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 ...

Big thank yous for all the massage stuff and that hug JM!

We have had a lovely week at home - involving getting very wet (have bought 2 huge water pistol thingumajigs) with small donk. He has also nearly mastered the art of staying upright on his new bicycle. And the garden has been partially tamed...

I'm glad you had a wonderful time in the Lakes Mistle - and thankyou for pointing out the hay - The NNMBs had indeed purloined it, but had dropped bits all the way to their hide out, so I could track them. They had made a lovely comfortable nest in a hollow in the sand dunes!

Sybaritic? In the tea room? Whatever next!

Good to see you again, Donk. I like the sound of the water pistols - they might tempt MadBadBaby away from the telly and it'd help with the garden watering.

Would anyone like wine? a galvanised bucket of tea? carrots? twiglets?

A galvanised bucket of wine would be lovely thanks

Good job we've got several galvanised buckets. Donk got quite upset once before when she thought I'd given someone her bucket.

So here's a bucket of wine for you, Amber. Quite a cheeky little number, with hints of gooseberry and kumquat.

Cheers!

Splendid! And a straw please. Been that sort of day.

Oh dear, Amber. Here's a straw for the strictly medicinal, non-intoxicating bucket of wine. Would you also like a paper parasol?

A galvanised bucket of tea and some new carrots!

Donk Heaven

Thankyou MBDTK

Thank you, amber (and Mellors). My composter now contains (in addition to strawberry hulls as Pimms fruit):

• little gem lettuce
• tomatoes
• cucumber (ie leftover salad from lunch)
• an eggshell
• shredded letter from local Lib Dems
• a woodlouse
• several ants
• a slug

My bin looks like this. My dad is very handy!

Just been doing some back reading and seen the nice things people have said about me!

Been very busy. DH has had half term and my family is very full time when all need looking after at the same time.

Still, nice days were had, especially with the fantastic weather. On the one rainy day Wriggle organised a picnic on the sitting room floor. Her main entertainment at picnics is opening hard boiled eggs, which are totally mashed in the process. This means RacingCollie is happy too.

We have also got into the films by the director of Spirited Away (although that particular title is not my favourite) and have been watching them on a loop.

Wriggle is into role reversal atm. Last night I heard her tell DH that she would give him a 'bonbon' if he could do 'pipi sur le popo'. Probably doesn't need translating.

I am totally engrossed in preparing for the SIAS inspection on Wednesday. My head teacher has just sent an e-mail saying that she is praying that it will go well. Don't feel that shows great confidence.

(Actually, she's not wrong. I have put in days of work to bring us up to Barely Adequate. I just haven't been focussed on R E Assessment since I went back to work)

Tea, sorry to hear about your sister. Families are very strange. At least our offspring won't have sister problems.
Except if Catita is hatching a hermanita.

Off to write more creative and inspiring lesson plans now.

p.s. Amber, there was a really interesting article about employment for autistic/aspergers people in the Independent today. About using their special talents.

Oh, and Friend has had her baby, I hear on the grapevine. When it came to it she obviously forgot that she had asked me to take her two-year old. Wriggle and I waited all morning in the farm park and half the afternoon and he was never delivered. Obviously they had/have more exciting things to think of. Will have to go and buy cute and adorable present this week.

DCMB - Wow. Your dad is very talented. Now I have compost bin envy.

Did your dad tell you how to accelerate the composting in the Bob Flowerdew stylee? A gentleman (it must be a gentleman, as the hormones of ladies don't work in the same way, or so I'm told) must, as Racingsnake so delicately puts it, do 'un pipi dans le popo' (or, more likely, an old water bottle). This should be diluted and added to the heap. Eh voila!

Racingsnake - When our school had SIAS inspection, the Head asked all us governors to join in the prayer effort. I don't want to dismiss the power of prayer, but in this context I agree with you that more concrete efforts at wowing the inspectors are probably more appropriate!

MadBad - time is ticking on and I think that prayer may be our only chance! Quite happy with my lessons, all of which should be quite fun, but the assessment is still conspicuous by its absence.

Our compost system, designed by moi and built by DH, incorporates chicken and compost heaps together, in that the compost heaps are in the chicken cage. All compost is put in the bins, including food waste, etc. Chickens scratch it up, eat anything edible, liberally add pipi and caca, then it composts beautifully. Any week which dares to try and germinate / sprout from bits of roots is immediately eaten. Good, eh?

Sadly DH wants to get rid of the system to move chickens so that he can move fruit bushes so that he can move Wriggles slide behind the treehouse which hasn't been built yet, but I still think it is the perfect system.

Did you every see Bob Flowerdew's system for caged snails?

Or even a sprouting weed ever
Time for a nice glass of rose, I think, and then bed. No inspector is going to be impressed by a sias form completed by me at this hour!

((tea)) re your sister. Families can be depressing can't they.

Madbad - afaik, a bottle and dilution is not necessary - and its only men as its a darn site easier for them to go and add to the compost heap without the neighbours (depending upon the position of the compost heap of course!). I have even said MJ can go down there when he can't be bothered to go in for a wee! (Although he quite often will go back inside to wash his hands) () (talk about conditioning )

Our compost heap isn't carefully planned - it gets what we have when we have it. It gets lawn clippings, weeds, kitchen waste (which includes a bit of kitchen roll). We do spread out in layers to some extent - so, for instance, there is never a really thick layer of lawn clippings. Anything fairly woody (eg perenial stems) gets chopped up a bit - but its always possible to put things through for a second go through though... and it gets emptied once a year. We manage to get a 5' square compost heap to about 5' - 6' - although its difficult to tell as you fill it up a bit and it goes down again....

(Spent the afternoon weeding the 'bog garden' - can hardly stand up!)

wooo that chicken composter sounds complicated but simple at same time. Or maybe it just your DHs garden changes that sound complicated.
My compsters are 2, A hot bin; home made worm bin for kitchen scraps. and a slow bin; cheap council issue plastic tube for garden waste.As we have a large hedge we also us teh council garden waste bag collection a few times a year as the hedge trimmings would fill our bins 3 times over. The worm bin is my favourite as I made it, I always feel relieved teh worms have made it through another winter or baking hot spell.

Breakthrough day today for boy and dogs, he not only stroked a labradour type dog ( soft as butter, lived for years with lots of children) but also a jack russel ( also soft as butter and used to kids) with out a grown up holding his other hand!

Hello all xxx

I spent tonight on.... facebook - it was surprisingly very good - It seems my cousins all live in there instant messaging and posting pictures of us all when we were young and daft looking. Oh how we laughed at my mushroom haircut and the time Cousin3 had crumpets put in her ears "Errm - actually..." "...they were grommits!" She confessed then went on to add "I really was an odd child, wasn't I?"

chin chin!!! - rose is perfect for a warm late spring evening.

Tea- strangely enough, that's my tipple of choice for this evening!

Haven't seen if my cousins are on facebook, we werent really that close when growing up. Mind you, I have been thinking of getting in touch, perhaps that might be a way to do it!

Ah, I did know the thing about the pipi, and I did think it was men only for hormonal rasons, though MT's explanation is also entirely reasonable (buggered if I'm going to pee on a compost heap). DH is actually excused all interaction with compost on grounds of having had asthma way back in the mists of time ... he is also excused lawn mowing on the basis of current hayfever, but occasionally does it on the grounds that mowing lawn is better than living with the hay meadow I seem to be cultivating.

Caged snails?!

I'm not sure we have any snails in the garden any more. I got very irate with them last year and succumbed to slug/snail pellets. Now the garden is full of shells, but I've not seen a live one for a while (oh, except the teeny baby one that hitched a ride in on a squash seedling).

Do drop over to my thread in AIBU (dangerous I know!) - but I promise that it should be heart ache free!

(I nearly said argument free - but I observe that some people can have an argument anywhere, about anything!)

DCMB - if you want any snails, or slugs, please let me know - I will send you some. Last summer I went down the garden in the late evening (I can't remember why) and I trod on snails on the way down the garden and way back. I live in a suburban area - so the garden is fairly long for a town one, but not that long (c. 150'?) and I trod on 80 snails on the journey, without really going out of my way! And that doesn't count for the slugs - the worst ones are about 3 - 4".

Can you imagine squatting on, or over the compost heap to assist with it? I think my compost heap can cope without!!!!

Ha ha lovely tea rommies!

Had has wonderful weekend, went to Coram fields as you suggested Madbad what a corking time! DaisyBoy running around in paddling pool, got soaked

LOL at the uberflattering images of me as floaty hippy in suit with blonde hair and turn in Cotswold Life. would it were true. Actually, maybe it is

We have 3 tents and a camper van. Not sure what sorts (well, van is VW) love camping, glad you all had fun!

Ah, yea, Racing I hope she is feeling loved and lovely with one, not sad and wibbly

Spent a while wondering how Amber pictures VVinegarTits and FanjolineJolie!

Wrap dresses have worked for my no norkage self but perhaps Catita something simple from Blooming Marvellous? I had a black dress from them for maternity (borrowed or I'd hold it for you) that stretched every way and still looked nice? Maybe with stretchy maternity wear they'd be a bit easier than normal post and send, and at least you could return it??

LOL at Mistle in one pair of trousers and shirts, that's what I did, but basically 2 shirts - heh ho, nobody minds you wearing the same things when your pregs (mind you I wear the same things now...)

Happy weather. Scottishmum daisyboy uses his paddling pool all year round. When cold I put hot water and bubble bath like a bath, and then have towels and tracksuit by door for coming in? He likes it anyway!

Also, we made cooker out of big box, then he cooked on it. At 15 months "normal" things were best - pots and pans and wooden spoons, box with bits to look in. bags with bits to put in and out etc.

Yum and envy of cheesecake and hurrah for Milk with her friend play!

Hmmm - I really pull my hair out over my sister - our relationship is really messy...

... but I do have a nice relationship with all of my cousins on both sides of my family and the ones who have children I am fairly close with their children too and they are close to Milk. Milk and the children see each other every time we are in the UK. Not everyone has this closeness with cousins, I suppose, I perhaps should think about the loveliness of this - rather than focusing on the darker side of family dynamics!

MT - facebook would be an excellent way of getting in touch with your cousins. Good idea!

I like all this gardening talk - but have nothing to add seeing as I have no garden.... so I will just sit and listen.... and smile.....

waves at Daisy and puts bunting up for her return....

-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v

Good night - sleep tight!

Ah, Tea thank you for the bunting! And I meant to say, I am sorry about your sister, and completely understand the weirdosity of perhaps posting for the entire world forum to see things about intimate personal relationships that you might not even articulate within the home... communication is mighty odd....

Oh, Mistle if you're there, nanny story truncated - only nanny we've had left end of April in planned departure, we had a month "nanny free" which was lovely but left me like a bit of a blue arsed fly and rather behind at work and new nanny started last wednesday!