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.

Very tricky getting these things in via the usual channels, y'know. As Mellors knows a few people with yachts, I thought he could order in something exotic.

Good evening all.

Very strange experience this morning - opened the back door and the warm air rushed in! There was condensation all over the outside of the windows. We opened all the doors and did a bit of tidying up, including taking down the Christmas branch and discovered that most of the house plants had died in the Great Indoor Freeze.

Wriggle severely overexcited this evening and DH has put on the Jungle Book and dancing with her around the sitting room.

I was simply wondering why Mellors couldn't just go down to the charming local shop, although I guess its erratic opening hours could be a problem over Christmas.

Oh dear, Serpent, about the plants. I usually kill mine with overwatering. And oh dear too about MonsieurSerpent whipping up even more of a Wriggle-frenzy. I see two options here: would you like to join me in sipping pina coladas? I am sure that after the fourth second one you'll no longer notice the Jungle Book din. Alternatively, Mellors could bop MonsieurSerpent on the head with a coconut so that he passes out (cartoon style with bluebirds tweeting around his head) and by the time he wakes up Wriggle could be in bed.

Twiglet Surprise, anyone?

Hello all we have had a wonderful Christmas despite me fighting a semi win/score draw battle with flu
I have stopped it turning into the full blown flu (thank you NHS Jab!) but haven't eaten since Christmas dinner! Just lemsips

remarkably have managed to have fun, went skating, then back to bed and slept - wonderful being with mum and dad and many cousins on hand

off again tomorrow so big kisses to all - sorry UnQ you are feeling so grim - when I had oral thrush it HURT very much indeed, although I'd never had it I knew I had it IYSWIM?

love to all, cannot believe you ahve been/ will go to the sales. my idea of merry hell!

Wooo Hooo. It worked a treat. No, not bopping anybody on head with a coconut- nice image tho. But, rather, putting boy to bed at 8pm on a sofa in play room/ attic room . and he went to sleep while we went downstairs and played various silly games till midnight. Then boy ( in sleeping bag) into borrowed pushchair and brought him home, decanted him into his own bed and he slept on till nearly 11am.

Hurrah. When I was but a child , I remember my parents putting my brother and I to bed in back of an estate car ( seats down, no seat belt laws in them days) and driving us home from my seaside grandparents at night. I woke up as we drove over tower bridge. was a very memorable moment, crossing TB whilst in a sleeping bag.

Can I offer you some tablet?? tiss just sugar and more sugar really, nothing unhealthy at all...

One week till boy is school boy !!!! eeeeeek.

Commiserations, Oxeye on the proto-flu. Have another pina colada. It contains two fruit (assuming, perhaps wrongly, that a coconut is a fruit) so must be healthy.

Yay, UniS! We have always done similar things to allow us to have a social life while ensuring that SmallGirl gets a fair amount of sleep. How do you feel about having a schoolboy in your midst?

A school boy can't be any more stroppy than the inbetweeny boy we currently have... so bring it on.

Pina colada coming at you oxeye, seemed to find its way to me first... how odd.

Scout - Oh well, no worries, another time! There will be plenty of chances for our meetup we are often in the shire of Mannor Scout!

Unis - We do stuff like that all the time. Milk danced and danced then suddenly fell asleep on a disco floor and everyone danced around her under a month ago !

Sooooo.... school - tell us all about it!!!!!!!

Safe journey back, tea.

(PS: I should add I would love to be home in Scoutshire now, but sadly I don't think I'll get MrScout to leave InLawShire before New Year)

I thought Americans on Black Friday were scary -- English during Boxing Day/January Sales in December are scarier!

Have yet to manage boy staying up late then falling asleep in middle of exciting place.. he just loses the plot and crys and trys to escape.. so we take him home from things BEFORE MELT DOWN TIME IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. sorry for caps lock.

Going to sleep at other people houses DOES seem to work tho. but this was first time we have done it for a long while and we no longer have our own bike trailer to cart him home in.

school- well, don't know much yet. have tonight decided to NOT spend lots on a super duper hill walking back pack, but will get him a cheap school one and he can use one of our small super duper ones on the hills this summer.
Have not yet taken the labels off his plimsolls in case they don;t fit when I re try them on him at weekend. HAVE put name label and Digger patch on his pe bag and written name on label of all uniform items and coat. Still need to write name in shoes. Bookbag, he has purple bookstart one, named. ( he likes purple) .
Lunch bag stuff is all as per preschool so we can do that.
WHat have I forgoten ladies....

Hi all... I'm at work, trying to pretend I don't have DH's cold. Bugger.
Don't really have anything interesting to report... feeling blah and chilly and icky and would like to be snuggled up in bed, sleeping.

Oxeye, I have eaten six chips and a chocolate truffle since Christmas dinner. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. I am beginning to feel much better now and thank goodness things almost taste normal again.

UniS, I have no idea what you need to know on the home side of the home-school relationship, but good luck. Are you looking forward to it?

Wriggle refused to eat breakfast this morning and no amount of persuading along the usual routes would work, as she 'doesn't want to be a big girl'. Not until I assured her that she does not have to go to school until she wants to, even if she grows really big, did she eat several chocolate biscuits, then a huge lunch then a whole bowl of rice and peas for supper. Some kind person suggested that Wriggle's fear of being 'lost' might be due to something she has misunderstood. Obviously this is, too.

Small, surely a coconut is a fruit?

Tea, I think my very silly French nephew sounded a bit rude about Milk's name in the other rea room - he would hate it if he realised. He is the nicest person. (And I have managed not to tell him that his new baby looks rather like an under-baked biscuit.)

JM, it sounds as if being tucked up in bed is the place for you.

pmsl at the idea of an underbaked biscuit baby!

:( at all flu and other misery symptoms.

Sales here weren't too bad yesterday (avoided the immediate rush and went in the afternoon - busy but not crushing) - might even go today! It's not raining again, that's always a good start.

am also pretty sure coconut is a fruit.

DH and I have just spent a happy hour looking at clips of Belle et Sebastian on You Tube - possibly the first time we have found a childhood memory in common! Started me thinking about other 'children's dramas' of the time. Does anyone remember Probably not, due to my great age, and I was really too young to follow it - I just remember the music. Were there any other such series?

Am sort of looking forward to school. Boy will enjoy it. hes ready and keen to go. I'll miss him some of the time, and be very pleased to have a few hours peace some of the time.

I THINK a coconut is fruit. technicaly.. but havn't looked it up so your guess is as good as mine. Banana is technically a herb.

I remember that one very well - I had a similar rummage around YT recently. This was - Spooks fans will recognise a very youthful Harry strutting his stuff. And what of the Singing Ringing Tree?

white horses, sort of remember it, or at least remember the music.

Absolutely; the best of all - the singing ringing tree. UniS, not only is a banana a herb, but the banana fruit is a berry. And a strawberry isn't.

I don't remember the Singing Ringing tree, I don't think - but a few people listed it on the scary tv moments thread.
White Horses - only remember the opening credits.
Ahh - the Double Deckers - fabulous! one of my favourites.

Does anyone know where this theme song comes from? Is it Follyfoot? Or what?
"Down in the meadow where the wind blows west,
the Lightning tree is at its best
Things come true if you want them to,
If you want them to, then it's up to you
blow blow, the LIghtning Tree
It's never too late for you and me"

Ok, looked it up - it is Follyfoot. Anyone remember that?

I liked Why Don't You - especially from NI. That was good!

Oh, I loved Follyfoot. It was the subject of the first book review I ever wrote!

My best friend was a presenter on WDY - I'm amazingly proud of that (and her) even now.

WDY- top program. loved it.

Follyfoot- never saw it on TV, read the books. Preferred teh house at worlds end series of books tho.

Never saw 'Double Deckers' - probably due to an over-rural childhood, as I do vaguely remember Country Boy. Had forgotten Follyfoot and WDY, but I did read all the Follyfoot books.