to think IPOAT gels will never marry well if they continue to be so fast?

[CaptainHornblower]

You will be splendid miss Fids. Those dangley balls are most fetching and will keep the flies off. ( I know, I know).
We must have a flask of hot soup, and take the under gardener to keep us warm. We shall make a snow person, it might look like hmm let's think now......

I have just had some delicious hot onion soup for breakfast. It is -15C here and I need fortifying. I do hope the pounds of onions and many bulbs of garlic in it do not repeat on me later and cause me embarrassment.

Look what happened to the Under-Gardener after I gave him a bowl.

That puts a whole new light on bad breath, but at least you would be warm. We'll stow him on the sled. -15 you must be re named Fidererererer

Yes If ever a gel needed warming up by an Under-Gardener, that gel am I.

The children have lost so many hats and gloves this winter I am considering nailing the ones that remain to their heads and hands.

I am basking in menopausal warmth having ditched the HRT.

Better hair is not worth having periods again. Fact.

Jins, what's the hair connection? Mine has become so dry and odd. Ruling out a clandestine night-time hair transplant by unknown sources, it must my age.

I must also add, I am now short-sighted and long-sighted all at the same time.

Was always very sanguine (pun there somewhere) about ageing but the eyesight thing is annoying me and my hair appears to have developed a life of its own. One involving more jolliment than mine own, to add insult to dryness.

Not sure scientifically Fids but it did improve my formerly dry and wiry old lady frizz so that it returned almost to it's former glory. Oestrogen promotes hair growth I believe and in my case it didn't end up with just more old lady hair.

All was going well until the 5th pack of pills and then all the hideous womanly stuff like nasty hormonal spots and periods returned. Bloody incompetent GP put me on the wrong stuff according to google so I've finished it and will discuss with my new GP when I register.

Ah, "dry wiry old lady frizz". Indeed.
I want luscious tresses. I'm not actually sure I could have them back as I'm fairly certain I never had them in the first place, but the wiry frizz is recent and spot on and aggravating.

I have a lovely gynaecologist whom I will, yes, will get around to seeing as soon as the temperatures approach 0C. Speaking of which, I'm off in the chill to work.

I wouldn't go on HRT for the hair though Fids

It's risky stuff. I only went on it because I was getting no sleep and my GP kept scaring me about osteoporosis because menopause happened so early.

Just watched the Duchess, and as well as picking up some style tips I would like to bring the line ' please put out her grace's hair' to the table as it seems strangely applicable to the current discourse....

I have had a few years on hrt Jins, had lustres hair lovely skin and put on a stone. Now off, my skin is crap and am trying to shed lbs. was v. well on it though despite periods.

It was more the menopause/dry hair link I was curious about, not keen to rush into HRT or anything like it.

Anyway, seeing as it's now -18C, I shall be wearing my new hat and when the dangly balls get grubby, I have this in reserve.

I fancy between being swept along in a sleigh with Mini and chasing around being revolutionary, I stand a good chance of staying warm.

Of course I am forgetting the miracles of Ipoat oestrogin a wondrous concoction that we brought back from the bayoooo.
Ahem. We shall have warming hot chocolate with brandy on our travels. Now shall we have the huskies, or reindeer?

Reindeer are so annoying with their "We're not all snivelling whingers like that sodding Rudolph".

Huskies, I vote.

It's a cracking word, snit actually. Underused in today's society I feel.

How about one of these to keep your locks warm and dry Miss Fids? Don't show it to the wolef lot though.

A sleigh ride sounds simply marvellous. Shall we take wrapped hot bricks to keep out feet warm? And mulled gin beverages, obviously.

I shall go and tidy my muff in readiness

So is everyone wearing all their hair, as suggested by Entropy, and just put this between your knees ( insert undergardner pic) no I mean a hot water bottle, for extra warmth, muffs ready. We' ll all shout 'mush' together.

Excellent word Sybil, but today we must Banish the snit, if we can catch one.

I thought the same about the word "snit" when I read it, Sybil. So expressive. Head-tossing and nose-in-the-air and turning-one's-back all at once.

Banishing the Snit must be though. For sleigh-riding will be all tingly sparkly icicles and warming flasks in muffs.

Ooh I am braced already! We shall have roast chestnuts and Gluvine.
Is it still -15 Fids? We are having more snow apparently, and the bloody heating has bust at work.

-18C, think the wind chill brings it down to -ouchC. Still, balmy daytime temperatures at -6C and rising.
Higher temps are worse though, when it's windy and snowy. And my bike gears seem to be buggered. And I have to cycle 30km (OK 3km) to see my solicitor on Friday.

Am glum. Had my first shouty phone call with exH today. Probably cleared the air a bit but was unexpected and unsettling. Am poor and worried about the children and about money. Colleagues whinge about how long their cars take to warm up in this cold and how much more expensive the ski resorts are this year and I was glad, seriously, to find 2 extra carrots in the cupboard for supper.
Feel like I've handled everything very badly and if I'd managed it all better, the children would be better off, emotionally and financially. I know it doesn't help but I still can't help wondering.

Oh Fids that's madness!

Nothing you could have done would have stopped him from being an arse, because quite frankly he simply is an arse. You are not to blame for this.

I'm sending you virtual tatted blankets for the cold. And a crocheted and quilted bicycle seat cover, because last time I went anyway on my bike I walked like John Wayne for days afterwards.

This went.

Shall catch up over a caffeine tisane.