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.

Scout - I'm sorry I must have missed something, I hadn't realised that you'd resigned your Guiding posts.

I do sympathise with trying to do any sort of regular activity though - is there anything on a Saturday or Sunday that you could try?

Actually, bean, I'm not sure I made it public on here. Yes, I've given them up, effective the end of this term (Guides) and July/end of next term (Seniors). I need a medically induced break. I've done it for 30 years so don't feel guilty for looking after myself. But I would like to do something for myself -- something where I'm not responsible for Toddler and I'm not responsible for the health/safety/well-being of off-spring who aren't mine.

Weekends are just as challenging as the week -- we're regularly down at the inlaws (birthdays, holidays such as Easter, etc). I might just have to stomp my foot a bit or find something during the day that has a creche.

Aww Scout - I hope that resigning your Guiding wasn't too sad for you - it's been a long time. I hope you can find something good to do for just you that fits around your family.

I shall persevere with tap until it becomes apparent that I can't cope; or until my sciatica kicks in, whichever happens first. Flamenco brought on the sciatica after a few months; hoping this won't but you never know.

Hurrah for Small bean's 4th birthday success :)

It's very chilly here (ok, so it's still 18deg but it's meant to be summer!) and pouring with rain and I had to take miniThumb to his swimming class this morning - in an outdoor pool (albeit heated to 32deg). He was NOT happy. But in the end he got on with it - he was the only one who turned up so had a half hour private lesson, which was quite good for him really as he never got the chance to reflect on any issues, just had to get on with it.
I actually have my woolly jumper on! Indoors!! We're going to do some baking in a minute, haven't decided on pink biscuits or hot cross buns yet. :)

Meh. I think I'm getting DS's and DH's cold. Woke up with a sore throat. Nooooooooooooooo.... we have to get on a plane on Monday!! Going to Totonto to visit my mum for ten days. Ahhhh bliss, mum love... nooooooooo!!!! to the cold.

I have joined the gym - and been to a pilates class there - will go back, although I can't next week as DH is out playing. However, I've been having a go at the Wii fit whilst he's been out... with no one else there its fine! And I've managed to get top scores in some of the games - MT's not going to be happy! He likes the gym though as I got him membership at the same time (not expensive per month for children) and its got a nice pool.

Scout - sounds a good idea to me - do you have anywhere nearby that has a creche whilst you can do somethign for yourself? I can't remember how soon nursery places kick in for you - is that on the horizon yet?

JM - hope it goes quickly and that the flight's ok. I did a antenatal yoga class when I was pregnant - enjoyed it - and someone came along to photograph it for the newspapers - but I think that seeing around 15 - 20 ladies in various states of bumpfulness trying to do 'the tree' probably would have had everyone in fits of laughter

Who turned on winter and who gave them permission to?!?!

The same person who turned our sun off. I don't like that person.

It's a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase, it's just a phase.

The YD is being bloody awkward at the moment. He is driving me/us round the bend.

He will not listen/follow instructions.

Aaaaaaargh!

If it makes you feel any better I wanted to sell Toddler today, too. He got out of his high chair, turned around and sat on the tray -- straight onto his plate of pasta twirls with red sauce. It's funny now, not so much at 4:30 this afternoon.

how about some carrot vodka with carrot crisps ?

Scout, I think that you deserve a bit of decompression time, esp over the next year. And cutting down the IL time would give you a lot more relaxed time. Will TS be going to the nursery that he went to before during your treatments ?

Last week when I was away, one of the tyres on my car (DH had it) blew out. Last night I was away, and the gas fire stopped working. Is someone trying to tell me something ?

It will pass Donki (honest) but it's so, so frustrating. I feel like a broken record sometimes.

Scout - I had to at TS sitting in his dinner - I'm sorry! For what it's worth I tend to agree with CMOT that there is a case for putting yourself (and the Scout family) first for a while.

MT - Pilates sounds good - and I love 'bumpfulness'!!!

CMOT - are you at home this week or traveling again?

I hope you feel better JM. Small Bean has horrible croupy/chesty cough . He's fine in himself but it's horrible to listen to him hacking away.

It was only a one night trip this week - the office is 150 miles away and I needed to visit some engineers to do with my new products. This generated lots more work to do. Bah.

Those croupy coughs are yuck. DS coughs continually from September to April, and it rarely bothers him, but it does me

Thankyou CMOT and Scout!

They can be challenging at times, can't they? Someone has started a thread on here asking about the terrible twos, do all children go through them - and it is indescribably relieving to know that other children wait until they are 4 or so to start (I know you all told me on here as well :)) with the brattish behaviour.
Having said that, miniThumb seems a little better since taking him to preschool, even just one day a week - dropped him there this morning and he was fine, barely had the time to say goodbye to me! Very happy for him.
I have no idea what to do if he does get much worse though, tbh. Will have to cross that bridge when we get to it.

Could croupy coughs be asthma-related? I suppose it depends how long they last.

It has now been raining for 3 days straight. While I am very happy that it's not hot, the rain is tedious and slowing me down from doing things I need to, like bedlinen washes. I prefer to hang them outside to dry if possible but no chance at the moment - in fact, hanging them inside wouldn't get them dry at the mo because there is too much moisture in the air and our washroom has a concrete floor, so stays damp.

YoungDonkey and The Girl are at an age that can be utterly, head-bangingly exasperating very demanding of parental time and patience, Donki.

::Strokes your eyes in a way that suggests solidarity and fellow-feeling::

Argh. That should have said ears. Stroking eyes would just be creepy.

I've done it -- I've given away Toddler's newborn and young baby clothes. Feel a vague sense of relief, actually.

Donki - yesterday morning, MC was doing low-key arguing before school - or statements that were blatantly untrue. He continued in the car. At one point I suggested I think that he should change his ideal job to road sweeper (not that there is anything wrong with that worthy profession, but it possibly takes a little less accademic dedication than surgeon which is still at the top of the list) due to his innability to listen and actually hear what was said and remember it... And things continued in the same light going into school - and he implied I'd been slow getting up the stairs whereas, in fact I'd gone straight up just not pushed past lots of people on the way... he then (when I remonstrated) mimed to his friends that I was going on talking at him and I wasn't standing for that and told him very quietly what the consequences would be - the culmination of this was that I walked off effectively abandonning him as I was so furious at his behaviour. I stomped most of the way through school before I decided that I had better go and apologise to his teachers about his anticipated behaviour - but by the time I got up there he was nearly in tears so we made up. I'm VERY pleased to say that today was MUCH better! On a side note, I was thinking we'll have to work out when small animals might be at the farm that we didn't visit when we met up - and perhaps sort out a day at the weekend when we might be able to do a combined visit....

Snow on the tops round here this morning - and wonderfully sunny day - but very cold. It is about time that we had a decent cold snap though - hopefully will kill off some bugs in the garden.

Well done Scout! (x post) - I'm getting there!

Is anyone around for some Friday evening ?

Work is not going well at the moment either which doesn't help. I have got myself into a spiral of too much to do (partly own fault, partly works for expecting too much) leading to panic attacks which means I don't get more work done.....etc......

Not good. nor does it help with dealing with an obstreperous YD

[expletive of your choice]

Would an ear rub help as well?

Ear rubs are always soothing, thanks Scout

It must be a carrot sort of cake day I think ? And some twiglet a la mode perhaps ?

Mmmm, cake.