Tea Room the Twentieth: The Greek Island

[asmallbunchofflowers]

Welcome to the twentieth (yes, really) Tea Room.

We find ourselves on a sun-kissed Greek island, where our whitewashed, blue-shuttered house nestles in the dappled shade of a gnarled old pine tree. In the olive grove, Mellors the gardener/handyman/factotum is tending the tea room menagerie of horses, camels, bison and guinea-pigs, recently joined by some recalcitrant old donkeys. The distressed chintz sofa, aga and cardboard cut-out of George Clooney have survived the relocation from the south of France and the aspidistra has pride of place on the mantelpiece.

Come in, put your feet up and join in the conversation. It may not make sense, but that's not important. What matters is the lovely people here and the chance simply to relax.

Poor YD. That sounds like the lurgy that SmallGirl had last week. 'Twas grim. Well done, though, on the shopping. I'm hoping to get to the shops on Monday but today our roads were impassable and the buses weren't moving.

Oh yes - Since passing my last oh birthday that is starting to happen to me, small.

I was sitting in a café when I saw a twelve year old girl walk over to her smart car and drive off and I swear one of the soldiers at the local shopping centre looked so very very young I turned to stare as he walked past.

However, it also seemed really odd to me when I was at a party recently and true slips of things were giggling around the place in their short skirts, with no cares and looking tipsy full of life and optimism and talking about "well he took me to this really coool night club last night and then ya know... one thing led to another and...ya maybe I'll call him up after this" and I find out that more than a few of them are around ten years older than me!

Mmmm that is a very tasty spiced carrot.

Thankyou SmallBunch.

I still have to take my godson shopping into York on Monday for his Mum's present- as early as possible so that it is still quiet. He is getting better at coping with it though - when I first started taking him in, he would go into complete shutdown after about 30 minutes. Now we manage to visit 2 shops, have a hot chocolate, and a ride on the fair in Parliament Street before I have to take him home.

Since it's cold out, Scout and MrScout have built a bonfire outside -- S'more anyone?

Donki you sound like a lovely Godmother. What are you going to encourage him to buy???

Oh, he has a routine - we always go and get a box of Lush bath stuff (he has a budget, which he now understands - previous years have seen some amusing conversations...), then Boots to get something else.

I think the sky would fall if we tried to do anything else!

That sounds delightful. How old(ish) is Godson? SmallGirl still has some odd ideas about the value of money - she told us the other day that if she won £8000 in a competition she would buy a house.

DS has told us that when he grows up, he's having our house, and we can live elsewhere in the village, so that we can come and babysit for his children! :o

SmallGirl is either going to live next door to us or across the road, in what is currently her friend's house, apparently!

Ahhh haaaaa - Sounds like one of Amber's gang normal man-shopping to me.

I love smellies - his Mum will have a lovely surprise on Christmas morning

A friend of mine once showed me a map of how men and women shop - we pinned it on the staffroom wall and spat tea over it for ages!

Will you be balancing the blokey shopping by driving like this?

...

I am more of a male shopper than female, sadly - one of my bf's in past years found it very frustrating, as he had "ideas" of how women shop and I didn't fit them! I might be more "normal" about it now, though I doubt it.

Am getting less of the snow now - it's going on a bit too long and messing up people's plans too much. One of my schoolfriends got married today and her wedding was disrupted by the snow, several guests couldn't make it. :(

Am having a Low Time though - seeing my friends yesterday (who have just arrived here from England) has dropped my mood even more - not while I was seeing them, just afterwards. It's the time of year, I'm sure - just missing my Dad and everything. Had a couple of fallings out with MrThumb as well over the last 3 days, which certainly hasn't helped at all. Hey ho.

Canapés, anyone?

Yes please, Thumb. Would you care for some Surprise de Twiglet de Noel?

ooh ta, yes, that sounds.. err,.. interesting.

Seeing as it's you, Small - fancy a Bolly?

Thumb - I sort of space out when I am shopping. It isn't really my thing either! Beer on the otherhand adores shopping and spends ages, but, of course within the limits if his quite structured routine!

I am having quite a downtime too today if it helps to know you are not low alone. x

Donki and Amber - I am afraid that my last post might have come over as a bit harsh and unthoughtful... It was meant in a friendly, joking and funny way but I think I might have typed the words all wrong and it came out a bit messy... please don't be offended I am very tired and it is hard to type and think straight when I am feeling as stressed as I am - sorry if you found it at all rude!

Bolly? Mais oui! Would you like some, Tea?

To celebrate us being on the most active board again, you mean???

I was just lurking on a thread where everyone was going "Wasn't Mary Beard great on teeer telly last niiiight" and Mary Beard pops in and starts having a chat about it... how completely fab is that?

Mary Beard was on a thread? Where?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/1105083-Mary-Beard-is-marvelous

She is a National Treasure.

hello all just popping in to cheer up Those in Need and Low in Mood

I have thought of you all. In RL I got given a bottle of Bolly at work and all I could think of was how much you all would enjoy it!!

Thumb and Tea sorry you are feeling blue, oddly even when I am in midst of joy at Christmas it is so poignant that it makes me sad, if you know what I mean? Something like this won't last or there are so many pressure to be happy, I don't know, but I am trying to offer sympather (and Bolly) to those in need

we have snow, but in a sort of nice way...

Tea, I'm quite unable to discern any rudeness - I thought it was funny

And, for that matter, very true.

Lush? He goes into Lush, Donki!?

Still a lot of snow here too. Some of it was in the house yesterday after a Snowball Incident involving DS and DSis , much to the bemusement of Mr B and Mr S the Amberpets.

Trying to work out whether to go to the ordinary church service or risk the evening carol service today...hmm...

This calls for a full cooked breakfast I think.

I can't even walk past Lush with any degree of comfort - I can smell it from about 5 shops down in either direction and from any floor above or below it in a shopping mall. Going in is simply Not An Option.
I have a Very Sensitive sense of smell.

Amber - am at the thought of a Snowball Incident...

Oxeye - RL bolly? Lucky lucky you.. Although my lovely friend did bring me a litre bottle of Pimms, which will go down rather well this Christmas!