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.

LBD - will have a think - Unis might be able to help... but this looks an interesting page when I got there.... link

bean, We didn't apply for tickets for the regular Olympics. MrScout is so not into the whole thing (and sports in general) that it felt like a waste of time/money to even try (even though I'd have loved to go). I need to go to the bank and move some money then I'll see if there are still tickets for the Paralympics. Even though tickets are cheaper I'd still only want to go to something that Toddler and/or I love. Over a week into the Olympics if he sees swimming, diving or gymnastics on the television he gets excited and climbs onto my lap to watch so if there are still Paralympic swimming tickets available I'll go for it.

Play dates are like London buses -- none for ages and then two in one day! We're going swimming with a friend and the after going up to the soft play in the center to meet up with other friends (who aren't that into swimming).

MrScout is away overnight tonight for work. Toddler is already showing signs of "not enough sleep" so here's hoping we have a good day and bedtime is on the earlier side (and smooth) so I can have a bit of peace this evening.

(Hehehehe, on a side note, Toddler just said "Thank you. Very clever Mommy." because I fixed a kink in his train track. High praise indeed. On Friday he said "Thank you Mommy. You've been very helpful." because I sat on the floor with my legs bent over a track to be another tunnel (he only has one and wanted two).)

music for apples.... DH did sing something that may be appropriate ...

The second song of the three is called apple apple. this is it on its own.

Dressage Freestyle today.... I am getting all excited. I will only be watching online this evening as the YD has had enough of me looking at horses and ignoring him! (I watched the live coverage of the Dressage on Tuesday and was riveted much to the YDs disgust)

Having said that he was brilliant at the three day event cross country. What an experience - mild glitches (queues for the water points), but on the whole extremely well organised, and security was efficient, swift, and good humoured (!) ... and staffed by servicefolk from all three services and many different units.
Watching the horses and riders jump was brilliant - seeing my heroes (Mary King and Toddy [showing age emoticon] go cross country. Mark Todd always looks like he is welded to the horse. Perhaps he is really a centaur?

By the end of the day, the YD was complaining that he was dying of walking (As we headed back to the station) - until I eventually told him to "die quietly then" But really, he coped very well.

glad you enjoyed it Donki!

MC has a slightly infected toe - probably where the nail has dug in a little and its got dirt in... I know when I get similar I prod around until I manage to locate the main infection so its punctured and that normally sorts it out (with some judicial squeezing) but its rather sore for him to do that... any good ideas? (sorry for the eeuuuuughhh )

Tea tree oil?

Soaking the foot in dilute saline (or just water) would soften the nail, which might make it easier?

::Waves wearily:: Finding that running and managing a 6-year old is very very hard work; cheeky, defiant, knows everything better, on pricipal will not do as I ask, screeches at everone, paticularly M.Beau, who then loses his temper and is vile to everone (ie me and the dog, never Wriggle ) and then, just when I am losing my reason, she collapses in tears because 'I'm still me'. Please tell me this doesn't last forever. Where is lovely Wriggle?

LBD - from my experience of mc, I wonder whether there's something completely different on her mind? Mc was obnoxious last summer hols when he had been frustrated with school - had another similar summer half term when he was unsettled about the move to junior school next year....

Donki - thanks will try them

Having complained publicly about Wriggle , today she has been perfect. Spent the day at Weymouth, on the beach, with a 5-year-old friend. (Tall, blond, handsome and male - what more could any girl want? They are going to get married and live in a three-some with her Really Best Friend.)

I can't believe MC is going to junior school ...

must have beena day for great 6 year olds. Boy was fab too. he's very excited about teh festival happening in our village this weekend, planning on going to workshops and entering dance competitions... he even asked me to "hob nail" his old school shoes with drawing pins! as Tap shoes are not allowed in the competition.

Just popping in to say how impressed I am that Wriggle helped to make Olympic posies. I am currently wrestling with whether (and how much) I want to buy one of the roses.

Mistle - Saline is indeed the thing for infected toes.

I hope that MC's toe is feeling better today. We have been having fund at Brimham Rocks. Fabulous place for an active day out - and the bilberries are still in season. The YD came home with blue hands, blue face and dark blue tongue...

My hands were just as bad - and there are 2lbs of bilberries in the fridge.

Hope that MC's toe is better, is he enjoying his Summer so far?

LaBelle, your post made me - it's lovely when you have days like that, the horrible days seem less important. Did she do the posies for the winners in the end?

Donki - I haven't been to Brimham Rocks for, ehem, donkey's years . It would be good to go again. For some strange reason I remember the dancing bear and the anvil, would that be right?

I have waved at many of you on my travels over the last couple of weeks. Unis, I was near you on Thursday (but unfortunately I was with a colleague so couldn't invite myself round for tea!). And I waved at CMOT as I drove back up - 7.5 hours to get home last night wasn't much fun though.

Small Bean is looking forward to his holidays though - he has packed his carry-on case and is planning to spend two weeks in the swimming pool by all accounts! His swimming has improved so much since he moved up a group and isn't with his best friend who possibly isn't a great influence on him any more.

So, it's Saturday night, would anyone join me for a ? What am I going to do when the Olympics finishes? I am loving the success of the Brits and the whole atmosphere in general.

MC's toe is much improved thanks. I took him to the shoe shop to get his school shoes and trainers confirmed as being OK for a couple more months - and, you guessed it - had to buy bigger ones (already ). The trainers we had to go up to a size 3 to get the width feeling OK (I'm hoping he stretches them so that they'll last longer - but I'm not going to count on it). Armed in the knowledge that he needed 3s I went with him to get studded boots for next term - and in the normal completely lacking in any customer service option, had to search for something that looked reasonable and had a box in the right size out on a shelf - and they were too small - and I ended up getting him size 4 . So if anyone's up in this direction and wants a pair of size 2 school shoes and size 2 trainers, neither of which have been worn for more than a term, please let me know.

I've not even contemplated home shoes for the moment - he can continue wearing sandals or wellies for at least a month!

The YD is a size 6....

(I blame the parents)

Crocs or bare feet chez nous, or wellies in winter. Why can't they wear crocs to school??

::clasps LaBelleDame to her ample embonpoint::

How lovely to see you. How goes it?

Bought school shoes yesterday, Small Bean is 11.5 and they look like clown feet . Was at the price though!

He has crocs and sandals at the moment, needs new trainers really but they can wait a few weeks until the weather turns.

Maud!! [joins in clasping] What do you know about gladioli? I planted about 60 bulbs and have grown some lovely leaves but not a flower in sight. What did I do wrong?

::extends the clasping to embrace Bean::

Hmm. I grow gladdies too, with mixed results. Gladiolus Byzantinus always do well, but the big showy ones don't. I think it may be because they don't get enough sun, and growing conditions have been worse than usual this year. I'll see whether the trusty RHS has any advice.

Nothing on the RHS website but some advice here.

He has to have 'school shoes' for school - based on experience, suitable for football during break and similar shoe-scarring experiences. He also needs studded boots, trainers and pumps for school. Given he does sports camps etc - because I work - he's sometimes in trainers for a whole day - so he has to get ones that fit decently which means they cost a similar amount to normal shoes.... I didn't have to spend as much on the studded boots though!

Donki - I don't put it past mc to match your ds's shoe size at a similar age

Things not going too well, Maud. AP is finding life very hard and her short-term memory seems to have given up. In fact, she seems to remember Germany and Austria rather than anything else very clearly, and of course they were awful times. Not sure how I feel about the fact that the part of her life with my childhood seems to be very unclear now (although she is perfectly rational to talk to and knows exactly who I am and can talk about politics, religion, etc quite normally). She is so down and miserable and afraid, though, and cries sometimes, which she has never done, all my life. I don't really know how one bears this, if there is a way out the other endand quite how I am going to get through the next day/morning/half hour (although I do, by pottering along, of course).

Anyway, far too depressing to share.

School shoes - why??? Of course, Wriggle doesn't play football, so doesn't need expensive tought shoes. I bought her a new pair just before then end of term when the top and sole of her shoes just peeled apart. She danced up and down the shoe shop saying 'Are they really new? Do mean no-one has ever had these shoes before?' while the assistants looked at me as if she is usually dressed in rags from bin bags ... actually, she does have a lot of clothes delivered in black plastic sacks by friends with older children ...

Oh dear, LaBelleDame. That is so sad. I wish there was something I could do for you. Did any of those sources of help which were, I think, in prospect a little while back amount to anything?

I just read The Hare With Amber Eyes which touches rather beautifully on some of these issues, but perhaps that's too close to home?

::proffers pain au chocolat in hopelessly inadequate gesture::