Durham / North East Meet Ups - 2012

[juneybean]

Hello hello! Here I am with good intentions to behave and show up to some meet ups since I utterly failed in 2011!

So we need ideas for daytime meets and of course we must not forget our night time meets

[b]Daytime Ideas[/b]
Beamish
Saltwell Park, Gateshead
The Giants Den, Team Valley
Botanic Gardens
Beach (in the summer of course, unless we want airborne children!)

Okay so ideas for January daytime, I think cake is definitely in order so I propose the one that's next to Ebony, the huge place, down some steps, uhh... Slug & Lettuce is it? CAKE!

January night time? Is this something we want to plan? I know we're always poor after Christmas!

Hurrah for the white goods love!

I think we have some sort of virus in the house. My muscles ache so much, especially around my neck. Ached all yesterday and still hurt today. Ds1 was complaining his neck hurt yesterday and ds2 has been very grumpy (although he also has a rashy bum so maybe he is teething, who knows? Am I not supposed to be able to spot teething by now?).

Anyhoo. Could maybe do Botanics Tues, we'll see, expect dcs would llike to and I did buy ds1 his own season ticket so best get use out of it! Def doing Gibside Wed. I think Thurs is when the plumber will come rip my kitchen cupboards apart (well ok just one of them), fit the dishwasher and then drill holes in my bath for a new shower. Oooh then it will almost be the end of the week and just one more week to entertain the sproglets before dh has a week off work!

Hope you and the DCs feel better soon, Indith.

The football situation has been resolved. If it is so important he sees them play Reading then we will go for a short break to my mothers. In return he drops the 2 matches between Christmas and New Year which I always find particularly irritating (especially the Boxing day one). Definitely a good deal for me!

What time are we meeting Tues and Wed?

Indith - hope you and the DCs feel better soon!

Shall we say 11am again for the Botanics? Can't do Gibside as I already have plans for Wednesday with another friend.

oh Indith, I'm so sorry we've been feeling very mildly like that this week, well DH did but he's always ill, then yesterday I did but wasn't sure if I was ill or if it was from exercise the day before (but was around the throat/neck area) and the DCs had been a bit grumpy the day before we saw you. I hope we didn't give you it.
Kara, thanks- I ended up in town as I wanted to get them as soon as I could. Got everything I needed and more though :o

how very dare you SPB .

I have the immersion heater on [naughty] so I can have a bath to ease these muscles. Just come in from sitting by the pizza oven fire but ds2 is grizzling to think it is time for the old bedtime routine thing. Such as it is.

Could I come along to the Botanics on Tuesday too?

:)

Hope you're feeling better soon.
I too wouldlike to come to the Botanics if that's OK ? :) Wonder if I can park in Grey College and walk through, with it being the holidays.

and we were back at Gibside yesterday, they had the den building on again and T got to light a fire without matches :) so begins his introduction to setting things on fire. It was lovely, we were there from 12 until they closed at 6 and still didn't see everything we wanted to.

Mmm have had a bath while dh got restless ds2 to sleep.

Fire lighting sounds fab!

Of course you can come to the Botanics Beans :)

Gibside shall we say between 12.30 and 1.30 at the Strawberry Castle Play area depending on whether or not you want to picnic then we can move off towards pond dipping together.

I must get myself organised with picnic food on Monday instead of my usual expensive trip to the co-op!

Where abouts at the Botanics will we be meeting tomorrow? I'm not sure I'll recognise people without a designated location!

Hope you are all feeling better today Indith? Sorry to hear the dishwasher installation did not go as planned!

Usual sort of spot is by the pond.

Not sure if I'll go or not. Dh reminded me he has the car tomorrow. I can bus, just depends on how I feel.

Indith, if you don't feel up to it, I'd love to take W? We have a spare car seat for T and he (T) sits in the front of DH's car every now and again. T and A would love to see him. I know that leaves D out, so probably no help, sorry.
Either that or I could take one of them and all your stuff while you get bus with baby & one child so sligtly less stress? Let me know if I can help.

Beans, yes last time we nabbed a picnic table by the pond.
We're usually the women with the random older children running wild, with babies who are trying to sample the mud while we do our best to ignore them
I'm buying a couple of picnic blankets tomorrow on my way up as that green one is minging now but as the backing is ripped I daren't wash it... Still we have had it about 10 years!!

picnic blanket - thank you :o
What time btw?

11am?

Hopefully I'll find you. I'll be the person walking slowly from group to gruop smiling hopefully...with a toddler in tow!

Oh you'll spot me. I'll be the one threatening to load DS1 and DD back in the car if they don't stop fighting right this second and trying to persuade DS2 not to climb something or jump in the pond.

Actually we had one of those lovely and very rare moments that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. The DSs were playing fencing tonight (the Olympics have got a lot to answer for- it was long jump yesterday). The sight of a 1 year old trying to take on a 5 year old was just fabulous.

Oh and 11ish should be ok with me.

:) Spiggy that sounds lovely. I have hope for the future. The look of pure, unadultarated hero worship on ds2's face when he looks at ds1 is beautiful.

I'm sticking at home today in the hope I find my immune system before tomorrow. Unfortunately I was also trying to keep a cold at bay but after 2 days of achey virus the cold won and I died slightly. I also have a mouth ulcer to add to the mix. If someone sees my immune system please send it back. Feeling a little better today so hopefully tomorrow will be fine. Dh is aching now. he has still gone to Leeds though. He is supposed to be rowing tonight but I have given strict instructions that if he feels at all ill he is NOT to row. I know what he is like, he feels a little ill so decides he is ok to row then knackers himself and ends up more ill.

:( Sorry to hear you are all so ill. Can I take W or D out or would they be endlessly asking where the other is?

Thank you for the offer SPB. Don't worry though. If you take W then D will spend all day going "where's W? Is it time to get W yet? And expecting me to play with her and read stories . If you take D then W will sulk all day at not being able to go.

sorry :( hope you're feeling better soon

We will be, are your all recovered now? Did T manage to miss it? Ds1 just had the one day of complaing but now seems fine. Don't think dd has had it but she complains about anything at the moment so who knows!

Sorry you won't be there today, hopefully the dcs will let you have a bit of a rest to help conquer the lurgy.

Beans, I'm wearing a long blue skirt, black t-shirt and harassed look. Should help you find me

Yes, all recovered, none of us seemed to get it badly at all. T I don;t think got it. A was grumpy for a day or 2 so am assuming that. I had it mildly for about a day - was achey but assumed exercise related, but fine the next day.

I think it is just that I was very run down so it has all hit me like a tonne of bricks. Never mind. Sun is shining and I do need to try to make a dent in the pile of housework and get to the shops. I'm off to fling a stew in the slow cooker for dinner.