Tea room the Eighth - sun, sea, sangria, and perhaps a sandy Mellors

[DontCallMeBaby]

Greetings, welcome to the eighth incarnation of the tearoom.

The tearoom has been, and will be again, a virtual safe haven for anyone up for rather random chat and a comprehensive range of virtual snacks. Nothing in the tearoom will make you fat, or drunk (unless you want it to) or cause an allergic reaction.

The new tearoom location is a beautiful beachside cafe (no need for factor 50, the virtual sun will just lightly tan you, bring out your freckles or simply warm your skin, as you prefer) with a range of garden swings, hammocks, sunloungers, deckchairs etc (as well as a rather incongruous, but well-loved, chaise longue). For those in need of sanctuary, we have managed to fashion a new priesthole out of woven grasses.

Our fellow residents include Mellors the rugged gardener of few-but-well-chosen words, the naked mohawk babies, a coterie of bishops, various domestic pets, and a selection of others. On the human side, all are welcome - while we live in the One Child topic some regulars have more than one, and we are welcome all (except people who put their heads on one side and tell those of us with one child that it's just not fair to have only one child).

Please help yourself to a glass of Champagne and a canape on the way in ...

Yes, I have county show envy too. It's months since I saw a Massey Ferguson.

And, Daisy, in referring to your briefs I was of course meaning your skills in getting me out of the cells at West End Central, after that regrettable contretemps in the cinema. We are talking hosiery here (and we did discuss cast iron pants a day or two ago) but, having earlier seen a thread which had clearly been posted by some kind of fetishist, I am trying not to lure undie fantasists here!

Look Look everyone! Come on in!

Do you think we will be noticed if we sneak into Catita's super secret speech???

WEE HEE!!

And off they run ......................

OK, then. Who remembers the Blue Peter gift for dads which was a shoe polisher made from an old sock, stuffed with tights?

Oh MadBad, I missed the shoe polisher {hangs head in shame]

And I shall not mention pants again since we don't want ahem lurky lurkers. It's quite enough with the bishops

But the bishops are here for their our spiritual welfare. Plus fashion tips on what to wear with purple.

Thinking of things ecclesiastical - has anyone seen Justabout recently? She had a hospital appointment yesterday. I hope everything's going well for her.

AH, yes, Justa, fingers crossed for her indeed. No news, so hope it is good

I have to say the Bishops have shown as little regard for our spiritual welfare as Mellors has for the washing up

evening any late night types!

I shouldn't be here but was tempted in by the thought of Fun Cocktails - as opposed to Lewd Cocktails a couple of weeks ago.

Tomorrow we have the estate agent coming to photograph the abode (EEKK!!) for letting purposes and I am supposed to be making my bedroom presentable {HAHAHAHAHAHA!}

I have also had a right day of it - found out that the Immigration fascists won't accept that our relationship was sufficiently valid 2 years ago (I was only pregnant, ffs, how much more valid do you want it to be?) so I am only being considered for a temporary spousal visa and therefore require a medical check - x-ray and HIV test, lucky me. Then realised that miniThumb needed the medical too - luckily the doc was able to add him into the same appt.

Then called our local GP surgery nurse because miniThumb has fallen off the immunisation programme radar, and although I have waited extra months, I still don't want to give him the mmr at this point but I do want him to have his HiB and MenC jabs. But not PCV - was muchly impressed with practice nurse - she had said on the answerphone yesterday that she thought he should have the mmr first, but when I said firmly today that I wanted him to have the hib/menc first, she was fine about it - and when I told her that he had seemed to react to the PCV last year, she said she would ask around about that and see if anyone had any info - top bird! No attempt to force me into anything, listened properly and offered sensible help and advice. I'll miss my GP surgery - they are fab.

Here's a Fun Cocktail, Thumb. Cheers!

I really must go to bed now, but three cheers for your GP surgery. Is there any major disadvantage in having a temporary visa, apart from the faff of having to apply again to renew/make permanent?

Night night!

that's the main hassle, having to go for a permanent visa after 2 years; plus if I'd gone for the permanent now I might not have needed the bleedin' medical, with attendant costs.

night!

I say, this is rather good, isn't it...

Thumb, sorry to hear your problems, but I am amused that as a potentially temporary slapper (in the eyes of the immigration bods) you need to have a health check for a visa but if you were a long term married old harridan you wouldn't!

Funny old world

Just drape yourself over your bed that will make it look enticing!

good plan, but female type coming to take photos, so it might not work out!

No I have a cunning plan. I am going to layer everything onto the bed, then cover it all with the duvet! Instant tidiness.

TBH, I don't 100% know that if I had been assessed for the permanent visa I would have got away with not having the medical checks but it did seem as though the reason they were being asked for was because I was only a temporary.

Love the layer bed option. sounds like a cross between a cake and an archaelogical dig!

Right, one last slurpy cocktail and I'm off to bed!

Look! Mellors is still playing 20/20 cricket in the beach floodlights with loads of Teeny tiny NMBs!

night daisy!

MISTLE - what's going on, why am I emailing Cat?

I think I saw the bishops in some purple swimming trunks. Fortunately not speedos, I managed to talk them out of buying those earlier...

Am seeing Amber (IRL) tomorrow !

Er, yes, here I am. Well, there was a deluge of people asking me to at least rejoin a tiny bit of mumsnet for a while , and I could do with the company of my lovely friends right now. It's not been the best of weeks for me, to say the least so a really big thank you to anyone reading who's emailed/texted/written/sent a carrier pigeon. So will stay in the quiet (!) waters of the beach here and the prayer chain. Will attempt to catch up...

Went to a big but vital autism conference yesterday. Luckily they know me very well and coped! I found that hiding in the car several times was very handy for when it got too much for me.

I am back from Britany - and Milk's birthday week and a half is over!!!!

It is sunny and I feel relaxed and well - HURRAY for life and all who live it....

wb Amber Have you put your sun cream on? Best do it before you get too sandy!

Oh - Hello Amber, nice to see you!

Thanks for the toast.... and what an interesting crunchy jam... and this tea is delicious!!! No-one, but no-one makes tea like you Amber...

By the way I have a problem with my 't' button - keeps sticking - hense the absence of a 't' from time to time!!!!

• however, I did grow up in Essex so sometimes the 't' missing is just my accent.... ...

Welcome back Amber

And welcome back from holiday Tea

DS very impressed with birthday presents - balloons and pair of scissors that cut a wavy line a particular hit. And the singing card. But his happiness was greatest when I got the cake out to go to nursery - he was terribly, terribly proud to carry it in and wanted to leave right away with it

I'll look at Ecco Daisy - had forgotten about them somehow. I may skive off take some time back this afternoon and pop out to try some shoes on

Happy birthday CMOTboy!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxx

[balloons and cakes emotion]

Hurrah! Proper tea and toast at last.

BTW people, perhaps we should be saying welcome amberl just in case of searches? (Sorry to bring a bit of a downer on the happy day, but do want added caution) (and I just wonder whether the few posts should be requested to be deleted for similar reasons)(really sorry!)

BTW is any one elses screen not showing the hmm emoticons properly - they look like little squares with a dot for all posts after Daisy's at 0:19 (my you lot are late owls!)

Anyway A, yes, I thought you'd be north Devon coast - I believe that its better surfing on that coast than the south (althouh have seen quite a bit on the south too). We're going somewhere where its a reasonable drive (ie not too far) to a lovely sandy beach in a cove where there are some reasonable loos very near, and a stream to dam. MJ made friends with another boy (1 yr older than him) and had a whale of a time last year - we ended up spending 4 whole days on the beach. Even the dog turned into a beach bum - she lay and cooked in the sun. And hurrah for beach shelters - when my mother gave us their old one I thought that we'd probably never use it - but took it with us last year just in case and it was a real boon. We did end up digging it in a bit so that there wasn't a draft coming under the edge, blowing sand into everything (even my tea!(, [horror])) I think we managed to break two spades, but have ended up with some quite solidly built ones that should be OK again this year.

A - tell me, do you do on-line shopping now? I presume that would make things easier but I'm not sure!

JM - you don't anymore - it was just to facilitate conversation elsewhere!

Mistlethrush, I think if people want to find it they will, talking in code won't make any difference. I think its great she's back, but we can't live in fear, nor can we assume that anyone would care enough to say anything anyway!

I'm going to North Devon at the end of July, but think I might have mentioned that already . But I am looking forward to my return to France next week - on the last day of our holiday last year, we discovered a WONDERFUL patisserie with cakes to die for, I am looking forward to checking those out again!