WEST LONDONTHREAD - JULY/AUG 2007 (when we finally get a summer?)

[ComeOVeneer]

Just thought I would get this up and running before the old one is full.

Anyone planning to do anything this Thursday/Friday? I have the children back home and the builders in so I was thinking perhaps Kew/Bushy etc. Any takers?

That's certainly got my attention.

Can I have my Pearl S Buck books' back please? They are very dear to me even though I'll never read them again.

Anyone would like to meet up today? I'm probably going to Kew. I better take advantage of the good weather before it disappears.

I have social worker here Friday first thing but will probably go to the beach st Kew after that if you want to join us, will probably hang around for lunch then home for 1pm.

Foxie - think I have realised which bits are yours. As i said you can have anything I'v got, anything you don't want I'll take to the charity shop.

morning all

mellow - we are heading for kew around 10.30 today and will probably make it to the beach at some point.

foxie - so that's what it is called! we go there a lot. next week fine

hope everyone ok, we had night terrors here dd woke up screaming at 3.30 am and took ages to allow being cuddled. eventually went sort of back to sleep but for the next hr kept shouting about not being able to walk because there were too many beesi am tired

KC - thanks for the offer of clothes but let Foxie have them as I went and spoilt ds at the Next sale and I also have a lot of eleusis' stuff and my df is going to be giving me her ds stuff as well. But thanks for the offer.

Foxie - if you want a couple of boxes, I can drop them off next week and we can have a proper chat over a cup of tea.

Lemonaid I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS. Am so pleased for you.

COV - I can beat you - my dds are away for the whole summer holidays and no messy bedroom to tidy up/clothes to clean. Heaven (but I do miss them!!). The week after next I've got the whole house to myself as dh is away with all the LOs at the caravan. Party anyone???

sfx - sorry to hear about dd's night terrors - you must be shattered. I remember then well (dd still has them!). You really can't cuddle them can you - they just fight you away. Try singing a favourite nursery rhyme to her - it worked with my dd2.

QC, sw visit every six weeks till he's readopted? I have no knowledge of adoption but this sounds bizarre. Sounds like misuse of resources to me. Typical!

mrsR thanks for sympathies, it happens but not often

ok late but here i go to kew gardens

sadly Sushi its a legal requirement for all privately fostered children which until he's readopted here, he is. It;s a strange quirk of the system that chidlren adopted from overseas often (depending on the country) fall into this category which is deemed to be high risk. It's all ridiculous as all other privately foster carers haven't done a homestudy, CRB check etc. I think it was just a bad choice of category when the legislation was drafted because no-one thought about it. There are so few intercountry adoptions in the Uk no-one much really cares about them.

MrsR - yes it would be nice to see you and your boxes next week

Mellow - your Pearl books are safe upstairs actually - so they won't get evicted as I remember you lent me them and keep looking at them wistfully. I'd love to read them but DS2 won't let me read anything atm.... Remind me when we next meet and I'll hand them back until I get my reading head on again.

I feel like that about The Kiterunner - will never read it again but treasure it dearly.

I think I still have books from Puds/Paddle/sfx though maybe??

Rosemerta - I have to rearrange our meet today as Monti woke me about 8 times last night! We are both shattered and he's a bit poorly. he was due to have his jabs today but have had to postpone.

I will be here on Thursday though - do you fancy popping over late morning sometime?

Kew - yes that would be great to rummage thanks - let me know when is best for you.

Well our lodger is moving in Friday.

I contacted the local language school ages ago and they didn't return my call. So when my friend asked if we could rent a room to her nephew I jumped at the chance but have offered him a low "studenty" rent as he's young/a friend.

Guess what - now the language school have suddenly contacted me desperately asking for a 12 week placement, for a lovely sounding woman, for much more dosh - HOW annoying is that?

But I will honour our agreement with the lad of course - things usually turn out for the best in these situations and he can be our guinea pig

He's about 20 and technically I am old enough to be his Mum!!

Ooh Foxie it is very tempting to think about letting my spare room for a month or two during the year for some extra dosh. No ensuite though in mine and certainly wouldn't consider making dinner for anyone so its probably out for me. Must ask you about it though, didn't know Kew had a language school. You could also try Kew Gradens as I think they do short horticulture courses. Quite fancy having an ensuite gardener!

How about some time Saturday to drop off clothes?

Kew - I don't like the idea of making the dinner either (brekkie is easy as you just have to leave the cereals etc out). But it might make me a bit more disciplined and I don't think they stay in for dinner every night anyway.

I just think we need to make this house pay -we have big mortgage and a spare room we won't be using for two years - plus the income will mean I can slightly reduce my hours at work and/or pay for some minor improvements on the house, which I wouldn't otherwise be able to fund in the next two years.

TBH I find it hard to think of having lodgers because I had a very bad experience with my sister, who turned out to be an obsesseive compulsive alcoholic who sulked a lot!!

I have already decided that if this lad/any other lodger turns out to be difficult they will be out on their ear pronto. But he seems very nice and I want to make this house pay while we have the opportunity.

If DS sleeps in your room, it deffo worth considering. With foreigh students you you can choose which ones and have breaks between each one.

Anyway DS2 is calling.....

Sorry to hear about ds2 Foxie - hope he is feeling better soon. Will ring you about next week. Shame we're not closer - we've got the room for a lodger.

I'm not sure if anyone knows any employment lawyers but my old company is completely shafting me and I posted a thread here and would be grateful for any assistance. I really can't believe how they've treated me and am so glad I'm not working for them anymore.

No probs foxie, hope ds is better soon! Is 10.30am on Thurs too early/late?

MrsR, unfortunately I'm no help at all on your problem but am for you!

thanks ros - I am fuming and really want them to pay for the way they've treated me.

How about 11am? I am a bit of a Waynetta Slob in the mornings while the kids are on hols - kind of makes up for all those early mornings during term time.

11am is fine! Am going to go to the pool in Richmond this pm, instead, if anyone wants to meet up!

Mrs R, How awful. Like Ros, I can't help but you've got my virtual support.

My company possibly owes me a few days of holiday but it's simply too complicated to calculate as I came back to work as full time then changed to part time and finally back on full time in the period of 10 months! But my boss has been really great and extremely understanding to me so I can't complain.

Good luck, MrsR. I haven't really got much to say that hasn't already been said. But you know of course I'm, behind you 100%.

I don't know if this is useful, but when I went on maternity leave, my compan yinsisted on paying me out for any holiday that I had accrued on the spot. I was offended and said what if I want to take that holiday after I come back. I won't have it anymore to take. But it was HR policy to close everything out in case you don't come back. I was also offended that they were treating me like I wasn't coming back. But, hey ho...

Also, remember that you continue to accrue holiday while you are on maternity leave. So, in your six months off you would have accrued another 10 days. Make sure they pay up on that too.

MrsR: have added my tuppanceworth. Just one thing : anger aside, just how much are you talking about here? Be careful to work out the money side before you go down any route of revenge. Personally I would go for blood on principle: and have been damned good at it , but the hassle was hell. Just make sure it's worth it financially.

Steppy: just caught up on threads today. Hope legoland was great: yesterday was great but we stayed at eth top: waterworks, theatre and fairytale brook was enough for our LOs 9and us) so we were ok. If yours are older (and I think your brood are), then I quiver internally in abject fear. You're a far better mum than me!

Spent 4 hours today in Richmond Park as Kew was so packed I coudl not park. I think we are definately in holiday territory here folks. Be afraid.

Ele and COV: lovely meal last night. So sorry that you two were driving , but I rallied round superbly.

hi all

mrsR sorry about that awful situation, no help but all support.

kew was lovely and rather a lot quieter than expected around the cottage etc.

glorious summer day

foxie can't think which books of mine you would have, i think mine are with mellow and rosmetra

Hi foxie,
You're welcome to keep the books. However, if you really need some space I would be happy to take them back.

I was just worried that you were going to chuck them by mistake.

I know what you mean about reading.

I've been trying to read HP that I borrowed from Ros for over a week and I've read (pause) all of 29 pages where I would have finished the book and returned it by now before dd decided to launch into her terrible twos (8 months early).

Sfx,
I was at Kew Beach between 1 to 2 pm. I wanted to call but my phone ran out of charge. Sorry, I did't catch you as I was looking forward to having a catch up. Are you going to be around tomorrow? I think I'm going to make full use of my member's pass while the sun is out.

MrsR,

That's really awful. I'm really for you. My first instinct would be you should teach them a lesson. But oxo's right. You have to be prepared for the hassle.

hi mellow have updated my mobile to include your number now. i am likely to go there tomorrow but i have dentist early in the morning then see how it goes.

we were at the beach a bit earlier