Thread 11 - TalkLair: “The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles.”

[Kucinghitam]

Whoops, missed the filling up of the previous thread! (thread 10).

Although the nights are gradually drawing in, the new lair of JTT escapees is all cosy and homey inside. The hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

(((Mouse))) I hope you had a good night's sleep and things are better today.

Random segue, I meant to mention it before Christmas but I highly recommend going on a tour of the Palace of Westminster. We visited friends in ThatLondon and they booked us all on the tour - we chose the audio-guided version which allowed us to amble around at our own pace. It took us, literally, into the seats in both Houses (we were instructed not to sit down, though!). Full of fascinating descriptions and explanations and information, at least an hour-and-a-half worth.

The contrast in opulence of decoration between the Lords and Commons was really stark. I was disproportionately thrilled to discover that there is an actual staffed Post Office inside the building, so that when you get a letter from your MP with that postmark, it really physically comes from the HP.

An extra treat was that on the way out (I was buying a suffragette tree decoration in the gift shop), our group was approached by a customer satisfaction survey team asking about how we'd found the security screening arrangements. We waxed charmingly lyrical about everything. Then one of them turned conspiratorially to the other and said "Do you think they'd enjoy..." (perhaps we should have been worried they were thinking of electric anal probing or something).

Anyway, we were very trusting when they took us into a restricted zone not accessible to the public - the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, it's breathtakingly beautiful and has the font used to baptise Henry VIII and just off to the side has the actual cupboard that Emily Wilding Davison hid in (which is still a cupboard with ladders and vacuum cleaners in it) which we were allowed to take turns standing in!

That sounds awesome, Kuc! Didn't Tony Benn put a plaque up in EWD's cupboard? Is it still there?

The plaque is indeed still there! We all squealed with excitement.

(No photography allowed, or I'd have taken a zillion).

Forgot to add, UK residents are allowed a free tour if they contact their MP. We just went for the standard paid tour because we wanted to all go together and obviously have different MPs.

Fingers crossed on the soup and anti-emetics, Mouse.

Sinner, bastard Port Authority but glad you had a walk.

Kuc, that chapel is amazing!

I’m envious of your tour Kuc. We had a tour of the Capitol when we were in Washington DC in September, and I’d love to match that with a HoP tour, and as I don’t have an MP these days it would have to be the one you did.

The only grand tour I can recall going on was of the disused Victorian brick sewers under Walsall, around 1980. Everyone had to meet at a manhole cover in town, where we were issued with hard hats and boiler suits. Bring your own wellies. It was quite interesting, but a tour of the Palace of Westminster would probably have been better.

I'd love to go in that cupboard. It was Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn who did it together. And I've met both men! I went to a talk by Tony Benn. So much charisma.

I'm about to try something. If it works I'll let you know. I'm watching The Hairy Bikers who never fail to bring me contentment. A few minutes ago they were cooking with the freshest langoustines I have ever seen. They made ravioli with wild garlic from Robert Burn's garden. They were in his kitchen. Updated of course. I want to stay in that house, it's ridiculously Scottish in probably a bit too much tartan kindofa way, but it's proper!

I keep thinking that Fatty Soames was/is my MP but he wasn't/isn't and is in the Lords now anyway. I do have Peter Bottomly, so feel free to cadge a tour from me. I can arrange it and you can go in my place if you'd like, @Britinme ?

Talking of tours, before I put it on Facebook, is anyone in London on Friday and fancies to go the the Coco Chanel exhibition? I can't go. I was hoping I'd be feeling up for it's not happening. Anyway, my ticket was free and I'm happy to pass it over to someone who'd love to see it almost as much as I would. Let me know. I'll Facebook it to other friends later.

I tried the thing. I had a yearning for Asian-style dumplings or noodles or both. This was not possible but I did have a pot noodle. So, I boiled up some water and alas didn't use quite enough but I managed to eat nearly half a pot! I feel a bit unsteady in the stomach department, and not convinced I'll keep it all, but people! Hot food! Solid food! Actual noodles which I haven't been able to swallow for a while so maybe that means the tumour is getting smaller?! Oh gosh, that would be exciting.

Anyway. There you go. A classy meal for a classy laydee!

Noodles!

That's excellent.

TMI warning.

I've only been the tiniest bit sick. This is progress.

Aw bless ya MM, hope tomorrow is better too

Hooray for pot noodles!

Ah that's a lovely offer @Mouse, but I don't know if I can afford a UK trip this year. I'm having two dental implants plus two crowns to go on them in the spring, which is going to cost me around $10k, of which I doubt my insurance will pay more than 10%, and that might use up my holiday money. However, DH has earned some money recently so maybe he'll stump up some of it.

Whenever you're over, @Britinme I'm happy to loan you Peter bottomly. Heaven knows he needs to be put to some good use!

Tonight after a fine drama, Truelove - how lovely to see a drama focussing on older people - I watched billionaire Barbados. Not convinced any of them were anything more than millionaires but good gosh that is a beautiful place. I'd seen a food programme from the same island the previous night. I've never had the slightest desire to visit the Caribbean but if someone offered me a week in Barbados now I think I'd be tempted. No rum for me thobut.

I had a very low opinion of Peter Bottomly until I saw him in the petition debate on the Equality Act last year. He was very good - had clearly done the research, and had a stack of well-thumbed books that he could have got from the FWR board. It was a pleasant change to see a politician who could put together a string of coherent arguments rather than just spouting soundbites.

That's good news MM. With chemo one has to celebrate such small victories.

I haven't commented before on your diagnosis and treatment because I'd dropped off the thread in November and have only just realised and returned to this lovely lot. I was treated for breast cancer in 1992 - radiotherapy then chemotherapy, so have some understanding of what you are going through.

Thank you @MmePoppySeedDefage x

I shall have to think a little differently about him, bint. That said I'll be surprised if he stands again this year. He's had a long career, the Tories could/should go down in flames this year so it might be a good time to retire.

I have just eaten/sucked a lovely shortbread biscuit.

I've now had about a third of a cream doughnut. I wanted a cream scone but there were none to be had. All I can assume is that the tumour must be shrinking because this is not food I can eat. I now crave toast but all other things aside I realise I no longer have a toaster so that's not on the cards. Although maybe when my mate E comes down on Saturday we can see if I can get some toast in the Morrison's cafe. I know how to live!

Had an appointment to remove my portable chemo pump this afternoon. Was hoping that a delivery of new clothes would arrive before I had to go but of course that didn't happen and now they've failed to deliver. The utter fuckwits. Seriously, people can knock Evri but they would have at least buzzed for longer or left it where I asked them to. Royal Mail failed me today. On the plus side, I got some Amazon deliveries which include a few pairs of plaid flannel pj bottoms which I'm happy to wear as trousers on my next hospital outing on Saturday - just a blood test. I need new clothes because nothing fits. I wore my Vivienne Westwood to the hospital today and it, at least, is not hanging off me. Still too big but not massively so.

After the pump was removed - a new one will be put in on Monday hence the need for a blood test before they muck around with me again although the pump is something and nothing in terms of having anything done - My friends L and her husband D drove me to Morrison's and I got to have a go on a scooter because I'm too feeble to walk around the shop. Readers, I am not a driver. But. Readers, I did not crash. Indoor ones are slow thobut. I would not trust myself on a road one but it felt good to be able to shop for myself. I got doughnuts, ice pops, Pot Noodles - wherefore art thou, sweet and sour chicken! - dry cat fud and soy sauce. I have soy sauce but it's at the top and back of an overhead cupboard and I can't reach it. All Pot Noodles are greatly improved by a bit too much soy sauce!

It's improving people! I've only been sort of sick today once and really that was more about excess saliva than regurgitation. I've talked to Francis and Django and they've agreed that tonight I should opt for the chicken and mushroom Pot Noodle. They are wise cats. Annoying little fuckers when the mood takes them but they are wee darlings really.

Anyway! Enough of "Me, me, fucking me!" How is everyone? My mate Snoop is still in the Peak District with her fancy man - he's lovely. She went out for a lovely walk and into Buxton today because the weather was lovely up there. I don't know what it's like for everyone throughout the length and breadth of this septic isle but good grief if I'd seen Noah sailing an Ark up the high street today I'd have said "Seems about right!". I hope others are far drier than this generally beautiful - but slightly benighted today - part of the country.

Is there a good mix of north, south, east and west on this here thread? I'm far from 100% sure where people roughly are, apart from our lovely @Britinme of course, who is in Maine. A place I'd really like to visit. But no Derry. Derry is the scary place. I know it doesn't exist!

I'm north and west of you, and east of Brit - on the south side of Belfast lough (north Down). And currently Ark free, although there was a very substantial temporary pond in our back garden a few days ago.

Today's exciting news is the blackcap making several visits to the birdfeeder. It's been a few times before, but not since we moved the feeder close to the kitchen window - so this was the first time we got a really good look at it.

Ooh, that's lovely! Yes, I thought you were over in NI. Somewhere else I'd love to visit. I was going to say I don't know why I haven't but when we went over all the time when I was growing up NI wasn't a place that people generally visited and now I'm older it's been a while since I've been back. Next time I should do the cousins and then head past the border.

In other me news, but not poor me. There was a chap in the chemo lounge today and his wife introduced herself and him to me. He had the same name as my daddy. He said it was unusual to find over here and I said, but no in Ireland where - obvs - the family is from. Anyway, he asked which county, I told him and he said the town where my family have lived for about 100 years! How we laughed. He's from the next county along and I said his town. We laughed again! The Irish, you can't get away from them.

My not very exciting news is that I made soup. It was ok. Not great, but ok. Also, ovulation makes me feel really mental.

An okay soup is better than no soup at all. I'm glad I no longer ovulate. It can be such a bastard. I bet your soup was better than okay and ovulation is lying to you.

I would love to meet up if you're this side (or a reasonable distance that side) of the border, Mouse. Next time you do a family vist let me know, and we'll see if we can sort something. I can take you to one of our splendid cafes - maybe the one that does the best cinnamon scones in NI.