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 ...

I remember that Amber! I like CO films too!

Daughter got up this morning, no recollection of penguins

RS - WELL DONE!!!!

TW - yes, Sangria, thank you (although I won't this time in the morning!). With the house - just think that every box you go, there is less left.

We're a uni-car household and have been for several years - just have my company car. Its normally fine and only occasionally causes problems.

Missed the thread. Its not even full moon!

extra large cup of very strong hot chocolate, thank you amber!

Carry On up the Khyber is one of my faves as well, but my out and out favourite is Carry on Screaming - it's so ridiculous!

Mucho work to do today - got to start sorting the detritus to make sure we don't leave something important behind.

Congratulations RS

TW- my friend sold his house (had been on the market for ages) when someone came to view it rather last minute on a weekend when 15 people where staying there, and they came right in the middle of a bbq. People and stuff everywhere, and they loved it. So you never know !

Amber - during my Canadian trip I was talking to an associate whose son has an ASD. He was telling me about his fan obsession, and I remembered something you said about twirling and watching the subtle patterns and variations. I said this, and the parent said that no one had ever explained that to them and it made perfect sense as little lad is sooo observant of minutiae he could see how it would be soothing and engaging. He'd like to thank you very much for the insight

CMot - that's taking the 'fresh bread and coffee' suggestion a whole lot further isn't it! I suppose it can show just how good the house/garden is for having a party - which, if you like that sort of thing, is really good!

TW - I was ill when we moved house. We got the removal men to pack everything (well, almost) for us. The downside is that you end up with a whole lot of things that you really don't need at the other end. In fact, we've still got a few boxes that were never properly unpacked. Perhaps I should just tabke them straight to the dump!

Thanks for the lovely breakfast Amber just what we need. Daisy proffer Coffee to go with it, and reflects that she seems to contribute caffeine mostly (and alcohol) to the Tea Room pantry

Thumb oh, horrid story if true, horrid scam if not, glad I missed it tbh

Now, ladies, as I cycled to work today I was thinking about the Glory of the Tea Room and this struck me as its essence:

Last few days we have had three stories:
(1) Mary's DD with the night time penguins
(2) MJ and his friendly monsters being brought forth to protect him at night
(3) Wriggle and Racing making a June Snowman

What I love about the Tea Room is that
(1) we all chat about rounding up penguin/ making the monster comfy/ Racing trying to find snow to go with the scarf etc

(2) nobody said or even thought to say "but that is ridiculous on your child's part" or "there is no snow in June" or "separation anxiety should be dealt with by black out blinds" etc

The kooky wonder of the childhood world may be hard at times but by golly it is enriching and I love to share it with you all

Hiya people, penguins, snakes and assorted other animals/insects/reptiles/insert new madness here please.

Thumb Keep hanging in there. It will all be over soon . I saw that thread yesterday and was quite intriged by it; I have to say a lot of threads sometimes seem a little far fetched, but I have a sheltered life so what do I know?

Well if the moon is full and we are all about to go crazy, I'm sure this little story will cause no end of lovely threads

It's already policy in Mexico. You even have to present your child's uptodate immunisation card to apply for a place in a nursery as well.

Good morning all!

I just want to go on the record for saying that I would sooner give up all things computer-related than join Netmums.

British comedy? A bit beyond me... and all I know about it is what I've seen on AbFab, Coronation Street, Fawlty Towers, Jeeves and Wooster, and Monty Python - and, just like Due South fails to adequately represent Canada, I'm sure these don't represent the Best of British.
But no running for the hills for me... glad Daisy had such faith in me.

I saw the thread about the girl who had a 3 months old son and was pg with twins when it was only 10 posts long (as it was 10 pm here, the rest of MN was still very quiet). I had Jackbaby on my lap and was trying to name-change to add a rather blistering post of the "excuse me, am I the only thing who hears tripp-trapp? This does not add up" type... but Jackbaby had other ideas and was very fussy and unsettled, so I gave it up, figuring someone would be along sooner or later to call bullsh*t on it... and they apparently were as both thread have poofed

Had a lovely, lovely day yesterday, shopping in the States. I live 30 mins from the U.S. border and am a very unpatriotic Canadian in that I prefer to shop for certain things in the U.S. Like children's clothes (or clothes for me, for that matter). So my friend with the newborn and I had a little road trip. We had a great day. She found a gorgeous dress for her baby's christening, and we found other lovely tidbits. Turquoise thong sandals for me... among other things. The babies held up extremely well - between a newborn and a very active toddler, a day-long shopping trip could have been a complete disaster, but they were great. But it was a SCORCHER yesterday. Where we live, we broke all heat records for the 3rd of June. So we had the air con going full blast, carbon footprint be damned. But Jackbaby was still boiling hot when we finally came home and I woke in the middle of the night and he felt like a baking oven next to me. We ended up giving him some baby ibuprofen and shortly after he started to cool down... I don't know if he was still retaining heat, so to speak, from the day, or what, but I didn't like it.

How is everyone today??

Yes Catita - there's another thread already running about it. Interesting that Mexico is already a long way down that route!

Didn't like the 'pre-school' boosters - 3 separate injections - although ds calmed down very quickly afterwards. I think we had more of a palaver trying to get the small round plaster that the nurse had put on one site off than we had with the actual injections - it was the thought that it might hurt that caused the problem - he was surprised it was off when I eventually managed to pull a small edge bit up!

I agree Daisy - I do like the way the conversations go here - and the fact that things that have happened or occur to one person spark things off with others. Its really rather like having a bit of a social with friends - without the stress of having to have something to say, worry about being listened to, or indeed worry about actually being somewhere with people...

JM: I think Coronation Street is not actually supposed to be comedy (but it is you are dead right... I heart Corry; or at least I did until I left the UK, who knows how it is these days)

Mistle you know that there is absolutely zero discussion about vaccinations here. The government offers a range of free ones to all the population (including TB, the MMR, polio) and since I have social security my DS gets all the optional extras (hepititus, rotavirus, flu etc). Those without this benefit will save up and pay for them. The whole UK palava now seems so alien to me.

If I had time, the inclination and a good idea for a namechange I'd go and stir on the thread. But I have to work...

I looked at all the information available before ds had the MMR - the trouble is that it was all written from either one extreme or the other. Either it was 'those studies are completely wrong, no proof, dangerous illnesses' or 'MMR causes autism - fact'. I ended up going and seeing a GP that I trust and talking about it with him. When he said that, even if he had had to innoculate his two daughters after all the trouble started, he still would have done as the benefits far outweighed the risks.

But I do sympathise with the parents who want the single jabs rather than combined but can't get them on NHS - or want egg free or similar due to allergies etc.

The uptake in some areas is shocking though - I heard down as low as 15% in some areas whereas you need I think a 90% rate to help to avoid significant outbreaks...

DS has Asperger's because I have Asperger's. He was fine with the MMR both times. DD on the other hand had a bad reaction to the first one, and didn't have the booster. HOWEVER her records show she did - only she couldn't have, as we were on holiday in Cyprus on the day she was supposed to have had it!

Personally, from what little I read on the single measles vaccine, that is no safer than the MMR anyway!

Found the penguins, btw

I think that I'm with your GP on this Mistle. Measles can be a deadly disease and as far as I have read noone claims that the MMR can kill you. But, I know it is an emotive subject and as you say, the discussion has become so polarised that it is very difficult to be sure about it all.

hey enough of the vaccination controversy on this thread!

catita, here you are - there are others. Of course there are idiopathic risks with all vaccines - meningitis C vaccine and the polio vaccine have been responsible for a few deaths themselves.

anyway - back to the nice uncontroversial tearoom atmosphere - sun's over the yard arm, anyone care for a Pimms? Strawberries, cucumber and mint included, of course!

Thumb I stand corrected. Sorry, I should have known that you or JM would be more expert on this. I didn't want to be controversial either, I am just still surprised that this debate has no resonance here at all. Plus, DS had to have the MMR, otherwise he'd not be able to go to nursery or school or pretty much any other after school activity. I read about it all, obviously and was concerned by it all, but took him. He found the influenza jab much more horrible: he ended up with ranging temperature than led to a throat infection and then a stomach infection within days of that one.

End of my musing. Yes please to cocktails and nibbles! How are you doing on the packing front? (or shouldn't I ask )

What cocktails and nibbles do we have this evening then (as I chose the Quantro/Sangria last night...)

god I wish there was a [GROAN] emoticon! the packing is diabolical, there is just so much CRAP here - who knew how much I had accumulated in 14 years!

DH is all for binning it all but there is stuff in there that I really do want, so it all has to be sifted through [groan][groan]

I'm thinking margaritas with tortilla chips, salsa verde and sour cream myself.

Anyone interested ?

Me, pick me, pick me!! I could so do with some Mexican food and a barrelful pitcher of Margaritas. It's so hot here [lovely weather emoticon] that it calls for outdoorsy-type snacks and drinkies!

Ooh - yes please... Low cal food beginning to pale...

Quatro rather than Quantro I feel for me, who else remembers that rather yummy fruity fizzy drink... I also rio, tho teh only place that sells it is teh cricket club.

BOy in bed.
I had a great bit of skip diving today... just walking past infant school when friend and I spot a LARGE football being put into a skip by caretaker.. so We ask if we can have it. Turns out he has been left a pile of PE kits to chuck in skip as unwanted!!!! some of it was frankly broken , but not all. So, back to friends house, she kept both boys and I returned to school with bike trailer and retrieved: 2 mini basket ball/ net ball hoops, 2 sets of flowerpot stilt things, a bag of assorted clip together balance bean stuff, and a couple of plastic storage crates. I left the faded space hoppers, the hold on stilts, teh ride on multi child rocket on wheels, the 3 child pedal go and teh portable tennis net... Tomorrow I shall have the car - one car family as well as one child- so shall collect stuff from friend and take to community hall for cleaning and checking over. I plan on keeping one basket ball hoop for home and teh other going in hall garden. Just our luck that school was shut for polling so school gate crowd hadn't already picked teh skip clean.

HAd a fab day all round as we took the boys to swim at teh university open air pool and they had a good time and rode their bikes there and back, so teh whole exercise occupied all afternoon.
HAve a temp garden waterer lined up- friend who knows a bit and is looking forward to eating the crop.

Carry on films- I must have watched more, but the only one I remember by name is carry on camping. I watched them on TV when I was very young and I suspect a lot of it went over my head but I liked teh slap stick.

Had our offer on a house rejected :-( they had had a better offer and we can't afford to go high enough to beat that one. So still on teh look out for a 3 bed house in "village under dartmoor". No idea what we will do when we have to move out of here, rent I guess. Might as well try and rent in catchment for a reasonable school in "this city" and see what happens.

More penguins
Anyone read "And Tango makes three"?
Lovely book!