Tea Room the Twelfth

[RacingSnake]

Come in, come in, to Tea Room the Twelfth! We now inhabit a rambling log cabin, surrounded by mysterious pine forests and mist-covered mountains (but also, strangely) easily accessible by regulars, new-comers and passing bishops, ferried in by Mellors driving the troika. All the usual rules apply and all are welcome!

I thiunk Ambers got it right on the rules of present giving man to woman there.
DH and I were given new saucepans jointly by DHs sisters, but we had said we would like some so that was all right. DH got it right for me, some bath ballistic fizzy things from Lush, some chocolate and a set of insulated screwdrivers( which I wanted and asked him for, and could rely on him buying the right ones rather than teh el cheapo copies. )

so
lovely- Screwdrivers.
edible -high quality chocolate
bizarre - a set of nesting elasticated plastic "jar toppers" think of mini shower caps and your there. 1 guess who gave me those....
Yep, MiL.

Lovely - three new beads for my Troll bracelet, including this pearl one which would go nicely with Amber's bracelet.
Delicious - the Hotel Chocolat box.
Bizarre - selection box, in-laws always buy us one of these each, which has always been a little odd, as I think of selection boxes as being for kids, and they first met me when I was 25 ... alongside the Hotel Choc deliciousness, even more peculiar.

I must admit nothing has quite hit the spot this year, I am more pleased with my shopping this afternoon. I took on board the 'practical present' thread comment which said practical presents should be either for things you love doing, luxury versions of practical things, or things that will do stuff that you hate for you. So I bought a Cath Kidston ironing board cover. Pretty.

MadBad I think you are mistaken to think that the 'Ladies' College requires any sort of manners, just bucketloads of cash.

Good grief, one of the cats has actually gone to sleep in the box DD's Littlest Pet Shop gym came in. The other one is settling down for a kip on the second-to-topmost platform of the cat tree. He IS going to fall off.

It was fun doing 8 stockings this year. I had been buying cheap stocking filler tat for months, also chose a jar of something to spread on toast for each child. SiL and SiL had wrapped a few bits to go in named stockings and Dh and I topped them up with tat.
so there were 6 green and red "christmas stockings" one blue wooly boot sock ( boy) and one tiny little baby white sock, all hung up when the kids went to bed. And in the morning all were lined up on coffee table . SiL has different ideas about stocking opening to me. They all had to delve in in turn and look at the bits one at a time! I used to find stocking on my bed and open it by my self and torch light before dawn.

Back to work tomorrow.

Turkey soup and lewd rolls for tea tonight.

Was going to say that I received no presents , but then remembered that there was a vast purple fleece shawl in Wriggle's parcel from MIL which we decided was probaly destined for me. Very warm and actually quite practical, if it's nor raining.

not

Racing - no presents????? for you!!

I believe I will have to get on the next Concorde (if they still fly? No idea) and hie myself to Chateau Racing, and Stare Very Hard at Monsieur Serpent. Until he Quails In Fear and hies himself to a tony boutique and buys you something thoughtful and expensive lovely.

Grrr.

If there's any turkey curry left, I'd have some (hint hint). I've put in quite a day's work and it's not quite 2 pm here. I woke up with the fantastic urge to de-clutter. And boy, have I. There are several bags worth of useless tat waiting to go to the Salvation Army drop-off, and I have a very nice sense of accomplishment. I'd have gone further and taken down the tree and returned my upstairs to its normal looks but DH wants the tree up until after New Year's, so sigh pout up it stays.

DS is napping and I am MNing catching up with myself.

No more Concordes, due, I think, to the crash in Paris a couple of years ago.

No presents (apart, probably, from shawl), but then I don't really need anything. Shawl is both useful and bizarre, and reminds me that last year MIL sent me a tea cloth with a hole in it. I was sure at the time that she was absent-mindedly wiping the dishes with a little cashmere number that she had meant to send me. I did share the box of chocolates MIL put in Wriggle's parcel.

We always take down our tree on New Year's Day. I think it is a good way to start the new year, although this year I think it might look a bit bleak and drab. Wriggle has decorated a wonderful tree with ribbons, toys, salt-dough shapes and fir cones. She keeps confiscating objects from the tree and hiding them because they are 'bleugh'.

Very impressed with your decluttering, JM. We had a lovely and productive day, too, clearing out a commercial-sized polytunnel with friends, ready for sowing soon. Worked hard all day and actually feel less tired than usual at this hour.

this s a telehandler. Boy has been given the toy version of this . its VERY life like, just a scaled down model( 1:16). working telescopic reach arm etc. all done by winding cogs along screws, V clever.

We have just been to the ballet. I could have sworn it was Mellors dancing the role of the prince. What a shapely pair of legs! What jetees!

As this is the tea room of requirement, anyone whose presents were disappointing/non-existent will find whatever it is they most desire, wrapped and labelled under the tree.

Would anyone care for a nightcap?

amber, I agree with you entirely! MrThumb has been warned that this Can Not Go On as it shows a lack of him valuing me (in MY eyes, whether or not he agrees with me)

JM - am also impressed with decluttering. We shall be taking stuff down on 6th Jan as normal - I hate when they've gone because everything does indeed look so drab, as RS says.

RS - sorry to hear you didn't get anything from M. Serpent - he needs a kick in the tail.

UniS - am impressed at you finding enough stuf for 8 stockings - I had trouble with 3!

MrThumb has said we shall go shopping today - we went on Sunday as well but that was for him to buy new work clothes so I didn't get a look-in. But then it was horrible on Sunday - because it was raining as well and Aussies seem to have nothing else to do apart from shopping when it rains - gah!

sorry, wromg thread. you didn;t need to know what a telehandler looks like.

The tea towel with hole sounds interesting .... was its hole designed or created by overwork?
MiL gave all 7 grandchildren aged between 3 and 11 a novelty pocket calculator each. 6 of them are sibling, homeschooled and their mum isn;t letting them use calcualtors in maths yet. I wanted to LOL or indeed ROFLOL but was too polite.

which ballet Mad bad? I'd love to get up to London to see the Mathew bourne Swanlake. but don;t think its likely.

I haven't been to the ballet for years - the last one I went to (I think) was in Covent Garden and was a Midsummer's Night Dream by Sir Wotshisface Ashton who used to choreograph for Dame Margot - it was magical. But that was lots of years ago.

UniS - how bizarre of MIL. I do wonder where their heads are sometimes...

oh oh oh - I have found a clip of it on Youtube! Danced by the American Ballet but here you are anyway
Sir Frederick Ashton, of course - The Dream.

This was The Nutcracker at the Coliseum. I too would like to see the Matthew Bourne Swan Lake again.

Thumb - Amber's theory of present-giving is perfect and you are right to tell Mr Thumb that his antipodean socks need to be pulled up. I understand that money may be tight, but he should still find something which is beautiful, well-chosen inexpensive and expressive of the deep regard in which he holds you.

Meanwhile, rootle around under the tea room tree and see what you can find ...

Recent ballet experiences chez moi:

• Angelina Ballerina at Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, enlivened by having to remind DD not to put her feet on the stage (front row, no orchestra pit)
• The Magic of Christmas at local private school's theatre (not the Ladies' College ), as presented by DD's ballet school - first half extremely cute and Christmassy (DD's entire class were rubbish TBH, but cute), second half a bit new age and poncey, albeit rather more accomplished

I would like to see Swan Lake. Not least because I half-watched Billy Elliot the other night and really wished it didn't end when it did - I wanted to see 'adult Billy' dance!

Ooh, a Bose iPod/iPhone dock! Just what I wanted, but have no hope of getting because they're SO expensive! Next Christmas DCMB's Festive Playlist will NOT be played on a laptop which keeps overheating and switching itself off! Huzzah!

Oooooh, I wonder what it can be...
Perfect! a set of underwater bath lights from IWOOT.com and an umbrella with flashing LED lights!
These are things I saw on the IWOOT website and mulled over buying...

What I really need is a couple of decent sized flour bins that don't cost the earth, and bathroom scales. We might be getting them tomorrow - today's shopping trip didn't happen due to timing ishoos with MIL - so we're going tomorrow instead.

MrThumb has entered us into the $30million lotto draw - we speculated on whether or not he would go to work at his new job if we won and then decided NO WAY! But... chances of winning are vanishingly small so it's just as well he has a new suit and shirts

Lovely cuppa, Amber - you have a great skill there.

Nice pressie you found there. Those underwater lights will good good in the new tea room water feature, Thanks to who ever for the pump that has appeared, very handy. Just what we needed to get it fixed., I can even try out my new screwdrivers. I have assured DH that they were a very acceptable gift from a man to a woman as they were pretty screwdrivers.

Ought to go and re-organise my toolkit soon. But its cold in the garage and warm in here.

Been an expensive day in RL. 400 quid of oil delivered this morning AND a new set of car tyres , ouch. Defiantly can't afford to go skiing this year. One day of paid work per week is not adding up very fast.

What is todays turkey offering? do I spy turkey rissoles and a coronation dip?
Just teh thing to go with a nice cuppa and a bit of i-player.

Mmmm - turkey rissoles!

Was just thinking about getting Mellors to dig a path out to the bee hives to check up on them (by putting my/our ears to the hive and listening to them humming inside - try it!), when I realised that this is rather a barren waste when Christmas is over. I think maybe we will have to move before our 1000th post. Has anyone any ideas where to go next?

Was also trying to think what I would find under the tea-room tree and I couldn't think of anything, which shows that it doesn't actually matter that I didn't get any presents - I don't need anything.

Can empathise with UniS about the expensive day - have just had a bill for £350 for heating oil and have been having the aga on every day (although not all day!)

Spent a very useful day working with RL friends on the polytunnel again. We have now cleared all the beds, cleared the paths, laid out the seep hose and started to arrange a play/relaxing area at the end, with carpet and a sofa I have requested on Freecycle. We have the space - it is one of four commercial polytunnels! Not ours, I hasten to add; on the farm of said friends. But luckily they live only 1 mile away.

The holiday is dragging on, though. Still four days to go.

Poly tunnel withcarpet and sofa sounds very idilic for spring green fingeredness. What you gonna plant. Lucky you to have a growing space in walking distance. might have to look for something like that if we end up buying a house with tiny garden.

I've been back at work this week ( just the one day a week any way) so all systems go here except that DH is at home and the library is shut. Boy is loving all this daddy time. My parents arrive tomorrow so the excitement level will up again , peaking on saturday as we have a [arty here in evening and friend and their kids staying over.

Did you see the NMBs sledging earlier. Looked like mushroom boxes ( the plastic ones) to me, cunningly adapted to make teeny tiny bob sleighs.

Please congratulate me as I have JUST cleaned out 2 of my tool boxes. Found stuff that has been lurking in there since I was a student 20 yrs ago. NOW my tools are organised and sorted by type and I might be able to find one of the 5 stanley knives when I need one. I felt the pretty screwdrivers deserved better than being bunged on top of a mess.

Hope you all survive the last weekend of the school hols. If your in england, and what ever it is your up to all you ex-pats.

whats left to do with the turkey? We've had currey, soup, rissoles... what did I miss.

Congratulations UniS! Cleaning out any kind of box is a major achievement for me so Well Done!

Have we had turkey and veg pie?

Would anyone care for a late supper of turkey and veg pie (the previous offering was turkey and gammon) with a selection of fresh salads and a lewd roll?

What lovely presents you have all found under the tree. I covet the Bose ipod dock and might be tempted by the underwater bath lights

Am very at Racing's polytunnel of love.

Pie, of course, that was what we were missing from our lives. remember, a turkey is for life ( or least the next 2 weeks) not just for Christmas.

Think I need another Jumper on, while ist lovely and cozy in our MN log cabin, tis a bit parky in the living room in RL.

Toddle pip, If I'm not around. Hope you all have an acceptable new year.