Roll up, roll up for the BESH fun fair in the land (30s)

[Truffkin]

Oh yes, this place is filled with your finest hormonal roller coasters, dodgems (mainly enjoyed by the spermz) and the finest side shows you'll find anywhere. Come and squeeze our buzzwams to check for imaginary aches & pains, play 'guess when I'm ovulating' (made all the harder when you're as wizened and decrepit as we are) and indulge in a little light WOOFLing if you're feeling up to the challenge. There's are even droid shies for taking out your pain on the beeping little fecker when he comes along to rain on your parade.

So, if you've been TTC since the chairoplanes were the latest attraction, let's hear about it.

I really hope Muse's Aries dream comes true.

Look what I've found! Happy Irish Day

My cousin had support from sure start after post-natal depression. They were fabulous.

Whoo hoo!
Happy St Paddy's Day one and all!

My sister also received support from a Surestart childrens' centre with PND and they were brilliant. I totally appreciate that there need to be deep and significant spending cuts in public services to avoid getting the country into a worse mess and I for one, would not want to be part of the group who decides what loses out (seriously, could you chose between childrens services, NHS, policing, education, elder care etc etc etc)

My real bugbear with the whole approach to it though, is that the people tasked with makign these decision in local government simply don't have the ability to understand how to generate business plans that are strategically and tactically balanced. Some of the balls out spending cuts would be better off scrapped, some short term investment in talented individuals coming in to review the service and longer-term spending reductions achieved through efficiency and quality processes (I am thinking of Job Centre plus here, they are soooo badly run it makes my blood boil)

Bitey those baby Guinness shots are da bomb (do people really say that in real life?) and I got quite a taste for them in the last few months. This prompted TGB to state that we need to stop every night out descending into drunken shot buying for groups of people we have only just met

Muse glad BobKate appears to be her cheery self again and hope horrid invasive procedurs are not required.

Am enjoying the s about the place. We shall be having beef & guinness stew for dinner to celebrate (rock n roll)

I'm of Irish catholic descent and so is MrBoo (him more than me, he's half irish and I'm a quarter). It's all about his birthday tomorrow in this house though so this is about as close I'll get to a St Paddy's day partay!

Oh God I'm such a sappy sap. I just watched DIY SOS and cried. My eyes out. Good Lord.

How's that hormonal roller coaster going for you truff? although DIY SOS always make me blub so shouldn't point and laugh!

truff got the hormones! truff got the hormones!

I am feeling this evening, I managed to hold my own at the council meeting, not go raspberry red, swallow every second word, or take waffley spin for an answer. Course, it was all peeing in the wind, but am secretly (not, obviously as I'm telling you) pleased that I behaved like a grown up, and no one sussed I am a fraud and really 13 Perhaps I shall get a proper job, not just play with children all day

Was also pleased, when molette shouted 'What are you looking at' to her friend when the MP started talking, because it was very funny. (though in his defence he is Labour, and was fighting our corner)

I have the Worst Wind Evah tonight, it really hurts, what can I do? (that doesn't involve going and buying deflating tablets)

(Love how BESH means never having to say TMI )

Hello all - sorry Pone. I skimmed enough the other day to discover I'd maligned you unjustly. Anyone else got a stick I can get the wrong end of?

Have been up to my eyeballs in court submissions and work work work. Not a fun time for me. Will now read what's been going on since page 27.

Fuck me, was I supposed to take offence?

I feel that the fred has moved a wee way on from CallmeDave bashing... I'd gladly shoot him from a cannon myself - though don't know enough about Sure Start centres to comment. I thought their daycare facilities were means tested pay-as-you-go? No?

Well done StarC on keeping cool calm and collected in council meeting. And Boo - fingers crossed for you next week. It's all Very Serious in the public sector right now. And I agree about not envying anyone the job of figuring out what to cut. My feeling (for what it's worth), is that re-structuring and re-organising and consultation groups and independent reviews and public inquests are all very very expensive, and I always wonder what value they add. But am not political enough to know enough about these to really have a proper discussion.

Workday 12 of 18 for me now [start at 2pm], and all sorts of stuff flying about police pay being cut. But I think my job is secure...

Anyway. I am 3DPO, and am already having a few symptoms of menkull... sigh.

brownb I think the higher up the ladder you are, the safer your job and pension will be. Front-line staff will be trodden in to the ground, management will be kept on to show what a disaster it's all been. Using pie-charts and overhead projectors.

I have been awarded a superb 1.25% payrise this year. Does anyone want to share my celebratory Tesco value crisps?

What are your menkul symptoms?

Um... feeling of slight pressure in tummy slightly belly button and secretly knowing that I'm pregnant? Ridiculous! Slap me with a fish!!

Oh an on the note of the higher ladder stuff, yes. The pay review stated that Chief Constables shouldn't have their pay touched. sigh. I am a mere constable, and so am being told to expect to lose between 10-20% of my wage.

I heard my boss whining about his company Audi yesterday. I'm mostly working from home these days as I don't want to fill my geriatric banger with expensive petrol.

You're in luck with the fish, I did an early supermarket run and bought mostly fish. Take yer pick!

I got my first ever organic box yesterday (see Food forum "What's in your box?") and I'm just about to eat beetroot for the FIRST TIME EVER! n.b., I'm not normally an unadventurous person who's never left their home town, it's just the smell of pickled beetroot makes me boak. I've roasted it with honey, balsalmic and olive oil. It will be placed on to a bed (poncey) of leaves, drizzled with more olive oil, sprinkled with pinenuts and then probably dropped on the stairs.

PS Have you inspected your bellybutton for rogue smarties?

I don't like goats cheese myself but if you do I'd second that. If you are like me then some feta would be good, or some wensleydale (although I anticipate this not being the easiest cheese for you to get hold of)

I LOVE beetroot, its very good for your liver you know (like that matters)

mmm, goat's cheese.

Right. The verdict's in. It was OK. No boaking. It was nice, but not as delicious as say an avocado. I still have one left and some segments of the roasted one. The roasted bits will be tossed in to a mash I think. The other whole one? Hmmn, MrsFC has ordered me to make a cake with it. Check out my liver and pink wee!

Do we have a fight here? On Ski's stairs...? Over her beetroot...? That will end in big red stains on the carpet and you know it!!

As for the rogue smartie... Biteme, stay away. It's mine. It's in hand. And now I have that lovely sea bass from Ski, am in a position to find it and eat it.

Be careful ladies, they're typically Dutch and very steep! Anyway, there's none left unless you want to lick my plate*.

*Not a euphemism.

I've always had a bit of a thing about beetroot as the smell reminds me of an old people's home where my Nana lived years ago. I think that's the pickled kind. I can however eat Waitrose bistro salad, which has grated beetroot in because it contains lambs leaf lettuce, which I love more than any other salad ingredient.

Bring that plate here for a good licking then Ski

Morning! (whatever)

Am thinking that my mysterious stomach situation last night (yeah, thanks for the sympathy) may be somehow connected to molette just throwing up for the very first time in the car, all over everywhere, whilst we were driving along at fifty (this is her colour, not that I am jealous) It was spectacular.

Beetroot always reminds me of Adrian Mole, with Bert and his beetroot stained sheets. I am quite fond of it though, pickled or otherwise.

Just realised am CD 12, and so will be hitting fertile time when we are in Centre Parks next week- my friend booked an 8 berth cabin, then realised there was only 4 of them, so've invited us to go up for a couple of nights- bonus! But not so good on the SWIing front- does anyone know how big the cabins are?

Oh god- everything smells of puke. (that's my colour now...)