Ah mate, brings a tear to my eye! I think some of the people in the photo were there back in 1998! I appreciate you raising CC Lemon but Asahi would have been more appropriate perhaps. I am actually off to a Hanami party in a Japanese garden outside of Brussels but as it is only a four hour session, this too might be slightly tame. I'll raise a glass of Chimay to you guys to acknowledge your gesture.

How was it Pat? I reckon hanami and beer made by the silent ones is a great combination.

Was great fun. It was held in a place called Hasselt (http://www.trabel.com/hasselt-japanesegarden.htm) which apprently has the largest Japanese garden in Europe.
Went on a tour round the garden given by a guy called Willy who kept referring to YOU Japanese i.e. "YOU Japanese believe in demons which is why we have to close this gate behind us to keep them out." etc But it was a really well kept and well designed place. We then had the traditional mats out, booze stacked up hanami party. The Japanese Ambassador to the EU was there as well. But a good laugh, met some people from the Japanese Mission to the EU - geijin and Japanese - drank sake, Guinness, Asahi, Jupiler and shotchu as well as eating yakitori and weird seaweed snacks. My Japanese language skills were used to their full so I didn't speak for too long...

Tricky one for Willy all the same, choosing a good pronoun there. If he referred to them in the third person, it would seem like he was talking about them as if they weren't there. It was a no-win situation for the man. He never should have accepted the job.

Well I am sure his name was Willy Brandt so despite having to come to terms with being dead he also had to realise that politically a tour guide is not a good career move.