Tea Room the Eighteenth - the Cricket Pavilion

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Welcome one and all to our new abode - a lovely old-fashioned Cricket Pavilion, with decks outdoors and a rather lovely Members' Bar, complete with deep-seated leather comfy chairs and any drink you care to mention.

Our outdoor amenities include the well-tended cricket pitch, kept immaculate by Mellors, our multi-purpose man; a couple of tennis courts round the back for those who prefer the Wimbledon scene; and another multi-purpose pitch (can be used for hosting Fine Lad-style rugby matches, or Little Kickers' football, or the occasional All Comers' Lacrosse Tournament.

Bishops abound, mostly snoozing in the leather armchairs; there are sundry animals around - guineapigs and bison mostly - and of course the Naked Mohawk Babies, fetchingly attired in cricket whites (most unusual for them!)

The cricket pavilion tea room is open to all - those with only one child who need a safe haven predominate but having more than one child is fine - come in, have an egg'n'cress sandwich and a glass of Pimms!

*other fillings and beverages also available.

Small - I feel for you. People never seem to have the sense or manners to return anything now, it's so ridiculous and so rude - like their time is so much more important than yours.

JBM - yes. Agree. Way worse for a massage therapist/reflexologist, I can assure you (no degree to reflect upon) but I mostly used to find them out - I realised that a lot of people don't actually remember their illnesses/surgery in the moment! Take one elderly lady who had a really swollen R leg (reflexology case study) - no surgery apparently - get to her kidney reflex and it feels all wrong. "oh yes, I had that taken out 10 years ago" [DUH!]

Tea - love that lady for you! I had a few nice people try to help me manage miniThumb and the luggage on & off the planes but mostly they had their own luggage so had just the same problems as I did - but I thank the nice young man who hoicked my suitcases off the conveyor for me!

CMOTD - also love that Tiddler brought home a squash - bless him!

Have finally decided to what to get HubbyScout for our wedding anniversary. Last anniversary I was heavily pregnant and he bought me a BabyBjorn. This year for my birthday I got a baby monitor (and other things for me). So.... have decided to get him a box of wooden blocks (five year anniversary is wood in traditional and modern). He likes building blocks with BabyScout, and even though I had blocks on BabyScout's birthday/Christmas wishlist, you can never have too many bricks/blocks. This way it's something for them to do together! Sounds a bit cheesie, but he'll "get it" and it's sweet and is something that will actually get used.

Tea or coffee, anyone?

lovely idea, Scout!

HOt chocolate as always here please - it's chilly tonight, I laid the fire ready to go and then realised we had next to no coal!! Bummer. So no fire. :(

I'm rubbish at returning permission slips . Emailed slips, I'm a lot better at...

DS is 9 today, woke up 3 times in the night asking if he could get up, before finally borrowing the alarm clock and getting up at 6am!

aww bless him, just imagine what he'll be like next year when he gets to 10!! :)

DH needs operation next week. Have survived scary hospital visit.

I've finally found 'my' Mellors - just wanted to share <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/img/blog/2807_bondivet_600x400.jpg&imgrefurl=tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx%3Fblogentryid%3D677086%26showcomments%3Dtrue&usg=__EstPoYJTx03pPByZdkG3mY4P9TQ=&h=400&w=600&sz=85&hl=en&start=32&zoom=1&tbnid=VzzlkdJr9LyVeM:&tbnh=168&tbnw=228&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbondi%2Bvet%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1189%26bih%3D484%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1108&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=581&vpy=129&dur=234&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=94&ty=52&ei=2OOZTLSCMcLzceOFvdkH&oei=uuOZTIiuOdrccImFjdoH&esq=6&page=4&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:32&biw=1189&bih=484" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this

x x x HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Master Mary!!!! x x x

Hurray for Mramberlight who is going to have an opperation that will hopefully make him very well indeed

Ug - I was supposed to be spending every Wednesday morning doing school prep and cleaning the house but because I ache all over and feel so tired and have a deep desire to be very quiet I snuck back to bed where I stayed all morning. I now feel very guilty and worried about getting things done.

Gallbladder removal. Should be straightforward. Depends on whether they will operate on him in a 'do-able' way after his brain haemorrhage last year and the risks that might relate to that (bearing in mind he's on the autism spectrum as well and doesn't cope with hospitals so panics and fights every instruction they give him and I have to reason with him and sometimes they won't let me be with him....).

Cmot glad fiddler doing so well and that you have a good physio. Keep seeing ads for kindle onthe tube. I always think of you

I haven't finished "can any mother help me" I got a bit lost. Is it worth it small? Sympathise re forms but I aldo know some prople are hopeless with them. Oxbloke had a sort of White noise effect with them. A us immigration officer once made me promise ways to fill them in for him in futuye he'd made that many mistakes :)

scout am in awe of your Christmas plans and stamina I didn't even manage to make mince pies last year the jar of mincemeat still sits on side I feel all inadequatr and unmummy. But my view is your wine is going to be jolly nice. I would give it as a drink alone not milled wine bottle. Maybe with a Christmas ribbon or something. I fear it will waste it to mull it. Ibday this as one for whom Red wine is very important and Iove mulled wine too

tea I want to kiss your solidarity mother and racing I still heft Oxboy every where. I love to carry him we get to chat better. He won't consent to being tied anymore but on my hip or piggy back. I heard about that headmistress on tv who told the toddler to walk. I'd be livid if I was that mum. Of course my boy can walk but we like to do carrying.

Wotcha, Oxeye. Longish time no see.

Goodish news about Cmot's hand (I too thought of Cmot today as I read the Kindle ad on the Toob). And a bracing pat on the shoulder for Amber and the FineHusband as the operation approaches.

I am in awe of Scout's (and UniS's) culinary repertoire and expertise. SmallBloke gets quite creative at Christmas but even so the mincemeat usually comes from the posh aisle in the supermarket.

Tea - Procrastination is my approach to housework too.

Well, the sun is well over the yardarm here. Would anyone care for a snifter?

Finally found some cotton/moisturising gloves today. About time -- my hands (especially my dominant one) are killing me! After I make dinner tonight I am slathering and wearing until the morning.

amber, glad you know what's ailing DH. I hope things go well. Can I pass you anything?

oxeye, I've never made mince pies before, so will be a new one for me. Last year was the first time I made a Christmas pudding. But I find it fun. Please don't feel unmummy! And yes, I've been thinking I might just go to Tesco, where's there's a big wine sale on, and get some cheapy bottles of red for the mulled wine kits.

Happy Birthday, young master Mary!

Tea, would some chocolates help perk you up?

I just wrote a really long and personal post, with messages to various inmates, and it's vanished.

I HATE when that happens!

Yes, why does it happen so often? It's so annoying.

Serpent - fell free to punch this handily-placed cushion (but check first that Racingpig isn't hiding behind it).

If you do page back when that happens, you always get to where you were writing it, so all is not lost.

I don't make mince pies/christmas puddings etc, and last year only started buying presents in mid december. I am not v good at christmas.

DS singing 'he's got the whole world in his hands' today. Am not sure whether they learn hymns separately, or just sing them in assembly, but it seems he has a new one each week

The washing mountain has been defeated at last

I've tried that many times, Cmot, and it seldom works. Sometimes the 'post' button just seems to send it off into deep space.

Aww for Tiddler's singing. I don't see it as insidious indoctrination. It's a good song.

I have been battling with the ironing mountain and now have to face the putting away mountain.

OMG The PERFECT gift for my brother Heck, I want one! (Could go with the S.T. Bottle Opener we got him the other Christmas.)

I refuse to iron unless necessary. Stupid laundry mountains!

I am determined that BabyScout is going to learn how to cook/bake at a young age. Girls will love him for it.

evening all. had baked apple with mincemeat for pudding tonight. yummmmmmy.
ought to get on an do some jobs now. Tomorrow I have to shop and shop. have a HUGE list. just as well I've got no work coming in eh. gives me teh time ( if not teh money ) to get round several shops in nearby city.

CMOT, judging by the schools in which I have worked, they are learning hymns separately in order to be able to sing them in assembly. As in, they will learn a new hymn every week but will sing a different hymn every day in assembly. Some are great (my favourite is 'We shall go out with joy') and many of the new ones are dire.

I loathe Christmas and think it would be far more enjoyable if it took place every other year.

I HATE when I'm missing just ONE ingredient in a long list of ingredients.

Am too late to speak to most of you but hello anyway.

Serpent, I agree re new hymns - they are mostly dire. Boring, repetitive, the tune goes in stupid directions to be "different" and you have to repeat the same bits about 3 times because no one has the stamina to write a long one. There are a few exceptions but I like the old stuff better - 'How great thou art' is one of my favourites. Soaring and uplifting. 'And can it be' is another, and 'Eternal Father'. Real feeling in the music.

Scout - I feel your pain, I do. Especially when you only realise halfway through the making of the thing.

I quite like Christmas but don't really like the presents aspect of it - too many let downs, possibly? But I love the rest of it. Having troubles with hot Christmas though - it needs snow to be "right" (even though snow would not have been part of the original scenario, but then that wasn't in December anyway and it didn't snow in Bethlehem, I'm sure)

Talking of snow - did you get the news about the snow in NZ?? So heavy it caved in the rooves of a stadium and some shops!! Apparently the storm was the size of Australia (that's biiig). So - early snow in Canada and late snow in NZ - who says climate change isn't happening??

Amber - gallstones is better than so many other things it could have been and cholecystectomy is a relatively straightforward and simple procedure. Hope it all goes well - manly pats on the shoulder all round in the Amber household, I feel.

I don't do ironing - have I mentioned this before? - such a waste of energy. Everything gets hung up to dry and then put away - if it really, really needs ironing, it gets done immediately before wearing. DH irons his own shirts on a need-to basis - they are all hung on hangers and he decides whether or not they need ironing before he wears them.

Well, better go and get ready for playgroup - catch you all tomorrow!

Early snow in Canada? Why did I not know about this??

errr, you did, didn't you? up in the mountains? or am I confusing you with another Canadian?