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!

Happy Christmas all!
all good in the Ox house - lots of leaks but with this amount of rain, what do you expect!
Oxbloke back and in fine fettle and Oxboy blissed out by that alone. Happy time with all family but I feel a little sad not to have had a stocking this year. Oxbloke is never good at that sort of thing and my lovely ma usually does me one but had been ill and unable to shop
so damn you norovirus this year I went without ... and truth be told its my favourite thing...
but what a first world grump eh? all full of blessings really

JM specially glad your sonogram went well xx

SmallBoy tried to call his BFF today. Hahahahahaha.

Oh my gosh, that must have been sooooooo cute!!!!!! :)

::Reels back from the mountain of stockings, all labelled 'Oxeye', which positively rain down in the tea room.::

We don't have a family tradition of stockings, but I was looking for a way of naturally limiting the number of presents, so made one for Wriggle. So proud.

In direct contrast to OxMansions, M.Dame is away for a week, visiting his parents. At this very minute, I have just discovered, while we are sitting by the fire listening to the storm beating at the windows, he is setting off in the sunshine to get coffee and croissant. Wriggle is rather desolate and I, having hoped that it would ease the pressure of multiple caring responsibilities, am finding it actually feels a bit strange. Good that it gives me more time to look after AP, though.

How old is mallBoy?

LaBelle, SmallBoy is just 3.2. And JM, it wasn't as cute as it sounded -- he was on my lap watching a DVD about the Bluebell Railway and playing with the calculator on my phone. Silly me for not paying attention because the next thing I heard was "Hello? Hello? Scout? Hello?" D'oh! There are worse people in my phone directory he could have rung but I did ask "Were you trying to ring SBFriend?" and he said "Yes, and call Daddy too." Daddy, I should mention, was sitting two feet away watching the same DVD with him.

Oxeye, I'm willing to share my stocking -- as long as you don't mind some chocolate, some shortbread, things to cook/bake with and some pre-schoolers games....

Peace reigns MrScout took his sister to the train station (so she can go home) and took SmallBoy with him so they can train spot from the platform/s then off to find some trainspotting bridges to wave at the drivers. They did that on the way home from lunch a few days ago and in less than five minutes they saw three trains who all waved back and blew their horns SB was in heaven and bursting with excitement to tell me (even though I was in the car and watched the whole thing).

All I want to do is curl up and sleep.

Would anyone like some Christmas cookies and mince pies?

in the spirit of tea room small boys I let boy chose the scenic route back to Grandparents house today, just so we could go over the foot bridge at railway station on the off chance there was a train due. There was not, but hey ho, we both got to stretch our legs after church.

there here follows a rant- one which I will not have in RL.

IF you are given a present and the label falls off and you did not know who it is to or from.... AND you are wondering why your grandchild gave your spouse a present but not you AND you are seeing parents of said grandchild 3 days later..... Don't donate the item to a charity shop immediately.
Glad I found an excuse to ask some minor thing about said present or boy would have no thank you from his grandparent for a present he chose AND paid for himself. OK, it was bit naff, but a naff candle holder at christmas?? It was no naffer than any of the other candle holders littering the house over the festive period. Boy was already a bit miffed when he couldn't see the card he had sent them on display ( it was on the back of the dining room door we eventually discovered) unlike those from the other ( smaller cuter) grandchildren. Mind you any cards from older ( even less cute?) grandchildren were not on view either.

Rant endeth.

Ummmm, bread and cheeses. and a glass of red by the roaring fire. needed that.

Shift up Unis... bread, cheese and wine by the fire sounds just what I need.

Poor Boy, UniS. I know SB, though much littler than Boy, would be very upset without some effusive hugs/thanks over a gift, no matter how small/silly. SB made his grandparents and aunts & uncle little ceramics for Christmas (colored little airplane banks & candle holders & mugs, etc) and he loved giving them and the "oh wow, SB, what excellent coloring/a great present/I've always wanted a xyz!" that he received. The same grandparents/aunts/uncle do that sort of thing for all gifts from the children, no matter what. I love them for that.

We're watching Spooks. FINALLY up to episodes that are new to me/us. We might get to finish the series sometime in 2013 at this rate.

I have a major craving for pizza from home -- the oozy, gooey, slightly greasy but oh-so-yummy pizza you just can't get here. Would anyone like some?

Will it EVER stop raining?!?! SmallBoy is desperate to go out and try his new skates but he's not confident enough yet to skate on uneven surfaces with puddles not to mention I don't have his full set of wet weather gear with us. The playground is a swamp and the backyard is a marsh. ARGH!

Hoping the rain stops tomorrow in time for the Morris and Mummers tour of the village pubs....

Had at least 40mm this morning... stream over its banks up by ours, only thanks to flood defences that the bottom of the village dind;t flood.

I've been wondering how you're getting on in this weather, UniS.

Who's for , cheese, bread, crisps, pretzels, nuts and other assorted nibbles?

Happy New Year to the tearoomers! Wishing you all lots of fun for 2013.

Between Toddlers who don't understand "I was up late to meet the new year so it's not time to get up yet" and the grey, wet day we woke up to, I'm ready to go back to bed and try to start the new year over again.

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year Tea roomers.

The hunt have just gone past, Once I've finished my cuppa I shall go and get my Morris Uniform on! Dancing out at both pubs this lunch time.

We finally had sun!!! The driveway cleared of most of the puddles so SmallBoy and I went out skating this afternoon -- oh the joy on SB's face! I got some good pictures of him standing with arms wide out shouting "Ta DAH!" showing off his skates (pictures to send to his grandparents who gave him the skates). If the weather remains not wet we're going to the airfield later in the week for lunch so SB can see his aunt's plane/s.

Had a nap this afternoon -- it was lovely!

Happy New Year, one and all!

Happy New Year all!

It was good to add another tearoomer to the list of people that I have met - and unsurprisingly, MC got on very happily with small person. I think that the interest of the location helped....

I'm sorry that the meeting of the tearoom hounds didn't go as planned thanks to the weather - I hope that it will be on another time and can confirm that mistlehound LOVES playing with other dogs and has a reasonable recall provided you get the call in before the hunting potential calls too loudly.

Bean, the RHS place to the north of us is a good visit - and MC likes going there - let me know if small bean would appreciate a guided tour of the tree house from a suitably agile small person rather than you having to try to get in there

Happy New Year everyone!

DH and I went to see The Hobbit on NYE (DS had a sleep-over at grandma's) and then saw the New Year in quietly at home. We try to catch the countdown to the fireworks at the Seattle Space Needle whenever possible. They're quite spectacular. Given how much DS likes "The Space Pin" I wonder how terribly crowded it would be around the Needle if we actually ever went?

I must say, after seeing the movie, I'd quite like to snog Thorin Oakenshield myself! And I must re-read the Hobbit. I've nearly forgotten all the story. Was at the Elves not coming to help, then remembered that that was the cause of the bitterness the dwarves feel toward the Elves. Not entirely undeserved, it seems.

LOTR nerd alert: was anyone else completely appalled by the deviation from Tolkien's story in the second LOTR when the Elves marched on Helm's Deep? Or just me?
But now I'm wondering if that wasn't the director's way of adding a little atonement... Fellow nerds, what do you think?

Puts out and special low-fat-low-calorie-but-very-tasty treats.

Hope everyone is ok. We are now feeling very much back to normal (whatever normal ever was ). Small Bean goes back to school next week but me and Mr Bean are both back at work . We are now planning Small Bean's birthday which is coming up soon along with an enormous 'school class' party which with be the first (and almost certainly the last) time that we attempt such a mad idea.

MT - I know the place that you mean and yes, Small Bean would really appreciate a guided tour of the treehouse! Let me know when you are free?

Bean - do you want to wait until the weather is slightly better first or simply go for it one weekend? I could abandon DH with mistlehound and make it over for about 11.15am on a Sat, allowing for karate class first (during which time I can fit in a dog walk). Slightly more flexible on a Sunday. This Sat and next Sat will not be available though....

MT - I don't mind - with the weather as mild as it is at the moment I'm happy to try to give it a go! Sundays tend to be better for us as we don't finish swimming until 12pm on a Saturday which ties up the best part of the day.

OK, lets have a go one Sunday and see how it goes - probably better not this one due to school going back on Monday and DS not getting home until Saturday!

ah yes, school.... seems to have been a long holiday. 7.15am will be a nasty shock on monday, tho I have two practise days this weekend as have bike club and a training ride on sunday.

Yummy treats are much appropriated bean, good idea.