The Nordic Tearoom (Number 31)

[beanandspud]

We have moored the barge for the winter and have moved to a beautiful, cosy log cabin in deepest Scandinavia overlooking a frozen lake and surrounded by pine trees.

Mellors has lit the log fires and candles, it is snowing outside and there are comfortable seats for everyone and fleecy blankets to snuggle up in. For the more active tearoomers there are skis and sledges outside as well as a steaming hot tub for winding down after a busy day.

So pull up a chair. The kettle is on for and there is always plenty of depending on your mood and time zone. (Alternatively there is schnapps, smorgasbord and smoked fish).

Everybody is welcome ? share as much or as little as you like ? but no fisticuffs please!

I have bought (or ordered) most of my presents now but will leave wrapping until next week.

::snort:: at defrosting with a cleaver.

MN secret santa- tick

school staff dinner secret santa--- er, er, not agot a clue, don't know my recipient very well.... er, er, will probably end up with something generic like chocs/ fudge or silly christmassy glittery something.

Ought to get on with a few more cards.

:: UniS has a brainwave::

Oi mellors over here and bring the MNBs with you. I need all these cards to have a handwritten happy Christmas with love from, ASAP please can you get teh nmbs on it, meanwhile can you, mellors please go through THIS list and neatly write all teh address on envelopes. I'll fake DH and boys signatures, we could get this job knocked off in teh time it takes me to down a bottle of

Anyone else like to join me?

I have [sbiscuit] [sbiscuit] [sbiscuit] too

Well, what I need to do tonight are things that will be delivered tomorrow -- a couple of cards and candy cane reindeer for people at swimming and a little gift for Toddler's best friend. And then some candy canes and a Pass the Parcel parcel for Wednesday.

Have you done them yet scout? shall I send NMBs over to help?

Yes and sure. Even managed to do yours, too, UniS, so next time I'm by a mailbox I'll stick it in.

::Staggers in::

ooo I need some can I borrow the NMBs UniS, it may not surprise you to know I am not quite ready for christmas yet. Cards to write, presents to wrap and some to decide upon and purchase.

But heh, there's a week to go! It's not the priority yet!!

In a rush of blood to the head I decided to have a christmast party. I must be mad

MN secret Santa? Have I missed something? Was that a wider MN thing I missed or a Tea Room thing that I missed?
Someone take pity and clue me in please.

I'm so tired. Was out at the shops with JB just getting some last-minute things and suddenly completely ran out of gas. Came home, ate, forced myself to put all the shopping away and have just collapsed on the couch in an exhausted puddle. Poor JB, he was just chatting away being his usual energetic adorable self and I said to him "please just stop talking for a minute!!!!" . Sorry JB.
I think it's PMT (which it seems over the last few months I either don't feel much or it knocks me completely off the rails) and anticipating Friday's op. All I know is I'm so tired I could cry. And DH is out tonight so I either have wrestle JB into bed by myself or be a complete slacker and let him stay up and watch TV and fall asleep whenever.
Well, we'll see what half an hour's rest brings. Sigh.

JM - it's a MN-wide thing. There's a thread about it in November-ish, possibly earlier - people get nominated to receive a Secret Santa gift by persons unknown, and then other people volunteer to give a Secret Santa gift - when all nominations and donor lists are closed, MNHQ then match them up and send the details to the donors, so they can send an appropriate gift. It's rather lovely.

Oxeye - agreed!

JM - sounds a little upsetting - perhaps you're harbouring some lurgy that hasn't quite come out yet?

Maud - oh no! hope the washing machine is ok!

CMOTD - I did smile at the idea of your DH and the cleaver...

Had miniT's playgroup Christmas party this morning - had to go out yesterday and buy 28 presents for children of assorted ages (0-4) and both sexes, @$5, then wrap them all and play Santa's helper today. It all went pretty well, although I got a bit confused at one stage and gave some child a present from the wrong age group but hey. There's not that much difference between a toddler and a 3-4yo.

Nooooo! No lurgy. Not allowed.

Ok, if it's an MN wide thing, I'm not worried. I don't think non-UK residents can participate anyway, can they?

yes, they can - I did. :)

yes, they can - I did. :)

Good morning! What a dark and wet and windy day it is here. BRRR.

It's grim here too - was very dark and squally this morning. Washing machine doctor is coming this afternoon to give me a prognosis - I suspect I'll be spending tomorrow night at John Lewis [big UK department store, never knowingly undersold], seeing what they can deliver before Christmas.

Sending positive vibes to JM, Oxeye and anyone else suffering from the travails of Christmas and lurgies.

Maud - I hope the verdict on washing machine is what ever you want it to be. Our old one broke down the day I brought MC home from hospital - talk about timing!

Cards done - no

Presents bought - no

Singing done - no, coughing too much

I suspect washing machine (which I've never much liked) is at the end of its working life, so - lack of shopping time notwithstanding - pensioning it off and getting a new one wouldn't be a bad thing.

The previous one expired when The Girl was a baby and we were knee deep in bibs and babygros.

ARGH, MN ate my nice long post!

AWw, MT - you too?

Maud - if it's the end of the road, then at least you can get a shiny new whizzy one! although when I had to get a new one after moving here, I had a job to find one that did everything I wanted it to. And it still doesn't - no half-load option. But it does do a 50 degree wash (essential for me) so I can live with the no half-load ishoo.

Feeling lazy -- can you get stamps at the grocery store?

You can Scout - just ask at the checkout.

I thoroughly recommend a Miele Maud, I have been v pleased with ours

Cheers, CMOT! With the weather as crap as it is, and with us having to be at about six places to be in the next two days, the supermarket for stamps is the best option. I'll wrestle with the post office for packages next week after Christmas when MrScout can keep Toddler.

Last swimming session of term/2011. We do love swimming.

Hope youre appointment goes well today, Maud.

oxeye, will your party have ?

oh crap, sorry about the poor sentence. I got distracted.

Just off to The Girl's Christmas concert, and then back for Washing Machine Doctor.

Last time round we had picked out a Miele (or Bosch, can't quote remember) as all our other big appliances are one or the other and they have the best efficiency ratings, but for various unexplained and probably crooked reasons the guy talked us into buying a Creda, saying it was just as good. It isn't.

::Won't get fooled again emoticon::

I have a Bosch now, Maud. Very happy with it (minor niggle of no halfload aside).

Why do need a 50 degree wash, Thumb?

Tired. Just got up. Coffee.

Meh.

UK advice, JM, is that you need to wash things like towels and sheets at 50 degrees to kill the germs, as lower temperatures won't do it. I've often wondered, though, whether the advice is different in other countries, where people presumably don't die of plague as a result of washing their towels at 30 degrees. What I miss on our current machine is a hand wash cycle. The ladies in Bravissimo fixed me with a stare and said "you don't wash your bras in the machine, do you?" I shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot.