Episode 34 - The Tearoom moves to New England

[beanandspud]

At this time of year New England is famous for its glorious foliage as billions of leaves change from green to a kaleidoscope of colours. The air is crisp and cool ? perfect for hiking, biking or a drive along back roads, where farm stands are piled high with crunchy apples and orange pumpkins.

Everyone is welcome. There are tea, cakes and wine aplenty so pull up a comfortable chair and join us.

The usual rule applies - no fisticuffs please!

Or some stilts.

Boy is likely to be a 6ft plus man... He now broken the 4 ft barrier. but I'm going to have to find him some new ( to him) salopettes before late jan as last years ski stuff is way to short. Have found a jacket ( £3 in 2nd hand shop hurrah) . Have someone lined up to use all his last year ski gear as we are going with another family and their eldest is smaller than boy .

I think he will be into long trews once school goes back. Its turned right wintery down here. My runner beans have snuffed it and the courgette plant in the green house is suffering , the outside ones are DEAD. Only have 1 pumpkin to carve ( and make soup from) so thats tomorrow afternoons little project.

I am nursing a pumpkin carving-related injury, but I'm quite proud of my creation.

what is it??

It is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon sculpted in the medium
of pumpkin. OK, then, it is just a weird grimacing face but it's a step onwards from the triangular eyes nose and teeth I usually manage. Those years of sculpture classes weren't entirely wasted. [hgrin]

Cool. Boy is still on a pirate kick and wants a skull n cross bones on an eye patch, on a pumpkin.... he may get skull n bones.

Just a unscientific survey -- do you make your DC wear a helmet when scooting/skating/cycling?

I just ordered Toddler's helmet for scooting and skating and know that MrScout is going to give me the face because 1. it's a helmet and 2. the design on the helmet. But I want to be able to spot SB in a crowd.

and from a distance.

Sort of like his raincoat the bright yellow "fireman" design and his new bright red winter coat. I won't to spot him among the trees and among other small children.

I want to spot him.

Gah, my typing is terrible today.

Hi all, just back from Boston to home and new dog

Tiddler is supposed to be around 6'5 as an adult. That would be about right looking at 3 out of 4 of his adult/near adult boy cousins.

He always wears a helmet for cycling and roller skating. And has a hi vis hat cover for his riding helmets for spotting purposes, though he has a large assortment of them

I'm going to assume Boston, UK, CMOT.

The helmet, only ordered this afternoon, has already been dispatched.

No, Boston US Scout. Was a bit windy/wet on Monday

You got a flight home?!?!

Yup, Tuesday the international flights were fine once planes had arrived, so my 10pm flight was running totally on schedule

well done CMOT. I guess once planes could get in n out they didn't want to hold onto extra people any longer than they had too.

Lid rule in this house... for boy... no lid, no gloves, no ride. Yes daddy can decide for himself he's a grown up, and he wears one sometimes.
Scout - consider cycle gloves too. grazed hands are one of the most common ( tho not serious) injuries with tiddlers learning to ride and falling. gloves prevent that.

Scout - I found a little red train book -" LRT goes carolling" do you have it already?

Boy and I were out Trick or treating tonight, one of the pubs was doing spooky stories and a spider hunt. boy has a bag full of sugar to see him through till Christmas. I may go and snaffle a mini mars from the bowl here. We only had one group call by. The joys of living at the very end of the village.

Blimey, CMOT! Did MA get hit? And, here's one that's been driving me nuts, did Romney go home to govern his state at all?

Thanks for the tip, UniS. I was going to get him wrist guards for skating as he's learning to skate with guards as part of the kit but hadn't thought of gloves. Do they make them for Small Boys?

Never heard of LRT Goes Carolling.

PiL only had one lone trick-or-treater. Small Girl, probably about six. She said to my FiL when he opened the door, "Hello, Happy Halloween, would you like to hear a Halloween joke?" I thought that was a pretty good opening line!

Coastal MA bore the brunt of it, but although the winds were very strong, and it rained a lot, it wasn't that bad. But the conference I was at shut down at 1.30 as the buses were stopping, so it was a rather boring afternoon in the hotel. Well, a few glasses of wine might have been taken

Tiddlers first bike gloves were from Halfords - cheap and cheerful, but they protected his hands well.

We've had 5 t/t groups - that is about all the children on the estate accounted for !

Any old gloves will do, but boy, like tiddler, had cycle gloves from age 2. They were bit big to start with but bike shops do sell really very small gloves now.

Glad you're back safely CMOT. How is new CMOT-dog? And MT, how is your new 'addition' getting on?

Small Bean always wears a helmet for cycling (loosest possible sense of the word!) Not so much for scootering though maybe he should. After 'umming and ahrring' about a new bike for Christmas we think we might hold off until the spring when we can hopefully get out on it more and (finally) get him off the stabilisers. Tbh I don't think he is that bothered about it yet, maybe that will change when his friends are all out on their bikes.

Had two groups of Trick or Treaters, doled out the requisite sweets and turned all of the front lights off once Small Bean was in bed. I'm really not a fan.

Small Bean and I are having a lovely week. I can't remember the last time we had a week just to 'potter' at home. Been to local farm, castle, playground, seen some friends for coffee and cake, planted a load of bulbs, and spent an hour this morning in bed playing Angry Birds together [hblush]. It's been bliss! He was so ready for a half-term break.

'Lo all
We had great TorT being in middle of street we had MANY calls - DH around to field them and all gone by 7:00
Oxboy and I went round the houses and had lots of fun.

My pumpkin has triangle eyes and weird fangs only

Helmet here for cycling and totally second gloves. Not for scooter or balance bike. not for skates either but Oxboy hangs on to me skating....

We do gloves and lid for cycling and lid for scooting, lid, wrist, knee and elbow guards for skateboard (just beginning). Scout, I'll see if I can find mc's outgrown cycle gloves we got him aged 2 before the dog finds them.

CMot - how is dog settling in - did he go back at all or stay?

Here we think we might have potential separation anxiety - its not really surprising when she's come from a barn with a kennel mate and lots of other dogs to home as an only - and she is rather fixated on DH - but then he's working at home and walks her in the day so that's not surprising either. We have a whole lot of things we have had suggested to see if we can nip it in the bud before it gets worse. Apart from that, the housetraining is improving and I think she even sort of asked to go out last night - unfortunately I did not get up at 5 - although she might have squeeked quietly a couple of times downstairs - and had to clean up when I did go downstairs.

Apart from those two little niggles, she is absolutely lovely. Very good with mc, wants to play, not jumping up too much, keen to please, and learning things relatively quickly (apart from 'sit' - I'm not sure that's particularly comfortable).

MT, Jake is settling in beautifully, and apart from being over excited about food, is very well behaved. He did go back for the week as I was going away, and dh wanted to pick him up when he was going to be off for a week.
The RGT ladies said greyhounds certainly don't find 'sit' easy/comfortable as they are the wrong shape.

Glad to hear your girl is settling in

DS is at rugby camp today - am hoping he'll have a nice time, but it was a chance as well to meet some new boys, as otherwise he really only spends time with boys from school

I'm not too worried about mc only meeting boys from school - their year is now something like 80 strong - and they mix with the next 3 years too - and there are more boys than girls in the year. He does meet others though - other holiday camps, things in the 'village' etc...

We've got to get on top of the SA issues - that's the biggy - but mc and I did amazingly well completely ignoring her when we got in - she calmed down a lot sooner than I thought she would and it could actually be quite beneficial in the long term to have a dog that's please to see you but doesn't go completely loopy when you come in.

Glad to hear that Jake's settled in so well. Ours didn't finish her breakfast in one go this morning - waiting until DH was 'down' before finishing it off - either we've got to the bottom of the abyss that is her stomach or she's really got it bad for DH

I love fireworks!

me too. And I get to be right at the front for a super duper 13 minute to music display on monday night. Must remember my E.A.R plugs.

at UniS. MrScout's done that once or twice. Tonight SmallBoy and I went with friends to their work's "friends & family" display/fun night. After Saturday, when MrScout & SmallBoy'sUncleScout set off a few in the back yard I thought SmallBoy would be a mess -- he really didn't like the backyard fireworks. But tonight he kept saying "oooh, pretty fireworks!" He told his Godfather "I like pretty fireworks!"

MrScout is home tomorrow. Yay!