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!

Survived lunch. Catching up on Spooks.

Anyone for ?

UniS passes out a large glass of to bean and also to scout. Hang on in there girls, this too will pass ( eventually ) . Grrr to late eating GPs, Grrr to not being able to get small boys out for good long dollop of fresh air and exercise ( and in law free head space/ time).

Is it miles and miles to nearest soft play barn bean?

MY only trip out today was walk to teh post box ,dropping boys friend off at home on teh way. This afternoon was playdate made in heaven, I got to ignore teh 2 boys for 2 hours and they played together with very little argueing and that there was they sorted out between themselves.

MrScout took Toddler to a good train-spotting spot for fresh air, waving at the engineers/conductors and getting drivers to toot their whistles. Apparently he had a lovely time. If we don't go to Wallingford tomorrow I might suggest lunch at the (local) garden center that has soft play in it for toddler running and climbing while having sandwiches.

Evening all! Hope all is well with everyone!

all ready for the New Year? It is our daughter's birthdday on 1 Jan, my mum and stepdad come over for a roast beef and yorkshire pudding dinner

I am getting a bit of a haircut tomorrow and then off to my knitting club! Good day ahead!

Thats where I grew up Scout ! We had a lovely lunch at the old Post Office last week. Toddler would prob like the Donkey centre if they are open.

We will just be in on NYE PKM - some neighbours will be coming over for beer and curry.

We got a rabbit today (small, not giant Thumb !). He is very sweet, and seems to be settling into the house

Home, home, home!!!

Apologies for moaning. Just needed to vent last night, even though I know DH feels pretty much the same as I do it doesn't feel right to have a go at his parents. TW, you are dead right, it is a generational thing and since their other grandchildren are now grown up I think they forget what it's like having a whirlwind pre-schooler around the place.

Scout - I hope your family dinners were...survivable (is that a word?)

But we now have a couple of days of just us, a trip to see The Snowman, and hogmanay with friends so life is good.

Unis - the plan tomorrow is to fill Small Bean with fresh air - I think we will take our new bikes out!

JM/Maud/Amber/CMOT - hope you are all ok and taking care of yourselves.

And after four days of leftover-type meals it is takeaway curry and tonight - yippee!

::tops up glasses::

UniS accepts a topped up glass, , thank you.

May I pass round the party platter? anyone for a mini spring roll?

Apparently there's a shop there that has a big (?) Brio section and MiL is keen to take us to and get Toddler some more bits-n-pieces. He has lots of lovely presents but the train seems to be a favorite and will provide many good gifting opportuntities for holidays to come.

Ooohhh, welcome to the family Rabbit. Shhhh, don't tell Toddler or he'll want to go visit. Bunny is "Bonbbee."

"AT!" has now become "Tat!" with a lot less squealing and more calm/gentle/slow/soft. One of the cats is now his best friend and, if she's in the right mood, will follow Toddler around the room. It's lovely to watch.

Toddler's words and phrases are coming thick and fast. He's even updated some of his new ones to be more and more like what they should be. I know most children learn to speak, and I certainly know I'm not the only one to have a child, but I'm really enjoying watching/listening to his speech development along with his imagination.

Mmmmmmm... mini spring roll... thank you.

Scout - you can't go wrong with Brio. Small Bean has played with it for the last couple of years and shows no sign of getting bored with it. The games just seem to get more sophisticated as he gets older (and involve more and more terrible accidents that require an emergency Playmobil support team!).

Welcome to CMOT's bunny!

Mmm, veggie spring roll, my favorite type.

PKM, we'll be here for NYE. All very boring. Probably have a few nibbles, watch a few more episodes of Spooks and be in bed by 12:05 a.m. Even before Toddler we weren't big NYE people. Only a few times did I go out and live it up -- a few years, while living in Minnesota, my friend and I did DVD & pizza slumber parties.

Bean, yes, we survived. Though Nephew1 and BiL gave/continued to allow Toddler to have a latex balloon after I told them "no" so I had to catch TS and take it away and then stop Nephew from giving TS his. grrrrr

Is it possible to buy too many books? This evening I have ordered a variety of books on crafts, confectionary, religion and toddler story books. I've lost count of what I've ordered when and where. The delivery service providers are going to love me or hate me -- books on the same order have been shipped separately. Good thing I save all of the confirmations and shipment notifications until the parcels arrive because I've managed to confuse myself.

If your not putting yourself in debt to do so, then , no, you can not buy too many books.

We don't 'do' NYE, never have done, would never go to a NYE party! I am very boring! Last year we let our daughter stay up past midnight for the first time, we had warned her how uneventul it really is but she seemed to enjoy it!

Good night, Lovely Tea Room Inhabitants.

I'm off to bed to dream of all of the lovely parcels of books and other goodies that await me in Scoutshire (TS's Godmother sent him/us a package but didn't think to send it to InLawShire). I hope we'll be able to get Toddler out to run/climb again tomorrow.

Glad you got a bunny, CMOTD, and don't at all blame you for not getting the monster one!

Books - never possible to buy too many (unless, as said, it puts you into debt) - you can always use them as extra walls or insulation if you run out of space!

I have now been miniThumbless for ~24h, with a couple of hours of seeing him at dinner last night - he is with his dad, staying over at Grandma's so they can all do fishing with DH's cousin as well. Not My Thing in any way, so I am having me-time. Today I will mostly be going into a larger and further away shopping centre than usual because my friend has a stall there in the Handicrafts Market and I want to see how she's doing. :)

NY - not my thing either really - it's been a bit hit and miss over the years so I don't bother making a big thing of it, although I do like to "see it in" - of course, I'll be in 2012 11 hours before the rest of you! Weird.

If items were dispatched today, via RM, the chance of getting the package before Tuesday is what?

Evening all!

Actually, I have recently come to believe that, although one can't buy too many books, one can have too many books if one doesn't harden one's heart to getting rid of books that are never going to be re-read. The number of books that came into this house at Christmas was phenomenal, and we just don't have space for any more bookcases. The local charity shops will be getting a windfall!

We have been going to NYE parties in recent years and I have bought myself a sparkly dress to wear tomorrow.

::Worries she will look like leftover Christmas bauble::

Scout - I would suggest that there's a pretty good chance of them arriving on Monday or Tuesday (hope I haven't jinxed it now!)

As for NYE we have been lucky that for the last few years we have been to friends who do a big curry for about 12 of us. We stay over so Small Bean can sleep upstairs - no need to drag him anywhere or keep him up late ::boring mummy emoticon::

Generally, I think NYE is overrated and there is so much pressure to be having a great time. I have fond memories of it being a good night out when I was at uni and everyone came home for the holidays but other than that I'm not that bothered either way. Some of the dullest NYE celebrations have, surprisingly, been in Scotland and I have some great memories of years when we have been abroad for both Christmas and NY. I do like to find time though to think about the good things that have happened over the previous 12 months and ponder over what I hope will happen during the year ahead.

The books purchased recently have been cookbooks, craft books (for Toddler & I and some for us to share) and story & "reference" books for Toddler (like, a Toddler Bible and book of prayers). All will get lots of love and attention. We have a collection of Toddler's books here, at his inlaws, and all of them have been read at least three times this week.

scout- the answer is, minimal.

I'm seriously considering NOT staying up till 12 tomorrow. coz there's just not much point. DH and I could have a much nicer time in bed I'm sure.

I thought Monday was a bank holiday, so no post or banks?

Scout - I had forgotten the bank holiday. In that case I'm with Unis... Sorry.

yep- monday is public/bank holiday, thanks to Jan 1st being a sunday this year. So unless it arrives tomorrow I reason Tuesday is the earliest and more likely we or thurs for a packet.

Whew, we're not home until Monday afternoon and I was worried I was going to have five or six Amazon boxes waiting for me at the post office (everything seems to be dispatched separately, even from the same supplier).