Crepeys say Bah Humbug, (it's not Christmas yet)

[beachyhead]

Here we go

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Phew.

Cheers, Beachy.

[bigTillyMint]

Love the title

[cremolafoam]

Slainte Beachy . How's the obnoxious mutt? Doggy cuddles to you both .

Just back from The Imitation Game and can recommend. BC is indeed very excellent and Keira twice Knightly was actually quite good.
So tragic the whole thing really.
Dh loved the whole 'beginning of computer science ' thread and we were both sorry that there was not more of the science and more of a study of the actual people. Still a good night out for us.
Watched the 70s thing too. quite shocking, the casual racism and in particular the gymslip school girls being completely sexualised by middle aged men. I remember having my bottom pinched by a teacher . Never thought anything if it. If it had happened to dd I'd have cut his balls off . Funny how our perspectives have changed.
Peace has broken out with Mother.
Although there was some hoity sentences before she spelt out how difficult it was to organise the insurance (a phone call) etc. I said nothing and changed the subject to the state of Judy ( ironing board) Murrray on Strictly.

[lalsy]

Thanks, Beachy, and thanks BTM for starting to ball rolling on MU venues. Ev or MrsS Turkish place sound great.

My laptop has died suddenly and the remaining gadgets in my house are making strange noises (which range from high pitched chirps to insistent knocking or ticking noises). They have calmed down now earlier I was lurching from room to room trying to isolate them like toddlers. It is going to be a fun week.

Stropps, I too am in awe. You have such insight and determination and I am sorry that things are unnecessarily tough at the moment. A hug for you.

[Blackduck]

Marking place.
Thanks Beachy.....here DHound was involved in a pub brawl at 9.00 am (you buy the Sunday papers from the local) and has left me a deposit on the kitchen floor - room for one more Beachy?
Ds has completed his Citizenship (wt.....) homework and is back to school tomorrow post puking on the bus (he is the talk of the village....)

[MontserratCaballe]

Adding myself in. Thanks for the new thread

Am slightly terrified of everything nex week. Hoping for a good sleep to get me ready. Strength and rest to all other crepeys facing challenges in the next few days

[MollyAir]

Stropps, that was an extremely moving post of yours on the end of the last thread, and I'll miss you at the Christmas meal, especially having met you at the last meet-up. It sounds like you are being very level-headed and strategic in managing your whole family's life. Fwiw, I think the fact that I also have a complicated hinterland adds to my impatience with any group members who don't know they're born. Do you talk about your situation with your fellow students? Just thinking they might help with work contacts and networking? From my own point of view, I find that it can be difficult to sum up a complicated life to people whose lives seem superficial simpler, and yet often people want to help when I do.

Thanks for the new thread, Beachy, and for the meet-up negotiations, BTM.

[CointreauVersial]

Checking in. Great thread title....

[QueenQueenie]

Oh here you all are!

Like the new thread title.

Re meetup venue will go with the flow... but if it's convenient for most of us Mrs S's place near the IWM did look after us very well last time we went there...

Stropps you are brilliant you know. Brilliant. Kep buggering on. We will toast you at the meet up and miss you too.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Oh and I have got my gifts for the SS ready to send...

And if I think they are inappropriate for the person concerned, I will happily keep them, so it is a win win situation.

[hattymattie]

Hello - just opened the page and was scanning anxiously for a new thread.

Our boiler made a loud clanking noise and broke down yesterday. Hoping for the plumber today before the cold kicks in.

[NUFC69]

Love the thread title, thank you.

Stropps, so sorry to hear about your financial problems, it's a long time since we were in that state but I do remember very well how it feels. You are dealing with it in just the right way - it's a good job someone is.

Hatty, I hope your boiler gets mended soon; when it's wet, as it is here atm, it seems much colder.

I think we're on top of the flea infestation - Nucat is actually sleeping happily without jumping up and scratching madly. Beachy, the dog sounds like hard work - pets, why do we have them, love them so much?

I am impressed with your SS purchase, MrsS. Are we going with fun or serious? Or is it just up to the donor?

[beachyhead]

I do appreciate that the punctuation in the title is wrong and all you writers must be gritting your teeth every time you post, but I'm not sure what's wrong. I think the comma is unnecessary, is that it?

Dhound is ok, the most perfect dog around the house, sometimes a bit overexcited in the garden and disappears into the night, but a sheer horror to walk. His nose is of the Sherlock hound variety and he gets very excited by certain noises and smells, so much so he's 'flying' on the lead and hound howling so walking is ok when it's ok, but really unpleasant when he's overexcited. Plus other dog has taken it upon herself to go absent every walk after pheasants for about 20 minutes, just to show she can, I suspect

So this week involves one funeral, one driving test and one actual dog training lesson (with other poor innocent dogs in the same hall!) Can you guess which is stressing me out the most? Wrongly!

[Rosebag]

Like the new thread title Beachy. I am all for a bit of bah humbug….

cremo glad things are more on an ever keel with your DParents. On the 70's thing….I agree with you, we never worried about a bit of bottom pinching and perving. Now, I'd be full of outrage. A while back we were having a discussion with the kids about racism and controls on the media. I managed to get hold of a DVD of episodes of Love Thy Neighbour and showed it to them. All our jaws dropped open…

Hatty good luck with the boiler…why does it always happen on the cusp of the bad weather?

Monty BD My failure to proceed with the Doctorate ( initially MPhil) is one of my biggest life failures. I even had my supervisors set up…one of them was a big name in the field. Years later when I found out the my DParents had given DSis and DBro financial and other help to get them through their PhDs, I was devastated. I can never take it up again. I left the idea of academia long ago and went into management instead. Now I don't even have a Masters…what am I talking about….I don't even have a proper job. Monty I would have loved to go into the performing arts…but the family would never have supported it. So I live through my DCs instead and help out as a volunteer at the theatre, run workshops sometimes…always looking over my shoulder wondering if anyone will discover how little I really know…. deeply frustrated most of the time.

Monty I hope you and DH sorted things out re down/me time and that the challenges of the week ahead are not overwhelming.

I can't come to the MU. One of the things I miss most about the workplace is the Xmas do's!

[Blackduck]

Oh Rose :(
But never too late to do a PhD if you want to. I've got one, and my biggest regret is not going on to academia.......

Ho hum....

[MontserratCaballe]

Rose, I think most of us look over our shoulders to see if anyone is around to see how little we know! Sometimes when I teach I realise that I know precious little more than the punters and sometimes I get caught out.... but still, no one dies, the world keeps turning and I get to pass go and collect another pay cheque. I don't have a Masters either. In fact, I have never actually graduated as we had to arrange it ourselves at my University and I never quite got round to it!

I am sad that I can't go to the Christmas meet up either. Shall we have a mini meet up - have a glass of champagne in Selfridges one afternoon / early evening in December? Would that work for you? Other crepeys in the vicinity very welcome too

[wilbur]

Checking in! Definitely not Christmas yet here, although I did buy a very cute cushion with a robin on it when I was Ikea a couple of weeks ago. Plus I got some good bargains from Hollister for ds1 and dd in their clearance so am pleased about that.

Rose - sorry to hear about the academic regrets (did your parent not offer you the same support for a PhD as your siblings? That's v tough) but I agree with BD, it's never too late. I hope to do a Masters one day, but it is very much something that will be after dcs have left home. I met a very nice academic this week from a Uni not too far from London, and we bonded over shared areas of interest which was nice. The occasional little thing like that - meeting someone clever and not feeling too stupid or out of touch - makes me hopeful about marshalling some brain cells again at some point. There was a mature student who took modules of my Uni degree - she was probably in her 60s - and she was brilliant, really nice to us babies and although she didn't contribute much, every now and then she would say something about a text that had us looking at each other and going - "Wow, yeah, maybe this accumulated life experience stuff can actually be helpful". And then we would carry on with our empty-headed, know-it-all-at-19 discussions .

Had a great night with Bette Midler last night! V interesting being at a tv recording, but so impressed with the effort and attention to detail they put in. Will definitely have to get the CD.

Right, coffee and then back to work.

[MontserratCaballe]

Wilbur, I have the same ikea cushion. Unlike many other Crepeys though, I am champing at the bit to go Christmas crazy. My DS is 6 on 1st December, after which I will be off.....

[Rosebag]

It's complicated about the PhD and what happened. I expect my parents felt they were helping me enough with looking after DS1 once a week while I worked. I had paid child care for the rest of the week, mind. I also think it had a lot to do with me being the eldest and having three extremely demanding younger siblings who have remained that way into adulthood. I'm over it now but I do feel like an idiot in company sometimes, especially with the family....with us there's a history of Oxbridge, Med school or nothing.

I would so love a mini meet up monty and with anyone else too. My problem is late afternoon and early evening on a weekday is soooo difficult. I'm a morning, lunchtime person....any chance? I guess everyone's at work?

I never go Christmas crazy as it's not my festival but I do enjoy getting gifts for those who do celebrate it and I so love the beautiful decorations that we were never allowed to have adorning our home. I also love turkey and stuffing and roast parsnips and Xmas pudding and we have it every year and eat until we explode. I guess that's not so different from any one else.

[wilbur]

Don't worry Monty - I may be a late starter but I love Christmas and have way too many decorations already (although I am of MrsS's flashing Eiffel Towers), so I will be Christmas crazy with you. Especially this year as it's our year to be at home on Christmas Day. Bliss. Not doing loads of presents as we'll only have to pack them away from the builders in January and to be honest I think dh and I will have to buy each other half an MOT pass for the car rather than anything desirable. But we will have lovely food and MIL always spoils us so there will be a few nice things to unwrap. And my office closes for 10 days over Xmas, yay!

[bigTillyMint]

Right Meet Up Crepeys, Ev's has replied that they can book us a table with a deposit payable of £10 a head. They would give us crackers, etc and attached the Christmas menus at £25/29/34 pp.
MrsS, do you want to see what your place could offer before we book?

[Auriga]

Lost a post yesterday. Was mainly cheering Strops on & commiserating with Crem. Glad parents are seeing sense Crem. And Strops, you seem v. focused & clear about priorities. You need sealable flaps over your ears, to block out the moaning from people who aren't up against it in the same way.

Sorry, realise I can't come on 5th after all. Too much work and a concert on 6th.

[bigTillyMint]

That's a shame Auriga Is everyone else still OK?

Fri 5th
BTM
Molly
Rudy
Lalsy
BD
Herbs
CV
MrsS
Addle

[QueenQueenie]

Me too!