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.

Eek for laminitis prone ponies.... 'Tis a bad time of year for them, when the autumn flush of grass arrives. :(

Bean - has he got a friend who has a balance bike that he could borrow a bit? That's how mc learned to balance so easily - because he didn't need to pedal at the same time.

Would anyone care for a and some ginger cake?

Small Bean was delivered to school this morning and it was fine. It was all quite 'matter of fact', his teacher took him off to sit with his class and that was it. All very friendly and apart from a little wobble Small Bean seemed fine. I managed to keep it together despite being an enormous emotional wuss at things like this.

(((beanandspud))) yes please to tea and cake.

Ds doesn't go back until tomorrow - he's arriving back with my parents today - need to do last minute nametaping tonight, although I did the brunt of it last night.

well done on your first school run bean, here have some cake.

Not sure about getting a kid off stabilizers, never done it you see. Key thing I've seen in other children has been that they WANTED to get rid of stabilizers because their friends / brothers etc were all on 2 wheels. A few crashes and bumps are to be expected.

A slight downward slope on grass is the best way - start by launching them gently towards another adult, and increase the distance. A couple of hours on grass and you are done

Thanks all! He had a fab day but is absolutely shattered. I hope all goes well for MC tomorrow.

Will try the 'bike on a slope' method - hadn't really thought of that, up until now we have been running along trying to hold him up .

I think any big change like that they can get really tired. mc's been very physically active all summer hols and it was first day today and he went to sleep very quickly tonight!

I have jasmine tea and lemon cake - any takers?

ohh, jasmine cake and lemon tea, perfect.

care for a double choc n cranberry muffin in exchange?
MCs old sandals STILL fit boy - JUST.! he chose to warfter school as he didn;t ant to tie any more laces. lace tieing has been mastered more or less now. Hurrah.

Yes please to all of the above!

Any exciting plans for the weekend?

so - I have been offered ( in a vauge way) some tickets to watch a big cycle sport event at the other end of the country, on a weekend that DH is not around ( work, parts foreign) ... Boy would love it , I'd like it... I'm seriously considering pulling boy out of school, flying several hundred miles and going to this event with boy... someone pinch me and tell me to wake up and smell the coffee.

I guess task one is find out how much they want for these tickets...

Unis, wake up and book the tickets . Sounds like good fun. Can you let us know what the event is?

I have done a couple of similar 'adventures' with Small Bean where we have travelled somewhere (DH working etc.) and it has always been great.

If the event is in the direction of my end of the country, mc would love to see you and we have a spare bedroom.

I'm afraid that the next pair of sandals is only fit for the bin - they have holes in the soles underneath. I do have the next set of trainers and a pair of school shoes (not much worn) of the same make - I had hoped that they would fit still but they don't :(

DH is playing Wagner all weekend so mc and I are doing our own things. Homework done (it was only reading)

Further North, much further north, do we have any one in the Tea Room living near Glasgow??

Closest relatives I have to there are the other side of Stirling.

I'll be asking the offering school mum about dates/ sessions and price on monday.

That's a shame Unis although Glasgow is one of my favourite cities with a lot of very fond memories.

[without giving too much away I wonder whether your relatives live close to my in-laws?]

Would you like a ?

UniS - Giraffes is from around that neck of the woods I think... she might have some suggestions (I know that she's not in here....)

Definitely Giraffes, she's oop North :)
Maybe start a thread or PM her? From the threads I've been or lurked on, she's just lovely.

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. Hopefully without infecting anyone with the nastiest summer cold ever. Bleurgh.

We are going away for a week tomorrow, to Palm Springs, CA. DH got a freebie through a rewards credit card he has. Only I'm feeling too ill to pack. I'm fine while I'm lying down, and when I get up, it all goes downhill :(

Palm Springs? Wow!

::imagines the great Frank singing by the pool::

UniS - I would go, as long as the tickets aren't too ruinous.

Went to local RHS place with mc yesterday as a bit of a treat (he's started off term well, we were effectively on our own this weekend and he's actually been helping some of the time) and found they had a plant sales day on. MC would have bought something at each stall given a chance. We did, however, pick up a very nicelooking hardy bamboo which I think we will put in a large container in the corner of the patio so that the neighbours (who have just raised the level of their patio on the otherside of the wall) can't look over the resultant no longer high enough wall. We also got some hardy agapanthus and some advice for my parents regarding them (they've lost some recently in the frozen south) and a grass that mc's going to have in a pot. And a pitcher plant complete with drowning fly. I think that the pitcher plant will have to be kept on a strict diet otherwise mc will be feeding it on a regular basis!!!

just found out a friend has died of pneumonia - she wasn't much older than me.

(((((((mistle)))))))))

That's so sad :(

(Just to briefly update, we're here in PS, and my cold's better. Can't say the flight helped but maybe the monstrous heat has. Unusually, for this area, it's very humid. Ick. DS of course loves the pool.)

Sending you big hugs MT - that's very sad. Hope you are ok.

thanks all... there's a huge number of people all remembering her fondly