from our own correspondent

[teafortwo]

Old thread...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/2423/576865?ts=1222265998268&msgid=12499051

New thread...

to be created below!

Enjoy!

oooohh!!! Great foocing ladies!!!!

Me and dd tried out a few of those dance moves wellies - mmm more difficult than it looks really!

very busy organising a working bee to make over the gardens at dd1's prep school area BUT did want to post an article.

Our dd1 is now 6yo but if you scroll down the article that is linked - you will see a 1yo with mad hair - that is dd1 at 1yo.

d'uh helps if one posts the link

here

aaaaawwww.... how cute eidsvold - I can't get enough of that picture!

I have just asked Justinemumsnet to come and join us on our thread. I think she would make a good from our own correspondent (didn't use the word fooc because I don't want to sound at all rude. I am serious about her joining and don't want to put her off.)

I think it would be really nice if she wrote a post now and then! I am sure she has a really interesting life filled with great observations, insite and comments.

So... Justinemumsnet - we look forward to your first foocs report!

meant to add

page 8 and 9 have more pics and a little about dd1's first year

eids, you have a supercute little girl there.

Perth WA

26 degrees
day at Cottesloe Beach
now all windswept and sunkissed and sandy

repeat for next 6 months apart from days over 40 and maybe alternate with the river

sweet

FOOC Bosnia (again!)

If anyone remembers one of my first posts on the first thread regarding the massacre of civilians in a nearby village during the last war, then there has been one development. One of the main perpetrators belonging to the HVO (Croatian army council) was arrested earlier in the summer and was last week sentenced to only 8 and a half years in prison. He was involved in the killing of 64 villagers, and the torture and/or rape of 45 others. He will not need to pay for the trial costs because he is reportedly in a poor financial situation, and the time he has spent in custody already will count towards his sentence. The general (informal) hope consensus here is that he must have done a deal to exchange information for an easier sentence.

The verdict was reached and made public two days before the end of ramadan. Which kind of dampened the celebrations a bit, to say the least. It was sad enough having to discuss the outcome over bajram lunch with our friend's family (who lost 3 relatives in the massacre) but worse was the young widow of the lost son showing me photos of their wedding, of their first son being born, and of the couple beaming towards the end of her second pregnancy, not knowing what was to come.

FOOC Galicia

Wow, what a time you've been having Welliesandpyjamas.

The sentence handed to the army man is just appalling. But as you say, so much bargaining and deal making goes on. It makes you wonder about justice really.

The parties you went to sound fantastic. Do you know the recipe for the spinach pie?

Very of suzywong on the beach. The weather has finally broken here, so no more beach for a while I think (except for walking).

Not much new to report here, but I have been reading all the posts with great interest.

Fooc Tromsø

This is the week where our region has lost its self confidence and been dragged through the mud, according to a major newspaper. The North South divide has never been bigger.

Background (as I see it):
Many years ago the previous mayor got this great idea that we should do Olympic Games. Some thought it was a fantastic idea, others thought it was Lunacy. We, a small town, with just around 60.000 inhabitans, not a motorway in sight, a tiny airport, no rail connection, a handful of hotels, and a handful of wintersports enthusiasts? Come on! The local boys club formed Tromso 2018, where they have been taking great salaries, muddled along doing "planning and budgeting" for a few years, going to important meetings, doing important things, hiring small local consultants, doing little feasibility studies, etc. They were all so keen to be the big guys in the Olympig Games game, they would not get expertise on board.

Politicians in the capital were unusally quiet. The sports foundation was unusually quiet. After all, it was the Sports Foundation who would officially be applying to IOC to be considered a host.

People FOR getting the games to town were thinking: Yes, better roads, we will get infrastructure, the town will be remodernised, we will get decent hotel facilities, tourism will be enhanced, we will spend millions but reap rewards in billions.

People against were thinking: No, we cant afford it, we need the money to maintain roads now, we need money for our hospitals, our elderly in nursing homes are not fed at the weekend, we need swimming pools so children can learn to swim, and we DONT need 9 icerings, and 9 stadiums, the cost of the upkeep after the event will be too astronomical for our small town to carry.

So, suddenly it all goes KABOOM. The Independent organisation who has done a budgeting and costing study comes up with an amount not just twice but nearly three times of what Tromso 2018 came up with. The Sports Foundation subsequently pulls their application and the project is laid dead.

TV and Newspapers are bubbling over, it is like caustic soda in water. The fallout is immense. Years and millions have been spent. The YES people claims to be deceived. They blame the president of the Sports Foundation, who pour soul has received death threats. The NO people say "but it wasnt feasible in the first place and dont blame the sports foundation, blame Tromso 2018 who did not do their job well enough."

In the middle of this, there is the chief editor of the largest regional newspaper, the mayor, and the chairman of the Tromso 2018. Buddies. Members of the same political party. They have not been acting independent throughout this process. The newspaper has been a just about a spokesperson for tromso 2018, and has been accused of reporting falsely, or omitting important things in their reports to try and shift public opinion. Now they allure to the North South divide, now the paper get people all het up and cross because they claim it is because we are The North. Because we are regarded like shits. So question is, how do we proceed from here?

Ah well, it will blow over in a week or so, the Annual Budget, as presented by the Chancellor is ignored, nobody gives a toss that tourism got a million more than they expected, nobody has paid attention to it at all, as it has been sidelined by the Olympic Games "disaster." And maybe that, is an even more worth noting?

Spinach pie is easy, Cies, but you need to be able to buy make filo style pastry.

1. Wilt your spinach by sprinkling salt on it and leaving for about 10 mins, then rinse off and wring out water.
2. Mix in whisked egg (roughly one egg to a BIG double handful of fresh spinach). Add salt and pepper if you want. Also you can add white cow's or goat's cheese (feta style) to the mixture, crumbled up. The cheese really makes it special! It's not traditional but I like to add crushed garlic too.
3. Have a little bowl of oil and a clear space ready. Also a large deep baking tray, oiled/greased.
4. Take a sheet of pastry and a small handful of spinach mix, and with oily hands (because you want to get the pastry nice and moist from the oil), make long multiple-layered sausage-roll style sections and put them in your tray. If you have a square tray, place them in long rows, end to end, and if you have a round tray just circle inwards, snail style, like this.
5. When you've filled your tray pop it in the oven at about 200 C until the pastry starts to turn golden. At this point take the pie out, and pour a mixture of melted butter and water over everything so that you leave the pie drenched but not with liquid showing.
6. Back in the oven for about 10 minutes. And that's it. Best served with a glass of natural yoghurt.

QS - what a story! sounds very familiar - here it would be over aid agencies, rather than olpympics, but the same players and outcomes!

mangalossi an updated pic is on my profile.

Thanks Welliesandpyjamas, sounds delicious. The link didn't work for me, though I think I see what you mean.

I'll post back when I've made it and let you know how it went.

QS that sort of wrangling and regional oneupmanship sounds very familiar. There was a big hoohar here when Vigo wanted to host the University Games (European I think, but could have been International). Cue big banners saying VIGO 2010 and claiming to have the support of X Y and Z. Well, it all came to nothing in the end.

QS - your Olympics story sounds like a right old farce, but sorry your home-town is getting flack. I don't know if anyone remembers an old Scottish channel 4 comedy programme from the late 80s/early 90s called 'Absolutely', but it sounded a bit like the sketch for the Stoneybridge Olympics, with their highly professional promotional vido.

Anyways, Toronto

Wet and grimy here today, so I'll do a Judith Chalmers about sunnier times in Quebec (last week's trip), based on two sharing.

Quebec City celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, and is in a festive mood. It certainly has attracted the tourists by the bus and cruise-ship load too. I think I saw the two biggest ships I'd ever seen in my life moored at the docks on the St Lawrence River (at least as big as a city block apiece!).

It is a very attractive place and has been given a quattrocentennial (?) manicure for 2008. The old town is very picturesque indeed. The Haute-Ville is on a cliff top, and the Basse-Ville nestles at the foot of the cliff on the St Lawrence River. It does feel like you've suddenly been teleported to a pretty historic French town. However, I have to say that, as a European in North America, even though it's an authentic 400 year old place, I found the experience a bit surreal/ parallel universey - a bit like Port Merion, or The Truman Show, if you see what I mean.

Hmmm, not really selling it am I? There's lots of lovely restaurants and the old town is mostly a chain-free zone, which makes a nice change. The main site too see is the Chateau Frontenac. A HUGE hotel built at the end of the 19th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It's a rather pricey place to stay, so DD and I stayed down the road.

After sunset, once the majority of the day-trippers had left; it was lovely having a wander round the narrow streets, bundled up in coats, scarf and hats. There were still a few horse and traps doing their site-seeing thing and the crisp autumn air had a satisfying bite which sharpened up the appetite. We were sent off to a somewhat posh French place on our second night, which was lovely, but very refined, so a little stressful as a solo, keeping DD entertained and not too shouty . Luckily she turned on the charm with the waiters and the other diners turned a blind eye to any minor skirmishes.

Anyway, if you can stand it, I've got a bit more to say on the subject of autumnal Quebec, but I'll save it for another time.

Haven't read the thread yet but you might all enjoy this week's Afternoon Reading on R4. It's called 'Made in England' and is a series of essays about being English. I've really enjoyed it, so far.

Will catch up now.

FOOC Trinidad

Apologies for the long absence, have been head down in the usual school/clubs/homework/dog walking/shopping lark which is just the same wherever you are in the world when you're a mum, n'est pas?

Feels like we have just not got into our stride this term yet, despite having been back at school for 5 weeks. So many holidays, this has been the first full week we've done I think.

There was Independence Day - celebrating Trinidad & Tobago's independence from Britain in 1952 - huge firework display on the Savannah, enough artillery to stage a coup. Then there was Republic Day a week later, which I think is to celebrate the creation of the republic. Not sure what they did for the week inbetween that year - probably drank rum and limed on the beach.

And last week we celebrated Eid - the end of Ramadan. I'm not sure exactly what proportion of the population here is Muslim, but they are a very inclusive lot so we get a day off for all the major religious festivals. Eid was on the calendar for Thurs, so the school decided to make the Friday a staff training day as they knew we'd all naff off for a weekend on another island, as you do in these parts. Only then the Mullah decided that Eid would fall on the Weds - dontcha love that in these days of satellites and space travel they still can't predict when the new moon will be sighted. So school declared 2 staff training days and we had 3 days off school! Yippee.

Looking forward to Divali now on 28th Oct.

DD (7) can recite to me all the details of Ramadan and Divali, but is a little sketchy on the Nativity story which horrifies me. She spent her first 3 years of education in a British school in Egypt and is now in an 'international' (ie US) school here. At this school they don't even call it the Christmas holidays, it's just the 'holiday season'. Grrr. I'm looking out my children's bible stories and preparing to volunteer to read them a story in the last week of term. Militant mum.

Oooh and I've just been outside with the dog for a last wee (her, not me) and there are fireflies drifting around my garden. How magical. Never saw them before we came here. Sigh.

Pardon my french - should have said 'n'est-ce pas' I think. It's a long time since French A-level. Can't think what possessed me to be so ambitious, it's obviously the multicultural influence of this thread.

And thanks Superbunny for the 'Made in England' thread - it looks like a lovely one for a homesick afternoon.

FOOC Tamil Nadu

FOOC Tamil Nadu

Have been doing my best to follow this thread, but rarely get a chance to contribute. Here is something brief...

This week we've had (another) 2 days of holiday, as it was 'pooja holidays'. This is a chance to do a sort of ceremony, asking the gods for blessings etc. This one was particularly about the workplace - so the day before all factories and places of work are cleaned, whitewashed and decorated with banana leaves, sugar cane and flowers. Then a ceremony takes place. We went to one at the factory opposite. One of each of the machines was put at one end of the room (the different sewing machines, the scissors, the accounts books etc). They are decorated with flowers, and offerings of coconut, bananas and other fruit are added. Then the priest went around blessing them all. He also blessed the generator (pretty essential here), all the motorbikes, the owner's car etc. Then food is distributed to all the workers and others around - and they all take the rest of the day off.

And yes, we also had 2 days off for end of Ramadan... and will get at least 3 off for Diwali. (Except we don't really get it 'off' as we're working for ourselves...)

Excuse my inability to put this thread in the right place... ... now I'll go and try to work out how to delete my thread.

Paris Fooc

My journey back from work is one of yellow lighting, many tired faces and the regular rhythm of the metro.

The metro runs underground for the most part. Stations are close. You can often see the station before and after in the near distance as you wait for your train in Paris. I once thought if I listened carefully I might be able to hear the echoes of these stations coming through the tunnel. You can?t. Sometimes life is disappointing.

I fear falling asleep on the metro. In-fact in my husband's and my dating days I often did. Unused to large meals and such delicious wine it became a habit to fall asleep on his shoulder feeling well on the last metro home.

As a warning that my stop is the next one to come 'line one' surfaces for a few seconds. I fear becoming a gremlin. The blast of sunlight feels so strong and unnerving.

Today I used these seconds to take in some of the activity around the edge of La Defense. One of the buildings is covered in scaffolding. In my profession we throw around the term scaffolding as a metaphor to mean helping someone to achieve. This building is not being scaffolded to achieve (ie to be built). It is being slowly and respectfully taken down. I think of my Grandfather. Lately he has moved to an old country house filled with other war heroes and many nurses with broadland accents to help them out, when, not if need be. Yes, scaffolding is needed at both ends of our life but in-between we rush around in semi darkness hoping to get where we are going in time.

Paris fooc

Just been catching up on all the posts from the past few days...

Superbunny - Thanks for the afternoon readings - perfect accompliment to a cup of tea and quick sit down!

Hey - I loved every single post - I really regret not having a printer. I feel the foocs is a thread to read, not sitting at a desk, but curled in an arm chair, snuggled up in bed or laying in a park. Something to drift away with, loose yourself in.

By the way - I also asked Geraldinemumsnet to become a fooc. I think people with such insight to create and manage this website would be the type of characters to make really good foocs - but I suspect they are just too busy to join us! To be fair I can understand - Managing this site must take a lot of time, effort and whole-hearted hardwork! But maybe one day if they have a few minutes here or there and they will join us.

So... keep foocing! I think this thread is becoming more and more special to me.

This weekend promised sun. October sun, but sun nevertheless. And it delivered. Saturday morning dawned cloudless and without a breath of wind. DH and I had been out til the wee hours the night before, and walked home at 1.30am in just shirtsleeves.

We dragged ourselves out of bed at 9, to get ready for our trip up to Pedras Negras and El Grove, a sort of resort town a couple of rías north of us. Dh had a conference there that morning, and I was tagging along to enjoy the change of scenery.

For me the attraction of the area is La Lanzada beach, a long stretch of coarse yellow sand open to the ocean but with views of Ons and Cies islands. I dropped DH at the conference, and parked at one end of the beach. It was pretty deserted, with a few wetsuit-clad surfers venturing into the crashing waves, and a few energetic-looking couples power-walking up and down the shore. I set off, walking ankle-deep in the bracing water. It took half an hour to get to the other end, and when I turned around, I saw that many more people had arrived. There were what looked like coach trips, surf schools, dog walkers and kite fliers (unsuccessful due to lack of wind).

Come lunchtime I headed back to pick up DH, and we drove into El Grove, where there was the XLV Festa do Marisco. My Roman numerals aren't up to scratch, but that means 45, doesn't it? So, a Seafood Festival with pedigree. I'm conscious that I have posted before about seafood in Galicia, but it really is the product associated with this area, and has a huge importance as an industry and a gastronomy.

There was an enormous marquee set up down in the port, by the fish market. Here throngs of tourists and visitors were wandering about in souvenir hats and t-shirts. Bagpipe music was blaring over the loud speakers (as an aside, Galician bagpipe music is much more jolly than Scottish bagpipes to my ear).

We joined the queue for the central tills. Here you order everything you want to consume. The choices range from oysters, clams, mussels and crab to empanada (pie) and octopus. Plus your white wine (albariño or ribeiro ) and a pack of fork, napkin and one of those citrus wipe things. We chose clams, grilled razor clams and octopus pie.

We were given a ticket for each item, and then had to find the window for each one and claim it. Much more queuing! Eventually we found a corner of a trestle table to deposit our lunch and tucked in. Delicious.

The afternoon was spent lying on the town beach dozing and letting the wine work itself off. A few kids were swimming, but most people were simply strolling up and down, trousers rolled up and jackets slung over their shoulders. We eventually packed up at 6.30, and joined the traffic crawling out of the town. Quite a few cars had been stopped by the Guardia Civil for breathalyser tests, so we were very glad of the long siesta. Unfortunately, others had not been so cautious, as we saw 3 separate accidents on the way back.

Apologies for length: have been reading the FOOC and trying not to get pulllllllled innnnnn... gave up.

We're in Germany & I've shamelessly copied these posts from our thread:

3 posts:
1.My German h is ill
2.Our weekend & when we have guests
3.My German h does DIY

Am v v v v v v relieved my h is so seldom ill as he takes to the sofa and is Sick.
In our early years together he'd don dressing gown and scarf (what's that about?) and rasp that he wanted "hot beer" or "tea with rum in it"
Years of merciless piss-taking from me & he doesn't dare do that any more
But he still take to the sofa so Everyone Knows He is Sick
And I am embarrassed to say (well, a wee bit maybe) that because he's such an awful ham, I am so unsympathetic. I do tell him that if every sore throat were just that and not incipient bronchitis, I'd be the first to make him a hot toddy.
Lord help us if he ever is really sick...

Hi y'all. What a glorious weekend, foggy & misty then about 1/2pm wonderfully warm sunshine. We spent the weekend at the lake, loads of people around & as there wasn't much wind for sailing, did a lot of sitting around drinking coffee then Sekt (much under-rated sparkling wine) and even barbecued. D went in a boat by herself for the first time ever, I was thrilled for her that she wanted to and that she loved it. Really boosted her confidence. And the boys were so helpful and sweet with her so they've been allowed extra rations on the PC and PS2 as a reward.

I woke h up at 6.20am this morning (he leaves at 6.30) in a panic that he'd overslept which he hardly ever does. He leapt out of bed, jumped under the shower (cold water owing to Finknottle's energy saving boiler use) made tea, then came back to bed and said, "I'm not going in" - to my astonishment He has about 1 day off a year sick and never skives. Turns out it's a US holiday so a day off and I'd forgotten, lol. What with the early morning fug of consciousness and my faff, he forgot too, till he tried calling in...

Ernest how did your meal go? I meant to say after years of hand-wringing I've discovered the best meal for guests here is a roast with roast potatoes. Always goes down a storm. Never blush when s1 goes on about my "delish home-made gravy" i.e. made with imported Bisto [rin] I do 2 chickens if we have a family with children over and for pud, just ice-cream tarted up with Madeleines & sprinkles for the children, cheese & biscuits for the adults. Only bugger is trying to find decent crackers.
Germans don't do that "family over for a meal" thing much though, have you lot also found? Tend to be other forriners or expats. Germans seem to be more "Kaffee und Kuchen um 15 Uhr". I prefer wine & chicken at 7/8pm

H'S day off. Announcement at ca. 9am that his Plan for the day was to finish tiling the porch, see posts passim.

Thus: coffee:

8.00 "Fink are you making coffee?"
8.45 "Darling Fink are you making more coffee?"
10.00 "Fink, darling, do you want more coffee? Are you making another pot?"

11am: "I am now going to Tile."
11.01 "It's raining, I cannot Tile."
me: "That's not rain, that's fog. And anyway, the porch is under cover, what does it matter?"

Several hours of internet later (thankfully in his study, I have my own, could weep with relief, it was worth buying this house for that alone)

12.30 "What's for lunch? S1, have you seen Mum?"
13.00 "Shall I make coffee?" (too few beans ground, water boiled almost until condensation stage)

14.45 "I will now Tile"
15.00 "I am having a break and a (foul small cigar) (again thankfully in his own pit study) smoke"
15.45 "Have you seen the tiling things I left here?" (in April)

17.00 "I have done (sweats) two steps. What's for supper?"

Maybe my half-term mood but it made me laugh

Welcome finknottle...!!!

LOL

Thanks for your first post!

FOOC AUckland NZ - via Fiji

Bula!!!I have yet to catch up on just over a weeks postings but thought I'd get started with reports from my week in Fiji.

I am truly thankful that it was dark when we set off on the transfer coach from airport to resort, as the 1 1/2 hour trip back in daylight confirmed my fears. The bus could have been a few welded together over the years, my seat on return listed so far to the right my cheek was virtually pressing against the glass for the duration. As we hurtled along potholed roads, over judder bars, past various local villages, dead horses, men walking their cows on leashes, sugar cane fields and carts carrying sugar canes on hairpin bends with the driver merrily chatting to us over his shoulder I was truly glad it was dark on arrival so I could only see the headlights of oncoming traffic not the full extent of the experience. About half way I could see bright orange lights on the hills on the horizon, as we drew closer I could make out that the lights were flames leaping high into the air against the pitch black sky - they seemed to go on for miles. Aparantly locals were burning the sugar cane fields. I was told (? how reliably) that it makes it possible to extract sugar from the cane earlier than if it is left to mature on its own. It's a short term gain as it yields less in quantity and quality but the locals do it when they need instant cash. I remarked that there must have been a few hundred to control such a huge fire - I was reliably informed there was probably 2 or 3 . I almost expected to wake the next morning to find the whole island chared remains.

Anyway, on arrival at the resort we were welcomed with a warm, smiling, friendly Bula (hello) which the ds's quickly picked up on and chanted at all and sundry for the whole week. The boys were very grumpy having slept on the 'bus' but there was no getting out of the guided tour and complementary juice by the very enthusiastic and friendly Fijian guy. Miles and miles of tropical vegetataion, palm and coconut trees, the landscape dotted with bures (hut/apartment things) and clear blue pools leading to perfect sandy beaches, calm seas and the stars.

The warm night air, tropical smells and welcoming Fijians promised a fantastic week and it truly was. As they say in Fiji - more fun more sun - well we must have been having alot of fun as it shone all week.

More later...............

Hello Finknottle, do you keep newts?
Sibble, sounds fantastic look forward to hearing about the rest of the week!
Not much to add here, enjoying the beautiful weather. The air is clear and the sky is blue, the leaves are turning red, brown and golden in the wood behind my appartment. The crested and long-tailed tits have started to come down to the bird feeder, and I think that the red squirrels have been at the peanuts but I haven't caught them yet!
This morning DS and I enjoyed coffee and croissants at the local café, me reading the newspaper, him shouting "train train" at the railway line, hoping that a train would go past whilst waving his little wooden "James" engine at all and sundry. Now he's having his morning nap and I'm mumsnetting instead of getting DD's lunch ready...