Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 23: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

Here is the link to the prior thread:

Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 22: Calmly through the day

Apologies that the prior thread filled up before I could create this one. Hopefully everyone will find it. Lurkers are of course welcome to unlurk.

Miss
He made 6 glasses of jam and regrets that he could not carry more berries.

The cakes at the left side of your berries look like what in German is called 'Amerikaner' .

Prok, that is fascinating! You are also correct that they are technically cakes, not cookies. Here's the history of them:

The Mysterious Origins of the Black and White Cookie

Black and white cookies also go by many different names. In upstate New York and New England, people call these cookies “half-moons,” while in the Midwest, they are often called “harlequins.” Additionally, they are called Amerikaner in German.

The black and white cookie is believed to have been created by Glaser’s Bake Shop, which opened in 1902 by Bavarian immigrants John and Justine Glaser in Manhattan’s Yorkville neighborhood. The bakery closed in 2018 after 116 years and three generations of bakers. According to an Eater article, the cookies had “thick layers of fluffy frosting” and was “a community staple” for black and white cookies.

So they have a German origin after all.

Miss Lovely to know, I always thought they came into fashion here after 1945 with the GIs and associates. And yes, the cakes have a very fluffy bite and the thick frosting is essential.

At hotel on way back, went out in classic car. About to go swimming.

DD and friend are back by train

Hope you are getting better plastic.

Lovely jam Prok

Posting now as wifi plus mn new site isnt great

A lovely car! And landscape. I hope you alle have a great time Silkie

I continued my daily walks around the Kanal from 'Thielenbrücke' to 'Baerwaldbrücke' and back. That's 5km and 10.000 steps for me. Today I counted 56 swans.

That's a lovely classic car, Silkie Do you know who the manufacturer was?

Prok, that's beautiful. I really miss my walks around the reservoir. I haven't seen the ducks in weeks. They are making progress on the roadworks, but it's hard to tell how much longer they'll take.

I'm stopping on my way home at a restaurant we may use for DS's graduation party. We've eaten there many times. It's also our posh takeaway place. I want to see the space they can put us in and talk to the manager about their fixed price menus.

It's pretty hot today here, about 33C. I still walked for a mile and a half at lunchtime.

Interview tomorrow, and finally talked to my current boss today. Still stuck as to what to do… trying not to think too far ahead and eat the elephant one bite at a time.

We’re all tired and sticky. I need the nights to just be a bit cooler.

I have to work prior to the interview tomorrow and can’t work out what to wear. I need to be smart but not sweaty!

Good luck for the interview Helena!

That’s a lot of swans and steps Prok - I hope you are enjoying the blackberry jam. It is one of my favourite jams - I like it with lots of bits of fruits.

I hope you managed to sort out the details of the graduation celebrations, Miss . Will there be a lot of people there for the meal? Ds is refusing to celebrate with anyone other than me and DH so we will be having a small celebratory meal when the weather is a little more pleasant.

Thank you Silkies. I was getting a lot better until the cough decided to revisit. Your Cornwall holiday pics are cheering me up though. What a splendid car!

Good luck for the interview today, Helena 🤞

I woke up at 4:30 this morning because it was so hot. Can't get back to sleep and have to get up soon. So annoying.

Good luck Helena. Would you have time for a quick change of clothes so you feel more comfortable for the interview? Or even just a fresh top? Or else maybe wear a floaty type dress for the day instead ...

Silkie, your holiday looks great- enjoy every well deserved minute.

The apple caramel bread looks lovely Miss. Bon Appetite !

Good luck today Hilda. Try to relax and you'll do fine.

Halfpast, the apple caramel bread is indeed fabulous.

I'm so glad we have air conditioning in the house.

Thanks Half

Sorry you have the awful covid cough Plastic hope it improves soon.

Good luck with interview Helena

Its a Morgan plus 4 MissC, that one is relatively modern from 2004 but made for years. Don't make them anymore though. Lovely car and lovely day. Hope you found somewhere for DSs graduation party.

Nice walk Prok

We are all back home now and had a lovely swim yesterday in the outdoor heated pool just DH and I in it and did about 50 lengths but a half length pool then had nice drinks from the bar. It was a lovely holiday except for having to deal with loads of things re DS having no education atm and DS is quite down atm and would not leave his room. Ate his body weight in scones and ipadded. DD and her friend went for lots of walks, played board games and even tidied kitchen a few times. It was strange that as the middle aged people we were doing the exciting activities but I think DDs friend is scared of water, says he is not but every activity near or in water said no to, shame as beautiful coastline and beaches there and excellent for surfing and coasteering.

DH is just retrieving Mr Floof, the man looking after him got covid and so DH is collecting Floof outside.

I have lots of after eight wrappers ready to play football with Floof.

I hope your interview went well, Helena.

Silkie, I'm glad you're home safe and sound.
I can understand your DS being depressed about the educational limbo he's in.
There was a thread a week or two ago about how superior the British education system is to the one in the US, without any evidence for that belief. Here the schools are required legally to provide an appropriate education for every student and I can't imagine any child being stranded the way yours has been. It "gives me the rage" as they say on MN.

The restaurant, which is a lovely art deco style place has an area off to the side of the main dining room that will accommodate us. They offer a three-course meal with family style appetizers, six choices of mains and veg, and dessert for $39 per person, plus tax and tip. I may bring in a cake from our favorite bakery and they will plate if for us for no extra charge. The food is really good there. So I think we'll give them a deposit to book the date we want.

YY to your thoughts on SEN provision in the US vs UK, MissC. Nobody should have to do what you are left to do on behalf of your DS, Silkies. It's just wrong.

Lovely photo Prok - Berlin is the top city on my bucket list of places I want to see. A cousin of mine lived in Teltow-Fläming for a few years but is now back near Cologne. He posts lovely photos of Berlin where his son is at university.

Hope the interview went well, Helena.

We turned the AC off tonight as it's about 72 degrees and falling to the mid 60s.
DS took me and DD4 out to dinner and to meet his new GF, who is lovely.

Thanks MissC and Math Yes its really wrong and in theory it should not happen here but seems to be quite a few SN kids forced out with no education. DH has talked about going to France as its better there but seems so drastic and DS does not speak much French and also my cancer care is here.

Am talking to LA ed psych today but they never get anything, always say issues can be solved with just teacher training and we've had 4 years of that and they get like half a day training. Talking to LA tomorrow but they don't have any schools in the county that will help, won't pay for private, and all the privates appear full as well. I need to do legal forms but big delays on legal process. Won't be heard until 2023. And then it just instructs La to do things which may or may not happen. Plus its Jan next year he needs entering for gcses. Complete nightmare and his life is being ruined and he is so distressed by this and no teacher has been in touch at all. His primary was so nice and he did so well there.

As I was getting ready to leave for work this morning I looked out of the kitchen window and saw this sad fellow staring longingly at the bird feeder. If he jumps on the perch ring, it pulls down a metal shield that covers the seed ports. He has no doubt made many unsuccessfully attempts at raiding it.

Squirrel has a floofed up tail like Floof, his tail floofs at food.

There were two large birds fighting on our thatched roof, was exciting for Floof, they were whacking each other with their wings.

We are getting rabbit and chickens back tonight. Had a meeting with ed psch and done Tribunal form to try and take to court to get a school.

Love that stone well Miss.
The restaurant sounds fab as well.

What a battle you have Silkie - I wish you the best of luck with this next phase. and I am seething quietly on your behalf.

Halfpast, I love that stone wall and the forest on the other side. It's really rustic.

Lots of semi boring news here. I stopped at the restaurant last night and put down a deposit to reserve the day for DS's graduation party. My deal MIL may not come because of covid, but we'll see. I understand why she's worried, she's 92.

I had a telemedicine visit with the orthopedic surgeon this morning, with some wonderful news. After reviewing my MRI again, he says he can do it outpatient, so no overnight stay. I'll also be able to walk and go up and down stairs when the surgery is over. The major restrictions are no lifting anything more than 10 pounds and no bending over for six weeks. The first time we discussed surgery, he said I'd need to stay overnight in hospital.

Well hello everybody, it's lovely to be here again. Sorry not to have posted for a while but my phone doesn't get on with MN, which is a tad unfortunate. Luckily a friend just back from holiday picked up my laptop and a few thing from home and dropped them here for me.

On 23/6 I saw the consultant as planned and the first words out of his mouth were "we need to admit you now via A&E". It turned out that my pancreas had decided to unilaterally take me over, created a hole in my diaphragm and my lungs were filling up with pancreatic fluid. Breathing was indeed difficult and a drain relieved me of almost 6 litres of fluid in about a week. Thankfully that drain is out ow but the one they put in the pancreatic cavity isstill there causing me gip.

10 hours inA&E is no joke, let me tell you. I am on a ward and feeling a lot better and slowly putting weight on. Finally on Monday 18/7 I might find out if I need a complex 7-8 hour operation on my erratic pancreas. The signs are looking ok at the minute,but who knows?
I will update when I any news but other than that, it's boring if you have neither an internet enabled phone or a bookas there is no communal anything here.

Your Cornish holiday looked beautiful Silkie, as does Mr Floof. I really hope your LA carries out hteir legal responsibility for your DS' education, they really must get it sorted.

sue, lovely that you appear to be on the mend too.

A quick hello to everybody else!

It's lovely to see you again, @DoctorTwo. I'm sorry you in hospital with the pancreas issue. What diagnosis did they give you? Lots of people seem to be having problems with the Android app since MN switched platforms.

I forgot to mention earlier, DS had driven to Boston for the weekend to hang out with his old roommate, who lives in the area. So we're back to being empty nesters for the weekend.

I was thinking about you only this morning, DoctorTwo, because you'd been very quiet. Sorry to hear you’ve had such a rotten time. Glad you’re feeling a bit better, at least. Is there anyone who could bring you some books?

Doctor Glad to read you again, I am sorry that you are having such a hard time. I do hope they'll manage to get you back to health.

DB and his partner took me out to the 'Botanical Night' at our Botanical Gardens for a birthday treat. It was lovely - live music, fire dancers, magicians, illuminations, dance performances and of course food and drink. We went in the afternoon and I was home at 1 am. People of all ages had fun from the very old to little kids in carriers and prams. A wonderful day.

So sorry to hear you have been so ill DrTwo I hope they can get you back to much better health.

Happy 60th birthday for yesterday Prok glad you had a lovely time, sounds amazing.

Glad you got better news MissC

DD is doing first day of her first job today, its just online from home today and tomorrow.

Floof is very excited, he has seen a big, buzzy fly.