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.

Training day was OK - much better than the CPD meeting yesterday after school. Which was universally thought to be dire.

Thankyou for asking:)

Definitely o'clock.

There is carrot cake on the side, with a delicious tangy, creamy frosting. Help youselves!

Anyone around tonight?

Unis flits through breifly. blowing kisses and carrots indiscriminately round teh tea room.

Whooooooosh

And UniS skis off again. Love this southern Alpine location.

Have a lovely holiday Unis!

I'm around Scout, can I pour you a ? Or offer some vegetable curry? It's very quiet here at the moment.

It is a big step, Scout. It just is. Maybe you could do a deal - swap the clothes for some ?

Thanks for the .

Speaking of steps, Maud, please tell Girl fanfare is still a hit.

Have gone through several bags of TS's clothes and have come up with two kitchen bags worth of clothes (size newborn to 12 mos) for friend. That's not including all of the stuff I pulled out for being too stained/worn/etc. That's a bit overwhelming for someone, isn't it?

I will, Scout!

Two bags is generous but, if they are all sizes from newborn to 12 months, then probably not too much. We had/have no tumble drier so The Girl and I both own heaps of clothes because the laundry takes so long to dry in cold/wet weather. Add in all the extra laundry when babies are covering themselves in food or playdo or worse and you need plenty!

They are all sizes newborn to 12 months. A couple of things still have tags on them. Even found a couple of big furry fleecy all-in-one coats that take up a lot of space in a bag. She has commented on several occassions that she likes TS's outfits/clothes and how "cute little boy" he looks, and how she likes the clothes we get from the States, so in a lot of ways I enjoyed going through things for her knowing that she would probably like the outfits. I think if the items were laid out flat (not folded in a bag) it wouldn't look nearly so overwhelming. They're just tall kitchen bin liners, not proper bin bags.

Oh dear, skating parties not necessarily safe for adults :(.

Scout - that is a big step, well done for taking it. I still have all miniThumb's stuff and keep wondering when I'm going to take the same step. Not just yet but soon enough, probably :(

CMOTD - am v. of the Finland trip - I'd love to go to a Moomin shop! And see the Aurora borealis.

UniS - oh there she goes, whooshing past on the slopes, having a grand time!

JM - ouchy! hope it gets better soon.

Ouch JM - sounds very sore!

Small Bean and Mummy Bean are on our own this weekend. Just stopped for coffee in the middle of doing jobs. So far he has been given chocolates at the hairdresser and biscuits at the garage - if we carry on like this I won't need to feed him at all today! >

Took a bag of onsies and babygros to the charity bin today. Oddly I felt nothing doing it then felt that I felt nothing. Did rescue Toddler's first fake-- crocs from the bag, though, and put them in the special keepsake box along with his first swim trunks (which were already in the keepsake box). He couldn't walk when he had the first crocs but he had them for camp and the beach to protect his feet when he was crawling and cruising. They're so tiny compared to his shoes now. I just couldn't get rid of them.

How are you today, JM?

Happy skiing, UniS!

thumb -- did you take all of the stuff with you from the UK to Oz?

Home now - this week was Switzerland Tues/Weds, thence to Helsinki for Thursday and Friday. No northern lights , though I have seen them elsewhere. Moomin shop was duly visited, and ds has an enamel moomin mug and Moomintroll toy - he is vvvv happy.

I had a lovely hack out for an hour today at the stables dpony is moving to, as did ds (on one of their ponies) - very relaxed now, and ds is asleep.

and cinnamon buns for all

Oooo Moomins and and cinnamon buns sounds ideal to me! Thanks! Will add for those in need. And twiglets.

I'm such an idiot. Went snowshoeing with friends this morning. Made plans weeks ago. Didn't want to disappoint anyone. Though the exercise would help once the ibuprofen kicked in.

Let me just say... no. It didn't.

Scout, I did - because everything here is vastly more expensive and worse quality than what I could get in the UK. Every time we go back it's a bit of a mammoth shopping expedition for miniThumb - I do buy clothes here for him when I have to but the quality is noticeably inferior. So yes, I did - because we were also hoping, expecting that another baby would come along soon, so we'd need them again. Have all the baby stuff as well - cot, playpen, all that - just no baby for it. :(

Even more of the moomin shopping now! My brother worked in Finland for a while (well, he mostly worked in the UK but for a Finnish company so had to go out there a few times - and he brought me back a baseball cap with Little My on it - I'm sure he thought he was being humorous.

JM - ouch! And tut.

You should know better, Young Lady. How are you feeling now?

Thumb, Toddler gets stocked up when we go to the US so I understand.

Yes I really should. Am now paying for stupidity.

JM - If you follow my appalling example and never stray from the sofa, you will be far safer and also several stone overweight.

Come and join me in the outdoor jacuzzi JM. I am also stiff and sore after a really good ride yesterday followed by two days of running with pony.

It is cold here - the cats are in front of the fire, the rabbit is in bed with ds, and I've raided the chocolate cupboard

Can anyone join the pool party?

Absolutely !

My finnish colleagues were trying to get us to go to their office parties, and it did take some time for the penny to drop that the sauna and jacuzzi experience at the summer party didn't involve clothing. Even sex segregated, I am still not sure I am ready to see quite so much of my colleagues...

How are you Maud ? Reading anything good atm ?

Ah, bliss! Gardening in cold weather always makes my back ache.

Years ago, I had to convince our [female] senior director that holding the women managers' get-together in the Covent Garden Sanctuary would possibly not encourage women to attend.

Well, I finished One Day, The Book of Lost Things and The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency and am now reading The Long Goodbye, which I love. I just bought the Guernsey Potato Pie etc book from the hospital bookshop, as a friend recommended it. And you?

Is there anymore room in there?

CMOT - I had a similar experience in the Nordics... not at all comfortable with seeing my colleagues or them seeing me 'au naturelle'.

I have just spent an hour ordering plants online (most satisfying) and trying to imagine the weather being good enough to get back out in the garden.