Bring me the head of Alfalfa Garcia - 10 / 10 thread

[FrannyandZooey]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information by following the link at the very bottom of the page

I am so bloody smug...you may all beat me with some wet (un-home-grown, inferior) celery.

pea anorak talk?? If I tell you that I planted these peas in july out of optimism having utterly, utterly failed to get any to grow at the proper time. And then actually thought they were mange toutes. And then accidentally found out I had grown the best peas in the world, would you concede I am no expert?

Well....

Thing is, I don't know which sort to grow next year. Peas are possibly the most important thing I grow, so.....
I love the purple podded peas, but they are the chunky, serious, stew-filling type. Also grew Kelvedon Wonder this year which taste divine but the plants seem flimsy and not so good at climbing.
Was sort of wondering if you had a favourite

I will check and see what variety these little beauties were...very robust climbers, long, fat pods with average 8 or 9 peas per pod.

Jeez, that sounds anoraky

you know she had a thing about me staying to settle ds in to his gym class?
I must admit it always felt very personal but I thought I was probably being paranoid and she was just an arch bitch to everyone

well today I was with ds at the morning activity and she walked past the viewing gallery
I SAW her clock me and thought oh fucking hell what now
turns out she is not just head of gymnastics but head of ALL activities (and probably universe)
she came down and spun me the same old shite
"we don't encourage parents to stay, we haven't the facilities, I mean it isn't as if he has disabilities or anything" (wtf??)
I said I asked when booking if I could stay, and only booked those activities which did NOT say "no spectating"
plus pointed out I was there last week with about 6 other parents and no-one had been bothered then

anyway she is like a bulldozer or something
she just won't stop and listen and she is extremely forceful
I agreed I would go when I thought ds was settled
then just ignored her and stayed until I wanted to feed ds2 when I shoved off to the bar as more amenable

then my friend turned up for a bit and was also told to push off! she was pissed off and took her dd and left
Evil head of gym asked me if there was a problem and I said "yes my friend is upset that she has to leave"
"Oh I never said that, she has completely misunderstood me"
yeah bollocks

anyway annoying but manageable
after lunch however I went down to the craft activity and the very nice group leader said "ah hmm I have had my manager in to speak to me"
oh WHAT! she had looked on the list of activities to see what we were booked in for next and gone and told them I was not to be allowed to stay!
leader rather embarrassed and very kind
told me where to sit to avoid being seen from manager's office on cameras! and said as far as she was concerned I could stay and she would say I had tried to leave and ds had got upset
I could not be doing with the argument though and DID leave and ds DID get upset!
activity leader agreed absolutely that it was a personal thing
she said no other groups had been informed, only the one I was attending and it was clearly aimed at stopping me from staying

you will all be thinking "well franny must DO something dreadful while she is there" but I ruddy don't! I just sit quietly and chat to other parents if there are any or just encourage ds to do the activity or whatever
and I have no history with this woman AFAIK
what the fuck is going on? she is bonkers
and tbh has pissed all over my day
me staying with ds is so harmless and she is DETERMINED to stamp it out
seems so mean minded
aaaaaargh
it depresses me that such pettiness exists

that is appalling and I am so very angry for you.

It does sound like an irrational vendetta for some reason.

the only thing I can think of is that when she first spoke to me about the gym thing, I didn't immediately back down
in fact I was quite awkward (in a polite way)
and since then I have always felt it is a complete power struggle and that she will do anything to 'win'
I have some (compared to her, minor) control issues and it is not a pleasant place to be
it must be ruddy awful to be her tbh
but having said that she fucking ruined my afternoon so I am not feeling particularly charitably inclined

yes, she sounds like she has control 'ishoos' and you have undermined her and now she will make you pay, just so you know who is boss.

yes absolutely
I think you are totally right
how odd and depressing
I don't really care whether she gets the better of me or not, tbh
just that ds IS sometimes unsettled and we look forward to these activities, and it is so sad to be told I cannot help him to enjoy them
especially when all the group leaders are so compassionate and try to find ways for me to stay - it just points up how bureaucratic and heartless she is

anyway thanks for rant fmf
very glad to hear about marvellous veg feast
you have done amazingly with the allotment

What an absolute cow Shame she has to spoil ds's activities so that she can get the better of you

Oh Franny, she is a complete poobag!!

Oh Franny, she is a complete poobag!!

Can you complain to her superior?

I was going to suggest trying to set up a meeting with the centre manager and her to ask exactly why it's a problem. But then again if she's got a bee in her bonnet about you you don't know what she'll say to him/her to set the scene.

dp said the same thing
I dunno
she is not a good person to have as enemy and is already successfully making my life quite difficult
I live very near leisure centre and rely on it for a large part of mine and ds's entertainment
am planning to continue to send him to activities there for many years
would hate to think he had someone there who had it in for him
sorry to be melodramatic but she inspires these feelings!

anyway

chips
sweetcorn
mange tout

yes exactly pink she backtracks anyway
"I never said she had to leave"
well, yes, you totally did

ok,

seafood risotto
orange ice lolly

not much veg but better than my previous list yes?

off to bed soon to cry over pics of olympic heroes leaving airplane.

LOL at 'scarper the rozzers are here'

Bastards.

Anyone on my Facie B friend list should be able to laugh at shambala mess.

If you could get her to say these things in front of her manager and possibly get it in writing (ie no I never said you had to leave), then you could just quote it back at her. It's a shame that it's got to be such a 'stand-off' almost when, particularly in view of the home-ed these kind of activities will be really important.

STUPID BLOODY WOMAN

yes pink yes yes YES

actually that is a very good point whcih you made yourself franny...

can you see her next time and say something like:
''this leisure centre and the activities are much valued by us as a family and as ds is going to be home-edded, these activities will play a vital role in his social and educational development. And we will be using these groups for, hopefully many many years to come. Which is why it is so important to us that he is allowed to settle into the groups gently, as he will not be as used to being 'left' as other children.
Add to that his current vulnerability after welcoming an addition to the family after being an only child and I'm sure you can understand why it is neccessary for us to have a little leeway in this situation. I see that it is not usual, but I am hoping that you could help us. A little tlc now will mean years of a happy, indepedant, confident child etc etc

OIr will that make her worse...?

Franny I think you should bust her ass to her superiors! (have now watched 7 hours of The Wire, west baltimore cop / drug dealer drama and I have the urge to go storming in and kick over a table and shout about her chain of command etc)

She sounds petty minded and irritating.

Guad! Driving instructor just called and cancelled lesson, so dp not taking the morning off to bring us now. Text still not working. - well, only about not coming to visit you. Quite delighted about no scary driving lesson.

LOLOL at Boco bustin' ass!

NO!

no bustin' asses - boco is high and deranged on american drama and is taking you all down with her.

Resist her 'street' ways.

Woman is obviously a bitch (leisure centre one not boco)

I would play her at her game though. This will carry on as she feels her 'authority' has been underminded. I would be tempted to play that she had the authority and uper hand so she calms the fuck down.

but that is me - 100 would hate it.

OB if you don;t eat you get constipated. You have to eat.

S'ok. Have stocked up on constipation combatants. And other magic pharmaceutical treatments.

Need a bath.

Then all will be well.

Have enormous bag of salad and a box of strawberries to take to work tomoz.

Night.

PS

How did the mathematician solve his constipation?