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!

Pull up chairs, CMOT and UniS! Plenty of sausages and mash for everyone.

:: coughs loudly ::

Is there any more room at the table (or more importantly any sausages in the pot)? I am enjoying my dinners chez Scout this week

:: plonks baked lemon cheesescake on the side for pudding ::

Always room for another, bean! Thanks for the dessert!

::Adds Haribo Trifle to the buffet of desserts::

Anybody want to share?

(Anticlockwise of course)

Mmm Haribo trifle. I adore trifle - not poncey ones either, but sponge, tinned strawberries, jelly, strawberry blancmange and whipped cream. I think it is my mothers sole dish that I have the urge to make exactly as she did.

Hi Donki!

Anyone for an ice cream sundae?

Thank you for dinner, Scout - 'twas lovely!

Maud - haribo trifle is definitely an acquired taste - I'll stick to CMOT's mother's version

Night night!

I'm not sure I've ever had trifle....

Trifle made with blancmange and not jelly and/or custard?

::Too shocked to speak::

Maud -- incoming (of a Guiding nature).

Apparently they still contain sunset yellow, but not tartrazine. Not sure how that would affect his performance, if at all!

to everyone - haven't been on this thread for a bit, sorry, have read back a bit but sieve-brain takes hold these days.

Trifle is lovely. I like it with amaretti biscuits (proper ones made from eggs, sugar and almonds, no wheat) instead of lady fingers, jelly, thick custard (but not blancmange) and that strange dreamtopping stuff that comes in Bird's Trifle packets although real cream will do, I suppose .

I don't like gin either, UniS - it keeps me awake and I'm not even that keen on the taste but I do drink it as it's the basis of Pimm's No.1, iirc. I've never seen the other Pimm's Nos, but apparently they do exist, - No.2 is made with vodka instead, No.3 with brandy - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimm's - I didn't know there were more!

Amber - hope Mr. Amber is ok after his op :)

But I do like Pimms.... and I do like sugary sweet liquors, but not other straight spirits...
Ho Hum

Out tonight but as I'm driving I'll stick to the soft drinks.

You might like Sloe Gin then UniS!

I luuuurve gin and tonic. With lime. But only in the summer. Def not a winter drink.

How's everyone?

I'm alright, how are you JM?

Meh. Feeling a little stressed and frustrated. I'm taking the full certification to teach Prenatal Yoga next week and the week after. It's from 07:00 to 15:45 Mon to Fri, as well as Sat and Sun afternoons. They have just without warning added the Sunday afternoon class so goodbye to a day off. (To much uproar from the participants, I guess I wasn't the only one who sent an extremely pissed off email saying WTAF??? - their only explanation, which was none at all, was "we apologize for any inconvenience, this should have been on the original schedule". Erm thanks for that.) We have to be there at 06:45 every day, 06:30 this Monday. It's about an hour's drive for me there, and home could be a bloody nightmare, with rush hour traffic. I'll have to be up at 4:45 am every day. I have patients who are in bad shape right now so on two evenings I'm going to drive back from Vancouver to our office in Langley and see them, and then go home. I don't honestly think I fully realized what I was getting into.
And I'm having some trouble emotionally looking at the schedule, they're going to bring in a doula and either a midwife or an OB to talk about the birth process, and I am getting stressed about how I'm going to handle it if all they do is give the usual "yoga" approach which is stupid shit like "be in the moment", "breathe through stress", "be one with the sensation of labour" - I'm sure they'll be playing whale songs and Native Indian drums . I've already resolved to zip my lips and grit my teeth and not be the killjoy who says "erm, and then there are those times when it all goes massively fruit-shaped and the whales go out the window!!!!"

Seriously, though, I'm a little stressed about it. I love teaching prenatal yoga but I do it my way, with a sort of "ok, let's prep for some hard work here" kind of approach. I don't ever say anything to scare my students, I just tell them they need to be prepared to work. I know you'll all find this hard to believe but I've never once brought up what happened to me or the aftereffects. I know, I know... but I haven't, scout's honour.

Ha. Bet you're sorry you asked.

No, I'm glad. You gave me a giggle. Not at your stress but at some of the other comments. Boo, though, to no time off and stupidly long days. It will soon be over and then lots of to celebrate. I've started boxing up your goodies, JM.

MrScout's working stupid hours at the moment, too. After 2+ weeks home, TS doesn't understand why Daddy had to go to work/isn't around any more. He's gone looking for him during the day and yesterday was sobbing for him (he doesn't normally get to see him during the week but definitely not this week). TS was over the moon (to say the least) this morning when he realized that lump of blankets on my bed was his beloved Daddy.

I've struggled a bit this week, too, now that I reflect on it. Very glad to be home and getting back in our routine, even saw friends, but have felt incredibly alone. While I knew MrScout might have to work today (long story) I thought the fact he didn't go in meant he didn't have to work after all WRONG. I'm growing ever resentful of the phone calls, conference calls and computer work he's been doing today, even when the three of us were in YOUT shopping and trying to have a bit of family time. I am normally supportive he is good at his job (recent promotion says that) -- as it allows me to be a SAHM but today I'm p!ssed off cuz he's been early every morning and late every night and Toddler needs his daddy on the weekends!

GAH! Where did that come from and why did I hit post when I was just going to type and delete?!

Ignore me.

Why would you just type and delete? It's ok for everyone else to vent but not you?
Huh? Is it? :)

No. But I tend to type/write as my release and never send/post/save. Easier for everyone that way.

Have just been reading the thread in chat about parties and some preschool parties. Have realized TS will be three this year (GAH!) but since he's not at nursery he won't have any friends for a friend party. Well, he has friends, but they're all ages. Should I be gah!-ing or thanking my stars that I don't have to deal with that competitive b.s.?