Margaret Hale Academy of Tea-Pouring & Wallpaper Selection at the University of Milton Northern

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Welcome to our new common room which, as you would expect, is decorated in impeccable taste (despite the limited choice of wallpapers available in Milton Northern). Above the marble mantelpiece hangs a portrait of the Vice-Chancellor of the University. As we recline elegantly on the chaise longue, we partake of tea and ratafia biscuits and discuss the works of Plato, although in the evening the finest wines and Polish cordials may be served.

Arf at rather large package :o

Good luck, Massive! I usually find the actual playdates not to much trouble, as the kids are entertained by the visitors, rathger than me having to entertain them - it's the detritus that follows the playdate that I despise.

I wouldn't mind a playdate of my own...

I noticed Massive edited my deliberate wording.

Got a bit of wet play planned have you Twigs? Well don't forget to bring a change of clothes

LOL, Small! :)

Oh yes indeedy to wet play. You have to do something to keep the little dears entertained, especially in this heat. I'm just off to blow up his armbands...

I'm just off to blow up his armbands...

That didn't sound rude, did it?! It wasn't meant to be for once

New article

at that photo Twigs.

It sounded a bit rude Twigs

The photo didn't do a lot for me, tbh. Though I'm fairly sure that it's from the same series as one I love - the one where he is standing against a window, high up, and he's holding onto a railing behind him.

Well am finally caught up and chilled out after the Monday from hell!

Thanks for the article links Twigs and Lady D (have only just got round to looking at the Empire one).

Have just checked out the Recognise Mag website - there is a link to buy a copy of Issue 7 (can't see if that actually is August's though - guess it might be July's) but nothing online as far as I can see.

DH is working til silly o'clock tonight, so DD and I are going to have a picnic tea in the garden. Then I'm going to get her into bed and have a glass of wine and a Richard-fest!

Sorry your Monday has been rubbish, Spiro :( Tonight sounds lovely though, what are you going to watch?

Maybe 9.4 Spooks where he has his Milk Tray moment over the Chinese Embassy, and/or some Strikeback (JP is definitely my favourite character) or possibly a combo of Mumsnetting and some hardcore YouTube-age!

I subscribed to Times Online last week and have just been trawling the archives for the last half hour as DD is quite chilled out and amusing herself and picnic tea is made.

Oooh, good choice! I am waiting for a free evening so I can watch 9.1 again... I am craving it since recent screencap postings :)

Mmmmm - 9.1 is very nice indeed.

Tonight is my second free evening in about a month so I have been climbing the walls lately. Saturday had an impromptu one, but fell asleep on the sofa just after 10pm !

DrTwigs is away for a whole week soon but I will only have 2 free nights as my mum is coming to stay - partly 'cos I'm a scaredy cat at sleeping alone in the house but mainly because I can't cope with the kids by myself for that long. She did offer to stay all week but I dissuaded her, knowing that I need a couple of evenings to myself :)

Oh that was a coincidence, I was lookign for another photo but accidentally found the one I was trying to describe earlier today, where he's leaning back against a high-up window. Here you go

I suppose the term ''playdate'' is far too polite a term for when you have had what seems a herd of junior pachyderms thundering about and trumpeting for most of the day.

I have just been slumped in front of the telly to recuperate, and what a reward I got for my noble behaviour -- the international Beeb started to trail RH3 for the summer. First I knew of it, there was Gizzy on the screen doing that thing where he whirls round and flings off his cloak, I do have the DVDs but it's nice to think of a whole new audience being introduced to his raffish charms. On the downside, they showed rather too many PLF shots.

And then I wander in here to find that very nice article to read. thanks so much Twigs.

I can't help uttering a sigh of envy at the thought of nights to one's self to indulge in a little light Lucas or JP watching. None of that for me in the offing. But I might just have tomorrow morning free...

And Massive does it yet again. Post 666 was mine once more. Is Fate trying to tell me something?

WOOHOO! PARTY AT TWIGS' NEXT WEEK _ ALL WELCOME!

Can you just PM the address, thanks Twigs.

at Spiro being able to watch luscious Lucas uninterupted.

You must've been having wicked thoughts about Bitey Knight...

Guilty as charged, m'lud. Not that biting is really my thing...

Any time, Small!

Sorry, Massive, but the pun value of bitey night was too good to be ignored.

::gratuitous::

And I realised today - once I had regained my composure after Twigoletto's utterly thrilling bare neck porn - that I had missed an obvious one in the Academy's Reinvented Classics. I give you Ms Heyer's The Inconvenient Marriage.

What kind of Twiglets did you get exactly?

Maud I thought that last one would be the Sparkhouse wedding.

Please feel free to be as gratuitous as you will with regard to throat porn

Well they were on special offer, Small - buy one , get one free

Also, LOL at 'aimlessly round M25' :)