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!

Evening Amber!

Mistlechick comes home from school and brings back lots of old-school memories of school dinners - they quite often have sponge and custard for pudding or even CHOCOLATE cake and CHOCOLATE custard . I never get so much detail about the first course... I've now taken to finding out what it is first thing in the morning so that he is primed for having either the main hot or the vegetarian alternative - rather than the bland pasta, or the baked potato... I was rather sad when the really adventurous menu that they tried out at the beginning of ds's nursery has been drawn back into something much 'safer' (eg the pasta sauce is either plain cheese sauce or plain tomato sauce) (not salmon and brocolli, pesto, etc etc - the sort of choices I made for ds!)

Cmot - I just had to google Jonathan Toomey. It brought a lump to my throat, so I can see how it might have affected you. I usually try quite hard not to think too much about the child who isn't here, but it's not always easy, is it?

UniS and Racing - I was always a bit rubbish at skipping (could never do the cross-handed stuff or double-jumps) but I used to enjoy it when lots of us were skipping in line with the long, long rope. Was very sad when we all became too cool to skip and just used to mooch around the playground instead. Quick! For skipping fans, switch on BBC 4 now!

Amber - Thank you. I always worry that, in cyberspace, where noone can hear you scream see all the non-verbal stuff (in fact, where nobody can see (or knows) the real you a trucker called Dave) things don't come across as intended and what's supposed just to be an opinion - one among many - seems like a rant.

Am now reminiscing about the days of going to teenage parties and being collected therefrom by my long-suffering dad. The last dance was always The Air That I Breathe, I'm Not In Love or Stairway To Heaven.

Anyway, this gluhwein has hit the spot (another choice phrase I picked up from the 'you know you're an old biddy' thread).
Prost!

MT - b b b b b b b b b b

CMOT - We are reading Johnathan Toomey once a day at the mo too...

It makes me want to cry a bit. It is that kind of story... so I can see exactly why it would make you quietly sob given your history.

I don't know what to say now and what is worse I can't find the rabbit link...

Madbad - Are you OK? Your confidence seems unusually wobbly tonight!

So, do tell me, has anyone been to St Petersburg then....???

ooooops - sorry MT that was for daisy re the school!!!!

MT - but here is a biscuit for you incase you'd like one too....

S'ok. No need to say anything - I just needed to say it to someone iyswim. No one wants to talk about it in rl - apparently once you have a living child you should forget about what was before (and I do try not to think about it, but it creeps up on me). Am also obv in a very weepy mood, as have had to let DH watch football instead of Gerry Robinson on dementia care as burst into tears

I'd love to go to St Petersberg - Russia is one of my wish lists, but I only ever get to go to grotty former parts of the USSR instead. Am sure that Daisybloke has been though

Cord sounds terribly impractical. Though I did see some children at the Science museum earlier this year whose uniform involved cravats

DS constructed his first french sentence today (apart from 'Je m'appelle DS') to tell me he was a little white horse

Well done CMOTtiddler!!!

CMOT - If you want to talk some more at anytime I know the tearoom will happily listen and understand.

Madbad - I feel we x-posted earlier due to me being distracted by a rubber duck doing a wee in my tea (Milk is still up)! You are sounding chirpier now (gluhwein is good for that!)

I do like jammy dodgers!

And they're surprisingly good dipped in the gluwein....

I've been feeling somewhat the same. ANOTHER member of staff at work has managed to get pregnant very quickly after a mc... and hasn't even got the decency to have a decent sized bump at 22wks....

Tea - I don't think my confidence is wobbly as such, and therein may lie the problem. It's just been a reminder that what feels to me like offering an opinion may sound to someone else like a never-to-be-contradicted harangue. Anyway.

Cmot - Well done to CmotTiddler on the budding bilingualism. I've given up on French with MBBaby since she forsook La Jolie Ronde in favour of dancing.

I've never been to St Petersburg. I'd love to. (Thinks: fur boots, Art, John le Carre novels).

More gluhwein anyone?

CMOT I howl reading Jonathon Toomey, I can only imagine how you feel. Christmas is very poignant, a little ((((HUG)))) for you and your babies

Mistle what a hero to curb the swinging well done!

MadBad you are not scary. Yes, there is corderoy, boy we must pass each other often if you actually see them....

Racing re Heads, actually the head we like is the only one who readily understood the difference between education and passing exams.....

Thumb we certainly have enough for 5 a side lacrosse I think! Sorry re heat. I had one Christmas in Australia, it was odd. Being that hot!

Welcome back JM and Gym - do hope that Catita can find us now we've moved....and GallumB there is enticing alcohol of choice for you here

Amber laugh at fetching boy duty, I remember my dad being really keen to teach us to drive, took me a while to work out why!

Tea yes, St Petersburg. Will be fab. Mellors can take you in the troika!

Racing I want to know about your Mary less

UniS have you found out if you have to move away from your wonderful village yet?

I need a Christmas name please... thank you!

JackFrostsmama?
JacksSantasLittleHelper?

Daisy, it is odd - you are right. I am soon to be making our Christmas puds (I luuurrrrve Christmas pud) and am having moments about it, seeing as how it will involve 7 hrs simmering now and a further 3 on use - not really something that "goes" with 35+ deg heat.

for anyone having wibbles of the non-WW variety and really hope I haven't contributed to them.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((CMOT))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I don't know what to say that could be helpful. Imagine a real life hug (in Anaheim, of course).

thumb, what are wibbles of the non-WW variety and how could you have contributed? [confused tiny brain emoticon]

WW = wriggle wibbles (from end of previous thread) which are the Awwww moments with "aren't I lucky to have this most precious being in the world."

Non-WW are the sadder babyloss wibbles. I am quietly being a couple of weeks pg at the mo, so am hoping that didn't set any babyloss wibbles off.

Cmot, I don't think we ever forget the ones who aren't with us. Large morning cuppa for you, I think. And you'd better borrow some of my magazines, if that would help.

I don't want to spend the day doing a large corporate social responsibility policy, on account of how I'm feeling very socially irresponsible today. Can I write a social irresponsibility policy instead??

Must dash but, Daisy, + at corduroy!

Amber - Can I contribute to your social irresponsibility report?

TW - have you tried a pressure cooker - I know its not The Done Thing, but it does work and can cut the cooking time down a lot - won't be quite so dark, but still jummy!

MadBad, you may indeed. So far the spoof version reads,

"AmberCompany Ltd endeavour to be a socially irresponsible company and encourage insensible working practices or no work at all. There are awful employment terms for our staff, & we treat their personal data with wild abandon and publish it on the internet. And if they whinge, we sack them."

So far so good...

Actually it reads like the reality for some of the companies we deal with

I've never played lacrosse. But I've caught butterflies with a net, so that might help a bit...or maybe not...Perhaps I should be the first-aider for the tea room team??

Feeling better this morning - thanks for the support. Was defintatly not anyone on here who set me off - much more likely insensitive colleagues.

Amber, think you could add 'At ACompany, we strive to restrain diversity. We believe firmly in tradition, nepotism, and the old boys network, and believe that anyone not meeting these standards has nothing to bring to the company.'

Good point! And we could add "And we actively encourage harassment, bullying and child labour. We pay our suppliers if we feel like it, take bribes, and nick the donation boxes for charities off the counters in shops. We use helicopters to get between appointments and waste as much as possible".

Hey, this does sound like some of the companies we deal with, lol!

Anyone for a mid morning choc chip cookie and cuppa?

Glad you are feeling better CMOT.

Would anyone like some boob cake?

I thought it was appropriate given I have an appt at Addenbrookes on Friday, to get a "thickening in the breast tissue" checked out. Hopefully it will just be excess cake which has lodged itself there. The Dr doesn't think its anything to worry about, just a precautionary check. However, I can't help but be a little concerned about it. Hope I haven't "boobed"

Fab cake ! Crossing fingers for you Mary - usually people are pretty accurate on their clinical opinion of lumps, but def always better to err on the side of caution.

'We like to think of ourselves as Family Unfriendly - we don't wish to know anything of your life outside work, and should it intrude on our demands of you, we will dismiss you with utmost haste'

Sounds like a company DH worked for, where he had planned knee surgery, was signed off for 5 weeks, struggled back in on crutches still, and came back to disciplinary action for work that hadn't been done when he was away

Thanks CMOT, thats comforting!

Mary can I add a of encouragement for your appointment?

Thumb so, the 2 weeks is moving to 3 ?

Amber am liking this a lot, how about "We encourage waste and seek to leave 90% of lights on at all times. We aim to increase our carbon footprint by 10% year on year and have signed up to the 10:10 accord..."

CMOT re your Hubby! Glad you are feeling a bit better

JM what about JackCracker ?

Mary, prayers for your situation.

Here, our server's just decided to die. Time for a cuppa whilst Mr Engineer (who looks more than a little like Mellors, to be honest ) hits things with a spanner.

The social irresponsibility policy now has a section entitled "Getting office furniture made only from immensely rare and irreplaceable trees" and "Decorating the office with rugs from exotic and banned animal skins". Or at least it did before the server collapse...