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.

Amber - I will join you in being too weak-willed to lose one's, ahem, Rubenesque curves.

Am marooned at home by snow. Would anyone like to join me in a hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles?

Sorry about that - will make a fresh batch!

Does the tearoom have a communal bath, in football changing room stylee? Should we all jump in, to warm up?

If it does, for modesty's sake I'd better avert my eyesight if people wish to do anything involving a lack of Edwardian costume, I reckon!

Unis dives in, she sis modestly attired so all is well.

Morning all.
Not QUITE so cold here, maybe 0 rather than 3 below, because its cloudy and we are getting just a tiny bit of snow. Yesterday was COLD. minus 4 at 11am. no wonder the heating was struggling to reach 14 degrees indoors. Luckily I was working in someone elses house yesterday afternoon. Today I've been doinhg a bit of work at home PAT testing my tools and extension leads. Also gritted teh drive. REALLY should be going and re draft proofing teh front and back doors now I have teh foamy stuff to do it with. But maybe a cuppa first.

Sorry for drunken spelling teh other night.

Mmmmmmm.

Butternut squash and sage soup de jour ?

Have been wibbling after my visit to the consultant. Had his letter yesterday with the full details and it isn't good.

Off to Switzerland this evening. At least this time the temp difference isn't too shocking

Urk re consultant letter, CMOT. Dare we ask more?

Oh dear, Cmot. Has your consultant got anything to suggest? Quel bummer, as they say in France.

The soup sounds delicious. I think we have some croutons tres ooh la la to go with it.

I imagine Switzerland will be beautiful. And probably the buses will still be running.

I have some dead muscles, some paralysed muscles, collapsing bones, stuck tendons and a chronic pain condition (which destroys bone, joints and can spread). He says considerable disability permanently, but can do at least something, but needs me to see more people before more of a plan can be made.

I fly into Zurich, then train to Baden. And bus to the office. They run with total efficiency !

Oh. That sounds grim. Is this your non-writing hand?

Oh gah, eek CMOTD! That would cause a wibble in the stiffest of upper lips, I should think! :( but hope that the Top Man and his friends should be able to do something to make it a little better at least.

Am in the middle of a late night rainstorm here - luckily the other 2 are sleeping soundly but the rain is lashing away; not (of course) anywhere near as cold as it is with you ladies though. Am having strange overtones of "The Dark Is Rising" in my head when I read about the snow!

CMOT, arrghhhh! Have a virtual and entirely appropriate hug/large gin/whatever else might take your mind off things for ten seconds or more.
They can be wrong, y'know...and technology can improve things fast. But right now the right word is ARRGGHH.

CMOT, don't totally give up hope. They do get things wrong! On the other hand, from observing my family, taking the initiative in surmounting / getting round your disability seems to be the way to remain in charge and upbeat. See how many ways you can think of for doing all the things you used to do.

Hot chocolate bath seems awfully sticky. Please remember, ladies, AND MELLORS, that we are in the South of France and don't want to confirm to too many stereotypes of the eccentric English. Although eccentric is probably the one stereotype I would embrace.

CMOT I am so sorry

Amber it was on the radio, don't think it was real life, but of course it would have been in some shape or form

I am going to doze off it it's alright with you, am very tired

Small you did a good thing. There were a lot of students round our way today

I did a good thing? Really? Me? Ah, you mean dodging the demo. But I have seen others at very close quarters indeed .

But if you're going to doze off, we really had better get out of the chocolate bath. Or Amber will be getting her risk assessment clipboard out again and we'll be in detention, writing out 100 times I must not endanger my life by sleeping in a bath of hot chocolate.

Are you alright down there? Anything I can get you? Anything you want to talk about??

Thanks, amber. I'm just very sad about being back and am very homesick.

Urk. Not sure of an answer for that. When do you get to go back again?? Why is it you're here rather than there - was there a reason why you had to move originally(forgive me if I already should know the answer to this....)

Probably not until next Thanksgiving. We typically go back once a year, for Thanksgiving. Mom has said she'd spend her annual bonus (in April) for tickets for BabyScout and I for May but obviously it's not booked yet so not counting on it. We're here because MrScout is English and when we were dating he had the better job and the house -- I was looking for a new job and was renting.

Aha. Makes sense.

(Couldn't live abroad...haven't managed to move away from my home town so far, because I know I'd panic. Not sure if that's the same thing or not, but it might feel the same I guess).

Are most of your friends still in the US?

Scout - I feel for you, I really do - especially given today's little spark of "joy" - NOT.

Found an email from the managing estate agents re the oven in my UK house.

To recap - tenants broke the outer glass door back in July.
Oven insured - yay!
Engineer came out - wrote it off - boo. Insurers say - no probs, you're covered for a replacement - Yay!
Need the cupboard measurements, tenants take forever to get these, boo.
Finally get measurements, finally get new oven sorted - but decide on electric rather than gas (there was electric there before gas so should be no problem). Sign it all off, pay delivery, get new extended warranty/insurance thingy on new electric oven.

So - email from agent today says that electrician who was supposed to fit oven says there isn't enough power in the house.

I Do Not Get It. There was enough before - where has the heavy duty cable gone? There is a 30A fuse in the fuse box for an electric oven, where is the cable attached to it? Upshot - cannot fit new oven.

Insurance people agree to exchange electric for gas, but only up to the same price (no chance) - but guess what! No sodding double gas oven will fit the hole! Can't afford to rebuild kitchen.

Could get old gas oven reinstalled - buy new glass door myself - oh how I wish I'd done this in the first place - but it is 15yo and now without insurance cover. Plus could break down and then would be in the same bloody awful position again.

Soo - phoned Dad. He is going to ask a retired electrician friend of his whether he would be able to go over and see if there actually is a way to install this new oven or not - hope the friend is agreeable.

Am so pissed off it doesn't bear thinking about so... shove over down there, Scout, I'm coming in to join you.