Episode 32 - The New Zealand tea room

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Well folks, here we are, beside the hot springs of New Zealand.

The tea room (with the customary distressed chintz sofa) overlooks the steaming, bubbling lake. For the bold and sporty, hiking, biking and sky-diving are on offer. Personally, I'm not planning to leave the spa.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink and conversation ranging from the profound to the profoundly silly. The cardinal rule remains: no fisticuffs.

Thanks UniS, we made it through the storm ok. It didn't affect me too much since I stayed downtown from Tues - Fri and only had to slither -skate slide fall on my arse every few steps walk about a minute from the hotel to class. Everything was covered in a few inches of ice several mornings running - whereas they got a huge dumping of snow further inland, right by the water where I was it rained ice instead.
DH canceled his client appointments though because he didn't think it was worth driving in that kind of weather, especially not to bring JB down to MIL's. She lives a bit more rurally than we do and her roads aren't cleared as well as ours. So he didnt really want to take the chance.
The temperature rose about 10 degrees by Friday and it started to rain heavily which made driving much less fraught. Several of the less busy roads near us still have sheets of ice on them which have been slow to melt. Fine if you're driving sensibly but if you insist on speeding you may find yourself facing the other direction very suddenly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- I love TS's swimming class. Second week in a row, though, that he's taken to doing cannonballs during their jumping in practice. The instructor thinks it's funny and after my initial shock last week I do to. It's a proper leap from the side and pulling of his knees up towards his chest and hitting the water with his bum & feet. He grins as he's taking off, under the water and up again (the scrambling to get up the wall and to do it all again).

Good morning! Just made a if anyone is about.

Swimming sounds like good fun Scout - you'll have to get a video of TS doing cannonballs for posterity! I hope that you are ok and feeling a little better after last week.

Hideously busy at work so haven't been on here much, hope all of the tearoomers are having a good week!

just running through to yell "Happy Burns night!" and do this:
[bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile][bgrin][bsmile]

See you tomorrow - just got to add this one cos it looks so cool! [bhmm]

Night!

:o Thumb!

It's 07:30 here and JB has just woken up singing "Jingle Bells. Erm....,

That's okay JM, TS still has some wrapped Christmas presents from Christmas. I was just going to open them and incorporate the gifts as & when (the remaining presents are from Fr Christmas and my family so I know what they are) but TS spied them before I could and shouted "SANTA!" Oh dear.

I won't tell you what those Burns Smilies look like to me....

happy burns night! Glad you are all well, sorry to be absent, very busy at work but all well here. Love the swimming too, it's a great thing to do together isn't it Scout!
UniS you must be off skiing soon? I think that'll be ace! lots more snow apparently

Ah no scout, g'wan, what do they look like to you? [bconfused][bgrin]?

JM - miniThumb has been singing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg.." for weeks now. Tis getting wearing!
Mind you, the whole "am I on Santa's naughty list?" thing is slowly wearing off (although he put me on it the other day for making him go to the loo, FGS!!)
[bgrin]

at miniThumb putting you on the naughty list. Small Bean was playing with his castle the other day and the princess was in the dungeon and all of the horses were in the camper van 'thinking about their behaviour'!!!

I hate being cold!!!!

Me, too.

Any one for cake??

Or beef, barley and root vegetable stew? Yum...

On second thought, I'd rather have cake. What kind?

PMSL @ horses in camper van thinking about their behaviour :o

We'll have the stew then JM

I refuse to work tonight.
Tomorrow is a training day.

Yum - cake for me please. Not at all fussy what sort of cake it is.

Stew and cake coming right up. I think it's lemon shortbread pie. Or at least, I wish it were.

This cake is very yummy, has nothingthat you are intolerant of and virtually no calories either.

, do help your self to a slice.

Mines coffee ( with out any walnut) .

2 sleeps to go. Well 1.5 sleeps really as have to be at airport at stupid O'clock.

Greetings from the snowy north ! It is beautiful and white here, and not too cold (-9C). I love being in the land of plentiful provision for food allergy - being able to ask casually for gf bread in any restaurant never fails to please me ! Home tonight though.

Have found someone who would be thrilled to have some of Toddler's baby clothes. I need to get them out of my house (they're staring at me, making me sad). Feel they'll have a loving home but as it won't be another Scout baby wearing them.

This is a big step.

Oh, it is, it's a huge step :(
I'm so sorry. ((((((((HUG)))))))

They are going to a friend who is unexpectedly pregnant after getting rid of all of her baby things (her youngest is a daughter & 10 months older than Toddler) thinking they weren't going to have any more babies. She's having a boy and seemed moved to tears when I offered her clothes, etc., to help. So I'm happy that Toddler's lovely BabyScout clothes are going to a home that will love and appreciate them. As we talked about it today she said she understood how hard it is getting rid of things and that the offer is really appreciated and gratefully received AND I'll have the added bonus of seeing the baby getting lots of use out of the clothes. YAY!

The thought of knowing who they're going to and how welcome they are has made it much easier to swallow. For someone who's not broody and perfectly okay with never having another BabyScout why is this so difficult?!

Oooh! CMOT - when did you get to Finland? Have you seen the auroroa?

• I would be very jealous!

CMOT - I hope you had chance to visit the Moomin shop? I was there with work when pregnant with Small Bean and came home with an enormous cuddly Moomin - lots of fond memories.

Has anyone got nice plans for the weekend? Is it o'clock yet?

Donki - how did your training day go?

(((hugs))) Scout - it is a big step.

I think, bean, it's ALWAYS o'clock.