups for the control technique that is required whenever a car is sold, and yearly after cars reach a certain age.  Without a passing grade they will not allow you to renew your licence, which means that one can be confident that all cars on the road have undergone comprehensive tests of their CO2 emissions, tire tread depth, headlamp luminosity, braking and stability and so on, so I should think it would reduce the risk of accidents due to mechanical problems.

The battery of tests themselves only took perhaps ten minutes, but the lineups can be really staggering, so I showed up shortly after 7am to be near the front of the line, and as it was still had to wait until 8:20 or so until it was all done.  And... we passed.

This weekend was a busy one socially, with a birthday party for our friend Mike Hill friday evening, a big curry dinner with our friends the Wismars last night, and of course church this morning.  Tomorrow evening I sing through my Bach cantata with the strings, in preparation for the performance of Cantata 87 next Sunday.  I also have quite a bit of work to do getting the french text for La Belle Meunière into shape for three weeks from now, and must make up a little book like my english one that I've used to good effect in Canada.  Then I must start getting my head around Count Almaviva from La Nozze di Figaro in time for some rehearsals to take place this coming month, for autumn performances in Flanders.  I am also waiting for the last pieces from John Burge, to complete his opera The Auction, which plays in Campbellford at the end of June; the good news is that my part is essentially unchanged from last September when we workshopped Act I, so that should make it a matter of reaquainting myself with the work rather than learning it.  I did coach it - and recorded those coachings - so I can always go back to those as a reference if needed.  So I have lots to do.

Happy end of the weekend, and I hope you have a pleasant last week of April... and I hope it warms up here!