4 months of silence?

Gosh! I can't believe how long it's been since I last wrote. My world has changed a lot (but also not):

1. New job as of 1 June, at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (part of the U.N's International Court) in The Hague. Life should improve dramatically with this job. Boss will be the former Dutch ambassador to the U.S. The "PCA" "hears" about 2 cases each month. The legal staff are young attorneys from all over (there are over 100 member states, and the staff is chosen from them, though seems to be mostly UK, US and European). The site is the wondrously beautiful "Peace Palace", on grounds given by Andrew Carnegie just before 1900. It looks like a Gothic castle, has flowered formal grounds and the interior looks like a cathedral. The floors are tiled and have lots of mosaics, and the rooms are enormous and luxurious. I was awed by it.

http://www.pca-cpa.org/showpage.asp?pag_id=1044

2. I met my landlord about a month ago, the Dutch ambassador to Serbia-Herzogovina, based in Sarajevo. He displeased a politician and was recalled here. I'm tempted to ask the new boss if he knows the landlord! I'm hoping I won't have to move, since the landlord may be based in Strasbourg, to advise from EU committee there.

3. Men: the match.com quest goes on, currently with comically bad results (I've sworn off the county of Essex in England), but one has to keep at it. For the Barbara Pym readers in my life, the Essex man was a perfect Pym character. I was trapped in a whole weekend with him (the rail service was under renovation weekends, so couldn't escape to Oxford before Monday), and his revealing on Sunday that he was a teenaged Mensa member did NOT impress me (I have very talented friends).

4. Travels: I've just had most of a week in Oxford, with my wonderful cousin (by marriage) and her family, who moved there last August to accommodate their sons' needs for a particularly good school. Oxford is a very busy little city, but very lovely, too. I heard the choir at Christ Church Cathedral and heard the acoustic in two college chapels (Merton and Madgalen), both famously recorded in by the Tallis Scholars. I had lunch with the Magdalen-based daughter of a close friend. And cousin Sophia took me to see Blenheim Palace, ancestral home of the Churchill-Spencer (remember Diana Spencer?) clan. While Winston was only born there, the marketers would have one believe that he spent all his time there. Blenheim is only about 10 minutes' drive from Oxford, in the midst of lovely rolling countryside, and its vast grounds (acres and acres) rearranged by Capability Brown, in the 18th century.

5. Work: 10 months at ING Bank has felt like much longer, and the commute has really stripped my gears. I will not miss it. No place is perfect, but my new train ride will be 10 minutes (plus a short bus or bike ride), vs. minimum 70 minutes on the train(s). I've also really missed working in law and the intellects that law requires.

6. Spring: it really, finally did arrive here, although I did have my doubts. I've planted my little front garden (violet and egg yolk yellow this year: pansies, hyacinths, and primroses), which I love seeing. The "Peace" roses I planted last year are slowly growing, too. The garden is a daily visceral pleasure of mine. The beautiful little pansies really delight me.

6.1 Flowers at the market here. I continue to be stunned at how cheap flowers are here. Yesterday in the Saturday market, I bought well over 100 tulips (purple, mauve, pink) for EUR 11.

6.2 (If one commits to a 6.1, there has to be a 6.2). More Flowers. I have fresh lilacs from the back garden. Is there a sweeter smell?

I think that that's the news. Please forgive the long silence, which I shall blame on ING and the endless hours. I hope my readers are all well, employed and content.

Until sooner,
Pamela