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Blather: Opening a Can of Worms on Europe’s Frontiers

Belgium France Border

Belgium France Border

Telling stories is an important part of what I do, yet it’s easy to leave it aside to “work on it later”. Last week I had the chance to come up with to formulate a story during a long journey, and committed it to text later that night. It came to me while I was stuck in a traffic jam on the Belgium-France border, ostensibly because of increased frontier checks. As every delayed driver that day discovered, the only thing the “border check” successfully accomplished was creating the traffic jam.

I published the story, about this absurd situation at the Belgium-France Border, along with the anxiety of crossing a national border while carrying a piano, a collection of lampshades and a large collection of worms, over on blather.net. I’ve been running this website that I’ve been running since 1997. It’s been dormant for a while, but with the help of my co-editors,  we’re slowly re-vitalising it.

Bonjour Monsieur, what do you have in the coffre?

I have a piano, several lampshades and a box of garden worms.

Blank look.

Monsieur, seriously, what do you have in your car?

Really, I have a piano, lampshades and worms.

Look, there are hordes of radicalised Daesh terrorists roaming around Belgium and France and they are a threat to us all. Please don’t joke.

I’m not joking.

Continue reading on blather.net