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Original poster

Belgian MNetters Meetup!

139 replies

Portofino · 31/01/2011 21:57

All this talk of new movers and schools has made me remember that we must reschedule the Xmas Meetup (cancelled due to snow/extreme minus temps).

So who is interested?

When?

Where?

(Kreecher HAS to come before she moves back to Blighty as I NEED to see photos of Yum Yum Franky)

Otherwise I am easy!

What do you think?

OP posts:
RuthChan · 04/02/2011 20:04

Sounds great!
I'm up for all three if I can make the dates! :o

monkeybumsmum · 04/02/2011 20:43

Ooh yay, cinema great, dinner fab and even another one in April! We won't know what to do with ourselves!

Randomly, am setting myself the task of making some bunting (don't ask) and am going to put it in the garden and invite you all for a summer picnic during the school hols. Can you tell I'm desperate for the winter to finish now Grin

RuthChan · 04/02/2011 20:47

Bunting?!!!
Your garden looks beautiful as it is...

Anyway, a picnic sounds fun.
Roll on the picnic weather...

frazzlenz · 04/02/2011 20:48

I'm up up for dinner and the movies. Yay for some nights out!

I agree MBM, bring on summer. Off to google bunting...

monkeybumsmum · 04/02/2011 21:03

Oooh, I have just googled bunting too, might just buy some actually

LongtimeinBrussels · 04/02/2011 21:14

The King's Speech comes out on 23 February.

Original poster
Portofino · 04/02/2011 21:39

So cinema one night that week?

OP posts:
Portofino · 04/02/2011 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

belgo · 05/02/2011 09:32

monkeybumsmum - I set myself the task of making bunting about a year ago - I managed three triangles all of descending size before discovering a packet of ready made, very pretty, material bunting from Blokker for just 4 euros.

monkeybumsmum · 05/02/2011 10:00

Ooh thanks Belgo Smile Have just been researching how to make it, but it would be sooo much easier to buy! Maybe Blokker will get more in for this summer, fingers crossed!

monkeybumsmum · 05/02/2011 10:02

Week of the 9th is good for me, except the Wednesday or Thursday night - I'll still be at work that week, boo!

natation · 05/02/2011 11:05

Portofino, where does your daughter ride? My 9 year old loves her pony riding, I am trying to persuade her to go on a residential pony riding camp in Nederlands, especially since it's so cheap, but she only likes pony riding at her some stables!!!

Original poster
Portofino · 05/02/2011 15:40

She doesn't ride at all - YET Wink. She is going on one of these residential camps in the Ardennes. (Work and the Mutuelle highly subsidise these things.) She is dead excited about it. If she really enjoys it I believe there a stables at Sterrebeek, so I might look into long term lessons.

OP posts:
natation · 05/02/2011 18:04

Our daughters ride in Sterrebeek, be prepared to get wet there, no indoor arena! There's also one in Moorsel which is in French and Dutch het Gulden Spor.

Original poster
Portofino · 05/02/2011 18:32

Oh that's interesting! Does it cost a fortune once you get into it? Lessons, clothes etc? I am a bit scared of horses myself Blush. Dd is 7 next month, so I was hoping to encourage her into a "proper" sporting interest - tennis, riding or something this year.

She does a dance class every Sunday,and swimming but I am a right lazy lardarse and want to take advantage of the relatively low cost of these things here to get her "into" to something.

OP posts:
natation · 05/02/2011 22:32

60 euro per year for insurance and club membership.

11 euro per group lesson. if bought in blocks of 12. As long as you say in advance when you can't make it or say in advance when ill, you are not charged for the missed lesson. It cost me 50 euro for a full kit of clothes from Decathlon but all you need really is bombe, bottes et pantalon. Compared to UK prices, it's really quite cheap.

Tennis in comparison is MEGA expensive. Cheapest places I have found in French for lessons are Wezembeek-Oppem sports hall, Kraainem sports hall and St Michel school's tennis club. Otherwise you are looking at over 15 euro per group lesson with 4 per court, usually near to 20 euro per hour.

The cheapest thing our children do is Lutins / Baladins, it's something like 60 euro for the year.

Original poster
Portofino · 05/02/2011 23:09

That doesn't sound too bad. I had to look up "bombe" in the dictionary - I could not imagine WHAT they were talking about Grin

I know Toboggan do Tennis stages in Schaerbeek. 15 euros a lesson is lots though! What is Lutins? DD did Rainbows for a year or so in Kraainem, but unfortunately they stopped it. I was assured a Brownies place - must send an email to check.....

OP posts:
natation · 06/02/2011 07:33

www.animer.be/tcanimercours.html
Cheapest tennis on east side of Brussels, I think it is in groups of 6, I think 230 euro covers 30 courses for the year.

1e and 2e primaire are always mixed, equivalent of Rainbows / Beavers. If they are run by the Guides, they are called NUTONS, if by the Scouts BALADINS. The Scouts and Guides are nearly always paired together and they run just one mixed group for 1/2e primaire. They split into LOUVETEAUX for boys or LUTINS for girls for 3e-6e primaire. The usual joining time is September. The nearest ones to you in French are St Pancras in Kraainem or St Joseph in Wezembeek. There are a few "Guides Pluralistes" groups, your nearest is not far from Stade Fallon in WSL. I know the "chef" of the Kraainem St Pancras Guides if you were interested in a place.

Yes it's a pity the Rainbows closed in Kraainem, our 9 year old did it when she first arrived but the leader could not find a replacement, she was running Brownies too. I'd run the Rainbows but I work late so I can't, it's quite a commitment. Our 9 year old now does Lutins, loads different to English Brownies, in her "unité" there are over 650, in her "ronde" there are 42 girls led by 7 lovely cheftaines aged between 17 and 21. The girls are given loads of freedom and increasing responsibility, plenty of parental participation if you want it too. They go on camps 3 times a year. Oops sorry for hijacking the thread.

Pfaffingabout · 06/02/2011 10:06

I'd love to meet you ladies! I'm generally free on Friday and Saturday nights (no social life to speak of!) Weekdays are a little harder depending on dh conference calls to HQ in California, but can usually manage by 8pm.

Curry sounds great. Haven't been to the cinema in years!

natation · 06/02/2011 11:39

Portofino, being nosy, where is your daughter going to ride? Have yet to find a French residential stage under 230 euro for the week that our girls can go on, and that is with our "famille nomreuse" discount. We signed up to Euromut, I've since discovered they are not the best mutuelle for children's refunds but we are stuck with them for the moment due to generous orthodontic reimbursements, so in that respect they are good, but I'd still long term rather change mutuelle.

Original poster
Portofino · 06/02/2011 16:57

I'll PM you natation.

OP posts:
kreecherlivesupstairs · 06/02/2011 23:14

I saw some bunting in Hema a couple of weeks ago. It was, IIRC 3 euros.

monkeybumsmum · 07/02/2011 07:40

Thanks Kreecher, will have a look!

Original poster
Portofino · 07/02/2011 23:23

Grin at all the bunting talk

OP posts:
kreecherlivesupstairs · 08/02/2011 09:01

You are a much better mother than me Porto. I am currently trying to knit a lamb for DD.
She was given eight woman's weekly magazines and one of them had this bloody lamb in it.
I am a hopeless knitter, and so far have got the back gusset done. It took me four days to do 12 rows of knitting. Each row was 16 stitches long.
DD has given up hope of seeing it before she is 10 I think.