Anti dementors are going to hit the shops. Who wants to come?

[Shodan]

This'll be thread number 13, I think.

Let's hope it's a lucky one

(Sorry about the feeble title)

[quote Jourdain11]@BarkandCheese In another universe where Leave hadn't won, we could just be going into a GE now with Cameron having recently stepped down as PM. Imagine - a Brexit and Corona free other reality, with a GE fought between George Osborne and Chukka Ummuna, or something like that...[/quote]
I’m actually a firm believer in all kinds of woo like alternative dimensions so there probably is a universe where that happened. Oh to be on that timeline...

I had to go through the torture of studying Moliere's 'Le Bourgois Gentilhomme' in A-level, and the follies of M. Jourdain's social climbing. It was not my finest hour of schooling. I could handle Shakespeare but not archaic French.

Actually, my least MN moment ever was taking a 2yo and a 4m old to the open air Mynack Theatre in Cornwall to see a Moliere play. We were down there for a wedding and decided to join the rest of the group going. The 4mo happily cluster fed and dozed silently all evening, and the 2yo was extraordinarily fascinated by the setting and play. The only noise he made was shouting "nee naw" during a farce police chase scene with people running backwards and forwards through various doors. I've never dared to admit it on a threatre thread The only glitch was the man in front who was wanting to lean back against the full depth of the amphitheatre terrace and touched DS's feet that just came to the end. He accused DS of kicking him which he wasn't as I was in full paronia mode checking the DCs were unobtrusive, and ironic as he'd have done far worse leaning into DH's long legs, knobbly knees and size 11s. (We moved elsewhere well away from him after the interval before the police chase) So yes MN, I finally confess to taking a pair of infants to the theatre to watch an adaption of the French equivilent of Shakespeare but that was in the good old days before such acts caused murder

@HesterShaw1

Yes, it almost begs the question why the fuck does anyone ever want to be prime minister?

If you're interested, I'd really recommend Steve Richard's "Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership from Wilson to May" which discusses why most PMs are incredibly poorly qualified for the job!

Either lack of government experience (Blair, Cameron) or lack of Office of State experience (Thatcher, Wilson, Major to some extent, May - had only done Home Office and lacked grasp of international affairs or economic policy).

Interestingly, the best qualified ones (Callaghan, Brown, Heath) usually arrived in post when either their party or the country was already turning against the govt they had to lead... and they therefore struggled for other reasons.

I was looking forward to getting back to PT but have had a massive document of doom through including being "encouraged" to bring and wear a face covering and gloves.

Everything is truly fucking mental.

@HesterShaw1

Yes, it almost begs the question why the fuck does anyone ever want to be prime minister?

Goodness knows, but Douglas Adams summed it up well about those being most suited tobeing President of the Galaxy being the ones least suited to the job.

I still can't get my head around watching Have I Got News For You many years ago and never even considering that the shaggy blonde guest would one day be Prime Minister.

I've been out enjoying myself this evening so I'm kind of behind with everything but I wanted to say:

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. Hopefully it's been caught early and won't be too awful.

@Jourdain11 Helloooooo again! Good to see you.

That sounds like a really good read - thanks for the recommendation.

I always liked Brown - he had a really rough ride. I went to see him speak a couple of years ago and he was warm, good humoured and really connected with his audience. He spoke completely without prompts for nearly an hour.

The media really stitched him up, and that was his conclusion as well. "I couldn't win against them" he said. It was sad.

Surely taking a toddler to see a Moliere is just about the most mumsnet thing you could do?

I can just imagine the conversation at the next toddler group.
“I took little Freddie and Isla to see In the Night Garden Live, I think theatre is so important for their development don’t you?”

“Yes, I agree, but Noah much prefers Moliere to Makka Pakka...”

@HesterShaw1

That sounds like a really good read - thanks for the recommendation.

I always liked Brown - he had a really rough ride. I went to see him speak a couple of years ago and he was warm, good humoured and really connected with his audience. He spoke completely without prompts for nearly an hour.

The media really stitched him up, and that was his conclusion as well. "I couldn't win against them" he said. It was sad.

The book actually discusses at length why both Heath and Brown had media issues - both "politicians of substance" with immense policy grasp, who were actually good communicators, but the media managed to persuade the public that they were not

I tell you, I'd be happy to have Brown in charge now.

That almost makes me weep with longing - the thought of an intelligent, competent, humane adult in charge of the country.

Gordon, if you're reading this (TOTALLY likely), I'm so sorry for the way you were shafted :(

Hi Jourdain..been thinking of you
Sir Samuel so sorry to hear about your dad
It’s an awful time to be ill

Lilac tree..where are you?

I always though gordon brown sold our gold and had a terrible temper.
Just my impression of his tenure.

I saw LBG with Barry from auf weidersehen pet and angie from eastenders - it was tres jolie.

I’ve got a feeling whilst those on this thread might threaten their children with French literature - olives and baba ganoush are a step too far.

@Jourdain11

Oh wow... I'm quite bowled over by people recognising me from previous posts, even though I haven't been an amazingly regular contributor. I hope my general moaning and complaining hasn't made me too infamous!!

Interested in the Zoom music lessons - does it work well? I ask because DD1 loves recorder (did it at school in a large group in Y2 and opted to continue this year) and has taught herself lots of new tunes (pieces? I don't know the terminology!) by ear and from sheet music. I know she'd like to start another instrument too but she can't decide what (she's dithering between clarinet and violin!) and I was actually wondering about taking the plunge with Zoom lessons just to start something. She is Y3, if that makes any difference. MIL is a piano teacher and she taught DD lots of piano when the kids were staying there when I'd first gone into hospital at the start of lockdown, but we haven't got a piano (or anywhere to put one!).

I think the Zoom lessons work okay. My daughter does violin and piano and my son does trumpet, piano, singing and choir on Zoom / MS Teams.

Do you have either a clarinet or violin that would fit your daughter? I remember that she had to go to a shop to pick up a violin for my daughter (she was borderline between 1/4 and 1/8). I know that Stringers isn't open yet but presumably it will open at some point.

@BarkandCheese

Surely taking a toddler to see a Moliere is just about the most mumsnet thing you could do?

I can just imagine the conversation at the next toddler group.
“I took little Freddie and Isla to see In the Night Garden Live, I think theatre is so important for their development don’t you?”

“Yes, I agree, but Noah much prefers Moliere to Makka Pakka...”

Sadly in MN tradition, I never actually got talking to mums at baby groups to show off my infant's experiences of classic arts over contemporary populism

TM lives in my friends village.
Would ve loved to see her face when she threw open her garden to the public and the prime minister turns up

A bit like Notting hill and the pm turns up to the schools nativity play
( and yes I’ve seen the photo proof)

@CruCru she went to this Come and Play thing at a local Saturday music school a few weeks before lockdown and tried instruments... there were people from the school and from shops there and they recommended that she'd need a quarter violin or a kind of student type clarinet with some bits missing off it so it is lighter... (not very technical, sorry!)

I'd be happy to order the violin online, for a starter one... I'm guessing something like a Stentor would be okay for starters? Not a clue about the clarinets though!

BogRollBOGOF 😂

I made a fake ID to take my DD to see a show at the Mynack. The show was Sweeny Todd and they put I think either 12 or 13 as the minimum age and she was 10. The thing is DD had been in a production of Sweeny Todd already and knew the show back to front so it wasn’t going to be any kind of big shock to her that it was about murder and human meat pies. Fortunately they never asked for proof of her age as my forgery was pretty rubbish.

I remember the time I had two pianos, bought one and given another..in my tiny house
Now all gone, thank god
And no one ever learned to play properly either

Found you all!

I had an exciting day yesterday where I went to IKEA and spent a very pleasant couple of hours wandering rounds and buying all kinds of shit I didn’t know I needed.

DS2 is due to be back at school by the end of the month and DS1’s school has just tweeted that they are ‘looking at a plan to get more children back to school’. Whether this means that DS1 might get to go back before the summer holidays I don’t know but it’s a real turn around from the head who was very dementorish when it was announced that Year 6s were going back.

This is the one my daughter currently uses. Stringers do part exchange or hire as well (we are hiring my daughter's as I can't face cluttering up my house with loads of tiny violins).

I rent instruments from their teachers. Learned my lesson after the golf clubs, tennis kit, equestrian clothing, etc. Etc.

Just checking in again.

Life is starting to feel better. That may have something to do with the fact that I took DD1 to Primark today. We pottered around a few other shops too afterwards. It was so nice to do something normal.

I've not read past the last few posts so hope everyone is well and apologies for missing something.

I remember Thatcher when I was a kid. I remember her being on TV and my dad stating that she was a witch. In my mind that meant broom stick, black cat and pointy hat. A bit later, when she was on TV again I told my childminder that she was a witch (Thatcher that is, not my childminder) as my dad said so. She was telling me that Thatcher wasn't a real witch. I just got confused.

Bark Are we talking Mr Bean style bad?

@TheGreatWave

Bark Are we talking Mr Bean style bad?

Not quite that bad. It was a photocopy of her passport with the date changed .