So when the UK sleeps, we know you other MNers are out there part II

[tadjennyp]

I was looking for thumbwitch's recipe for that cake and found the old thread has disappeared so Linzer and I thought we'd resurrect it!

Also love that book and many things strike a chord. I trail and sometimes it sucks :( would have loved a rough guide, especially if it covered the most common locations and had a page/half page on popular activities, how to meet people and dos/don'ts. It's quite dusheartening when you think there will automatically be the things you expect to do and find there aren't. I wish someone had said 'they don't do xyz, instead this is what there is'.

How was your trip frakkin and how are you feeling now? How many weeks are you? Just hanging on here.

You must be getting very close now, jenny. Any signs that things are about to happen?

Trip was fab although I broke my toe and it freaking hurts! Not sure how I'm supposed to go back to work on Monday when I can hardly walk. Other than that I'm fine - 29 weeks today and starting to get scared. I was wondering whether you'd have popped by now jenny after all the early labour cramping and dilation excitement but you're still here and not long to go!

ooh, frakkin, i'm pretty certain i broke a toe once (never went to a doctor) it was about 3 months before i could wear anything except the most comfortable & flat shoes. it does hurt!

oo, thread went to sleep!
How is your toe now, frakkin? I'm pretty sure I broke a bone in my foot once - I tripped over a log and stood on it with my other foot (wearing wooden clog sandals) It hurt for ages.

It's very hot here - we are doing extremely little, staying in with the curtains closed and the air con and ceiling fan on full whack. It makes the living room bearable but the rest of the house is like a sauna :(

Tadjenny are you still waiting? Your baby must be very happy in there and unwilling to leave!

I found some chocolate-covered marzipan yesterday in a shop - but alas! it wasn't Lubecker Marzipan and was really a poor copy. I fear it had a rather deleterious effect on DS's guts as well - his nappy later was VILE! He's not getting any more of it, that's for sure.

the marzipan i tried from a baking store was horrid
i may have to throw it away!

Always lubecker, anything else is wrong!

Hope toe is better soon frakkin.

Still waiting. Tried ten-pin bowling yesterday, on all fours scrubbing skirting boards, keep eating hot food. Could do with some more tips!

I have happy memories of Lübeck chocolate, as DH and I went to Lübeck for our first ever weekend away together (before he was DH). He brought me some back from his last trip to Germany too; needless to say, it didn't last very long!

Have you tried raspberry leaf tea, jenny? I've heard it's supposed to help but I couldn't find any here. (I went one day overdue with DD2 and was getting so fed up; goodness knows how people who go a week or more past their due date cope.)

pops in

hello everyone

tadjenny - did you see Wifey's tip to do hula-hooping movements? Might dislodge him/her (can't remember if you know what flavour you're having)!

Raspberry leaf tea, I can testify to, does bugger all to bring on labour - but it does make for a rapid stage 2 and also stage 3 (placenta delivery). I had to be induced at 42w, DS still took 2d to give in and let go come out; but stage 2 was only half an hour and the placenta came out 3 mins after he did. OK, it's only one example - but it's a good one!

Hey Penguin - how's everything? When are you back to the UK?

I went 11 days over with dd2 - it's horrible waiting and waiting (and I ended up with an elective c-section).

thumb - just seen there is an enormous cyclone heading for Australia. Not your area I don't think, but looks dreadful after everything else. Perhaps that's why it's so hot (another friend of mine in Oz and on FB posted something similar to you about the heat, but he doesn't have air con) - in SL it was always terrible when big storms were passing, they sort of suck all the air out of the atmosphere.

Oh I don't envy you that heat at all!

Was thinking of doing the hula-hooping but have to teach on Thursday night so may hold off till 9pm Thurs!

This weather is crazy. Hope everyone with snowstorms and cyclones is ok. Hope nobody is caught in Egypt in all these troubles. Puts everything in perspective.

Weather is indeed crazy. Yes, there is a big cyclone, potentially deadly, heading for Cairns. Nowhere near us, but I have a friend up there - I have emailed to find out if she's evacuating (as a lot of people are) but I may phone her this morning as well. It's very scary - my friend in Brisbane just about escaped the floods through being at the top of a hill - but it got close, none the less! Another 4m would have brought the water up to their house.

Yes, the heat is vile. And last night we had 2 power cuts, just to add to the misery - I'm not surprised, everyone who can has their air-con on, so the demand on the electricty supply is enormous. I might use last night's problems to push through getting full solar power for our house - so far we have it for the hot water but we need it for everything, I think. Of course the lack of fan/air con made sleep next to impossible apart from dozing on and off, so we all have lovely suitcases under our eyes this morning!

Sorry you are suffering thumb but glad you are not near the cyclone.

Having taken myself off to see the King's Speech and Made in Dagenham over the last week, I am now feeling really homesick and have realised that I will have this baby thousands of miles away from family. Feel really quite sad at the thought. Probably just being hormonal and sick and tired in the latter stages. The films were absolutely excellent though and I highly recommend them! Have prepared dinner so will go and collect the dcs from pre-school now. Hopefully won't vomit on the way!

In 48 hours the plane should be taking off. I wasn't worried about DD last time, but I think this one will be tricky. She can BF or sleep if there's people around and I'm assuming solids will be thin on the ground. Some ideas for snacks for her would be great.

ooh, i want to see made in dagenham, but haven't noticed it near us.

loved king's speech & went to see it a second time just so i could hear 'this is the bbc' said so beautifully.

penguin - how long is the flight & how old is dd? bread sticks? carrot sticks? grapes?

i'm trying to remember what we used to travel with.

10/11 hours. Plus boarding is right at her normal for going to sleep for the evening.

oh and she's nearly 11 months

How about some of those puff things that come in a big tube? Does she like them or are they not vegan? Hopefully she will sleep most of the flight and at least you don't have to change. Have a fabulous trip!

They don't quite say 'this is the BBC' like that anymore, do they? Made in Dagenham so worth tracking down if you can.

have no idea what you mean tad, but I very rarely do the shopping. Will take a trip to the supermarket on Thursday morning.

I think if we can get her to sleep we'll be OK. Think she'll be really overtired though.

Thanks for the well wishes, you should have had your addition to the family by the time I get back

Do you mean puffed rice cakes, tad? AKA ceiling tiles?

Do you get SnackaJacks in the USA? Also puffed rice cake things but mini versions that have flavours. Fruit is good too - but easy unwrap fruit, like mandarins. Not too many though! They go straight through DS (although that's quite useful given the propensity for air travel to bung us up)

I can't remember whether you're bringing DD up vegan as well, Penguin - if you are then there's not much point me mentioning BabyBel cheese, is there?!

SOooo want to see the King's Speech - not sure it's exactly DH's thing though. Have to twist his arm.

Bloody better have or I will be throwing myself down the stairs. Graduates Puffs they are called, made by Gerber which is owned by Nestle (I won't tell if you don't). But then there is not much choice of baby food over here. I remember Organix snacks in the UK being pretty good. You'll have a great time!

Tell him the King's Speech has got Australians in it thumb. Geoffrey Rush is superb as the speech therapist and Guy Pearce (still phwoar) is great as Edward VIII. I went on my own as dh had work to do and getting a babysitter is tricky anyway. Today I went to the cinema in the afternoon as dcs were in pre-school. Felt really decadent! Probably be the last time I go out in a while though, to be fair!

I'd love to see both The King's Speech and Made in Dagenham; instead, we went to see Yogi Bear at the weekend. I was very annoyed that The King's Speech wasn't yet out when we were in London after Christmas, as it would have been an ideal opportunity to go to the cinema; there were posters advertising it everywhere.

Hope the flight goes well, Penguin. I was just going to recommend those little sausages in jars (made by Gerber, I think) as DD1 used to love them, but they're hardly vegan. Pasta pick-ups were another favourite (the DC used to call them pasta hiccups), as were/are that ubiquitous standby, Cheerios. We flew back to the UK when DD1 was about 9 months old and she refused to sleep for almost the entire flight, despite us boarding at her bedtime - I think it was about half an hour before landing that she finally fell asleep, so we had to wake her 15 minutes later.