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.

[Donki]

Oh Dear God!
We've just had a double glazing salesman round. I do really sympathise with them in that it is a rubbish job, selling on commission, especially in the current climate.

BUT I asked him what the U-values of the windows he was offering were, and he was completely flummoxed. "The UV whats?". He hadn't a clue. Just how is a customer supposed to compare windows if they don't know how much heat the window allows to escape? Poor chap was embarrassed too when he realised how important it was...

Surely other people want to know these things, not just obstinate physics teachers?

[Jacksmania]

If camping involves sleeping in tents and on the ground, I couldn't cope with it, either, MT :)
My version of camping is in MIL's camper van. With soft sheets on the bed, and indoor plumbing. Although the said indoor plumbing is so small that [warning: I'm about to lower the tone] DH refuses to do a poo in there because he says he'd have to open the door to wipe his bum. Sorry :o but the first time he said that I nearly fell over laughing as he demonstrated how all 6'2" and 210 lbs of him fit, or rather, didn't fit, into the tiniest loo ever :o
JB grades the size of everything by "people-size" and "Jack-size". So when we recently inspected the camper van, with a view to taking it to our favourite campground in Southern Oregon this summer, JB said, "look, a Jack-sized loo!" He says he remembers going on our 2009 trip down to California in it, but I doubt he actually does. We'll be leaving July 14th and returning the 22nd. We're so excited.

May I raise the tone again by offering everyone some champagne? No reason. But I looked over at the drinks cart and observed Mellors serving champagne on the verandah to a gorgeous sunset.

[Jacksmania]

Donki, that would be my first question. Seriously. YANBU.

Champagne?

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Oh good grief. It's a long time time since I saw that picture of Mellors.

::goes to lie down on the fainting couch::

[UniS]

Hurrah, the kellogs free kids swim thing DOES include our localish pool. Now, if I could just find a time when I can take him swimming , in among all the other sporty activities he does.... We dropped swim classes for now, so he could so cricket ( an because I want him to be nearer to 7 before he starts stage 4.


Mellors REALLY needs to put some more clothes on, the poor man will catch his death....

LOL at Jack size loo.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

UniS - does Boy still do ballet? I was thinking of him today while buying ballet shoes.

[UniS]

Yep. He was such a PITA tantruming little horror this afternoon that I threatened him with "not going to ballet tomorrow if you don't calm down". He calmed down, came down and apologised to me. We got on with the spelling practise he had stropped out over.

Currently 2 boys in littles class, only boy in Boys class and no boys in older classes. He is sitting in on the 1st Tap/Step class tomorrow, might be adding Tap/Step in September.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Fab. I met a man today who as a boy went to the Royal Ballet School. That's something to aim for.

[UniS]

Don;t think Boy has his sights set that high. He wants to win the broom dance competition at teh Dartmoor folk festival.

BUT when he grows up he wants to be a pro cyclist who lives in the mountains and skis all winter, AND he wants to play cricket.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

What a terrific set of ambitions.

[mistlethrush]

I was really happy with DS's report about how his homework assignment went over from the weekend. His homework came home - they're doing some project work on mini-beasts, and they had to do some research and come back with information about things like habitat, life cycle, appearance etc with some images for their chosen mini-beast.

Ds chose praying mantis. Which he said at the time wasn't exactly 'mini' but continued anyway (me having checked with him, several times, that they really didn't mean them to do the work on UK insects).

So... we sorted some images out without any problem. Then we looked for the information - the 4 website links only had one lot of relevance, so we got onto the relevant site, he navigated his way round, and copied off the relevant information and put it under the headings we'd already put into a word document - so he had to decide what went where and if it was relevant. We had some rather sparse areas, so had another go at filling in the information and found another site with lots of facts - so same process, but this time he had to decide whether he needed it or the original stuff was better or that the new stuff was better than the old etc. At the end he read it all through. I then emailed it in (as printer broken) with an apology for emailing. He was chuffed that the teacher remarked on it - and he knew that he'd done most of it himself, even though I was doing a bit of guiding. And we managed it all without any grumpiness too - and he saw how a little extra digging (the 2nd website) made all the difference to the finished product.

He's still enjoying street dance - and is quite positive towards dance in general, and quite OK with other boys doing it (because someone has to hold the ballerinas up) although also quite in agreement that he's not really very graceful or elegant which is why other things might be more appropriate for him....

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Ah, yes. We are in the season of parents' evenings. The termly opportunity to hear about one's child's crimes misdemeanours genius.

[mistlethrush]

Maud! What misdemeanours genius has yours been demonstrating? Not sure when our next parents evening is - mc has just had the last day of visiting the next site - had a good time by the sound of it.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Oh, just the usual, Mistle. Splitting the atom, composing haiku in Japanese, that kind of thing.

[mistlethrush]

Glad to hear it lol

Mine's splitting things... not sure any atoms involved.

And definitely actively involved they can't shut him up

And interested in literature especially silly poems

And that's before the parents evening.

Sorry homework came out rather long - I was just pleased that he'd concentrated, and worked hard and saw a positive result rather than leaving it 80%.

[beanandspud]

Good Morning! Coffee and croissants are on the side!

at MC's homework as well as Girl splitting the atom (in Japanese).

[mistlethrush]

Oooh yes please Bean - lovely and sunny here today for a change!

[Scout19075]

I LOVE my laminator. It makes me happy.

[UniS]

WOW scout- Should you have laminated yourself?? soooo shiny and smooth and waterproof, now EVERYTHING will just wipe off....

[mistlethrush]

What have you been laminating scout?

[Scout19075]

Oh yes, the easy clean feature comes in handy when having a toddler. The paint, markers and yogurt just slide right off!

[Scout19075]

I've been laminating games & puzzles for Toddler and some prayer cards. I need to do some of my recipe cards and some more of the Guide outdoor cooking cards but not sure I'll get to them tonight.

[UniS]

if you want to be the best, if you want to beat the rest...
then...
Laminations what you need.

with apologies to and to scout for obscure cultural references.

[UniS]

oh wow, I'd forgotten this one, but I remember the tune

, random 80's cartoon alert.

[Scout19075]

Everywhere around me there's talk of babies. Everyone's pregnant!

SiL apparently is going to be induced next week (will get more details from MiL tomorrow when we go down). Friend who I gave all of the infant things to is due next week. Guiding friend told me she's due in January (yes, VERY early days for her to have told me). And just found out Toddler's Godfather and unofficial Godmother are going to have a baby due later in the year (VERY excited about that one).