Tea Room the Ninth: I love rock and roll, put another dime in the juke box baby

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Welome to the ninth incarnation of the tea room. It's been a long and eventful road, from a tea room overlooking a cathedral garden to a beachside cafe, with a diversion via a yurt. Now - voila - we are in a music lounge. We cater for all tastes and, as this is a tea room of requirement, it manages simultaneously to be many things at once. For some, it is a 70s glam rock disco with a cool boho edge - glitter balls, smoke machine and much wearing of platform shoes and eyeliner. For others, a jazz bar where mellow music is played as cocktails are served. For still others, it's a concert performance of Spem In Allium. We still have a garden, with shady parasols for the summer, and a menagerie of pets. Our membership is international.

The tea room has few rules. Everyone is welcome. But anyone visiting with the sole intention of causing hurt or shouting abuse will be ejected by Mellors, the multi-talented gardener-handyman who (it turns out) is also a guitar wizard and rock god.

Please come in.

My DS adores car washes. He frequently makes us stop and watch the one over the road, and has a preferred one to go through.

Very impressive juggling, Daisy. Are you plotting dh's progress on a map? He must surely have reached the Limpopo by now.

Should we suggest taking your dc to a car wash as an economical school holiday treat? There must be a thread for that (and, if not, we could start one). Likewise "Keep your dc amused during the holidays by tying dusters to their feet and encouraging them to practise their figure-skating across the parquet floor. Hours of low-cost entertainment and a clean floor!""

My mother used the economical holiday treat of pulling wallpaper off. And we fell for it

I was watching the Ben Fogle / James Cracknell thing last night and thinking of MrDaisy

he has just phoned. Having a last bath/ coffee/ wee in a proper loo/ phone home before his next Extensive Mission
said it was so cold last night he had to put all his clothes on and wear pants on his head and light a fire and keep it stoked all night

love the top holiday tips. One summer me and my sis were told to clear our rooms. My Sis said "you clear and I will read you a book" - I fell for that one....

Cmot - Do you think Daisy is married to Ben Fogle? [susceptible to the charms of posh male totty (especially when tall and blond) emoticon]

Daisy - Seriously, am v v pleased that DaisyMan has, like ET, managed to phone home. If he has been reduced to wearing his pants on his head, I think you should while away his absence by knitting him a nice woolly bobble hat (or buying one from Etsy)!

Tea and cake, anyone?

Having missed the cake, can I proffer a little Sauvignon Blanc ?

My mental image of Daisyman in a solar toupee, is now replaced by a man with pants on his head.

I am shamed by the dirt my cleaner has revealed today. She did things like moving the microwave. And emptying the toaster crumb tray. And moving the sofas. She said that she felt a level of achievement looking at the kitchen before and after. And we had cleaned in there at the weekend

economical holiday tip - buy the cheapest return railway ticket from your local station.Watch trains for bit , eat picnic on platform bench, take train to next station, get off watch another train come through, look at signals, take pictures, dole out sweets very slowly, catch train to home station. Wave at all train drivers you see.

not so sure Dasiys the secret mrs fogle, they don;t have any kids do they? The RL Mr & Mrs Fogle that is.
My money is on Cracknell. Or Ray Mears. Or maybe one of the daft lads I used to Canoe & Climb with at Bristol Uni back in the early 1990s.

Cmot - It is always a mistake to move sofas. I think I may have some pre-decimal coinage tucked behind mine.

This sauvignon blanc is lovely. Very refreshing. Cheers!

It has occured to me that " had to put all his clothes on teh keep warm...." May NOT mean Dasiy bloke is some where cold, he may just not have many clothes with him on a slightly cool for season night in a bothy. Maybe hes a whiskey guzzling rock climber somewhere in scotland.

I REALLLLLY need to get a life , don;t I. :-)

I can report that it is always a good idea to move sofas/fridges/other large items about a week before the removal men come in, to give you time to hoover out the cms of dust, occasional corpse, and reclaim lost coinage without embarrassment. Otherwise, it's red faces and lots of sneezing all round.

Have started washing my net curtains - they're those bloomer blinds, what're they called, anyway they're filthy - now that's embarrassing but at least only I'm seeing it (and DH, who is getting them down for me). Have to be handwashed in the bath because of all the strings - pah.

Am slightly preening in all the interest in DaisyBloke its sort of vicarious fame... although fame for Pants on Head may not be the kind of fame one looks for in ones teens

He's not Ben (sadly) nor James (partly because I couldn't possibly be such sort of leggy totty as Mrs Cracknell )

Pants on head is both a mark of coldness in which he finds himself and lack of clothing. But he does have lots of solar stuff (I read that as a Solar Toupee lol!)

Don't even mention dust behind things - it's when it comes out in rolls that I start to panic....

lol - yes, they're scary, aren't they?

Solar toupee - what else was it supposed to say (since that's what CMOTD wrote) [confused emoticon]?

Have mental pic of MrDaisy being Captain Blackadder in Blackadder Goes Forth now (although possibly without the pencils up each nostril )

Daisy I have been meaning to ask: how is DaisyBoy coping with DaisyBlokes absence. Here Ds asks for his papi 5 or more times a day. He also goes looking for him in the study/the shower (fave hangouts) and get excited everytime he sees his car, as he thinks this means he is back. Poor lad

No cold for Mr. Catita in Texas. It as swealtering there as here, apparently.

A solar topee I have a lovely picture of my grandfather in one when his submarine ended up in the tropics.

AHHHH a solar topee is a pith helmet now that is very much DaisyBlokes image, it is just the image that came to my mind was a solar powered wig

Catita- poor little Kittenita. DaisyBoy is doing quite well. He has started saying "I want Daddy" and "when is Daddy coming home" he also watches the planes out of the window and says "is Daddy on that one" and "can we go to the Airport in the morning to get Daddy"

Mostly, though, it comes out through being very very clingey of me and/or quite cross with me - he is having melt downs when things don't go his way (when with me) and won't settle at night - I am trying to put this down to his feeling insecure but knowing/ testing that I won't leave too and/or his age rather than a reflection on my being a terrible parent and his being happier with anybody else but me
[slight wibble]

I always spell it wrong

Have a comforting pat, and a sticky bun.

My colleagues oldest child is 15, and she has disappeared off on a regular basis since he was tiny, and he is a secure and happy (at least as much as teens are) person. She has an 8 and a nearly 3 year old too (mad woman). I take comfort from this.

DS is being challenging this week. No idea why, and a deal involving a trip to the Natural History Museum for Saturday hasn't worked so far (last chance today)

oh CMOT - sorry about DS but comforted that difficult behaviour isn't always linked to lack of parent.... so what is the deal? He gets to see the dinosaurs if he's good or you get to see the dinosaurs if he's not good?

And aren't you meant to be in Anaheim??

Thats next week - JM is having 2 weeks, and we only overlap by a couple of days. Today I am sorting out my last few trip details, whilst contemplating what I am going to wear for 5 days of posh clothes in warm weather.

Should he refrain from deliberately weeing in his pants today and tomorrow, he gets to go on the train, then a taxi (this is the height of excitement for him for some reason), then see the dinosaurs. He has also developed an annoying hum when he is not listening to you. This just has to be cracked down on - I think he has got it from someone else at nursery.

I have just volunteered to be a two child parent for a weekend. Don't know what came over me there, although horrified that I will have to take a pushchair out with me as I don't think I could actually carry both of them. It might be a day for reins

Oh HURRAH!!!
I have just had a phonecall from Dad - he has had his post-radiotherapy PSA level checked and it is 0.04, the bottom of the detectable scale! yipppeeeeeee!!
So now he can take comfort in his hot flushes, knowing that the treatment has "done its job"

Yay ! Thats a great PSA - really reassuring.

Great news Thumb. I'm really pleased for you and your Dad.

CMOT via-á-vis clothes, I imagine that California is similar to Texas in the fact that they love air-conditioning to death. Thus you can be baking outside in 45oC but shivering at 17oC inside. From what you tell us, I gather you'll spend a lot of time indoors in conferency/office thingies. Don't make my mistake and go for the summer dresses. You'll freeze. I tend to adopt the layered approach myself for the times that you find yourself outside for an extended period of time. If you are going hotel-office-hotel in taxi or other such personal transport you'll hardly notice the outside weather. Sad but true.

why- when boy and I go for a " day out" to some tourist thing or another , does it always rain.
We still had a good time riding a mini train line and boy was enthralled by the model trains.

Hello all!! Have you missed me???

Week in Devon was good - a bit mixed weather wise, but some good days on the beach particularly toward the end of the week. Very busy at work and out every evening so far this week... Away at the weekend at THE WEDDING - I now fit the dress and have spent more on the underwear to go with it than I did on the dress

Thumbwitch - great news!

UniS - sorry about the house issue.

We've also been having some 'issues' with MJ - he's been specifically disobedient to the extent that I've shouted at him very crossly (and really quite loudly) IN PUBLIC . Then he appologises - which apparently makes it all OK and sets the situation straight again. Repeat ad infinitum.

Hi MT - glad to hear you had a good week away.

UniS - the rain doesn't seem to matter so much when trains are involved, ime.

I can just about get miniTHumb to say please but he has an outright refusal at Ta or Thank you or any variation thereof. He won't learn Sorry either, although he does pat or stroke me "better" if he has hurt me and I yell loudly enough. In fact I suspect he is deliberately refusing to advance his language skills!