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!

CMOT, glad to hear things seem to be settling for your parents, at least a little bit.

Maud, sending Toddler over for Girl to play with. Shall I send toys?

Woo Woo Science - sending you some geek vibes for tomorrow JM. hope it gets better.

Hi all. bit busy this week, a few evenings out. Have got boy through most of his thank you letters now. Phew, was bit like squeezing water out of rocks.

No Thanks to "cute toddler" I'm preferring a bigger size boy whose taste in bedtime stories is improving. DH is reading Him Jacqueline Wilsons " Cliffhanger" , chapter by chapter.

Here is a virtual copy of "How the Earth Made us" for you JM to satisfy your inner Geek's need for science.

It is a wonderful series! Completely hooked the YD on BBC Nature/science programmes.... (and I love Ian Stewart's Scottish accent)

Sending and chocolate to all in need!

I think virtual chocolate is all I am having - I am trying desperately hard to stay off RL wine/cake/chocolate/biscuits etc. This wasn't helped today staring at tubs of m&s bite-size flapjacks and brownies on the table in an all-day meeting when most of my colleagues are stick-thin

How could I have forgotten I don't own any cloth napkins? Do you think grocery stores have those sort of things?

I need to come up with another idea for Seniors as well.

ARGH!

Does it have to be a cloth napkin? Could you improvise - flannel, squares of fabric left over from crafts? I doubt you'd find cloth napkins in a supermarket now.

Oh, and do put Toddler on a train with his toys tied up in a red spotted handkerchief. The Girl would love to see him!

I'm going to see what else I have and have an email out to MrsGuider to see if she has anything we can borrow. Napkin folding won't take 90 minutes. Am thinking of making some homemade finger paint and letting the girls go crazy with it.

Should I send nappies, Maud, or is it easier to get them there?

I think I saw they were on special today and, anyway, I imagine Toddler likes to travel light.

Yes. If he can't carry it in his hands/arms he gives it to his slave personal assistant to carry it.

Make sure Girl knows, though, that Bunny ("Bubee" in TS language) is sacred and it could lead to tears if she tries to play with him without permission. Definitely don't take him out of sight or it really could get ugly.

::taking notes::

I have to go to bed now, so should we expect Toddler on the 11:18 tomorrow?

Morning all. Another day of waking up at 04:30. I am losing the will do live. JM does not do mornings cheerfully. And another day of driving at least an hour to get to class. See above. I have PMT. that's no-one's fault but making me a miserable cow and I am not loving this class not at all. Anatomy yesterday. My inner scientist is crying. Not at how simplistic the instructor made it but at the fact that at this simplistic level, it was still over the heads of some of my classmates. I don't expect to accost random strangers on the street and ask them if they know where the left ventricle is :) but I do expect a yoga teacher who's had the 200 hour certification to know that it's part of the heart. Not part of the foot. I'm serious.
Sob... 8 more full and 2 more half days. Not that I'm counting the seconds as they tick by at a speed I'd like the rest of my life to assume... sloooooooooowly

Just to explain, I frequently feel that life rushes by at an insane pace usually - and I mostly really enjoy my life. So why, why, WHY is this week which I am so not enjoying going by at the speed of a comatose snail going backwards?

Sounds like ds could do better at anatomy than your classmates JM ! Sounds like the course is a lot bit pants though. And I guess the 'hum some whale music and it will all be perfect' approach must be particularly hard for you. And getting up at 4.30 is particularly evil. Much coming your way

you mean there are 2 4.30s in the day?? not fair and definably cruel.

Today teh sun has shone, today it has not rained ( where I am) and today I didn't do dinner duty at school I went out with my trusty wheel to explore the bridle ways to the west of nearby town. Had a nic eride/ walk. It was rather muddy. Ought to go and brush my boots off really...

Yes UniS there are two 4:30s in a day, it wasn't exactly news to me but my previous acquaintance with the earlier one consisted of squinting at the bedside clock and rolling over again :o

CMOT, yes, you've got it. I am having a really hard time with all this romanticising of pregnancy and birth. Both of which, admittedly, can be fantastic for some, but not for me. Should say I did have a fab pg. But yes - hum and let your inner lion roar and it will be ok...
I probably shouldn't be taking this course. But I love teaching prenatal yoga, so, gotta get through.

Is there any wine going?

One cool thing among all the crap yesterday was when the instructor told us about invoking certain gods and goddesses during yoga (I know, puketastic), for example the elephant god Ganesha who introduced playfulness (ok, kinda cute) and the goddess Kali, who is at once the goddess of destruction but also the goddess of transformation. It is said that "she dances with challenge". That's kind of cool. I like how it sounds. I wouldn't like to be associated with a destructive entity but I like the aspect of transformation and dancing with challenges rather than trying to muscle through them and being flattened :)
Can't get much into the rest of it though.

So, where's that wine?

I'm trying really hard to amuse myself.

UniS adds virtual choclate to teh table. I was a bit of pig on choc last night, really must try and abstain tonight.

Great thread, JM!

My Seniors make me giggle. The do, however, drive me up a wall sometimes, too.

When I was in labour, the only goddess I was invoking was the one rubbing my back tbh. Paying a doula was worth every penny for someone to rub my back really hard for 5 hours
But I like the idea of dancing with challenge.
Today I found out my boss was moving roles. So I have acquired a lump of his work, but no loss of my current work . Overall it may work out well though as it will give me a bit of a new direction

I don't think invoked any gods or goddesses during my labor. Then again, I was given drugs quite early to ease the stress on my heart. Apparently I didn't shout or swear, either, but did "squeak" every now and again (the hours between 2 & 5 a.m. are a bit of a blur). I did keep apologizing to the lovely MW during the pushing phase.