Everyone who reads this blog is going to be reminded periodically until voting ends to muddle your way through the Flemish-language pages of Monumentenstrijd (Monuments Contest) to cast your vote for funding to restore the clockwork of St. Rombout's Tower and... to install a golden clock face. The Germans destroyed the clock mechanism during the war, and it's none other than the clock- and bell-maker etc. around the corner from where I lived last year, Luc Michiels (to whom I gave some anonymously-caused work fixing the practice consoles when I first started to learn van Noordt's Sonate voor cimbalo...shhh!), who's partnering with an architect on this project. I know it sounds ridiculous to coat a tremendous mechanism in gold, but IIRC, Antwerp's clock faces are golden. Nothing wrong with a little materialism once in a while (especially in Flanders, as our lavender ice cream friend Jean might add...)
Voting commences on 15 January. It was none other than my former landlord who emailed me (for the first time) a link to the campaign -- how sweet! Elvo sent me articles a couple months ago; I was clearly fated never to fully part from St. Romboutstoren. If you can read Dutch or a Germanic language, enjoy this brief article about the campaign.
Incidentally I opened my window this morning and the sound of several kinds of birds chirping floated in with the sound of leaves rustling. Why can't I wake up to this sound every morning?
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