The One and Only Tea Room: Tea, muffins and champagne served at all hours

[BoccaDellaNativita]

Well folks, here we are!

We were on the brink of filling the old thread so I thought we'd better start a new one now. There was a rumour that we were going to be evicted from our old premises, but we managed right at the last minute to get an extension on the lease. So it's business as usual. We're still in our charming old tea room, overlooking our beautiful garden complete with ha-ha and duck pond. And Mellors the gardener.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink.

Maureen - I think we all probably think things will be better for our onlies - and blame ourselves when things like this happen and think that it would have been better for them if... If she had had a sibling there it would have been unlikely to have been any better for her. We have a few couple of local girls who come babysiting for ds - I know 'babysitting' is inappropriate for a 13 yo - but I remember having someone local to come and stay with me if my parents were out (being an only myself)...

RS - we didn't co-sleep, but for the first 10months ds decided that if I was around during the 'day', the only place he would go to sleep (apart from the car or buggy) was in my arms, so I know how you feel in terms of one-handed everything.

Ds has very happily 'read' a book with me this morning - he probably read at least one word on each page!!!!

Impressed by Mistlechick's literary abilities.

Speaking of reading, I am rather excited to learn that Milkfortwo is just a bit older than WS. We are always looking for good French dvd's, books, etc. You can't really just order stuff from FNAC without seeing it and a lot of French stuff seems to be (whisper it very quietly due to Frenchman in the room) old fashioned and a bit lame. I would love to find French texts as good for reading aloud as Slinky Malinki.

WS is now doing a wonderful African dance at appropriate moments to the Kirikou dvd - do try it! (The dvd, not the dance.)(Unless you want to, that is.)

They are possibly (ahem) a bit lame - and I imagine you already have them - but BabyBocca has always been very fond of the Camille books. The starting school one was very useful at the time and she thought the one called 'Camille fait pipi dans sa culotte' (or something very like that) was hilarious.

Watching for tips on a French Slinky Malinki .....

Haven't seen Camille and sure WS would love 'Camille fait pipi dans sa culotte' as one of her favourite stories is 'WS fait caca dans le bain'. Sadly it's a true story but dh luckily doesn't seem to take in what she is gleefully telling him.

MUST go to bed now.

Here is poor damp Camille. There seem to be lots of these books, available (very cheaply) in hypermarches. The language is simple so seemed about right when BabyBocca was doing La Jolie Ronde (and also within my capacity for translation).

Sweet dreams!

RS - I thought WS was at least four. Goes to show what funny pictures we have of each other! Actually because we are pushing English at home milkfortwo only has a few French books.

I do find French authors for 2 year olds generally have two camps - either they tell children off for being childish or they act like children themselves. Unsurprisingly lots of books in France for 2 year olds are translations of English literature and especially British literature!

As part of milkfortwo's French education I made Beerfortwo take her to an author signing session. The authors were Pierrick Bisinski and Alex Saunders two of the biggest selling baby and toddler authors and illustrators who have written the wonderful (bwaaahaaahaaa) book "Tous cacas" (All poo)... www.amazon.fr/Tous-cacas-Alex-Sanders/dp/2211089321/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231029979&sr=1-8

amongst many more equally good childhood classics!!!

They asked me my nationality so I told them. "Oh British!" One of them frowned - "We have big problems selling in the UK!" "You would!" Beerfortwo pipes up sniggering "In the UK they have really good childrens books. They have proper pictures and sophisticated stories and language - you have to be able to draw and write properly to sell there. Not like your books!"

I found myself buying a lot of books to make up for his outburst!!!

The saving grace in French childrens books are to be found in non fiction. We are big fans of this range...

www.editionsmilan.com/3191a364/Le-tour-du-monde.html

My favourite is this one about children and their relationship with animals throughout the World...

www.editionsmilan.com/8551a274/Avec-toi.html

Dear Tea,

I wondered why there seem to be so many English translations in French bookshops. I thought it was just me failing to find the good ones.

Actually, WS has a copy of Tous Les Papas, which used to be a favourite. I agree with you about the intellectual and artistic content.

Present French favourite is this There is a whole series of them, each based on a different comptine.

English favouite by a long way is Slinki Malinki by Lyndsey Todd. Lots of titles; all brilliant.

I saw those beautiful n/f books when I was in Brussels and was very tempted. I can't remember, though - did they actually have any text?

Love Racinsnake

Excuse my French - the book I mentioned is Tous Les Cacas (all the poos).

Those other nice books do have text - the ones we have anyway...

I often buy those ones for presents too. They tend to go down well!

The French do particularly good art books for children too... I think Milan also publish some of the best of those!

Slinky Malinky is alright but in our household It is Hairy Maclary who wears a crown!!!!

Milkfortwo does take a different French book from the library once a week for her babysitter to read with her. I will jot down any good ones... if there are any good one!!! Ha ha ha

Afternoon all - much as I would love to sit around and discuss French children's literature with a toilet theme (really, am tres amuse* by the cover of Camille a fait pipi dans sa culotte, it seems so dignified in French), I have to do something very British - pantomime! DD's first, it's Aladdin, no idea who's in it. Aha, and here are the grandparents to escort solitary grandchild to the theatre, bit of overkill!

• please excuse lack of accents

Ds is doing 'La Jolie Ronde' at school - although a bit at the cd that 'came' with the current course...

We're also Hairy McClary fans. We have a complilation book wiht 5 stories and don't actully need the book for the first one - very useful on journies - and ds has enjoyed the rhythm and pictures from early on.

I would like some French and German dvds for children though, so if anyone comes up with any sensible suggestions - ideally like Ivor the Engine or similar but in French or German...

Someone gave me a Kirigami calendar for Christmas and I've managed to get up to 12 Feb - folding and cutting like snowflakes etc.

We've just taken the tree down - to much angst from MJ. There are needles absolutely everywhere!

DVD's - Kirikou by Michel Ocelot as mentioned earlier is wonderful, as is Kirikou et les Betes Sauvages (of course no accents). We have Charlie and Lola in German; very good and popular and actually better voices than the English one, I think. DD loves Trotro in French. Bob the Builder exists in French, but haven't got it yet (Bob le Bricoleur) and C and L exist in Spanish. We like Pocoyo in Spanish but maybe Mistlechick is too old? (I'm not!)

I can recite Slinki Malinki by heart, but DD always insists on the book, which is a nuisance as I have to find it.

Thanks RS - will look into some of them.

We're not doing Spanish as well at the moment - I think 2 extra languages should be sufficient for the time being. We started the Muzzy german course when ds was quite small and he likes it. Play the audio on his seat speakers (which means that we don't have to listen to his and he doesn't have to listen to ours which is ideal - but having the built-in speakers means that he's not fiddling with earphones. Should work for a portable dvd which we are contemplating. It sounds as though mj is totally telly/dvd driven - he isn't, really!

Our HM book is quite thick which makes it alot easier to find than a thin soft-cover version - and its hard-back which is good as its taken quite a hammering.

With all these references to poo and wee, this is beginning to sound like a Carry On film. Oooh, err, missus!

I am, though, very impressed with all this bi-and tri-lingualism. Every so often, BabyBocca surprises me by revealing that she absorbed more from La Jolie Ronde than I gave it credit for at the time - yesterday she announced j'ai fini - but I doubt we'll achieve bilingualism without a native speaker in the house.

Dontcallmebaby - did you all enjoy the panto?

Oh yes, we did

Oh no, you didn't

Oh yes, we did

We did an inter-generational panto visit last year. It was great fun especially as it starred one of the CBeebies presenters.

Now, would anyone care for a glass of champagne or (our new speciality) a gin and tonic?

Gin and tonic, please.

Been out for lunch with frieds with 5-year old and brand new baby. I am astonished how unbroody and maternal I feel. I sort of looked at it and felt, so? Managed not to say it though. WS totally blanked baby, as if it wasn't there. Only Racinghound really took to it.

rs Mistledog also considers small children very good 'targets' on the basis that they drop lots of things and the things they drop are probably edible.

I'll have a G&T please. With lime if poss...

Two gins and tonic coming up, one with lime as requested. The tea room fruit bowl is a wondrous thing. Kumquat, anyone?

Babiesbabiesbabies. Babies have lovely lickable faces and smell heavenly. Caca. Mmmmmm.

Mmmm...Ducksandbadgersandmiceanddustbinsandcrisppacketsandalewdbreadroll.
A noise from that shed! Ro ro ro ro ro! Aa-ooh!

Oooo - I see you've got some of the nice garlic and herb queen olives - yum. And they go so well with the G&T...

Right, off to bed early as back to work tomorrow.

Bocca, I think we need to have a whip round for a nice woolly jumper for Mellors. I was just out looking for Racinghound and I saw him in the garden looking distinctly chilly. I'm sure someone has a lovely Christmas jumper (think Bridget Jones) that could be put to good use.

Don't worry Racingsnake you're quite safe - unless you're planning to jump into bed beside me that is!!

Oh yes we did!

Widow Twankey sat on DH's lap (note for future reference - if here is an orchestra pit in place row C is the front row!), DD clung to DH in fear when requested to do actions to a song, but yelled 'behind you!' at TOP volume, and we all discovered what the safety curtain is for (blocking out Arctic winds from backstage, brr).

Well blow me down with a big pink feather - a copy of the "Maman de monde" book I was yearning for in the tea room yesterday actually arrived in beautiful wrapping and ribbon with Beerfortwo (who had been with his sister and Mum for New Year) a late chrissy present from milkfortwo's Aunty!!!

She was also given this useful dictionary of opposites in French, English, Spanish and Bullish...
www.amazon.fr/Dicotoro-dictionnaire-contraires-fran%C3%A7ais-espagnol/dp/2355040427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UT F8&s=books&qid=1231147553&sr=8-1
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Milk's babysitter's family speak Arabic. The Mother always speaks in French and the Grandma in Arabic - (she lives with them) They tell me milk seems to understand lots of what the Grandma says but never speaks in Arabic herself! I am really hoping she picks up a bit - it would be nice to have a third language too!

By the way - I am really enjoying racinghound joining us in the tea room - I am going through a broody for a dog phase - but we can't have one in the place we live.

I can't quite tell - what breed is racingdog?
Is racingdog a boy or girl?
What colour is racingdog?

In case you hadn't noticed, mistledog is lying by the fire, basking in the heat from the open fireplace, and occasionally flinching when a cinder pops. She also likes visiting the tearoom as she thinks that she has quite a good chance of getting some titbits- even with racinghound and racingpig already in residence. - I think that she quite likes racinghound, but is very unsure about racingpig - he looks good enough to eat but she knows that she's not meant to think those sorts of thoughts from experience with the chinchillas...