Around the Cadac with bunting, tealight chandeliers and fairylights on the EHU

[notwavingjustironing]

Gawd, the minimalists will kill us.....

It was Someone Else's idea, all right?

Carry on where you left off, be it owls, bins, sharks, tins of vodka, karaoke etc. [grain]

I love Tim Minchin, he's so clever and talented you can see past the hair!

I hate that about lunchboxes too Funtimes, if the yogurt has been opened and not finished there is no need to return it to me, ruins the seams in the luchbox, ugh.

DS1 is back, got a bit mixed up about money at lunchtime and ended up having to sit on his own as everyone he knew had left but other than that he seems ok. We've already done homework for the evening and signed the code of conduct together (No smoking, drinking or drugs and no precocious behavior, his face was a picture!)

I'm sat in detention carving hearts into the table with a compass (or whatever else they used to do in detention)

But seriously, I'll check that website out...

Pmsl at a lot of this thread today but especially this:

'his throne room was the most ornate compensation for a tiny penis i have ever seen'

Very very tired after a day in Edinburgh with boys and fil today (who has recovered from witnessing accident - thanks for asking). Have that sticky throat feeling where you know you're going down with a nasty cold too - boo hiss!!! Feel as though I havea constant cold at the mo

So only skim read rest of thread (sorry will do better next time) but I was a domestic goddess last year and sewed all ds1 name tags on. Felt all emotional and excited about him going to school and that was part of it! Thankfully I think his old uniform still fits (not tried it [bad mother emoticon] but it easily fit before the holidays so no way has he grown so much in 6 weeks to need new I reckon) so no need just yet for more sewing! MisSal liking those punch in tag things but are they a bit bulky? Look good but a bit concerned that they would be really uncomfortable.

Anyway prob be back later....

Ooh hello yellow I keep missing you! Knaresboroughs not looking very likely is it ?

Hope fil isn't too painful. Edinburgh is a lovely city, my memories are mostly pre-children so lovely dinners at The Witchery and gorgeous hotels with room service. Sigh.

Now I get excited about a blow up bed and electricity in a field

Hello notwaving!

Yes most of my Edinburgh memories are prekids but most involve exams (I got my surgeons exams from the Royal College of Surgeons there) although admittedly alcohol also has a role to play! I also had a habit of going to nice restaurants the nights before exams to ease the pain!

I too am not optimistic about Knaresborough - weather forecast at the mo is dire. One can hope and dream though!

Yellow, not sure really re tags. From what I've seen, it's not too bulky - like a loose-ish button I guess, but in the end I didn't get them anyway. The size seemed to be about the size of your thumb nail, and the back will be flat (dh seemed to think there'd be a pin sticking out until I could show him otherwise!) For now the tape and stickers will do, but I can see how this would be an excellent solution to other things too - e.g. soft toys, backpacks, pencil bags (do people even use those anymore??) etc. Actually, I just like a gadget, so am sure I'll think of a reason why this is essential soon. I just couldn't get it soon enough, so the (possibly best solution anyway) tape won.

I might get some for bags and bulky things like coats. From looking at website (and your comments) I think tapes are prob better for regular clothes plus I have some stick on things for shoes and drinks bottles etc.

Re the pencil cases - no you don't need them (or we didn't anyway). I got ds1 a pencil tin and pens etc for his bag as otherwise it would have been empty but he has never ever used them - his school (state if that is relevant) provides everything. Sure this is part of political correctness 'everyone must have the same' gone mad! Which while I sympathise with the reasoning the harsh relaity of life is that everyone does NOT have the same do they? Same nonsense as no sports day to stop them getting upset if they don't win. Imho all these kind of things do is breed a load of children who think they always deserve to win and have everything - one of the main problems behind the riots (among other things) as far as I am concerned.

Sorry for side tracking mini-rant there!

Lurches in from school. Collapses. Opens chilled crabbies to take the burn marks of microwave curry off mouth. Strewth and I'm going to do it all again tomorrow.
Ds2 starts high school tomorrow. Sniff. Finally got the care plan written - nothing like early, is there?
Beaks - yes later this week, probably thurs. I have 13 which were viable last night and they're now all under Sheila. I feel very guilty about blubby, who is currently brooding two golf balls and a rubber egg quite happily, but she's in reserve in case Sheila goes psycho on me. I think I wouldn't mind a mindset like blubby. Sheila is now in lockdown, just allowed out for a massive poo and refreshments each day. The door to her maternity unit is shut as it is too windy and I dont want it to chill the eggs. I just have fingers crossed that the weather sorts itself out by the end of the week.
I want a fantabulous throne room. But not a tiny appendage.
Tags. Biro is the way forward here.

Sorry - now I've started on my political rant I may as well continue...

As a family that is comfortably off (but without lots of cash to splash about) I don't think I would feel diffrerenty if that wasn't the case. I want to be able to teach my boys that they are very lucky but also that they have things because we (dh and I) work bloody hard not because it grows on trees. But to be mindful of the fact that others might not have so much so to be sensitive of this and to be generous with what they do have. Having said this I do get that perhaps at 4/5 its not a bad thing to have a bit of equality as they are still very little to get all this but I think it is pretty much the attitude all the way through school and I DO have an issue with this kind of thing from middle school onwards...

Ho hum, as we were - wine anyone?

How funny to have started a skoda lovein! My man Tony rang back today to say my car isn't available. I can have new with a 3 month wait. Or hang on for used/another special offer. Am currently having a good think about - never been one for act in haste repent at leisure.

All my DS' (who is also a ginger lad along with DH) clothes have labels sewn in. It makes me feel virtuous. (Doesn't take much.)

Been to the gym and feel all fit and awake - that never happens after work. Am thinking of joining to preserve my sanity during term time.

Hmm new skoda and joining the gym ...I am so definitely having a midlife crisis.

all round

cross posted brambles as I am ranting!

Good luck to your ds2 tomorrow! And fingers crossed for Shiela (and also that blubby doesn't get too upset when the rubber egg and golf balls don't come to anything!!)

Gutted for blobby - think of all the she's missing whilst you pretend that she's doing A Fine Thing!

I feel like I'm kidnapping the bay bees from a surrogate. :( hopefully all will go well with Sheila, but blubby is a frustrated wannabe mum. She is enormously tall though, so the chicks would freeze. Sheila is lower slung with fulsome feathery undercarriage.

"I feel very guilty about blubby, who is currently brooding two golf balls and a rubber egg quite happily, but she's in reserve in case Sheila goes psycho on me."

I really need to know what that would look like, Sheila going psycho that is!

Good luck for your DS2 tomorrow.

Also, if blubby hatched the chicks out in her current accommodation as an extra hatch, the hens sharing it with her would kill them. Hmm. Ponders similarity to human world, although we have a stop filter!

Sheila going psycho would be abandoning the chicks or turning on them. Nice world, hen world! Hopefully all will be well!

I want a feathery undercarriage

Particularly if it's fulsome

notwaving are you sure you're off the wine???! [grain]

This thread is making full circle - I was convinced Slubber was on the beer first thing this morning, and now notwaving's making me laugh too much. Maybe we should be drinking more, Yellow. Any excuse

3 days until Holland. Please do your anti-rain-dances diligently every morning and evening. Much appreciated.

Nope no wine again tonight!

I was going to ask you about Holland Sal is the weather generally fairer this time of year ?

Do you intend to purchase anything like a big tent or summat ?

Hmm weather - who knows. When I checked last week it still looked very rainy, so I chose not to believe them. However, I just checked now and it seems to clear up a little from Friday, so, for now anyway, I do believe the forecast. [grain] We're arriving mid day on Friday, and leaving again late morning on Monday. If forecast is to be believed, daytime temp averaging 20C, with the occasional shower, but not much. July and August obviously best, but I think September often nice enough weather with less tourists.

Uhm, tent. No, I don't think so. I did get a bit overexcited (I wouldn't really have bought one) looking at the Marktplaatz website. It's like Dutch ebay almost, and lots of De Waards sold on there. Dh gave me the toddler treatment - "let's go and sleep in one first and then decide". So, will be reporting back on the waterproofness wonders of De Waards next week. Bet you I'll miss my comfy, homely Bell with all that properly equipped camping.

Uhm, summarised answer really as to whether weather generally fairer now: I have no idea, tbh. We booked without even checking - it was now or wait another year, so thought I'd just take ski wear if needed!

First of the autumn storms today-yuck!!!! The kids must be off to school...