Dad

First, a disclaimer: while any and all are welcome to read such a post I feel obligated to warn those who might have stumbled upon this blog looking for a news from Belgium that tonight this blog is a way for me to communicate with all my close friends and family back home about the past and not an update on the present.
This will hopefully not be a sad post and though, perhaps, a solemn one. At the very least the tone will be different than the fun we've been having these last couple months.

This is a memoriam for my father, Paul Brent Dase.

It's already been a year since Dad passed away and, while I admit that pangs of homesickness have hit me now and then since we first left for Europe, on this night more than all the rest I wish that I could be with my family back home. It's hard not to recall how a terrible phone call during a dark drive changed my life forever and that grim stretch of road from the outskirts of Saskatoon to Lloydminster.


For my entire life Dad was a constant. I could be sure that any given trip home would eventually lead to a curving road down the hill where Dad would be plowing the driveway with the quad or working on some project in the yard. And, despite how stubborn I could be sometimes, I look back on all that yard-work and those ridiculous projects with a fondness I couldn't possibly have anticipated at the time.

Dad always seemed to me to be from an Age of Heroes. In high school, I can distinctly recall my friends talking about how they were pretty sure they could 'take' their dads and I remember quite literally laughing out loud at the thought because a few days earlier Dad had been hauling six foot logs over his shoulder as I did my best to keep up, him asking me teasingly (as I'm pretty sure he did at least a thousand times) "When are you gonna bulk up?"

Bulk up indeed!

But that was Dad: larger than life and half as serious. Anybody who knew him even a little remembers his sense of humour and booming laugh.

He never seemed to want much more than to make a living and spend his time in nature with his family going hunting, fishing, or just taking pictures with his camera. In a world where some are obsessed with collecting more money than they could spend in a lifetime, I think that's a pretty good lesson to pass on.

I remember the day I took this picture. You know it’s a candid shot because Dad was never the type of person to willingly let you take a picture of him without  good reason (i.e. having either a fish  or other animal on display). That day he had me trying to skim shrimp (at least I think it was shrimp) off of the top of Grandfather Lake with a five gallon bucket. I could never tell when he was getting me to do something just to mess with me.

Here in Belgium, All Souls' day (November 2nd) is a national holiday. It is a day in many Christian denominations when Christians say a prayer for their departed relatives and loved ones. I don't know about the theology behind it, but I like the idea of taking a day to remember all the people who have changed your life and passed on. So this Monday I'm going to do just that, and light a candle for my father.

With Love,

Kyle

discoveries: october edition

... its me again. I promise that Kyle has a blog post forthcoming and thus will end my monopolization of our blog. But I just wanted to do another fun, short post. If you follow a lot of blogs like me (mostly food blogs... actually all food blogs), then you may have seen these kinds of trendy posts done before. They are usually titled "Things I'm Loving" or "My Favourite Things this Month" and are composed of beauty products, food products, restaurants, etc. that the blogger obviously thought worth sharing. I've decided I want to do a series of posts within this genre, hopefully one for every month. However, I hope to branch out beyond "products" or things that I'm consuming (both in terms of food and material purchases) and include some random historical facts that I find entertaining, or particularly hilarious medieval court roll entries that I find, as well as music, art, and new places/spaces we discover in Leuven. So here we go! 

I. Vruchten Siroop on Oatmeal
One Sunday morning Kyle and I went to the market to buy our week's worth of vegetables and fruit. We were also desperate to find some maple syrup to pour on the pancakes I was going to make upon our return home. When our quintessential Canadian dreams were crushed, we opted to try instead the "siroop" they sell everywhere here which is made purely out of pears, apples, and dates nearby in Liege. On pancakes it was 'meh' but on pumpkin oatmeal...!!!! Its really yummy.





II. Vers Geperst Sinaasappelsap - Fresh Pressed Orange Juice
The typical convenience/small scale grocery in Leuven are the Carrefour stores. All of them are equipped with a large, wonderful, orange-juicer that spins the oranges around on a wheel of good fortune, as I call it, at the press of a button. A glorious burst of juice pours forth into your carton (which comes in various sizes. I always get a litre) and you are good to go. It is supremely delicious!

                                          







III. Edmund Huberd
Who was amerced six pence in 1301, as recorded in the court rolls of Wootton manor, "quia canis suus devoravit unum hurtardum domini." "because his dog devoured a certain ram of the lord."

hehe...whoops!


IV. The Rutland Psalter 
I've decided that every month I'm going to try and flip through the entirety of some of the most famous illuminated manuscripts digitized by the British Library and explore the marginalia. The Rutland Psalter dates from the late thirteenth-century and first belonged to the family of Edmund de Lacy, the first earl of Lincoln. It, like many expensive illuminated medieval manuscripts, is full of gorgeous images. Most of the marginalia is fantastical but there are some scenes that mirror daily life in the middle ages. Also, no two images are exactly the same though there are obvious reoccurring motifs. Anyways, I've picked a few of my favourite images, but you can flip through the whole manuscript yourself here: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_62925_fs001r

I am so jealous of this monkey. He has a tail that grows fruit! How convenient would that be?! I would want a banana-tree tail of course. 

Here is one of images from which we can glean details of medieval life - a poaching scene. We can tell by the little man's attire that he is a peasant and we already know by Edmund Huberd's example that peasants had dogs. We know that this is indeed a poaching scene because neither villeins nor freeholders were allowed to hunt. Hunting was an activity reserved for the nobility and wooded parks were heavily controlled by the lord's local officials and for the royal forests, the king's officials. There are many instances of poaching reported in manor court rolls and eyre rolls where offenders were heavily fined for taking rabbits from the lords warren or fallow deer from the forest. Why did people poach? The most obvious answer is that they were hungry, malnourished, ill-paid villagers who resorted to pilfering a few coneys or a small deer to feed their families. However, scholars argue that poaching could function as a form of social discontent and disorder as well as an ongoing catch-me-if-you-can game between peasants and forest officials. Since hunting and land-ownership were so tightly bound up in the identity of aristocratic culture, poaching and parkbreak (merely stepping beyond the boundaries of a royal park) may have been an indirect form of revolt against this established milieu. 

There are a bunch of these dragons devouring the illuminated columns and they are so delightful. I love how this guy's tail is acting like a little conscience. I imagine him saying, "stop chewing on the column! The readers need that!"

This one is adorable. The little man and the bird look like they are trying to untangle this poor dragon's tail, which has a gigantic (albeit very pretty) knot! Look at the dragon's face, he is so distraught! 

This time he is slurping the column which just happens to have another dragon in it. Oh dear!

V. The 'Wave of Good Noise' YouTube channel

This music channel is full of indie/folk artists whom I've never heard before. If you like mellow, relaxing, background music for when you're studying or walking or baking (like me), check out this channel.
I have been loving it lately.

This one is my anthem. Hollow Coves- The Woods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyNcgqUjRe4



VI. The Leuven Botanical Gardens 
 Kyle and I had planned to go to the botanical gardens on our date night last Friday, but had spent too much time talking at the restaurant (over vegan burgers!) and missed the opening hours, so we penciled the gardens into our Sunday plans. Last Sunday was a lovely, crisp, bright fall day. Perfect for a visit to this little sanctuary.

That's all folks, thanks for reading! 

Much Love,

-md

Brevities, drunken pigeons, and Freya incarnate

Tis Megan again! I am disrupting the "Kyle, Megan, Kyle, Megan" blog post authoring sequence because Kyle has been too busy lately and I feel like writing something. 

So, we three Canadese (The Dutchies refer to us as such) have happily settled into our apartment. We are only a five-minute walk from the city centre and around 15 minutes from the Faculteit Letteren (College of Arts building) where all of my classes and most of Kyle's and Brendan's are located. I am not going to talk much about Kyle's academic experience so far, since he will probably want to do that in a post of his own, but both he and Brendan are very busy with weekly assignments and keep talking in sciencey, computerey related terms. 

My academic experience thus far has presented both the expected and unexpected. I expected my schedule and my workload to be a bit lighter than what I was used to at the UofS. This has indeed been the case so far, but I suppose it could very well change in the coming months. During the week I only have one or two classes a day. They are two to three hour lectures so that means I only have that specific class once a week, instead of multiple times a week, which leaves me plenty of time to do my required readings etc. Anyways, so far I haven't felt the stress or pressure that has been a familiar stimulus for the last four years. I suppose this is a blessing in itself since it has left me with more time to deal with the unexpected.dehgo - Radagast typed this when he ran across my keyboard just now, apparently he had something to say. 
The unexpected stumped me the other day when I was exploring the British national archives website looking for the records I was planning on using for my master's thesis. I discovered, to my dismay, that the archive that houses my court rolls is being moved to the University of Leeds and won't be open to researchers until 2016. 

For the past few days I feel like I have been swirling around in the Charybdis that is the list of extant English manor court rolls documented in the national archives, trying to find some primary sources suitable for the research I am hoping to conduct. mirabile dictu, I believe I have found a promising candidate in the records of the Manor of Manydown, Hampshire.  The task before me is daunting, but I am excited by the prospect of taking the train to England for the weekend to go hunting in the library archives of Winchester Cathedral.

 Being an English historian in the locus of Flemish nationalism has its challenges, which of course, I was expecting. When I met with my potential supervisor yesterday morning he posed the question I had been dreading all summer when he said, "So, why are you here if you study medieval England?" I looked at my hands and mumbled some feeble reply about tuition fees in the U.K. and the fact my husband was doing his M.Sc. here in Digital Humanities. He was understanding and helped me as best he could with where I should look for secondary sources, but primary sources were another matter, since I can't and have no desire to read legal documents in Middle Dutch. Suddenly I felt quite cast out of the nest and on my own in a position where I had hitherto enjoyed plenty of guidance. But I have decided (after a small pity-party and crying on Kyle's shoulder for awhile) to be inspired by the motto, depressa resurgit, and that by wandering through, searching for, and delving into heaps of dusty vellum and discarded parchment, I shall find myself well on my way to becoming a true historian, Κλειώ-inspired. If you didn't mind my rant perhaps I will divulge further on the subject as it progresses. 

Here are some pictures, although considerably fewer than there were in the last posts...and most of them of Radagast: 

We live in Belgim. So there are a lot of places to get bread and chocolate. In Leuven, there is this special shop called Antoine's where the only two things you can buy are bread and truffles. The bread is heavenly! I haven't tried the truffles because they aren't dairy-free... but that's okay because he also sells these: Peruvian cacao beans covered in 70% dark chocolate. We have been eating a lot of bread and chocolate to say the least. 

Me and Rabby lazin' around on the floor-bed like wanna-be bohemians. You can also see my vines I bought at the market! Everyday the direction they are sprouting in changes as they try to reach up to the sun. It is so cute. I need to name them... any suggestions?!

Our room. Minimalist and tranquil. It is a perfect place for morning yoga. The etching above our bed is of the Abbey de Fontfroide, from our honeymoon. 

Local mushrooms. Shitake on the left, Chantarelles on the right. I LOVE CHANTARELLE MUSHROOMS. They are perfect golden bundles of earthy tastiness. 

Our kitchen! I love the way the light shines through the windows at about 4:00pm. Stew is abrew on the stove.

Honey beer bread! We actually haven't been buying bread for the past two weeks because I have been making this recipe over and over again. Highly highly recommended and easy to tweak. So far we've tried traditional, and a herb and garlic version... I am thinking apple cinnamon would be delightful too: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/honey-beer-bread/

The day we finally got some furniture! You can kind of see our dining room and living room. Big windows = perfect sun baths

Brendan grabbing his beloved raspberry jam for an optimal honey beer bread experience. 

Kyle in mid laugh. He is so happy about dat bread. Brendan, the raspberry jam boy pictured above, strikes a thuggish pose. 

So... I thought this sort of thing only happened in cartoons but on an otherwise peaceful Sunday morning, a very dirty and perhaps inebriated pigeon crashed into our living-room window. All we heard was a loud BANG and all we saw was this avian imprint. Thankfully there was no corpse... the poor wretch must have flapped drunkenly home. 

Radagast and I doing some research, reading articles etc. He likes to sit next to me while I work and I like to pet him while I read. If the petting ceases for some reason however, he gets quite mad and starts pulling on or digging into my sweater. We bought him a little dog toy rope in hopes of redirecting his destructive urges/nibbling frenzies. He is a weird little creature. We love him. Yes, we do. 

Can you spy the lazy bunny?

okay okay okay. So there are a bunch of stray cats that roam our neighborhood who all seem to worship this little old lady that lives in the apartment complex adjacent to ours. Every morning and every evening the felines congregate around the entrance to the apartment and wait.  

Sure enough, the little old lady (or perhaps Freya in disguise?) emerges with a bag of cat food and they all cross the street into park where they all sing "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" together in perfect four-part harmony she must feed them. It is rather heart-warming. 

The men of the house making supper! 

Beautiful sweet potato, avocado, cucumber rolls that really hit the spot. This was the second time in one week I was treated to these. Compliments to chef Brendaroo and sou-chef KyleChan. 

Thanks for reading!

-M

cetera mellunae et lovanium scaenae

I suppose that the initial transportation related entanglements that postponed our honeymoon experience need no more explanation than what Kyle wittily provided in the last post. What I will say is that when I was intensely distraught, crying profusely, and repeatedly apologizing for having primarily caused what I referred to at the time as "the honeymoon from hell," Kyle was my rock. He took every knarled and knotted complication that happened ill upon our path and unraveled it. It was like he was almost looking forward to the next problem to rear its ugly head so that he could solve it. And so I discovered something that I always knew - that I married a man who has the heart of a hero and a profound patience.

The hero and his no-longer-distressed-damsel spent the rest of their adventure clambering up the promontories of alpine Gaul to explore what remains of the once-great strongholds that protected the coveted borderlands of southern France and Spain. We managed to see three of the "Five Sons of Carcassonne" which was our goal! We spent our last day relaxing in Sainte-Pierre-des-Champs and followed a secluded vineyard path along the L'Orbieu to some waterfall pools. We also purchased a butt-ton of chocolate and watched Chocolat. Oh yes.

View down one of many tiny lanes in Lagrasse, voted one of France's plus beaux villages! 

Freshly picked (read: pilfered) figs. I was kind of obsessed and insisted on calling my obsession "urban foraging."

At the foot of the limestone promontory that houses Peyrepertuse at its summit, another medieval Cathar castle! 

The hike up to the castle, feeling a bit like Frodo and Sam.

Breathtaking view from the castle's lower ramparts. 

I was checking out the murder holes. Kyle was checking something else out obviously. 

There were huge vultures draconically flying over the fortress, completing the experience I suppose. 

In the lower chapel. Still a beautiful, tranquil place. 

Time to climb up to the upper ramparts! 

via the Staircase of St. Louis, carved right into the rock and dating from the 13th century. This picture does not do its length any justice. #legsday. 

View from the upper ramparts! 

The remains of Sainte-Jordi's keep, in the chapel and the highest point of the fortress. 

Next Castle! Climbing up to Puilarens! 

We were so out of breath! Puilarens is famous for its highly defending zig-zagging staircase.

I spy a Roman bridge! 

Oh, hello mountain-top! 

Hide and seek in castle ruins would be truly epic. It is now on my bucket list. 

The Tower of the White Lady! I'm not kidding, that's what it is called. This tower was built in the 12th century and dedicated to Philip Le Bel's niece Blanche after she visited the castle. It features a speaking-duct, carved right into the stone that allowed people to communicate from one floor to another. 

frolicking etc. 

*le sigh*

Farewell Pyreness. 

Its a pity you can't see the windmill better in this picture, but this town was so adorable. As we went further south-west, the architecture became more and more Spanish! 

Well-earned after a day of sight-seeing and mountain climbing. Vegan and ethically sourced taboot (I feel like taboot is a very Canadian thing to say, yes?) From left to right: 70% cocoa dark, fig, hibiscus and orange, mint and cacao nibs. 

Dipping our toes in the L'Orbieu.

A good swimming spot wethinks. 

my handsome feller. 

self-timer shot.. heheh

Bliss! 

A grateful shout out to Master Brendan who cared for our quarrelsome lagomorph while we were away.

Here are some more pictures of beautiful Leuven that we took before leaving for France but didn't have time to post.

At the agriculture expo, which was part of the Leuven kermis, a giant fair that lasts 3 weeks! Its still going on! 

Ponies and miniature horses are adorable reminders that God has a sense of humor. 

AND bebe bun-buns. 

Sint-Kwintenskerk! I was walking by on the way to the Heverlee market on Sunday and heard one of my favourite sounds: choral voices echoing through the vaults of an old stone nave and floating through the windows. I discovered they have an English mass at 9:00 on Sundays, so Kyle and I are going to check it out this week. 

Wandering through the Beguinage, which is an UNESCO world heritage site and quite close to our apartment. Its winding, cobblestone avenues are so enchanting. 

Whenever I ask Kyle to take a nice picture of me, he often does the following:

                                                 

                                                        I guess I only encourage him.

I LOVE the remnants of the polychrome still on the tympanum.

One of the residences in the Beguinage! 

A cozy spot for a snail-nap.

Kastle Arenberg, which is very close to where Kyle has some classes at the Faculty of Science. 

There is a contingent of geese that stand guard!




 It's midnight here as of a minute ago, and the flame in my word-smith forge is dwindling... So I think I'm going to leave it with the vigilant Belgian geese-garrison stationed at our local castle.

Until next time!




Love Megan & Kyle