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 ...

Back home again, sore of foot, hoarse of voice, and suffering from a) drinking more than I am acustomed to and b) staying up late and getting up early.

Over the course of this trip, I set foot outside on two occasions only. This was not good, especially as the hotel overlooked the ferry to Toronto island, and I could see all the families going to do nice things there from the meeting rooms.

DH and DS survived without me, and DH is v v happy as is a finalist in an industry award

Welcome back, Cmot. Perhaps Mellors would set up his massage table for a soothing aromatherapy foot rub?

LOL at the bouncy castle bishops - UniS I can see your boy keeping a beady eye on them and ensuring it is deflated properly!

CMOT welcome home, that sounds a but grr about the meeting. I have always wanted to go to Canada but not like that! Well done your DH

MadBad sorry not to have waved a fond farewell to your little bit of youth-in-a-car well done Amber for being there to soothe!

Right, gotta shake those goats and that sand from my hair and hit some deadlines!

THis will last about 10 minutes then DaisyBoy will burst in and it will be lego and fishfingers as usual

boy and I had a blast at a toddler tennis session this morning... more multi sports skills than tennis, but biased towards tennis for sure. was a long slog of bike ride up hil to get there, why did teh university put its sport hall at teh VERY top of teh hill teh campus is on.

UniS - it does stand to reason surely that if you're going to the sports centre, you should be fit enough to get there?

Congratulations to Mr. CMOT. I hope he wins.
I have just been a judge for a academic prize. It's not much fun; hard slog of reading everything and deciding on a 123 when at least 8 or 9 pieces of work made the grade. Still, it's over now. I've only got to finish the paper I am presenting in the UK [aaggh.. emoticon]

Skipping goas and bouncing bishops. I am not sure if we should make our next reincarnation Hotel California now, perhaps a Carry on film might be more suitable

OK, then. Who's going to explain Carry On Films to our overseas members?

I'm having an early night. Can I pour anyone a nightcap before I go?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_films

I'm game for a nightcap!

I just fancy some Quantro. I don't know why, and I haven't had some for ages. Either that or that other nice orange liqueur from Spain (forgotten name). Anyone else with peculiar craving?

43, Mistlethrush? That's the one I used to like in Spain... I'll have some with fresh orange and lots of ice, please!

DD has just "woken", confused and crying, telling me the penguins keep running away! Anyone seen any penguins, and if so, can you keep them cornered until I can grab one for my DD?

I have done it! I am a Good Teacher! Not great, outstanding, memorable or Miss JB, but at least not Satisfactory (which strangely enough means Not Satisfactory) or even Failing. Only 11 hours 45 minutes at school today being examined to achieve this.

Apparently our school fell down a bit because the dinner ladies couldn't say why they knew it was a church school - apparently just saying 'because it is' isn't good enough. Also only one of the children, when asked by examiner, could describe a recent spiritual moment. From now on, every Friday morning, after break and before milk time, we will have a Spiritual Moment and damn well describe it to a complete stranger. No-one is going out to play until they have done it.

Tea, congrats on ears - own ear doctor will be an asset I feel.

CMOT, congrats on DH.

MadBad, on demise of car. Couldn't you have kept a hubcap to use as a coaster? Wait a minute .... what do I see behind Mellors' chicken coop ... it's hard to make out by the light of the moon ... I think it could be a small Peugeot in the process of being converted into a broody coop.

Catita and Amberlight, do bishops and Carry On Films mix? And would it be good for the NMBs?

Also have balcony envy now, although we do have the sea views here. Maybe Mellors could oblige with a small balcony in front of Tea's upstairs bathroom? I presume that came with us.

Carry on Films? Cod parody, short skirts, canned laughter, hows-your-father, big knockers, door knockers, know what I mean? Nudge, Nudge, Doctor, Nurse, Vicar, Bishop, wrong entrance oooo Missus, don't tell, right-you-are-sailor, lets be having you, judges in suspenders, hanky panky.

I think that about covers it

Well done Racing that is Good indeed!

Passes Cointreau bottle, which I can never drink without that awful 70s ad in my mind "the ice melts"....

We were having disturbed nights on hol - until I discussed the fact that we'd make sure that MJ's friendly monsters to make sure he was alright that night - I told them to come out of the wardrobe where they had been sleeping previous nights - and got them sitting on the chair in his room - and he happily slept all the way through the night. Much better than the previous night where he had joined us in the middle of the night - luckily it was a 7' bed - but dh took up 1/2 the bed, leaving 3.5' for MJ and I - so I had about 18" (if I was lucky!).. getting back to the point - it can sometimes help to have something friendly to help in the middle of the night. I wonder what might help to make sure the penguins not run away!

She's obsessed with club penguin atm, both online and on the DS, its probably connected with that!

Quick! Iced tea now! The heat! The heat!

Now, Mr Penguin, you have to go back to Mary's DD for a while

Racing - That is fantastic! Being assessed as good is, well, good. And Miss Jean Brodie was (as we psychiatrists say) bats, so is not a role model.

Daisy - Excellent (especially the guest appearances by Frankie Howerd and (isn't it?) Monty Python) but I think that that and the wikipedia entry will have Jacksmama running for the hills. Or Netmums.

No, no, no. Jacksmama will be fine. She will roll up her checked shirt sleeves, don her dominatrix gear and feel right at home

hello all - just thought I'd swing by and see how you all are and discovered that we have a minor penguin invasion! How lovely - reminds me of the Jane and the Penguins saga of a few weeks ago

CMOTD - re your Canada trip - what a shame!

MadBad - that you are now a univehicular family - we are going to be in the same boat by the end of the week as the MOT runs out on my old car and we have decided not to bother trying to put it through as
a) it might not pass
b) we only need it for another month tops (fingers crossed anyway!)
but there you are.

RS - hurrah for your teaching results being good!

MT - I think you meant Sangria? (Spanish orangey alcoholic bevvy)

My house is a pigsty - 75% of it is packed and the detritus is lying around, some of it waiting for us to pack it and take it to the depot before next Tuesday, and the rest to be cleared out.

We had a call from the estate agent yesterday - a lady was very keen to see the house and could she come round that evening? I laughed in a bitter and hysterical manner and said no, I didn't think that was a good idea - I mean it was slightly better than if she had suggested Monday, but not much! So she is coming Friday - better have it looking less like student digs by then

Today we had a day off and went to London to lodge DS's passport application at Australia House - that was a song and dance in its own right - and spent a few hours just wandering around. Nice day.

BTW - did anyone else see that mental thread this morning about someone who was supposedly sneakily impregnated by her controlling partner 2 weeks after giving birth? It seems to have gone, so I can only assume that it achieved the appropriate Troll status and it was pulled... just as well!

sneaky impregnating partners? not on my watch
thumb glad to see you have your head above water!

hi daisy! It was a horrible story - supposedly about a 34 yo man with ishoos getting his 19yo gf drunk and then exchanging her MAPs for aspirins, so she ended up pg with twins - but things didn't add up, especially when it became apparent that she would have been only 2 weeks post-partum when she conceived.
It was just causing a few comments when I left it (I was one of them [smug proud emoticon]) and now it's gone.

head just above water, possibly just nostrils - going to bed now though as still on serious sleep deficit!
Night

A Carry On theme? My favourite films! Carry on Up the Khyber with that brilliant dinner scene carrying on in the Governor's residence whilst the battle raged outside and the building fell down around their ears whilst they politely ignored all of it in a particularly British comedy way. So much of my life seems like that Missionary sat in the middle of it yelling "They're all raving mad!"

Toast, tea, scrambled egg and bacon on the go here if people wish to partake of any, or a range of cereals of your choice?

Well done RS on your gradings. And re your Spiritual Moments for the children.
TW, you will need an extra large cup of something, I think?