The PESH Deli - The drinks might be virginal, but that's about all...

[CurlyCasper]

Come in, come in to the new haven for diffed BESHies. I think a group effort is needed here (and I'm being a lazy preggo), so please add to the deli whatever you crave/love/can stomach.

Nominations are also open for sexy fathers we can hijack to serve our mouldy cheese and cured ham

And the best mocktail recipe wins...well, bugger all to be honest

Well done Cossie, so glad you had a good time yesterday.

VAG/Skater when are you two having your scans?

cheggers I too negotiate my way to the toilet in the dark however this is not without its trials. Three times now jailbait has come running to answer my screams. Twice for a stubbed toe on the door and once because he left the toilet seat up and I sat down on the bowl. Bless... he comes running thinking the worst has happened and it's just me clutching my toes.

I agree with iggy, riding being so second nature that it doesn't feel dangerous - I feel the same way about skiing and yet so many people seem to think the minute you put on salopettes you break your leg. In that respect abseiling is very safe, you're in a harness and are tied to something!

I was up at 4am this morning again, wtf is up with that? Obviously I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards.

The hardest thing about abseiling is climbing the fucking cliff 4 times in a row so you can jump off it!

or in this case, three ladders as it was a wooden structure (hence tame ).

Bit like, the hardest thing about horse riding is the clambering on. The second hardest is getting off - at least when you've not ridden for a while. That shock when you hit the ground and your legs crumple...

Obv ig and ski won't have that prob with you having your horse-riding legs but I suffered from it badly last time after a loooong break from it!

Still waiting for iggs's description of the weird feelings...

rots sorry for making you wait

It was a wierd feeling behind my belly button - like a tingle... not like normal feelings I have had.. hard to describe?

cas quickening sounds like good word for it! Am going to google...

ski am not good with the skiing thing myself... I haz been three times... never again...

rots I am def less bouncy on the mounting from the ground than I used to be, but I can do it (well I could - not sure about now?!)

I am currently in bed after suffering a very sore back yesterday as a result of "doing too much" (i.e. trying to have a normal day and do a few essential things). I'm only 22 weeks and had to use crutches last night. Also the foal is grouchy - probably part of the reason my back is sore as she kept demanding to be picked up yesterday. I am partly dreading how much worse this is going to get, and partly refusing to be believe that it will.

On the bright side I'm getting lots of kicks now.

I can mount from the ground if there is no fallen tree/gate/chair/jailbait to stand on. I lengthen the stirrup and heave myself on. I didn't say it would be graceful. This is why I've trained her to be a fucking good gate-horse! Generally though - the further you are from the yard, the more bouncy you are wrt mounting.

Ponymum I'm sorry, that sounds utterly shit. Is someone else taking care of the foal today?

ski Luckily today our angel helper is here this morning. She is always delighted on the days when I say forget the cleaning, please look after the foal instead. I can hear them playing downstairs now. The foal is yelling out "Noe! Noe!" which is so cute as that is her word for snow. Sure enough, I look out the window and it is falling thickly.

By the way, I was very tempted to answer, No, nobody looking after her - I just gave her a tranquillizer and shut her bedroom door.

Mount a 17.2 from the ground? That's impressive. Have you seen these? I always wondered if they're any good.

Oh I like those stirrup things!! Helps to avoid the "beached whale" look when scrambling.

I used to be able to vault right up there while my pony skitted around and fussed at being left behind as my friends galloped off (bad form, but we were kids!).

@ tranquillizer. I've been tempted before... But NO I've not done it before anyone tells me again what a bad/evil/terrible momma I am

Meaning, I can't vault over a marshmallow anymore

Poor you pone hope a day of resting helps?

rots I have never been able to vault!

I'm with iggy, vaulting has never been in my bag o' tricks. Ponymum as I said... if needs must - it's not a good look for anyone who carries their weight on their arse rather than shoulders. I've never tried the stirrup extender although I've seen them used - I think I'd just find it a faff carrying it around and as you know if you lengthen a stirrup too much you can't get your sodding leg over anyway haha so I'm not sure what the win is.

rots You told me you were using gin to keep him quiet - I don't think you should mix it with tranquilisers.

Yes rots, listen to ski. You must think about safe parenting at all times. So that means either gin OR tranquillizers, don't use both at the same time.

iggs Yes it's what the physio said to do - rest and heat packs. But I am going to give her a call shortly to see what she thinks about some light massage, 'cause once I get the tense pain from an episode like this my whole back freezes up in a sort of still-life spasm.

Vaulting? Remembers fondly leaping on to pony from all angles as a kid. Bareback riding was practically compulsory in the summer in the '70s. My sister and I actually used to leap frog on to our pony from behind - had to get quite a run up! He was a saint, that boy.

Vaulting - yes, that's appropriate with Shetlands - nothing else! haha ponymum We used to do that too - leap frogging on to them from behind. 'Elf & safety would have a blue fit if they were to see that now.

If I weren't crying I'd be laughing:

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8503726.stm

Over 35s too fertile.

Well I was about 9 or 10 when I was doing the vaulting thing!!

And I'm not 9 or 10 anymore...

I used to jump on my pony bareback and gallop him up the hill to the stables to get him in from the field with just a rope round his neck. Amazing I am still alive! pony somehow ponies aren't the same as they were in the 70s, I reckon. Saints, they were. I had one of those who you could do ANYTHING to (other than pet him over the stable door as he'd been badly abused) and therefore was brilliant for gymkhanas. If you couldn't ride he treated you like you were made from egg shells, but if you were confident and knew what you were doing - watch out! He and we had fun then.

Ahh those were the days.

My mum used to dip my dummy into brandy and it didn't do me any harm (hic). She didn't use any tranquilisers on me though. She's got the patience of a saint, my mum.

@ BBC news story. Reminds me of an ad going round our town (and prob many others).

"25 or under? Crossing your fingers is not a suitable method of contraception".

By which I understand that it works well if you're over 25???

Maybe that's why I'm heading towards having two kids .

pony sorry to hear you are having a shitty time of it. Bed rest if definitely a good option IMO, as is massage.

[Snort] at that story ski!

well, thanks to my hips I'm already waddling a bit. So glamorous - hope physio can help tomorrow.

When's your scan iggy? I'm actually going to be mad busy at a work event tomorrow, but will be checking in when I can.

cas It's not till 6pm - so a late one... as usual.

Enjoy it, iggs. All will be fine - you've felt the baby move so all is well.

pony really sorry, meant to say sorry you're so unwell

cas hope yours improve too.

Me - I've self-diagnosed with sciatia. Off to Alexander Technique class, so will see what she says.

Your scan sounds exciting cosmosis! Iggy Ive heard the first movement described as a flock of swallows in your belly - tiny separate flutterings rather than one solid mass. Sound about right?

I slept for 12 hours last night, is that a record?

Stupid bolding star thingys.

Good morning all you lovely ladies, how are you feeling today? We watched an Anthony Hopkins film about gorillas - well, jailbait did - I went to bed after half an hour. Turns out it was just as well I didn't watch it because a couple of the gorillas died.

Curly What's your update from the physio?

Skater pah! Not even close! Sounds like you're super tired right now though - how are you doing for the rest of it?

carrots That doesn't sound good.

Liking the doppler. Didn't get much movement yesterday and the day before so got it out last night and all is clearly well. Even heard it splashing around in the waters .

Alexander Technique is interesting (another sesh last night). I realised that I "lurch" "grunt" my way through everything - meaning that I lurch off the sofa with a big "uurrgghh" sound and it's not necessary - I can just take it more slowly and carefully, use less energy and be less likely to jolt something.

I also realise I'm driving with my neck forward and tense so I'm working on relaxing all that.

Did anyone see, "one born every minute" last night? Crap, crap programme where the MWs were too over-stretched to help the poor woman and her husband was just a prick. It doesn't have to be like that.

Carrots, Laurie and I are freaking out over in the Palace - tell us more of this "it doesn't have to be like that" stuff, please??

Lyra Whilst I'm on just off the blocks even I know it doesn't have to be like that and there's no way on this earth I would choose to put myself through that. There are lots of birthing options we are going through here e.g., off the top of my head:

i) cunty will have a doula with her
ii) iggy is going private and if you pay that much you want someone else to do it
iii) I'm having a home birth so the midwife is 100% there for me
iv) cheggers is having them out through the roof I'd imagine.