Tea Room The 24th - San Francisco Painted Lady!

[Tee2072]

Welcome to the 24th incarnation of the One-Child Tea Room. Not that you only have to have one! Just so long as you enjoy chat, tea, coffee, cake!!

The usual rules apply - no bunfighting. If you like that sort of thing, go elsewhere.
Other rules: bring . Or .

Our ongoing voyage take us to one of San Francisco's Painted Ladies!

We've brought the Aga over, it's in the back in the cosy kitchen overlooking the back garden. The chintz sofa is in the front room, under the bow window! All of the pillows and duvets have come along as well!

What's that? The Priest Hole? It's just over there --> behind the bookcase!

Mellors is upstairs, preparing the bedrooms for naps and such.

The aspidistras are thriving as they overlook Nob Hill! The horses have found themselves stabled in the Garden, which is much larger than these places usually are in this city!

So come in and have a seat!

::tea hurries off to Powell Street to catch the Cable Car to Ghirardelli Square::

POP. fizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. that was one gassy ginger beer. tastes good tho. Thank you to who ever recomended "The enchanted glass" book , after saying I'd look for it in teh libraray it was on teh mobile libraray today, so I borrow it. Going to finish reading " the dark is rising " before I start it tho.

Evening all. I have a code in my dose now. Thank you, Secret, for the kind wishes. This time I have a cold and a sore throat but (mercifully) not a cold sore, although I have had some humdingers in the past. Sniffle, sniffle. I am feeling sorry for myself. And ashamed of how sorry for myself I do feel.

I must get started with my seed sowing. My plants arrived today. Am very excited.

::snaffles some of UniS' ginger beer::

I have just been introduced to another fantasy fiction writer that I didn't know about, so for anyone who also likes Terry Pratchett, and hasn't already done so, try Robert Asprin. So far I have only read the Myth series but they're very funny - different tone entirely to Pratchett but still effortlessly humorous. Sadly the author died in 2008, reading a Terry Pratchett book, as it happens [wry :)]

Hope all unwell peeps feel better soon.

Serpent - I did smile at the chickens clustering around you and dogging your steps - does rather sound like they were starving!! If our guineapigs were loose, they would have done exactly the same when I got home from Sydney yesterday - the shrieking they set up as soon as I set foot in the house advertised their non-fed status pretty strongly!

Robert Aspirin makes me laugh hugely. Have you read any Tom Holt ?

Oh the phone, DS alleged to have got a swimming badge today - dh says no sign. Hard to know what to believe really

Yes, I had a bunch of Tom Holt's books but I always had a sneaking feeling that he was trying too hard for the laughs - his writing just didn't feel as effortlessly funny to me. I did like some of the early ones though - but gave up after about 10 of them because I wasn't any happier with them by then. Whereas TP, although he started off a bit weak, his style matured nicely by about book 4 (Mort) and I was hooked.

re swimming badge - I expect it will resolve soon!

I think fresh ginger juiced with citrus fruits might be more curative for UniS, Maud and Secrete, although ginger beer is probably more fun. Zinc, according to Radio 4, is now the answer to all things cold-like. Allow me to proffer real laundered handkerchiefs and real stone hotwater bottles wrapped in soft woolly blankets to the afflicted. (Laundered, filled, wrapped, etc by Mellors. I wonder if he ever yearns for the simple days of game keepering?)

I love The Dark Is Rising, especially the sinister bits in the first book, when the walker is abroad ...

Which reminds me, I should be writing a lesson about fantasy stories, not lounging in here ...

I've never found anyone else who liked the Dark is Rising before mn ! Silver on the Tree terrified me though

I'm just re-reading the dark is rising as I found it in a charity shop the other week,it was the one book from the quintet I was missing, must have lent it to someone some time ago.

I love the Dark is Rising - my main criticism of the series as a whole would be the uneveness of the age of the target audience (in my opinion). I always felt that Under Sea, Under Stone and Greenwitch were aimed at a slightly younger audience than The Dark is Rising, The Grey King, and Silver on the Tree.

(I also liked knowing the area of Wales where The Grey King and Silver on the Tree were set)

I am not a fan of Robert Asprins writing, which is a bit odd as I really like some of Pratchett's books. Especially Mort.

I enjoy quite a lot of fantasy fiction, and some SF - although not cyberpunk which I find very depressing.

(I always find a mug of strong ginger and lemon tea to be very comforting when I have a cold. It alleviates the symptoms amazingly.)

Oops. Over Sea, Under Stone.

I loved the whole Dark Is Rising set - wonderful books! I read "The Dark Is Rising" first and then had to get the whole set. The Grey King is one of my favourites. Susan Cooper = great writing, I thought. I have another one by her too, aimed at a slightly older teen group - called Seaward.

It's funny how different things appeal to different people in terms of writing style, isn't it. Even if there seems to be a common ground (TP for e.g.), that still doesn't mean that everyone will agree on other writers in the same genre.

Yes, I agree about the uneven target readers. Actually, I had never worked out why I like some better than others, but now I know! No closer to having a plan for a one-off lesson about fantasy stories, though.

What are you aiming to look at UnSerpent? Motifs? Settings? What makes them fantasy? Writing styles?

I had better get back to lesson planning (Yr 10 Special Needs, reproduction and babies) myself.

Serpent - explain more re. your lesson..

Don't know really. My job share partner has reluctantly realised that I will have to do the morning for her. She doesn't like letting go. She was going to get me to supervise the class writing out a story they have already planned with her, but then it occurred to her that I might not be strict enough about Use of Rubbers or allow them to sharpen their pencils too often ...so she said do a one-off but it must be half about metaphors and half about fantasy stories and the special needs group will not be included. SENCO feels that special needs group would enjoy metaphors and the obvious thing is to link introduction to metaphors to fantasy stories ... but that is as far as I have got. However, I have cleared all my junk e-mails, watched a very poor episode of Midsommer Murders, eaten far too much chocolate ....

Is this still RE based then? cos if so, can you not just take the whole C.S.Lewis Narnia books as your base? lots of metaphor, lots of fantasy - ta-dah!

No, different hat! I do lots of different things at my school and a few as a teacher trainer (soon, sadly, to be cut so that we can continue to pay bankers' bonuses...)

But I could maybe do something with a clip from Youtube of one of the Narnia films and write metaphors based on that ...

Neeeed to go to bed. But isn't it iodd how other people's lesson plans are always more interesting? Now I really want to know what areas of reproduction and babies you will be covering with your SN group. Will eagerly check tomorrow to find out. Or I will be up all night watching Narnia on youtube.

Over population (we have done puberty, all the mechanics of how pregnancy happens, foetal development and birth).
Now bear in mind that this is a Catholic school - but I still have to follow the syllabus.....
And that these students have severe language problems....

am I too late for Thespy Book Readings?
I have never thesped. Did a bit at school and uni. Acting,directing and lights

Amber end Mary hope you're recovering and I'll try other place again thanks for help

pushing aside Malthusian thoughts to focus in HE. Interesting difference n Wriggle and Tiddler and UniBoy and Oxboy. All reception or not. On balance Oxboy has really benefitted from starting formal school. But then he has his feet firmly on his patch of ground while Wriggle floats ephemeral above the world,,

hope sick littlies doing well. CMot how is your hand / arm?

:: looks at all the seeds and the chirping guineas and hens following is around ::

I love the Myth series! Too bad Asprin had problems with alcohol which delayed the series and, eventually, killed him. I think he could have continued to be brilliant.

Have tons of stuff to do today while LCT is at nursery so I'll be back later!