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!

In Paris we only have a shower. Milk and myself think of a proper bath (she uses a baby bath in our flat) as pure luxury and when we go to my Mums or to Beer's Mums we spend an hour or more in the bath together chatting, playing and washing each other's hair!

Milk, in contrast to Wriggle is able to google bbc, get to the bbc home webpage, find cbeebies and access games without help!!!

To begin with I was very worried about her being corrupted by technology - but actually having spent a longtime looking on cbeebies website overall I am very impressed by the educational value of many of the games and think for a quiet acivity I prefer the interactive nature of the games and demand for multiple literacy skills (in English - yay!!!) compared to say French (rolls eyes) tv! Having said this I do worry that Milk doesn't spend enough time daydreaming or playing with her wooden dollshouse or reading earnest books in her book den....

Have a look here rs... perhaps wriggle might like this site if you are feeling brave enough to let her see...
www.kneebouncers.com/

Thumb, I too am in charge of tidying the kitchen. I have one word for you - DISHWASHER!

"In Paris we only have a shower" -

Why on earth did I type that??? Sounds like there is one shower in the whole of Paris that everyone shares!!!!

correction...

In our place we only have a shower!!!!

Boy is a computer fan, another of the seasoned Cebeebies website navigators. Its good site for him as its speaks when you hover the mouse so he can navigate without being able to read.
His mousing is pretty good now he has a mouse that fits him. preschool ( city) are expecting teh kids to use a grown up mouse. but use PC very little and only to mess about in a paint programe. preschool (village) have a lap top used by small group with adult to play educational games sometimes in the slot when they all sit at tables in small groups with an adult and play an educational game! mainly picture lotto or build a beetle.
Given how much DH and I use the computer ( in living room) it's no surprise that boy is keen.

tea, we do have a dishwasher and DH does usually put stuff in it - but our non-stick cookware and wood-handled knives and chopping boards have to be hand washed. It's really not that much, it woudl take MrThumb about 10 mins max but his "rule" is to sit down and relax after his dinner and do nothing else until he goes to bed. his mum facilitates this, which really pees me off!

Actually, AIBU (I know, I know) to be peed off that I got home from food shopping yesterday to be asked if I had a needle and thread so his mum could sew on a button for him? Why TF does his mum have to do it? I swear if she wasn't a nice person I would really start to dislike her - she just does too much for MrThumb so he ends up doing nothing by himself and never asks me because "he can't work with me" (because his mum never questions him, just does what he says so it suits his control-levels). So I sewed the button on of course. I'm his wife, not his mum.

RS - not a Luddite at all - they'll spend the rest of their lives using computers, no need to start too soon!

MadBad - ta for bolly and solidarity

I don't have baths with mini-Thumb purely because my baths would be too hot for him. I like it at just-bearable heat levels and soak for an hour - wouldn't work for us. But I have no issue with anyone else having baths with their DC, tis up to them!

TW - I agree, baths need to be hot. Although not as hot as the coldest bath we could run when we were on our honeymoon. Something went wrong with the plumbing in our mini-Stately Home (Hunting Lodge, silk wallhangings instead of wall paper, main living accommodation on the 1st floor - bliss (apart from the Death watch beetle and the plumbing)) - somehow the cold water came out hotter than the hot, so to run a bath you had to put the plug in then run both taps as fast as possible, then wait 10mins for it to become bearable (for me) - dh had 2nd hand, slightly cooler water!. More peculiar was going to the loo as the cistern decided to overflow gently, again with hot water, so you sat on the very old fashioned 'throne' and effectively had a sauna in the process!!!!

Mistlechick likes reasonably cool baths, although he does now believe me when I say its right, rather than insisting that its still too hot. Last time he did that rather too vociferously he ended up with a tepid bath as he left the cold on too long

TW it must be really difficult moving to too near your mil when Mil and dh have this sort of relationship. I'm really lucky in that I can ask my Mil or my mother to eg sew nametapes in (whilst I'm doing that) or they will offer to do something, but they won't just do something - and dh wouldn't dream of asking his mother to do something like that. He's even asked me where the needle and thread are so that he can sew the button on, although I usually offer as I'm so much quicker and neater at doing it!

Computers - dh and I have, on purpose, limited the amount of time that ds has had access to computers. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to have limited his skills! He has amazing mouse control (he uses my mouse - luckily he has fairly large hands already). If my computer is logged on, he can open the internet, find the Cbeebies website through my bookmarks, choose a game and play it (and also turn the sound up - I normally have it at 0, he turns it right up!!). He does appear to be quite savey with technology in general - he was taking a photo with his camera and the flash (lighting up thing) wasn't going off. I saw the flash was turned off and spent a minute or two trying to get it back on, but gave up - showed him what the problem was (icon with line through), 5 secs later he was taking photos with flash!!!!

Baths? You're not getting me near one of them things

Can just about tolerate a shower daily, but a bath??! All that water and the cold bath surfaces and stuff? Never! It's bad enough with the towel textures and soap-perfume-challenge etc.

The idea of a 'throne' that's also a sauna sounds delightful, though

Amber - been in current house 7 years now - I've never had a bath. Perfectly reasonable shower! The dog has had more baths than me!!!!

ah but I don't have a bath every day amber, once a week is my preferred option. And we have a proper old iron bath, so no cold bath surfaces - the bath heats up with the heat of the water and keeps the water warm longer too, so I can stay in there for the hour. Don't do soap either - just bath salt, pref unscented, lots of soaking and scrubbing. DO need a flannel and a towel, however!

Mistle, I have to admit that I didn't realise how close MrTHumb and his mum were - if I had known, things might have panned out differently; but then he reckons if he had known I was such a hoarder, it would have been a deal-breaker too, so who knows! If I tell her to back off, she will - but it's a very difficult thing to say nicely.

I love baths though, I find them comforting and 'duvet-like', and I pick smells that I like. Showers on the other hand, I hate being 'hit' by the water. I put up with them though because I have long hair and its the easiest way of washing it.

A group of friends tried to throw me in the shower once at Uni - they grabbed me, carrying me by my arms and legs, and I was petrified, lashed out, and accidently kicked one between the legs. They put me down after that

Ah. I love a long wallow in the bath. If I can get my domestic mojo working, I hope to have a new bathroom this year - there are so many serious plumbing ishoos that ripping it out and starting again is a viable option.

Thumb - Was your dh in the Scouts? I think in similar situations I might go for a sort of kindly incredulity "oh, didn't you learn to sew buttons when you were in the Scouts? Look I'll show you so that you can do it yourself next time". I'd also resist any insinuation that sewing was women's work (even though I do dh's button-sewing for him, it isn't because I think it's a girlie job). Could you trade on the stereotype of the Aussie macho bloke, to persuade your dh that having to ask a (cough) mere girl to do something as minor as sew on a button for him was unmanly?

Tea and low-calorie and no-carb shortbread, anyone?

Tea, looks like a lovely site, but we are of course looking for things in French - if you ever come across similar things in French ...

Having my hair washed by Wriggle is a challenging exoerience - she is very firm about pushing your head under to rinse!

M.Snake's argument against computers partly hinges on the fact that the man who discovered fractals even had trouble with the alphabet. So his theory is that not limiting people to conventional thinking as toddlers might allow them to develop their own way of thinking. I am against it because this is my school laptop and therefore must be treated with care and it is MINE. It is about the only thing I have which is mine and hasn't been taken over by/handed over to Wriggle. My bed, bath, jewellry (such as it is) art materials, containers for plants outside, the best bits of our supper ... she has them all. I love her very much but need a tiny space! And as a part time teacher at school my cupboard rights have been removed, so I have nowhere here either.

I understand completely about the desire, no need, to have something that is one's own. I have just been searching for one of my favourite nail varnishes - weekend trip to pool so want to make my feet look slightly less Hobbit-like - and it's nowhere to be seen. I expect it will turn up in MBBaby's bedroom. Like my scarves and even socks (far too big but apparently covetable, even so). Grr.

Not entirely sure on MRacingSnakes thinking tbh. I know of a number of famous physicists who had literacy problems (in fact the cofounder of the company I work for was pretty much illiterate), but it wasn't for lack of exposure, more that their brains just weren't/aren't well wired for literacy, but v well for abstract concept.

But totally understand your need to protect your laptop.

DH had to learn to sew on buttons, iron and other household essentials at his (all boys) school. I would not be impressed if he asked his mother to sew on a button for him.

I have a DH free weekend now - he has departed for points west, and won't be back till Sunday afternoon. Bliss to have the TV to myself for a couple of nights - think I'll watch Hairspray tonight which he loathes

Oh - can I join you CMot? Better than Top Gear repeats (for the 3rd, 4th or even 5th time of showing...)

Tea and shortbread sounds splendid to me.

I've seen so many Top Gear repeats that I've become quite fond of Jeremy and his Gang of Naughty Boys!

I've been wanting to tell you, Cmot, that for the first time in my life I am reading a Terry Pratchett book [proud emoticon]. Three cheers for your DH's school. I wish my all girls' school had taught me to knock a nail in straight!

Racing - Forgive me for asking and ignore me if I'm overstepping the mark, but why must all websites visited by Wriggle be French? I thought (wrongly, maybe) that you were following the one parent, one language approach, so can she not use a mix of French and English sites?

And should we put out an APB for Daisy and Gymbunny? [concerned emoticon]

No takers for tea and shortbread?

Aha! Crossed post with Amber.

How much snow do you still have Chez Amber?

I'll have a cuppa with you MadBad, but feeling a bit shortbreaded out...

My things get perloined too - I have put my foot down on my (birthday pressent) watch and engagement ring. My shoes a regularly walked about in. Have wonderful photo from when he was about 2 with him wandering around the kitchen in my shoes and my winter hat....

You are very welcome to join me Mistle .
Which one MadBad ? Some I like less than others. DMother sent me a load of Georgette Heyer detective novels, so will be starting those next week as normal travelling service is being resumed - although a soft start to the outer reaches of London for a couple of days

Can I have a virtual cuppa and biscuit please ? Have done a week of my diet and exercise plan now, and am v pleased with myself, so no real biscuits.

I'm rereading the series - and I agree, some much better than others. In general, I like the ones with the guards and the witches and Death. Pyramids is v. good too as is thief of time. Soul music you really need to have seen particular films and know certain songs etc.

I'm really, really bad at getting all the references in Soul Music and Moving Pictures. I'm not keen on the Hogfather, and Pyramids took ages for me to get into it - several reads

Snow here is melting fast, hooray! I do like it, but not when it's slushy and slippery. I need it to go when that happens. And the world looks really different in white, which is very confusing for a small aspie with a visual brain.

I love the Pratchett books . I have the whole set. Just brilliant.

Luckily ds doesn't borrow anything of mine apart from some of my music (and vice-versa). His mates are dead impressed that he's got a mum who insists on loud in-the-charts-right-now music, rather than theirs who are always at their choices.

oooooh shortbread - d'ya know that is my 100% favourite biscuit!!!!