The One and Only Tea Room - Now Hanging in Babylon

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Well folks, here we are, transported through time and space to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Golden couches and the distressed chintz sofa are arranged on a terrace overlooking the Euphrates and, as we recline on the exquisitely-soft cushions eating peeled grapes, we can enjoy the warm fragrance of the gardens' many exotic blooms. The garden is tended by the indefatigable Mellors, with occasional help from the bishops, rabbis and any passing world leaders. Somewhere behind the terrace there is an aga and a priest's hole, with optional massage table.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink and conversation ranging from the profound to the profoundly silly.

EEEWWWWW, oxeye. My (mental) eyes!

Yes, too public a pool! And they were pale cream/ pink so they got sort of very translucent... not that I looked you understand!

sorry your mum is driving you mad, CMOT- is it anything in particular or just the endlessness, how is your arm btw?

Blurgh to boxers in a public pool. Heck, I don't even like leaving TS in just a swimmy-nappy and even he always wears trunks.

Just William

And 2/6 is two shillings and sixpence, ie 12 1/2p.

Aaargh, pc just lost my typing...

Urrrgh to boxers. Just Not On.

Mum is just being demented. Which is difficult when you don't want to have to explain everything each convo. And for whatever reason, they are being most resistant to anything to help them atm.

William is a small, scruffy schoolboy in stories by Richmal Crompton - v funny

Arm is now out of plaster, splinted for next 10 weeks, v swollen. No more function though

oh CMOT that is bad news re function - is the pain less? Is there any thought from the Great Man that function may improve particularly with Physio or are you having to adapt?

Pain isn't good atm as the fusion surgery caused a crps flare, but at least I know how to deal with it. Himself plans to split some of the dead muscle in a few months, and that should give me the ability to close my hand, which would be fab. Physios are just trying to stop it contracting up more and keep neural pathways open - they don't think they can get anything more at all

Oh, I'm full of joy aren't I !

How long is Oxbloke up the Limpopo this time ?

oh CMOT I am so sorry, if you want to PM me do but that is always the risk, isn't it, that once you have had crps you get a flare up and pain - I think Tee sounds as if she has had significant pain issues too so she may be able to give wiser advice than I

OxBloke away a mere 4 weeks this time and it overlaps with half term so hardly counts!

Oxeye - Your sang froid about Bloke's Limpopo-bound expedition is impressive!

I wish I had something, anything constructive to suggest for Cmot's hand.

IS half term easier with oxbloke up teh Limpopo river then?? maybe coz you just have to organise for you and oxboy I guess. When DH is away I find some things easier- like early bedtime for boy. and some harder, like getting up, as neither boy nor I are any good at mornings.

WHos on half term this week then? Or half term is next week ( the one with teh bank hol in). Our plans seem to involve a fair bit of cycling and a friend coming to vist one day and granny and grandad here for 2 days. Oh and DH having 2 concerts and assorted rehearsals. I have to attend one rehearsal & concert as sound tech.

::Lightbulb moment::

Cmot - Perhaps, in the tea room and only in the tea room, a soothing massage from Mellors (and medication with Bolly) might help?

Mellors and the bolly would be fabulous

We have half term next week too - but ds is in half term club for the 4 days, so no real hassle

CMOT what are you on for the pain? Don't be brave and do take whatever you have the second you're able. So if it is every 4 hours take it every 4 hours.

PM if you want to talk about pain management. I'm off to sleep now.

Life is being a bit tricky at the moment. DH's principal has been fouly rude and vindictive; he is alternating between being morose and miserable (hard to live with and a bit scarey), looking for other jobs around (slightly hopeful sign) and insisting that we move to a house with no garden on a busy road in a suburb of Nice (I can think of nothing more horrendous for me and Wriggle and more totally impossoble for AP).
If sheer rage on my part could destroy, vile principal would be a smoking hole in the ground. How can one mean, small-minded, incompetent threaten my family like this? She has a reputation for hounding staff out to avoid paying redundancy; public humuliation during meetings is just one tactic.
Somehow, this needs to sort itself out so that we can stay in our house with our family and friends and chickens and dog and polytunnels and the tree in the field behind the house where the fairies live.
Lots of positive thoughts, please.

I'm off to bed now. I have a book to read by tomorrow and sadly don't have Cmot's reading speed.

Toodle-pip!

GRRR for cmot's painful arm and unserp's horrible situation.

I really don't know what to say...

I don't mean that I expect creative ideas - just positive energy flowing our way! An interesting alternative employment opportunity would be good, though.

Oh Serpent !
Holding you and yours in the Light

Thank you, Donki. Any tips on applying for a job as a lab technician in a private school? What would you be looking for?

CMOT sympathy re arm. Could accupuncture be any (further) help?

Oh yes, it is very good when Donki does that 'holding in the light thing'! - I must learn that phrase for the future.

unserp -it just sounds so stressful - I think that the Nice idea is a slice of pie in the sky that he needs right now to stay strong - I did the same thing when I was blue. When things don't go right you somehow feel you'd be better off in your homeland... even if you really wouldn't be!

Lab technician.
Need to be:
Organised, efficient, flexible, calm (with staff and students!), know their H&S stuff, be interested in science education (I mean what science experiments are possible/interesting) - and willing/able to help with demonstrations (of experiments, I don't mean marching round Paris with a placard). There are lots of website links I could send you for English technicians...

Half term the week of bank holiday for us too, UniS - its easier because I have the week off work so less juggling! Just me and Boy to please....

UnSerp I agree with Tea that wanting to go to Nice is likely just a dream - a return to something else - but in practical terms, does Mr S have a Union that would help, particularly if this is a pattern - good advice re stress and forced redundancy etc?

Many vibes of love and support coming your way. I bet the faeries at the bottom of the garden/ big tree will be working their magic too?

Half-term next week here, too. Means none of the usual extra-curriculars for us.

CMOT, about the pain but does sound like they have a plan? Or have I misread that?

Wrote out three sympathy cards last night probably not the smartest thing to do just before bed. Decided that I will go to the burial for my niece but wrote a letter (that's in the card) saying I'd like to attend to show my support/offer my prayers in person but if it's too much I completely understand and won't go. In chatting with MrScout over the weekend we figured his other sisters would probably be in a similar position as him not able to get off of work at short notice -- and that if I wanted to/felt I should go I should. So I opted for the method I described. Sounds like a cop-out when I put it in writing....

Breakfast and anyone?