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 ...

UniS - I can 100% guarantee that things will not pack themselves - and that the longer you leave it the more confusing and awful it will be!

I am pleased to report that I have finally "completed" the packing for our shipping; of course about 30 mins after the last box had gone I spotted about 10 things that should have gone in and didn't but hey! We're getting an airfreight crate later so they can go in there. Of course the place still looks like a bomb has gone off but about 2 days ago - there is space between the debris now.

RS - I know exactly what you mean about the weeding - I have terrible ishoos with uprooting flowering things, even borage (which is spiky and evil but has such pretty blue flowers) - poppies always get to stay wherever they like. When I lived in Oxford, one year we had the most amazing array of opium poppies growing all over the garden (including in the lawn) - there were mauve ones, purples ones, deep red ones, singles and doubles. All self-seedeed, and only about 3 came back the following year. I always think they are like gypsies - they pick their own flowering sites.

DCMB - I think I love you - you are one of the few people I have come across who seems to understand the genealogy of cousins!

CMOTD - hope it goes ok tomorrow - for you. I think sometimes it is harder to lose someone that is ostensibly not so close to you, because people don't "get" it - when my Nanna died I was devastated because she was more like my Mum to me than my Mum was - and people were more dismissive of the loss because it was "only" my grandmother. When my Mum died, it was dreadful but not as devastating and yet I got far more sympathy over it.

Its done, well started. at any rate the bed is no get intoable. Off to print discount vouchers for soft play near SiL.

Heh Thumb glad your head is a bit above water again

Racing - I'm also there with you wiht the weeding. Our raised veg bed has foxglves just coming into bloom nicely in amongst the garlic. There are strawberries in a patch - but also dotted here and there over the rest of the area (of course they are doing better where they aren't meant to be) and there are also lots of milkmaid plants around - a bit difficult to tell the difference between this and bittercress - ie a really health bittercress looks surprisingly similar to a weedy milkmaid - but I think I've just got milkmaids! Oh, and there is an oak tree and a birch tree and quite a few cherries - all of these are seedlings but I'm letting them get a bit bigger before I try to do anything else with them.

Well, my second cousin is coming to stay tomorrow [preens]

DCMB I see you think you can't do small talk not sure you're right, you can witter for England on here

Mistle I realise about 4 days ago you asked a question I didn't answer about nannies - sorry our nanny left at end of April, planned departure. We had a month "respite" and new nanny started June. Bit nervous because we've never changed before, so first nanny had "grown up" with DaisyBoy. But I was given top tip advice in the tea room:
(1) Make lists
(2) keep calm and carry on
(3) drink wine and let Mellors give you a massage

and now it is all fine

I fancy scrambled egg on toast for lunch - any takers?

as in my Second Cousin is coming to stay not that he is my second cousin in number

Daisy - I'm glad that things have gone smoothly! . Has Daisyboy settled in with the new nanny (and more to the point, have you?) and is the nanny living up to requirements or exceeding expectations?

Wholesome hearty soup anyone? Am on a campaign to lose weight - 7lbs in a week so far - although I am sure that this is not all 'real' weight ifyswim - I think it was a 'heavy' totm to start... But really need to do it so that I feel a bit better in some of my clothes by the time we go to this family wedding.

Funeral (humanist in the garden) was lovely. Alas the family hadn't put aside their differences, and there were only 9 people there. Which considering his 6 siblings, 4 children, 7 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, wasn't exactly a great turn out.

TW - great that the worst of the packing is done. I am told by the people I know who have moved countries (a few as my company like people to move) that that is the worst bit.

Off to book more flights now...

I'm glad the funeral went off well, Cmot. Pity about the low turn out, but maybe it's better to have a few people who really wanted to be there than a bunch who are there just because they were dragged?

So, where next on your travels?

June - Phoenix and San Fran - Mon to Friday job
July - Athens for a couple of days
Anaheim, California for a week

August is mostly clear, trying not to think about September. My colleague is getting married on the 5th, and not unreasonably wants to take some time off before and after. Which leaves it all to me. Bah.

CMOT - we will be in Anaheim for ten days in July! We're going to Disneyland for our summer holiday. I will be peering around Anaheim trying to spot a fellow MNer and TeaRoomer

I'll be there the 23rd-30th - the convention centre seems to be next to Disney. I'll be one of the few women in a sea of 3000 physicists...

If yes - Who'd of guessed in a million years one of them would be Jacksmama - who is geographically so far away from most of the cocktail swigging Mum's of one!!!!

I really think we should try to meet up. If CMOT wants to. [uncertain emoticon]

I'm guessing you've all packed up and gone to bed (apart from JM of course! and Catita if she's around)

I'm with T42 - How exciting! I hope you two do manage to get together!

We have finally finished organising our shipment and now all I have to do is sort through the detritus and decide what I really need to keep and what can be burnt/chucked out. Was disheartened today to discover that no one wanted my extremely expensive suede/velvet clothes because they're too old - the dress agency said they don't take anything over 2 years old because people just don't buy them. Pah! Ah well - I'll try ebay, I'm loath to just give them to a charity shop - how bad is that .

Just off out to a meeting that may be awful, but I'd love to meet up if we overlap JM. I think we'll be at the Marriott. CAT me to make more arrangements if you like

I am on a training day today, on bereavement - supporting people who have been bereaved. I am hoping it will be a very useful day.

CMot hope meeting isn't too bad. I've got one tomorrow where the client can talk (and talk and talk and talk) - last time it too 75mins to 'summarise' the current position (probably achievable in 15?) - you can try to interupt and get a word in, but its a bit like trying to change the direction of an extremely large boat/ship (Btw, what is the definition of a boat compared to a ship? is there any difference?)

I am loving the idea that the first tea room meet-up may be in California!

I think I may just have been somewhat bold on another thread I think I'll have a calming camomile tea. Would anyone else like one? And we have a batch of freshly-baked Belgian buns....

Pats MadBad on the back. Here is a chamomile tea (although I can't abhor the stuff ) but I don't actually think that you should feel you need to inflict that upon yourself - how about a glass of something else instead?

Yep. You're right, Mistle. Camomile tea does taste like grass clippings - no wonder they make lawns of it.

Jacksmama - I was just being a bit outspoken on the latest 'benefits of a one child family' thread. I get a bit cross when people who have made an active choice to have one child turn up and state very categorically that they are happy and enjoying life but anyone who had hoped for more but has ended up with one child must be a loon , condemned to a lifetime of grief. It's not true and I think it could be positively harmful for anyone who is still struggling to be told that it'll never get any better. It might, especially if people aren't whispering "you're doomed" in their ear.

Rant over.

Sun's nearly over the yard arm here so would anyone else like some Bolly? We have a clean bottle.

Hic !

What a bolly good idea! Cheers!