Mumsnet Talk

Welcome to the newest instalment of the One Parent Families tea room. As it's heading for spring, we're now in a nice warm orangery surrounded by woodland filled with spring flowers. All are very welcome to join in with us parents of one (or indeed more!), the tea room gardener/handyman Mellors, various virtual Bishops (don't ask) and a variety of other characters from previous tea rooms. Grab a cuppa, relax!...

My, this is lovely.

<<Settles down on the rattan furniture and admires the potted palms>>

<hands a fresh cuppa to Mary, who is in the priest hole recovering from a Day From Hell>

Must be time to open a bottle of the usual. Anyone for a glass?

Thank you, teafortwo, for the P&P links. Am a big fan, and they are good to watch!

Day from hell continues with 2 kids now in bed, DD has lost her DS for 2 days, DS has lost his DS for 1 week, and he is on a final warning for the second week. Both pokemon games have been confiscated indefinitely because I'm sick to death of the way those particular games consume their lives.

New priest's hole, dare I say it, is at least as comfy as the last one. The scent of early orange blossom is drifting down here and is soothing. One of the bishops is a dab hand at poker, and we are starting a card table down here...

Wow this is very lovely.

<Settles down with a cuppa and a biscuit>

<Winches a big pot of tea and lots of biscuits down to Mary>

Hope things are getting better.

Mary, have the equivalent of a hug to help take the sting out of your horrid day. Glad the priesthole is nice and commodious, although am smiling at the irony of it turning into a Den of Iniquity!

Lovely new pad, amber - good job! love the old iron trellis work around the tops of the windows and am very glad to note that the scents mutate according to their acceptability to each individual nose!

Tea? I feel a nice light Ceylon would go rather well with a few scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam (pre-empting summer, see)

MMM cream tea and bolly - what a a lovely combination.

I was forced to watch Space Buddies this afternoon. My brains may have leaked out of my ears...

Kids have stayed in bed. Shed a tear at Lark Rise to Candleford.

Don't worry about den of iniquity, we are tithing 10% of any profits to the church.

Am going to bed now - to sleep hopefully...

Space Buddies? You have my commiserations. I have watched La Vie En Rose and CrazyGirl and I had a DIY karaoke session, singing Get Me To The Church On Time, from My Fair Lady. Turned out to be very educational, as we discovered that Sophie Dahl's two grandfathers were Roald Dahl (obviously) and Stanley Holloway. Well, did you eva!

<<snurk>> at Mary running a poker game in the priest's hole as a fundraiser for the church.

Is there any Bolly left?

<<wobbles bottle experimentally>> yes, the bolly bottle still has a way to go

Hope you feel better tomorrow Mary

Much prefer your films StillCrazy. DH has bogged off to bed as for a change he is getting up super early for a flight tomorrow, so I'm watching Gavin and Stacey

Now, I've never watched Gavin and Stacey. I suspect it's one of those things I could have got hooked on if I'd watched from the start. I have the same suspicion about Mad Men and The Sopranos.

I'm going to have an early night with Wilkie Collins, I think.

<<Slurps Bolly>>

'Lo all. Nice place here! Can I come in? <daisy ducks under the orange blossom>

bit hectice here and poor DaisyBlokes dad is very very very unwell. We finally sat down for a bit of R&R and turned on tele - yup, Lark Rise - have never seen it, but got the timing all wrong - both in tears within moments... something like Steven Segal woudl have been better

<<waggles bottle>> thanks for Bolly

MAry did laugh - on first read I thought your DD had lost her Dear Son and I had a terrible sort of heck what have I missed moment! but sorry you have had a pants day

I am sorry to hear that your FIL is unwell daisy... I am really thinking of you, DaisyBloke and boy lots!

We didn't watch tv tonight. Instead we watched the fire,I mned too much talked about this and that and listened to Brahms!

I got cross at Eccles and ended up locking her in the shower at dinner because she sneakily stole my gambas as I took it off the fire chatting (so not really watching what I was doing) and then two seconds later she did a nasty gremlin style move involving launching herself across the livingroom making a deadly ccccrrrrrr noise this time at a loud try at stealing beer's gambas too!

Generally she is pretty cool and understands she is below us in terms of pack place but she does turn into a bit of a naughty little wild fox cub with food... any ideas for how I can get her to understand that her dogfood is for her and our food is strictly for humans only and she must stay WELL away???

Her instict to nick it seems so so strong I can see it needs to be approached from sidewards...

Sorry, not a clue with dogs, although I have children who do something similar!

Daisy - yes I did think it might cause confusion, but thought it would add to the fun if I left it "as is" .

Had a bad night's sleep, will see what today brings...

<trips over empties from last night on the way to re-stoke the orangery tea room Aga and put the kettle on for everyone>

Morning all.

Daisy, arrgh re your FIL - shall be hoping and praying for good news. Large cup for you?

Mary, how's the supplies in the Priest Hole? Please do prop up the Bishop of Puddlemore on a cushion if you can - he really shouldn't be fast asleep on the edge of the sauna with a happy grin on his face from his winnings donation to the church funds.

Tea, with all of our dogs, basic 'sit and stay' obedience training during meal times has been important. Especially when we had Mrs A with us, since she was huge and strong and could have pushed her proverbial luck.

Any attempt to get at human food without permission has always been treated the Dog Pack Leader Way, with immediate standing up to full height, staring them right in the eye, and mad loud growling at them whilst advancing on them fast. No violence, no actual real anger, just instant 'get away from my stuff - I'm big and scary and in charge of you'. Then immediate reward for good behaviour if they've backed off and shown a bit of respect. If Mr B waits patiently, he gets a bit of whatever we're eating, but in the kitchen in his bowl, so he associates that as being his eating place.

Dogs will try to reassess who's in charge every single day of their lives, so total consistency is vital, especially around small children.

THANKS Amber!

I think Eccles has a strong understanding of who is boss but it gets lost in the excitement of food. Thinking about it - When we were at MIL's she kept trying to steal the other dogs' food too. Even though she was by far the tiniest and most lowly of lowly of all the dogs around!!! !

Morning all.

Is anyone else thinking that Amber's approach to Dogs Snaffling Food could also be applied to small children who want to steal the best bit of your meal?

Daisy - So sorry to hear about your FIL. Does he live close enough to visit? <<Assumes that all DaisyBloke's fambly live in yurts in the Hindu Kush or in a self-sufficient community on a remote Scottish island and not in a Tudorbethan house in Maidenhead>>

Have put a tastefully-arranged selection of toast, crumpets, croissants and other delicacies in the warming oven. Tuck in!

<<Comes back to wrap a croissant or two in a red spotted handkerchief and lower it with some little pots of butter, honey and jam into the priest's hole for Mary>>

O.M.G!!!!!!!!!!!

I just tried the Amber technique because Eccles was showing interest in Milk's cornflakes and guess what...

She made herself the size of a pin, yelped and hid under the sofa.

Since then she has stayed right next to me making "I love you so much" eyes as I sort washing and stayed significantly far away from said cornflakes!!!!

<bows to Amberlight lord of all dog training techniques>

And REALLY - tbh I didn't even growl that loudly!

thankyouthankyou <bows graciously>
Dogs speak perfect dog, even when they're little.

Maybe less growl next time

Another good one is if they go to play-mouth hands or fingers, yelp really loudly even if it didn't hurt at all. They stop straight away, and it's good for them to learn that around children - otherwise they grow bigger still biting fingers and it really is a risk.

O.M.G... AGAIN!!!!

Today it is pouring with snow and very very cold.

The postman rang on the doorbell and delivered from RS... a package with a book about snow and a dvd that looks perfect to snuggle up and watch in such very cold cold weather. We will watch it tonight. x

WOW - Really - How lovely. Thanks for the cards too - so English! And f.y.i tearoomers RS has the most beautiful and clear writing I have ever seen in my life I am deeply !!!

Amber - we are clearly of the same dog training school!

My friends are inclined to obey too when out on a walk... And mistlechick is also schooled under the same type of system - ask nicely, ask again, tell, and INSTRUCT !!! It doesn't always work, but he's never run across a road yet!

What's really embarrasing though is when other people's dogs obey you when they don't obey their owners!!!

Mistledog is very good - mistlechick can have his plate on a table which she could easily reach - we can leave the room and go and do something else, and come back and the plate would still be untouched, although she is getting a bit squeeky waiting for her supper (which quite often starts with MC's left-overs) as she's on a diet at the moment... The same training doesn't work on pet hens though (although we don't have any now, I had them as pets when growing up)

Tea - I think you're much better not being class rep - I hope you can find some other people in amongst the parents that are friendly and help milk get some other friends that way.

Mary - hope you're feeling a bit better today. Here's some more tea.

I do like the surroundings - and have you seen everything starting to push up in the wood, even some of the buds are swelling.

Actually I think that's two of the Bishops tunnelling their way to freedom, having locked themselves in the jacuzzi suite

I have to say, being "parents" of many dogs and one child DaisyBoy is parented in teh school of dog behaviour

Teh only thing I woudl add to the wonder of Amber is, as with parenting, don't get so hung up on "tehcniques" that you forget to trust your ability to "read" the situation. So for exmaple, Eccles is a baby. They all slip up. At times, even when she is trying she will make mistakes and sometimes instead of a growl the situation will demand a cuddle (iyswim) it is all about you as a person

Of course, I am the Biggest Softy of all Softiness and all my children and dogs are probably lying there giggling at what a push over I am and how they have been able to get away with much food stealing etc over the years

Thanks for sympathy. FIL would probably prefer to be in a yurt, but is in a bog standard NHS within visiting distance and for once DaisyBloke is also in the country....

parcel sounds lovely. Somehow I knew Racing would have lovely writing. Does that mean Charlie and Lola never emerged?

I have been a bit out of loop but Tea, don't to parent rep. In my view hideous way to try and meet/ make friends .... nice people will be nice and nasty ones won't and will simply resent you asking them things!