Hired to translate german mystery novels into french , for example , she made a point of transforming their tall , blond heroes into squat , dark-haired gnomes with fleshy noses .
Ostend beach , snails , eels , king albert ii , lace curtains , kissing men 's cheeks , garden gnomes , 55 percent taxation , racing pigeons , gingerbread biscuits -- that is belgium . That I can 't relate to .
The lawns of the castle are brown and parched ( she recently turned off the sprinklers , to save money and the environment ) , and even phil 's collection of garden gnomes could use a lick of paint .
