West London Chat Summer/Autumn

[vbus]

ooh the excitement of starting a new thread

DS2 has been introduced to new teacher too. In denial, I think.

Eyeballs = meatballs stuffed with pimento-stuffed olives. Don't really like fish eyes. Fish cheeks, on the other hand, are yummy.

Eyeballs pics on FB. I think they look pretty gory.

Copper - bit early for halloween
Sfx - fish eyes

will stick with ice cream recommendations

vbus - we are forrin free spirits and are not constrained by the festivals fixed by mere men.

I am too large to eat fish cheeks. Don;t they come under the Shirley Conran mantra "life's too short to stuff a mushroom" - surely life is too short to try dissecting out a fish cheek?

Kew - does not require dissecting. Just falls out. Yummy. And no bones. Besides what does Shirley Conran - whoever she is - know about life and mushrooms and fish cheeks?

Copper - LOL

Can't say I've any desire to eat fish cheeks tasty as they may be, but I do love stuffed mushrooms

Making rice and sambar for tonight, hurry up Dh I'm starving

Morning

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm enjoying the peace and quiet as I blast through some jobs. Builder has agreed to start 19th Sep, woo hoo.
It is also our wedding anniversary today. Might get new Cohen bro's film out to celebrate tonight. Anyone seen it?

any more takers?

hello

vbus enjoy freedom and happy anniversary
I have not seen the newest last one of theirs I saw was A Serious Man, loved it, someone told me to put subtitles on True Grit as some of the dialogues seems garbled

we are still to get moving, lacking energy and will to get wet, also I seem to have misplaced labelsbut can't be bothered looking for them now I expect they will turn up as I restore some order to the place over the next few days
will keep it local grab a few bits and bobs then get back and bake treats

I loved a Serious man, it's True Grit I want to watch, hope they have it in the shop. Enjoy your last day of the hols

Well better make some lunch and pick up DS2, the morning seems to have disappeared

Hello!

Pretty wet start to school year!

Catching up with work...

I have a question:

We are going on a quest to buy a dictionary for the kids. Our customs when buying dictionary is to test it by finding words. Eg, oik and meringue for grown up dictionaries.

What words would you expect a dictionary suitable for someone being able to read, say, a Michael Morpugo book or a how to train your dragon book, to contain and explain well?

Difficult-to-explain and unusual words, obviously. I would definitely try "soul", "exile" and "corset"... Any more?

Good question, will try and think of some words.

Interesting you bring up subject of buying a dictionary because I was thinking of getting one for DS1. He is enjoying reading the dragon book (we're reading alternate pages between us) but there are quite a few words he can read but he doesn't know what they mean. Let me know if you find a suitable dictionary as I don't know which one to get

Just phoned bookshops. Foyles at charing cross has 4 and Waterstones at Picadilly has "almost a whole wall" of children's dictionaries. So we'll go and have a look at some point. I do like a quest.

dd asked me what inconvenient was today, generally we have a battered old Chambers which we all use, if words come up that she does not understand she first tries to work out from context and asks us about it.
often dictionaries do not really explain at a level to be understood by a young person lacking in life experience, particularly words used in a literary sense.

Having said that I think she has a couple of small dictionaries around

stuck home waiting for deliveries, dh booked it when he had been planning to be home to receive them, ever so slightly peeved that he decided at the last minute to go to the office.
managed a dash to the shops

sfx - I agree dictionaries not really sufficient or even useful at this age. But it might be fun. Also grown-up dictionaries doesn't quite work with children. Hence the quest for children's dictionary, and also difficult word list to test the dictionary, to avoid the

salmon (n), see trout (n).
.
.
.
trout (n), see salmon (n).

situation, among others, iykwim

child at school, husband at home, guinea pigs behaving inappropriately, I am off to run a bit

I luuuuurve school.

Went to Kingston this morning had a few pressies to buy.

With DS1 back at school I'm submerged in kitchen stuff while DS2 naps. It has been going quite slowly and now we have set a date for building works it seems things are going at fast pace with lots of decisions to make all of a sudden, head is getting full

Vbus, you know it will all be worth it when you have your spanking new kitchen

Copper, another one who wants to know if you find a dictionary! We have an encyclopedia and an atlas, could do with a dictionary

First couple of days seem to have gone well, ds1 was tired tonight though that could have more to do with waking up at 5.30am today

Have finished the Hunger Games trilogy, and recommend it. Its not as grim as it sounds, I think she handles the subject quite nicely, even if its not the most well-written book! Now reading the second of the Game of Thrones book, it may take a while, its very thick

Some battling with work to get a schedule so I don't have to get childcare. A bit cross, really - school has started so childminders would be booked up already. And it would be for just about 20 minutes. And this bloody happens every bloody year. There are reasons why one works part time. I quite like being with the kids, and I didn't buy a piano for it to play itself. (Though perhaps the second reason would not get much sympathy ...)

Is a dictionary worth a special trip to Waterstones Piccadilly? Then food at the Japan Centre. Has anyone been?

Bought some mooncakes. Mooncake festival next week.

Haven't baked for ages. What should I bake?

Must go and fish out the kids. Filled the bath quite full (forgot about it, in fact, while reading a Slightly Jones mystery: the case of the Dragonfish - picked up randomly from library) so must make the most of it and let them wallow longer...

lordy what a busy day, child only just in bed despite having been ready since about 7pm
swimming went well but not the same teacher and busier environment, still she seems to have enjoyed it

copper that is a bit shit really, hope you get it sorted

tilly that was some fast reading, take it was interesting, I don't think I can commit to much reading in the foreseeable future

vbus I am sure it will be worth it, hopefullly all sorted by Christmas

KewC how did ds like his new teacher?

Hello!

Did somebody mention Christmas?

All our tomatoes are diseased. We've only harvested about a handful. But they were pretty nice.

What to do with two punnets of sour blackberries?