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Original poster

The moving castle tea room touches down for the 29th time

999 replies

UniS · 07/09/2011 21:09

Welcome to the tea room. Open to those with one child and those with more and maybe some with none ( hi dave the trucker).

This time we are heading to the mists and mellow fruitfulness of Autumn in a moving castle with a mind of its own. The roaring fire is maintained by magic and Mellors the gardener handles wine and spirits along with massage duties.

The first rule of the tea room is this
No fisticuffs.
The second is this
Put the kettle on for Brew and help yourself to a Biscuit

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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MissPricklePants · 09/09/2011 20:01

well mini pricklepants has had a fun time at nursery whilst i was at work. She drew me a huge spider (big black scribble) which is now stuck up on the fridge!oh and she has managed to accquire a recorder, which makes a beautiful sound Hmm going to have a big glass of Wine later.

purpleknittingmum · 09/09/2011 20:10

Helloooo! Hope all is well with everyone! xx

Well first few days back at school over for my daughter!

Not looking to Sunday, have in-laws and my sister-in-law and her OH over on Sunday! Oh Joy! Will be practising the fake smiles, don't think I will be able to keep it up all day though!

right, might be back later, going to do more on the latest squares for the blankets

Scout19075 · 09/09/2011 21:06

I would like to thank ToddlerScout for sharing his cold.

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 09/09/2011 21:26

Lovely name, LittleDeer!

Yay for everyone who's had a good week and commiserations for anyone who hasn't.

::Puts Wine and Twiglets A Gogo on the sideboard::

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 09/09/2011 21:29

I am laughing so much at Outnumbered that I nearly fell off the sofa. Anyone who wants to know what The Girl is like has only to look at Karen.

mistlethrush · 09/09/2011 21:35

I'm also working on squares - a bit slowly admittedly - pkm.

LD&Me - nice twirl! I drop MC sometimes - but normally when I'm abandonning him for a lift to something or for a sleepover (only done 1 so far lol!) We don't do after school playdates - just not enough time and he's really too tired (and can't do reading etc as well)

DCMB - cello - make sure that you loosen the hair of the bow when its not in use - just slacken it off. when you start up, tighten the bow until the wood is under a bit of tension and the hair is nicely proud of the stick of the bow (but it will always be closer in the middle - and should easily touch the wood if you press the two together - but keep fingers off it!). Bowing - there are so many variables!!! the easiest place to play is above the finger board by about an inch - so at least an inch away from the bridge (the bit that keeps the strings up). She will need to pull the bow so that its running parallel with the bridge. Its best to think of pulling a spoon through a jar of golden syrup - needs a bit of push/pull on the string, but not too much. You also need to get the speed sorted so that its sort of mid-speed - too slow and its difficult, too fast and its whispy. Not sure about the blackhole - not any experience with that!

purpleknittingmum · 09/09/2011 21:38

mt, 2 squares done today, photo on profile! Hope to get more done over the weekend to get them posted off in time!

mistlethrush · 09/09/2011 21:52

when's the deadline Confused

purpleknittingmum · 09/09/2011 21:58

17 Sept I think

LittleDeerandMe · 09/09/2011 22:19

Thank you, I do like the new name and it's link to me may or may not be clear to those who know me on the other forum.

MT - It sounds like this new year is pushing him anyway so at least he'll have a bit of a challenge to keep him interested. It is a shame that he is so hard on himself. Some people are just like that and I don't know if they can be talked out of it, but perhaps there are games/clubs that don't focus on always pushing yourself/being the best...but I can't think of any Hmm. Maybe one of the others has some ideas on this? Good to hear that he makes friends easily, school is hard for kids that don't.

In other news, dh officially begins his phd on monday....looking forward to four years of hell Grin.

LittleDeerandMe · 09/09/2011 22:25

Think I'm going to go to bed and drink tea and read. I'm reading Anna Karenina at the mo Shock. I've still hundreds of pages to go and the booker shortlist was announced this week so I'm a bit annoyed at my timing.

Thumbwitch · 09/09/2011 22:55

MT - I believe the black hole is a rubber mat thing with a hold in the middle for the cello spike to sit in. I never had one because I didn't think the spike would hurt my carpets that much (it didn't) and because the carpet stopped the cello slipping away from me anyway.

LittleDeer&Me - lovely new name! Anna Karenina, hey? That's something that I feel I ought to read at some point but just never seem to have enough time to even start it. I like books to go away quite quickly generally.... I tried Moby Dick once but gave up after a couple of chapters.
Eeep! to the PhD - hope it isn't too bad.

PKM - welcome back!

mistlethrush · 09/09/2011 22:59

TW - thanks for that clarification. DH tends to drop his (carefully sharpened) spike into slippery floorings when he plays bass or cello... I'm not even sure he's got a spike holder Blush

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 09/09/2011 23:14

Persevere with Anna Karenina, LittleDeer, it's rather beautiful (although bleak) in the end. But then, I like Russian literature.

Thumbwitch · 09/09/2011 23:23

oo, that made me wince, MT! He's a bass/cello player is he? If I'd achieved any sort of proficiency, I would be too. I had both but DH made me sell the double bass before we left England, on the grounds that I rarely played it and they have one here that belonged to his Dad. It lives in his mum's bedroom though, so I doubt I'd get hold of it while she's alive (and chances are I wouldn't play it much anyway). The cello gives me back ache to play now and my fingers are too soft for the bass strings to play for long.
Can I ask - which way round did he learn? I started with the bass, got to grade 6 then left school - my parents couldn't/wouldn't buy one for me, so I had to wait until I could afford it myself and in the meantime got the bargain-of-a-lifetime cello out of exchange and mart and started to learn that.

UnSerpentQuiCourt · 09/09/2011 23:54

LittleDeer, be careful with Anna Karenina. I read it when I was about 12 and had nightmares literally for years.

Maud, I have always imagined Girl to be like Karen, my favourite character (not that I have any unfavourites). Nice to realise that I was correct.

Wriggle did Day 2 at school today. On the way home with friend (I was working again), she said, 'FriendOfSerpent, I just want to say I did nothing today. I didn't play with anyone. I did nothing. I eated nothing. I remember nothing.' Long pause. 'FriendOfSerpent, I mean NOTHING.' Have we been pushing a bit too hard for details? Of course, by sneaky methods, I have extracted some facts, the most concerning being that she can't use the loos because there is a hand drier there and so has to wait to get home. This will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later. I am glad that she has a green wristband, thoughm that identifies her as a 'vegerian' in the 'special cafe for people who have forgotten their lunch'.

Thumbwitch · 10/09/2011 00:04

Sorry, Serp, that did make me snigger! I'm guessing that Wriggle just may not want to share her day? sad though but yes, it's obviously starting to irritate her slightly!

Employ reverse psychology. Don't ask her. She'll tell you if she wants to. :)

Mind you, that loo thing is a bit disturbing - does she have ishoos with hand driers then? Minithumb appears to - he doesn't like the noise level (and is NT afaik)

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 10/09/2011 00:06

Ah. I was a lot older when I read Anna Karenina, maybe that's the difference.

The Girl is so much like Karen, especially the forensic dissection of everything that is said to her and the chipping away at any chinks in one's argument. ::sigh:: Perhaps she'll be a barrister.

What is the issue with the hand drier? Does Wriggle not like them? I fear you are right and disaster lies ahead.

::Recalls the ominous call from the school, asking me to take The Girl home::

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 10/09/2011 00:10

And can I just say a very belated wooowwww that this is the 29th thread?

MaryBS · 10/09/2011 04:39

I have much sympathy with Wriggle - I can't stand those dyson blade driers that have been popping up everywhere. Really hurt my ears! I take hand gel now in my handbag, or put up with wet hands. Still a problem if someone else is using them though! I almost run out of loos which have them!

Also thought Outnumbered was very funny. LOVED Ben's attempts at cooking!

Thumbwitch · 10/09/2011 04:41

Mary, what in the name of all that's holy are you doing awake at this ungodly hour? Shock

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 10/09/2011 10:22

Now, what I dislike about the Dyson driers is that they make the wrinkly old skin on the backs of my hands wobble about in a very depressing middle-aged way!

MaryBS · 10/09/2011 11:09

Am regularly awake at that time Thumb :(

Thumbwitch · 10/09/2011 12:50

oh Mary, that's no good! How long has that been going on? Do you get back to sleep though? Sorry, being too nosey, ignore me.

Took miniThumb to see The Zookeeper at the cinema today. It was weak. Amusing in places but the best bits are in the trailer, tbh. Shame really...

MaryBS · 10/09/2011 13:19

Yes, got back to sleep, but was up again at 6:20. Its been going on for a few years now, I'm sort of used to it!