Tea Room the Nineteenth

[amberlight]

All in need of a restful break and a chat are more than welcome to the nineteenth Tea Room.

We find ourselves in the South of France, where the warm sunshine is just the thing for those who are missing the summer. The tea room has its aga and its distressed chintz sofa...and its potted plants. The usual fictional tea room inhabitants are here, as ever: Mellors, the gardener/handyperson with the handy ways with massage; the collection of tea room animals including the horses, camel, bison, guineapigs and sundry others; the Bishops and other faith leaders who joined us a while back and potter in for the occasional cuppa. It may not make sense, but that's not important. What matters is the lovely people here and the chance to just relax.

Oxeye - you could just eat asparagus for that surely!

JM - there you go - I'm older than you...

Must go to bed I think!

Asparagus makes your wee smell funny, not a funny colour :o

LOL mistle. Well, good to know! :)

It might be beetroot that makes wee a funny colour...can't remember.
Morning all!
The joys of Bristol today, hopefully. Might have a whizz roung the zoo and aquarium. Have put the kettle on the aga for people.

Morning all. Today I think I may very well lose my mind. I'm trying to complete some documents on the 'pooter. Do you think I can do it? Can I heck. I will get them done though, I will.

Has anyone got cake?

Asparagus does make wee smell odd. I don't like beetroot. I am yet to face the joys of the menopause but having seen my mother go through it I am avoiding it in much the same way as the documents, only on a more long term basis!!!

lots of vitamin B3 (niacin) can also change the colour of your wee - make it a darker, more intense colour.

Beetroot - you need to eat about 2 in a day to get the colour change. Eat more than that and you look like you're weeing blood.

Asparagus wee apparently doesn't happen to everyone - they're not really sure why but about 10% of people don't notice it, either because they don't produce the sulphur-containing compounds that smell, or because the person in question just can't smell it.

There - bet you all feel better now!

WITT - I know your pain, I do - I have documents from over a year ago that I still need to complete and get on with.

I think that it does make the colour change too... but then perhaps I look because of the smell

I have masses of work to do today, but can't be bothered.

I've got some ginger cake if that would do?

Polishes her matriarch's badge

Ginger cake? Oh yes please MT

mmmmnnmmm - if it's proper ginger cake, jamaican style, in the old green and silver packaging, then I'm in in spades! I loved that stuff...

(see, MT, I am a sucker for using ... at the end of paragraphs too! )

Have been Christmas shopping again - am absolutely at myself! Bought some new tinsel as we won't have enough now we have an 8' artificial tree (bought in the Jan sales last year); and this stocking filler for MrThumb . Didn't cost me that much, I can tell you!
Worse still, I am going yet again tomorrow - another shop is having a toy sale that finishes tomorrow and our local branch is shite - can you believe it has one half aisle only of toys for all ages and both sexes?? just wrong! So I'm going to the big one, 20 minutes away, instead. But sadly will have to take miniThumb with me (boo!) as MrT is out at appointments. He is having his knee ultrasounded to see whether or not he has bust the last of his ACL - and it's costing $240! I miss the NHS, I do...

Thank you, thank you. Any ginger cake left? I love ginger almost as much as marzipan.

TW - (Definitely you, not the 'other' TW who really isn't lol) - I'm afraid it's not the one that comes out of the green and gold packet. Its the one you get when you start making one of the receipes out of the Pooh Cookbook for gingerbread and, half way through somewhere, swap to the other. It means that its sunk rather in the middle and comes out as squares rather than slices from a big tray full and is deliciously stickily gooey in places.

I have done no Christmas Shopping. In fact, I've hardly been shopping this year at all. And, in fact, I think that I can really do without 'things' for presents - perhaps if they're to go in the garden, that might be different. But generally speaking, have enough stuff and don't want or need any more. And I wish that MiL would stop giving me pendants. I know I wear one everyday - but that's one that Dh gave me - and I don't want to take it off so that I can put a different one on - I'm quite happy with this one.

Bonjour a tous.

Would anyone like some soup du jour avec des petits pains tres ooh la la?

Amber - If you see this in time, have you been to the hands-on science place in Bristol at the old docks? I think it might appeal to you.

MT - that ginger cake sounds as good as, if not better than, the jamaican ginger cake that I remember with such fondness. Yum!

Small - soup du jour sounds fab. Pas de petits pains pour moi, je suis vraiment trop grosse :( et je crois que c'est le pain (pas le chocolat ou le vin!) qui est le 'culprit'. (oh come on, who knows the French for 'culprit' without looking it up? Apart from French people of course)

I don't at all know that I want anything for Christmas - I feel that I might be getting a sat nav (permanently set to Avoid unsurfaced roads at all costs ) but really don't want or need anything much. Although having said that I did buy the DVD of Sweeney Todd for myself - will let MrT have it in a few weeks. Or put it in my own stocking.

Donki I THINK I've sent you a friend request on FB... if its not you, then some stranger is going to be VERY confused!

Culprit - le responsable. Not very exciting - English has far more words than French and therefore often more interesting ones. But I do like the fact that French has a special name for the little finger - le riquiqui. (sp?)

thank you Serpent!

Fingers crossed, Mary!

I will add that to my store of useless (in any conversation I need to have) french words Serpent. I really wish I was better at languages, or spent enough time thinking about one to develop more ability. As it stands I can talk to taxi drivers, order red wine, and say yes/no/hello/thank you in 7 different ones, but nothing else.

I have done no shopping either, and have little enthusiasm either

I've done a little Christmas shopping. Just a few bits for DD and I have ordered something for DH that is still to arrive.

The ginger cake sounds devine, thanks!

Ginger cake for me too, please.

Thanks all fr the advice: Thumb has it in a nutshell: I'm dithering because if something did happen (even if they were not to witness it or anything) it would put my mum into worry overdrive and do her health no good. But if they weren't ocome my Mum is likely to collapse with disappointment as she has been gearing herself for it since last year.

I think I shall proceed to make sure that they are aware that all is not wonderful,but not make any dire warnings.

How's JM today? Still resting I hope?

JB's introspective the other day has got me thinking. Not necessarily about the same exact thing but about friends in general.

I knew years ago that I've outgrown the little suburban town I grew up in. I outgrew it while I was still a kid, if I'm honest. And an event I went to when I was here in May reiterated how much I've outgrown it. It's home because it's where Mom and Dad are (and my siblings, even though one of them lives in the city and the other here). And I still have friends in the area but I've realized I feel like I've outgrown them, too, and the friends that are still around here are ones I made as an adult. (I only have one close friend from childhood, and we met aged 14 she's my best friend and BabyScout's Godmother but she lives in another state and like me, comes "home" for holidays.) We're meeting a friend for lunch today I feel like I should be more excited about seeing her (goodness knows she's excited!) but I just can't get up the enthusiasm I know I should have.

What is wrong with me?

Good morning! JM is still in half-go, not full-go. Four hours of work today, then post-op check-up with the surgeon. I wonder if the stitches he put in are the dissolving kind or the removable kind... if removable, I really hope he does because they tug in a most unfortunate manner!

Not to worry, anyone, I'm actually better at work because I find sitting the most uncomfortable, standing and walking around are tolerable and when I get sore, I do sit.

Thanks for asking :)

How's everyone else today?

evening all.

Avoiding writing a (short) article. Ginger cake, yes please.

Know what you mean re home town scout. Don;t think I am still in touch with any one non family that lives in my home patch. VERY rarely go there unless to visit eldery gran. and its our capital city so its pretty big place, you'd think I might have kept up with someone. To busy moving on and forwards to teh next phase of my life each time I guess. I tend not to look back very long.

I'm not superbly capable to cover up my inadequacy, I really am a domestic goddess [hgrin]

We know that you are a domestic goddess and craft maven, UniS.

Now, across the time zones, who would like a Bolly?

Scout, there is nothing wrong with you.
I have two homes: my home here, in BC, and "mom home" where my parents live. I still have friends there (Toronto) but there is only one I'm really excited to see.

Ok, let me rephrase that: whatever is wrong with you is wrong with me, too, so we're in good company! :o