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.

::Totters in with a platter of Twiglet Thermidor::

Wow, that was an epic day. Really great. Our moving crew was simply fab. We actually had a lot of fun. About 90% of our stuff is in the new house. All the plants are here. :o Notably, most of the food is not. So we have to make another run over to the old house before we call it a night. It's 19:40 here. The old house is exactly a mile away :)

Way to go, Jacksmania!

Oooh is there any veuve left?

JM Hurrah for the new house! I hope you've had a good first night.

I'll go and have a look to see if there's a picture of the garden...

Hurrah for JM.

pass that twiglet thermistor would you?

I've still not quite drunk ALL the wine,Mellors is helping with top ups.

I think I might have drunk most of the wine [hic]!

Happy New Home JM! I haven't had chance to look at your link yet but I will once I get wifi instead of this silly phone.

Small Bean has just gone to bed. He has found some other children to play with and has had an absolutely fantastic evening playing with them on the hotel terrace. One of those evenings that we will look back at with fond memories, I'm never sure how holidays will work or whether DH and I will end up as the 24hr entertainment committee but the last few days have proved otherwise. In a silly way it had also allayed some of my fears of having a 'lonely only'.

Is there any wine left?

At this point, moving has lost its charm. Please note: I mean the process of shifting untold piles of crap - unbelievably more crap than I actually thought we had - but not the house. The house is still fab :o

I'm so tired. Our house looks like someone dumped all our stuff in it, shook it a bit, stirred the contents round once or twice and then said "here you are, try putting that back into some semblance of order".

I think I might feel better after some sleep and a bunch of ibuprofen for my poor aching bones.

Kir and twiglet surprise anyone?

Yes please MT!

JM, hope all is ok, if it is small consolation our house often seems as if the contents have been stirred up. Hopefully after a good nights sleep things will be better (and less achey).

I've still not unpacked all of our boxes... My excuse is that I was ill when we moved....

Holy cow! My house no longer looks shaken and stirred! It looks like a house!!! Like a gorgeous fabulous wonderful real house!!!!!!!

The fact that I got about four hours sleep last night and my feet and legs are aching like a rotten tooth somehow fails to matter to me right now :o

JM - you're very welcome to come over and work your magic on mine... not yet got on top of it (9 years on )

Could I recover from mine first? :o

all round ?

Oh yes, definitely .

Have I mentioned I have a built-in wine rack in the side of the kitchen island?

I love my house. :o :o :o

Ooooh all round then!

Our wine rack is in the Wine Cellar (look closely at the initials!). Its the most even temperature in the house.

JM - of course! TBF, I'm going to have to have a bit of a go at it at the weekend as my parents are arriving on Wednesday evening and the spare room's in a state at the moment.

mistle :o
That made me

::Staggers in::

Is that a private snog or can anyone join in?

::Puckers up::

Scones anyone? Mc's just made some... they were a bit wet but not too bad - he's entering into the 'men only' class in the local show. I'm putting some desert apples in. (not into the scones, there's a specific class!)

::staggers in under suitcases of dirty holiday washing::

::contemplates unpacking bags::

:: opens instead and hopes that it's not too late for the general puckering::

::accepts scones gratefully::

Got back from holiday last night having had a fabulous two weeks in the sun. Small Bean has been a joy most of the time and this was the first year that we felt we could take him out for 'grown up' meals in the evening which was lovely, and he strangely discovered a liking for Chinese food which was most unexpected!

He also made friends with some of the other children and demanded to go off to the mini club for a couple of hours each morning which, despite feeling a bit odd at first, meant that I read seven books (unheard of since pre-Bean days).

The garden is a disaster though, if we had a local show I would be exhibiting, erm, nothing much at all .

The tomatoes have been rubbish (usually I have made tonnes of chutney, sauces and jam by now), I have had just enough raspberries for one batch of jam, the slugs got the lettuce and the strawberries were non-existent. I am pinning my last hopes on some baby aubergines in the greenhouse and the beetroot!

However, it's Saturday night and there is curry of choice on the go if anyone would like to join me?

I love curry, especially all the extras. Are there any chickpea dishes? And extra rice?

Impressed by wine cellar, in whichever room. Have just finished last bottle last night.

Tomorrow taking this summer's chicks, with which Wriggle has played all summer (you should see them on the trampoline with her) to the chicken auction. Am rather . Especially since I know - and she doesn't - that the boys' chances of a long life are slim. (Pictures on profile.)

Have been lurking but not talking as RL is taking up all my mental energy (and a bit more).

LaBelle, yes, we have chickpeas along with onion bhaji and samosas. Pass your plate .

Hope you are ok?

Bearing up, thanks. Life is being strange and difficult, but we are managing. So far, so good.

::Holds out plate hopefully::

Where were your sunny holidays?

Just in Spain, nothing particularly glamorous but was good to have some time together (I managed not to put DH's Blackberry at the bottom of the pool) and it was a nice break before Small Bean starts school this week.

Are you back at work this week? How is Wiggle? The pics on your profile are lovely, I do hope chick-day tomorrow goes ok.

:: tops up ::

evening, after you with the washing machine bean... also back from hols. 100 miles cycled in 4 days. took 2 days off bikes in the middle. Boy rode the lot on his own bike. he didn't even walk up the hills ( just took a few "breathers" on the steepest ones) . Just found out that school goes back on wed not Tuesday as I had thought.. unexpected extra day!

Village show ( this village) in 2 weeks, must get a schedule and see what looking show able.. Toms I hope, and carrots. perhaps cucumbers and courgettes. Will also do bread, see If I can get another 3rd to complete the triple.

wasabi peas? anyone.