Turkish Tearoom? Turkish Bath? Anyway, a Turkish delight awaits...

[MaryBS]

Picture the scene...

From the edge of every terrace and every step hang brilliantly white stalactites, and you can hear the joyful splashing of the waters of the hot springs as they cascade down over slopes where their flow is impeded only by clumps of oleanders.

Nearby is an oasis of refreshments, in our Pamukkale residence, air conditioned and with white washed generously proportioned rooms, with Mellors at the ready, to offer Turkish Massage to anyone who wishes.

The NMBs are in their element, whereas the bishops seem to have found their speedoes again.

Priest's hole is at the back, in a quiet shaded area, stocked with What Car magazines, Turkish rugs and Turkish delight

Day out in Weymouth yesterday withh friends; on a scale of 1-10, it scored at least 9.8. How could it have been better .... free chocolate flakes in all ice creams? .... Sightring of passing pod of dolphins? ... It couldn't, really. Apart maybe from DH not moaning at me afterwards for not watching Wriggle constantly when she was in the sea, even though he was at her side the whole time and I was making sandcastles with friend's two-year old. Apparently she ended up upside down in her rubber ring floaty toy thing, with her head in the water. He tells me she was drowning and I didn't even notice. I think he is confusing drowning with having head in the water ... Will not be mentioning occasions I let her slip inthe bath.

Wriggle now generally wakes up at 6.30. I am always awake earlier, listening to Farming Today on Radio 4. She does the odd lie-in until 8, but very very rarely. She almost never goes to sleep before 9pm, which means that according to the books she is not getting enough sleep, but she is not convinced by this argument.

She has finally got round to asking me when I will have another baby. When I told her 'never', she was very sad 'That means I'll have to play with grown ups for ever!'. I am trying to convince her of the pleasures of playing on her own sometimes - most of my happy childhood memories involve just me - but she maintains she doesn't know how to. Her friends who have got siblings are all good at playing alone ... but I am wondering whether I want it for her sake or for mine. I think it is a really valuable skill, but DH has 4 brothers and feels she should never be alone.

How old is MiniThumb now? This talk of school suprises me.

Donki, I think that's a very male response (although not exclusively male!) I had a friend who was diagnosed with BPD and put on lithium - after a short time on it, of course he felt better, at which point he decided he didn't need it any more. A failure to recognise that it is the treatment that is making the patient feel better is a standard response in some patients, especially (so I've heard) in BPD.

Serp, St.John's Wort is contraindicated with any other form of anti-depressant medication, just so you know. :)

MiniThumb is only 3.9 but I think I need to put him into pre-school next Feb, so not that far away. Most people here do put their children into pre-school, even if it's just one or 2 days a week, and I don't want miniThumb to be the only one who doesn't know anyone when he gets to school the following year.

I am grateful that miniT doesn't ask about babies, although recently he has got into the idea that all his toy animals should have mummy, daddy and baby (a little tricky). More grateful as another MC is ongoing at the moment. :(. Hey ho. Even earlier than the other 2 and I refused to get excited at all this time around, just in case. Good thing!

Morning!

I am in the mood for pancakes, who would like some? Butter? Real maple syrup? Perhaps some honey? There's bacon as well. And, of course, .

LCT is on the mend with just some, um, interesting, shall we say, nappies.

He is, thank goodness, too young to enquire about brothers and sisters. He is, however, very interested in watching videos of babies on YouTube, started when we received a video of his baby cousin (8 weeks) showing her first smile.

donki that would make me mental! Of course you feel better, because it's working! Lot's of mentally ill people (and I myself have mental illnesses) do this, even when on 'script meds. It can be a vicious cycle.

Bean I was hoping to take LCT out today but 6 nasty nappies in 2 hours has changed my mind!

MT I hope MC had a fab time!

Right...pancakes...or maybe tomorrow for my wedding anniversary...

Way to make an impression Amber!

I'm sorry to hear of the mc, Thumb. Help yourself from the buffet - there's , twiglets a la mode, cheesecake and Mellors with the footbalm.

Way to go Amber!

By the way Amber, the carrots were delicious - and the tea was just what I needed!
Thankyou.

Thumb - :( (((HUG))) (if you don't mind hugs. If you do mind hugs, please ignore)

thumb, you go first for the footbalm.
Ah, twiglets a la mode! My favourite!
Just made an apple and blackberry pie. Well, I say 'made'. That may be a bit of a loose description of the chaos and resulting 'thing'. But it appears to be edible. Anyone for a slice of it?

Yes please, Amber.

::holds out plate, hopefully::

::hopes nobody asks exactly what mode the twiglets are served in or where the rhubarb glut has gone::

Maud
That really is a very powerful wine you have there. Are you hoping to distill it into some kind of rhubarb spirit?

Mmmm. Yes please Amber - although you have just reminded me that I should go back to the kitchen and deal with the heap of blackberries, apples, and about 6lbs of rhubarb. (I went blackberrying with the YD this morning. It is amazing what grows on brambles! At least when you have a retired farmer with a huge kitchen garden living next to the bramble patch...... Last year I was loaded down with runner beans and cucumbers. DH was quite bemused.)

Can I have your thoughts Ladies?
I have a significant birthday coming up.
DH (who has just got a tablet thingy) is threatening to buy me a very nice (and very expensive) tablet PC to celebrate.

I do rather covet the item, and it would mean that I could work downstairs next to DH for company. Plus do the other frivolous things that people do on such items

• BUT

1. it is very expensive, and not at all necessary. (But we could just afford it if we didn't do other things)

2. I'd rather spend the money to start horse riding again...........
   .......... but cannot work out for the life of me how to fit in horse riding to my life. There just isn't time... That said, I suppose the main problem is that I would be very fussy about where I rode. I don't just want to sit on a nag at the local stables and go for a hack. When I was last riding, I drove for 1 and 1/2 hours in each direction to get to the school for a 1 hour lesson. And it was worth it. Good horses, good instructors. The opportunity to watch top competition riders sometimes if I went during the day. Even pre the YD finding time for this was a challenge - but I was so frustrated at the local stables.

I don't know what to say to DH about this.

And well done if you got to the end.
Have a carrot!

and a tablet pc could break or become redundant in a very short time. Whereas the memories of riding stay with us a lifetime.
Ride.

(not on the same dish)

Hmm. As ever, it's complicated, isn't it?

I think you need to work out how likely it is that you will manage the half day (roughly speaking) that you'll need to go riding at your preferred place. You make it sound unlikely but is there anything you could juggle to free up some time? If you can't - so that, realistically, it's a choice between the tablet and the local, mediocre stables - what would you feel?

I confess I have mixed feelings about tablets, iphones and all this modern kit. ::old fogey emoticon:: I simultaneously despise it and covet it. Is there a third option - something else that isn't a tablet and isn't riding that you could suggest as an alternative present?

evening all.
How about a weekend riding "course" as a birthday pressie?

anymore of that rhubarb scumpy left?

Thumb, somehow I missed your post. Sorry to hear.

Donki, I'm a geek, I'd get the tablet. But I also don't particular care to ride horses. So I am not help at all.

Did someone say foot rubs? ::gets in line::

Another 9.8 sort of day; just Wriggle and I at an agricultural show.

Big hug (()) for Thumb.

Reality sucks (back at inlaws on way from lovely Devon holiday and not sure I want to face the real world yet).

Hmmm, all my favourite things - rhubarb scrumpy, pie, carrots, and pie... Yes please!

Thumb - sorry to read about the MC, that is tough, I hope you are ok.

Donki - it's a hard one. Is there a way that you could find an opportunity, even every couple of months, to get a weekend of riding? Would Mr Donki understand? Personally I find it really difficult to get 'me time' and had a fairly heated conversation with a Life Coach who was adamant that she could find an hour a day for anyone to do their own thing. I'm still not convinced.

On the other hand, I have a tablet and use it almost every day (Small Bean loves it too) - it was a birthday present and worth every penny.

Thank you for hugs, foot rubs, twiglets, and everything. Am going to be ok. (Brave )

Donki - I would say the horseriding but is there no other option than the local or the one 1.5h away? Are you sure there isn't one maybe half an hour away that would work for you? I know they're not that plentiful but worth a look?

We love agricultural shows - there is the Spring Show here at the beginning of October with a lot of riding events - looking forward to that. Most of them won't be until next Autumn of course (standard practice! but means we have to wait until March/April )

It's Fathers' Day here - I feel a bit sorry for MrThumb, I have cards for him but events over took and rather kiboshed the present side of things. He is being Very Understanding (just as well!!) but I feel a touch guilty. Still, we should be able to go out today somewhere and it's nice weather, so that will be nice.

(((TW))) If you want to talk about it, I've been there, done that.

Donki... when I was 14 I went on an absolutely fantastic riding holiday at a place that had lots of HIghlands - they bred them and broke them in themselves. Could do 1/2 day and full day hacks there - fantastic countryside, REALLY fit ponies. Their favourite way of going up a hill (if you let them go the pace they wanted to) was a working trot that you really either needed to sit or stand to. If I get back to riding I shall be going up there!

I'm having the post-holiday let down. Feel restless and don't quite know what to do with myself. Must being nice being Toddler who's happy wherever he is as long as he has Bunny and a few toys and drawers/doors to open/close.

I often look at miniThumb (and so does MrThumb) and think that, Scout - nice life for them! Long may they enjoy it. :)

There's me with a 6yo who gets overcome with things and says he wants to die