EEEK I've got a French exam on Friday. Had the mock test last Friday and got 40 percent. Need 60 to pass. Already booked myself to redo the year. The embarrassing part is that this is a Francophone country.

(ISP) Where's that, then?

[Rosie] Belgium. I use my french under sufferance. Italian at home, English (and some French) at work. French when I need something from a shop or artisan. Flemish never.

X-POSTED REMINDER: Tomorrow (Fri 22 June) is the 100th Anniversary of Mornington Crescent Station. If you would like to mark this momentous occasion, please come to the traffic island opposite the station before 8pm tomorrow. On the signal, at 8pm sharp, we will all turn to the station, kneel and worship for 30 seconds, then rise and go about our business (which could include going to the pub). Be there or be uncrescent. :)

[IS,P] I thought that the last time I looked you were in Italy, you old globe trotter, you. Or have I got the wrong man?

[Dujon] You need to pay more attention in MCiOS. I've been here since November.

Skipping past his father's beatifully inane explanation of how a parachute works ("The parachute is attached to a container on the skydivers back with a load of lines"), you get to his marvellously tactless quote at the end: "Michael is Michael and he will bounce back from it".

I think I'm going to move to the Netherlands. eeeek.

Cool! Give my regards to Captain Snort.

I dunno, you give up work to go freelance, you move country, what next?

[ISP] My money's on a move into politics.

Good lord. If I did, the country would be run along the lines of the WI. And that can be no bad thing. Thrift and jam.

[pen] Are congratulations in the offing?

[Raak] In that I've found a bloke who thinks I'll do for now, yes ;o)

(pen) V. good! I'm pleased for you.

[pen] Though my feminist side wants to know why he's not moving his windmill to London...

[CdM] Planning constraints. And the fact that he has masses of freelance work there and I have very little right now. Now all I have to do is find an English-speaking job in the Netherlands...

I was in the Netherlands last week, and very nice it is too. It seems almost everyone is bilingual (minimal), if disconcertingly sarcastic to my in my native tongue, so I suspect you shouldn't have too many worries.

But, to get you started, zeewolf seems to be catfish.

[pen] Jolly good! Sounds wonderful. And good luck with the job hunting too. I believe there's lots of jobs in Amsterdam which don't require any language (except possibly a few groans), but I'm not sure they're to be recommended....

[penelope] Congrats! Be prepared to be much more proud of your home town once you're an ex-pat.

[pen] These days (and given how cheap it is to fly to London) one imagines one could continue to freelance virtually for UK firms. I hope to do that one day when I move somewhere warmer.

Congratulations. Will you be wearing wooden shoes?

Congrats and felicitations! Just don't get too into the coffee shop mentality...

I've got the clogs already. And this is rural South Holland, not Amsterdam (which I have not yet visited). But hold on a minute... there's a REALLY good job going, and I just had a good preliminary telephone interview. If that application continures to go well, plans might change for a year or so!

[Mike] yeah, I know, it's all me, me, me... I'll shut up now.

Wow - many good things happening! You deserve 'em all :-)

Well, I'm sure after the run of foul luck you've had of late that you are due some preening in the sun. If you've got it, flaunt it as they say. Are the wooden shoes really called Klompen?

[SM] Yup. I have a pair. They're outside the back door. They were the first present he bought me :oP

[pen] Smashing stuff I'm reading here :) Will email you

There we are, I go away for a few days and all heaven breaks loose. Congrats.

[pen] Xpatjobs.com and others

So a Brussels or an Amsterdam pilg would be more likely now. Welcome to the Low Countries!

[pen] Don't mention the war