Tea Room the Tenth: Tea and cake and rock and roll

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Welcome back to the tea room.

In the search for the perfect venue, we have now decamped to a rambling country estate. The once-decaying castle, now restored, is a boutique hotel, popular with rock and roll gentry and visiting bishops, and the tea room (which never closes) is located in a tastefully converted barn. The charming garden contains a duck pond and ends in a haha. We need the haha, of course, to stop the bison trampling the herbaceous borders. Mellors the gardener is, as ever, in charge of the grounds.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink.

One of my course tutors is dean at Jesus College. One of the others is chaplain at Fitzwilliam College, there are benefits in being so close. And I am on speaking terms with the Norris-Hulse professor of Divinity!

Madbad - In that case perhaps Milk and Madbadbaby will go to the same college....? They could lay under a tree together on the backs talking about boys and parties literature, classical music and the amazing essentialness of the big blue pot in the Fitzwilliam.

What one of the 2 pots that got smashed?

Thanks for bolly, anybolly got a straw?

Ooo thankyou!

orange, have you noticed that there is not one photo (and we took lots) where all the children are actually looking at the camera at the same time? We have to go for 'relaxed' shots

I'm liking the sound of Mellors. Maybe we need to get us one of them on the multiples - thing is, I think we'd be doing less of the tennis lessons and more of the getting him to change nappies and make us another brew so don't know how long he'd stick around. We'd need some pretty powerful imagination...

teafortwo, my oldest three are also pretty much in their own little worlds too. I have to admit to cheating a lot with the twins and keeping them in their double buggy (with DS1 on a buggy board on the back) well - until it broke, tbh! They were past 3yo then, I think. I think the crowd mentality actually helps with mine as they know they can't mess around as they will get left behind so they probably do keep up more, but I quite often go with their flow and join in with whatever imaginary game is going on in their heads and use it to get to where we're going ("Quick! I think the castle is just right ahead! I need you to stay very close to me now because these branches are sharp. Stop! Are there any dragons here? No, then it's safe to cross...")

Oh yes - didn't someone fall on the mahooosive pot or something? I'd forgotten about that! In my defense the pot I had in mind was a big one but in a glass cabinet and not REALLY big just a bit big IYSWIM and perfectly blue!

What, Tea? Does this mean that you too put your child's name down at birth?

It's a lovely idea but the age gap means that they wouldn't be there at the same time unless MBB hung around to do a PhD (she and I could do one at the same time, what larks) or Tea went at the age of about 12 .

Ha ha ha - Actually I fancy her wondering around Cambridge with a mind filled with poems and prose while Beerfortwo thinks she would make a good doctor!!!! She is three - so both images are projections of what we wish we'd been able to do simply wishful thinking of a good life for her and anyway she must do as she pleases in life as long as she gets a good degree first.

Interestingly I did speak to Milk today about the world of work and she said when she is big she is going to go to go to work so she can buy some toys for me with her money and some for the tramp who lives by the metro stop too.

Well, perhaps they will meet then, because MadBadBaby will be reading law or medicine.

MadBadBaby plans to be an Olympic gymnast but will be going to Cambridge after that.

Estar looks pretty comfortable to me... here, lift your legs, you look like you could do with another cushion under them.

Tea, what a sweet child you have. Toys for the tramp!! Awww!!

Jackspapa texted me at work to say that Jackbaby laid down on the floor and went to sleep all by himself (without needing to be rocked or cuddled) - awwwwwww (again). That would never happen when I'm home though.

Do you think Estar's dozed off, Jacksmama?

I've just been for a peek at the multiple hamsters thread. I think it's even lewder than this one. What took you there in the first place?

I was wondering if more twin (or more multiples) were born via C-section or naturally. Posted a thread asking. Marslady answered and said I should pop over to the "D'you ever wonder" thread and ask, so I did. I've chatted with Shabster on a couple of other threads.
They seem a very nice bunch... but holy mother, I'm still in shock, five kids!!!!!!!!

I have a neighbour with six children!

And there I was, thinking that you'd gone over there just to ogle Robbie Williams and other eye candy ....

Well, you know...

Also it appears to be my sad duty to inform you that The Health Care Professionals' thread died... which means you needn't hoard share Mellors anymore.

(David was better looking anyway.)

The HCP thread died? What happened to the strange looking David? Maybe you should give him his redundancy papers and send him over to the hamsters?

It is silly o clock here so I shan't start it now but I want to put my air guitar here on the counter to remind myself to suggest a Hendrix (and his contemporaries) evening very soon... With all these newbies here we could do with a nice little (remembers the las one and shudders) tearoom party!!! !!!

Wow you've all been very busy. It's taken me an age to read everything.

Query: I thought the "white stuff" was milk. Clearly it has becamos something else since I departed from old Blighty's shores. A dress shop?

Congrats on the Kindle,, CMOT. I also hanker after owning one, but until there are a significant number of history texts out there to purchase, economics says I should give it a miss.

Hello to Esther probably the most-likely tearoom candidate for a Mexican mother's medal (they used to be awarded to the mother with most kids on mother's day).

JM I can't remember if I have told you about my c-section. The long and the short of it was, at 37/38 weeks (noone was sure of my dates ever...) my waters broke, but I didn't dilate as I should. Contractions came and went without much real progression. The stress of it all then caused my blood sugar to start to go haywire. Cue much flurry of activity, lots of checking of me and baby. They discovered that Kittenito was trying to strangle himself with the cord. So that was it: off to theatre I go. Kittenito was whisked off straightaway because they were worried about him suffering from severe hipoglucemia (low blood sugar, it can in extreme cases causes seizures).... I don't much remember it all. My most vivid memory is of the anthestiologist (Sp) telling me to pull myself to together (I had the shakes) or he wouldn't be able to put the epidural needle in.

Oh how very exciting: check it out! We are now on the "most active" convos list I said you'd been busy.

Hmm, that's a thought - sending David to the multiple mums. I'll get right on that. That way I can see him, too

I just had a thought - wouldn't Smugmumofone from Allyinoz's thread just implode if she knew that there was, not just a peaceable, but a very warm and welcoming cross-over between the Mums of Onlies and the Mums of Many? I'm having a few [grins] at the thought!

Catita - I don't know if I knew that or not. Did you tell the anaesthesiologist to fark off have some compassion? What a knob.

Nov 3 - very good day for Gatita! Was my grandpa's B-day and one of my dearest gf's.

Coffee anyone? I've put a large cafetiere on, as I need waking up this morning! Croissants are on the side, together with a row of freshly cooked soft-boiled eggs, from the free range chickens that Mellors has found a home for, in the orchard, and also some hot buttered toast, and jars of jam, honey and marmalade.

Whaaaa... Hello? Sorry, must have dozed off.

I feel I have to point out that there is no correlation (direct or inverse) between number of children and yummy mumminess. I am, for example, old enough to be Estar's mother (I looked at her profile too) and although I may have spent a lot of money on clothes supported the struggling retail sector this week, I am never going to be queen of the style and beauty threads. And, sadly, even a singleton has to be woken up in the morning, fed, dressed and dragged to school.

To add to Mary's wonderful breakfast buffet I've just made some hot chocolate. Do tuck in.

Morning morning!

I shall be having some of those eggs and coffee! Welcome estar - I prostrate myself in awe at your general wonderment and the casualness with which you say "they just sort of have to stay close" also love the dragon road crossing - we do a fair bit of that too

Welcome also ruby please share an egg. Well two if you must luckly we never run out of the good stuff here

I have missed so much chat!

MadBad - since you thought of Mrs Slocome's pussy I think my finbar saunders status is challenged!

Racing any news from school and CofG?

Catita what news of your mum?

MadBad funnily enough I got a coir and sheep wool mattress from Mattressman and it was reduced by 66% [smug emoticon}

I love white stuff clothes too - haven't seen the gnomes yet. Don't go shopping much but love it when I do.

Glad you all like Cambridge. I have to say, my heart belongs to the Dark Blues and that is where DaisyBoy will go

Yeah to high heels and getting a bit giddy on a night out - I vote for the DAY OFF - but I guess my vote is too late to count

Big waves to all, especially new comers and Tea and Racing who I haven't seen for a few days

Kindle sounds fun - it's an electronic book right?