Episode 33 - The Orangery - Tea anyone?

[mistlethrush]

The tearoom has traveled back to the Orangery for another visit. There are bluebells in the nearby woods, and Mellors has Earl Grey and Lady Grey ready for some excursions. Mellors has, indeed, been overwintering away from Canada for some reason - I think he's been helping Maud out in the garden. There are tulips out in urns outside, and there are a few tables out in the sunny courtyard for use between showers.

Whether you have one child or several, pull up a chair and share a or a . The only rules remains no fisticuffs.

Tea - My sympathies. The tube is already horrendous in the mornings and I dread to think what it will be like during the Olympics.

::Bah humbug emoticon::

Don't know much about Enid Blyton as I don't let her books in the house but the Enid Blyton name thread is fun.

Maud, why not? [nosey]

I do not miss my London commute. I know MrScout will not work in his London office during the Olympics. I have other friends who live/work in London who are either going to work from home or get out of dodge or both.

Well, obviously I did have to let them in the house because people sometimes gave them to The Girl as gifts and I'm not mean enough to dispose of her presents, but I would never buy them. I suppose it's a hangover from my youth, when we were discouraged from reading Enid Blyton because they were not regarded as good writing, and that's without even thinking about the golliwogs and other outdated attitudes (although I understand that the golliwogs have been removed from modern editions).

I grew out of them when I was about 6 so they weren't common in this household either. Swallows and Amazons much better, and the Phoenix books. etc etc - so many better options.

Tbh I prefer it from when I used to drive everyday but... At this time of year Paris becomes a bit Disney like which is fine if you are in holiday mood too and fun at weekends... but trying to get to work appointments is a bit of a drag....

Yes, it was a mercifully short-lived thing here too. It's now all about Cornelia Funke and Gerald Durrell.

Ah, yes, must get the Durrell out - did you ever read the Talking Parcel? Luckily I still have my copy - its wonderful!

Enid B - I hated her books as a child I found them stale and dreary - I was a Roald Dahl gal.... but am on and off (we are not good at sticking to one book) reading the far away tree to Milk and we both like it... Although it is an updated one with non-rude names and no references to anything remotely racist... Milk gushes at all the food in it! My English lecturer at uni said "Blyton is Mills and Boons for children.... But she uses food instead of sex." he he he

Err, no. I'd already read all his autobiographical books before that one was published.

Maud - me too I think!

oh I am out of place in tea room tonight .. I love London esepcially in the summer and I love Enid B. We are reading Famous Five a lot (all those kidnapped children! All that food porn for those on rationining!)

Secret Seven are inexplicably enchanting to Oxboy since they are really rather dull - seven rather prissy children meet in shed eating biscuits and having meetings about nothing - whole book building a bonfire and making a guy interspersed with burglary by Dodgy Geezer but I loved it then and OxBoy loves it now - its sort of Famous Five for the Dull Suburban Child

if you're liking Faraway Tree try Wishing Chair too - and my entire school view was set by Mallory Towers....

Also read Durrell - esp Talking Parcel - and Roald Dahl - I am loving finding my old books and reading those again, very lovely

don't know Cornelia Funke

and getting slightly nervous about Olympics but am just assuming that all Londoners will Stay Away and so it might be nice and quiet ?!

I rather liked EB books, I liked adventure stories... loved Swallows and Amazons once I discovered them, but that wasn't till I was 11.
Currently reading
a- Mike Pannet's latest, "just the job, lad" and
b- Todd McCaffery's " dragon girl"

Have borrowed the first 2 of the beastquest series for boy to try. Think they will be a shared read as lots of random fantasy/ mythological names...

I like Cornelia Funke- esp "thief lord" but I think she's aiming for readers of 10ish + wasn't so keen on inkhearrt, its good, but not my cup of tea. Another set of books that seem to be going down well with 10/11 yr old girls is Julia Goldings Cat Royal books " Diamond of Dury Lane" , "Cat o nine tails" etc

::gets on with the daily bosom-clasping::

Oh, don't get me wrong, Oxeye. I love London and doubt I could bear to live anywhere smaller and duller else but I get very grumpy at the way the place is cluttered up by burger-chomping, litter-dropping tourists who don't know how to work the ticket barriers on the Tube and concuss you with their backpacks when they turn round to consult the map for the zillionth time.

UniS - mc has enjoyed those over the last year. He's also enjoyed diary of a wimpy kid, and the 'how to train your dragon' series. A lot.

Oxeye - if he likes the 'gang' things, we read one of the 'bare bottom gang' books that mc LOVED and found incredibly funny due to some of the words it uses (eg 'bottom' !!!) Sort of up to date version of the secret seven !

Nah. I'm talking about those rucksacks that are taller than the person carrying them and heavier too as I keep finding out to my cost!

::joins in general clasping::

I think one of the keys to my joy of london is the fact I rarely go anywhere by tube.

If the Bare Bottom Gang occasionally say "fart" as well we'll be in heaven. Totally rocking that Finbar Sauders gene, my one

I woke up (if you can say that because I barely slept) in a really bad mood. Someone, please, snap me out of it otherwise Toddler and I will spend the day clashing.

oxeye - I think that you might find all your wishes come true! I know I read it to DS last year - and he actually had to look at the book before he accepted that certain words had actually been written down in there! Definitely going to see if I can find another one or two.

I loved Enid Blyton as a child and used to read Malory Towers under my desk at school when I'm sure I should have been doing something else. I begged my parents to let me go to boarding school as I was convinced it was far more fun than a rather grey northern primary school.

Scout - Secret Seven were similar to Famous Five but slightly less involved. My favourite was the 'Seven' dressing up as snowmen and spending the night standing in a field in order to rescue a stolen racehorse . Hope you have a good day with TS, nothing wrong with an easy day just pottering if you are feeling grumpy!

Maud - I have been one of those tourists with the giant backpacks . Had to be helped up once in a station because I bent down to tie a shoe lace, overbalanced with the weight and ended up like a stranded upside tortoise!!!

Tea - I will wave at you next week on the metro - can't wait to be on holiday after a couple of weeks of being all over the place.

Small Bean has had his first visits to Big school. He really enjoyed it and i think he will do ok if he remembers to stop talking once in a while. I shed a few tears though getting his uniform yesterday [wuss emoticon].

I have just made some low-carb 'corn bread' if anyone would like some - it's weirdly nice. Oh, and a .

I've just got mc a whole lot of sports uniform for junior school next year - luckily jumpers etc are all the same, but the sports stuff is different and extensive. Thank heavens for the 2nd hand uniform option - and the mothers that are happy to buy it all new and therefore supply the 2nd hand uniform for the less extravagant like me!

?

Yes please to .

Is MC going to a completely different site with different teachers etc. or will there be some continuity? Is he looking forward to it?

Yes, completely different site, new teachers. The only continuity will be that the sports teachers have been coming down to do PE with them on a Friday morning from the big school site. He's had 4 visits up there - the last one very positive, and he is now looking forward to it and doesn't seem as worried as he was. It is on a completely different scale and there are LOTS of children - something like 300 in the four junior school years, plus all the seniors too - although they're somewhat segregated, just sharing a few of the facilities (eg pool, sports fields and cafeteria.