Tea room 22- A Farmhouse kitchen, anyone for a cuppa?

[UniS]

Welcome to the 22nd incarnation of the tea room. This time we are watching for spring from a cosy farmhouse kitchen. There is an aga for baking virtual cakes and an inglenook with toasty fire and settles to rest weary bones on. The distressed chintz sofa and footstool have arrived safe and sound and the priest hole is around here somewhere. On the Window sill is an aspidistra its pot surrounded by a hand holding circle of nearly naked mohawk babies, they have placards and a brazier.

Outside in the surrounding fields can be found the tea room horses, Earl and Lady Grey, also a herd of bison AND a Ha Ha to keep the bishops from invading.

Usual rules apply, no fisticuffs, if you want an argument go else where. Mellors the butler / game keeper will supply all sorts of things on request. Welcome Mums of one, none or many to the tea room of requirement.

evening all.

toast and wine, excellent plan. Can I join in.
and [toast]

Biscuit anybody?

Some mad mum is hosting all XX little boys in Boys class at a birthday party in their house tomorrow!!! brave woman.

It is indeed the Lakeland one, CMOT. It's in the oven, although I ran out of caster sugar and used partial granulated, but the batter tasted good!

UniS that is a brave woman!

She is great. I have been working such long hours lately and she has been brilliant.

Evening all.

They say you should learn something new every day. What I learnt is that the manly aroma exuded by Mellors is not Imperial Leather but Geo Trumpers aftershave.

::sniffs appreciatively::

::fans self::

Is there any Pimms winter cup left? And did someone suggest setting the disco ball in motion?

Just putting my head round the door; very busy with nothing really to say.

Thanks for the welcome! This is a very cosy kitchen.

Congrats on the weight gain Scout.

Off for a nap...

Morning all.

There's a vat of fruity porridge with cinnamon on the AGA, and Mellors is squeezing blood oranges to serve as juice in pretty hand made glasses. Help yourselves to fresh coffee.

The bread that was put in the bottom oven to rise overnight is just being knocked back by Mellors' helper, Sebastian, a clean young man of Nordic appearance, always anxious to please. There should be hot rolls with butter from our own cow in about 30 minutes.

Morning all!

Lovely, Boffinmum, thank you! May I see the Guardian?

Off to get my haircut in a bit and then shopping with.no.men!!!!

Happy Birthday, Tee!

Happy Birthday Tee!!!!!!
Hi Spiceweasel!!

That was a really good night's sleep.

Blimey, we have a helper for Mellors called Sebastian? That'll save me having to help Mellors haul the hay over to the bison and horses every morning! Why didn't I think of that?

Who's for hot buttered crumpet to go with the lovely breakfast from BoffinMum?

::settles into distressed chintz sofa with copies of What Crumpet and Beginners Guide to Operating a Combine Harvester::

Is it too early to crack open the birthday Bolly?

Never too early for birthday bolly!

Morning all. And an especially good morning to the lissome Sebastian. How surprising to see a young man wearing shorts in the first week of February.

May I have a late breakfast and the Family section of the Guardian so that I can deride read in awe about other people's domestic trivia?

You may indeed.

::as if by magic, a freshly pressed copy of the Guardian and a large plate of breakfast appear::

Thank you. How are you and your sore wing today?

Happy birthday Tee! I'd quite like some of the blood orange juice. Mmm... missing the passionfruit juice we had in Hawaii. JB keeps asking for it, he slurped it by the litre, and I can't seem to find it here. The Hawaiian name for passionfruit is lilikoi, isn't that pretty?
I wonder how a blood orange and Bolly Mimosa would taste? Or a lilikoi and Bolly Mimosa.

Mmmmm... That's good stuff!

Hey guys. Is there any chocolate cake? I am having a bit of a rough time of it, need.lots of cake!

Can I ask, if having one child wasn't your choice does it ever get easier?

I am finding it hard to accept at the moment.

Hi PP... have a ((((HUG)))) and as much chocolate, Bolly and whatever else you need.
I don't have an answer for you. I was nearly 39 when I had Jackbaby, and his birth was crap. We'd never made a firm decision about one vs more, which is to say that DH said he really only wanted one, but that we should see how it went. JB is turning three next weekend, and I'm just now finally fully functional again (so to speak :o) after several repair ops. Without ever really discussing it in depth, we both accepted/decided that JB was going to be it for us. But it wasn't a heart-rending decision made for us by fate, we're ok with it. If I'd been younger and popped JB out like a pea from a pod, I'm sure we'd have had at least one more. What I struggled with for several years (and was supported through by all the lovelies on here) was the trauma from JB's birth and the physical damage to me. So I sort of know how you're feeling - even if the source if the pain is different.
I don't know if my rambling made any sense or helped at all, or if I'm just talking out of my back end.

Yes, it really does. One particular friend got preganant 2 1/2 years ago, just after I lost Wriggle's potential sibling and I couldn't meet her for months. Last week she announced that she was pregnant again, and I just thought, (secretly) oh no, what a nuisance, we won't be able to go for good adventurous days out for a year or so now. I really did not feel emotionally involved at all. Four years old is actually so much more fun than toddlerdom - tiny babies are OK - that I am quite relieved when friends with their littler ones take them home and I can spend time with just Wriggle. I forget how old PracticallyPerfectChild is.

He is 17months and in the full throes of tantrums and destroying everything. Dh is absolutely certain that he want no.more. But lots of my friends are having second babies and it is hard

It is very hard and you have to be as kind to yourself as possible - think how you would treat a friend who was going through the same grief - and it is real grief.

However, in my experience (and I would never have believed it at the time), once you have moved on from 17 months and reached the heady heights of conversation, companionship and fun with a 3 or 4 year old, it looks rather different.

Thanks for the birthday wishes all! It's not been a great day, but 42 feels good in general!

PP, LCT is an only half by choice, half by circumstance. When DH and I were ready to try, I was 36 and suddenly diagnosed with Type II diabetes, which put baby making on hold until my glucose was under control, which took a year. Then it took nearly 2 years to conceive LCT, so I was suddenly 39 and due at 40. If we had been able to conceive when we started, or if our first 'catch' when I was 37 hadn't miscarried, I'd probably be at number 2. As it is, I am happy with my one. He is nearly 20 months and hard work but just getting very interesting!

I did grieve but I realized I was fine when my SIL, who has a son 3 weeks younger than LCT, announced her latest pregnancy and all I was was happy for her, not sad for me at all.

Anyway, give yourself a chance to grieve. And enjoy your son!