Tea Room the Fourteenth

[amberlight]

Welcome to the 14th instalment of the Tea Room. It's now officially spring, and we've moved the tea room to a Gipsy caravan pulled by the tea room horses, which is making its way up the countryside in an effort to follow spring. There are of course hedgerows filled with spring flowers, Mellors the handsome gardener/driver/handyperson, the usual virtual Bishops, and the assorted animals and characters from previous tea rooms. All are very welcome to join in with us parents of one (or indeed more!) for general chat and the occasional very odd conversation. Climb aboard, grab a cuppa, enjoy the view, relax!...

I'll have to do a takeaway cup of coffee - off to the airport to go to Virginia.

Not sure if I'll have a chance to pop into the caravan during the week, but maybe on JMs timezone.

Wow, I can't believe I missed the opening of the new tearoom!! This is my first tearoom change and I feel all weird about it...I guess as this is the 14th tearoom everyone is used to this strange sensation of change? What number tearoom did everyone else start at?

I hoped in during tearoom number one - somewhere in the middle - missed the angst that lead to it being started up but came across it and thought I'd probably fit in fairly well with the interesting bunch therein....

Did you have to run to catch up or were we going slow enough?

Can't remember when I first appeared

Definitely not in the very first ones.

It is a very odd sensation to find ourselves in this caravan (she says, holding on desperately in a potholed bit of road) but in a minute we'll be pulling over for a tea break in a particularly scenic village with a decent pub nearby for those interested.

Hello everyone.

Errm. I was the first poster on tea room No 1. I never imagined that there would be a tea room 14. It's all been a delightful surprise and highly addictive.

Although the sun's just gorn behind a cloud it's been lovely here too since yesterday. I have lots of crocuses in bloom (had forgotten I'd planted so many) and the hyacinths are about to open. Lots of perennials are beginning to put their heads above the ground too. Not much tulip action, though. Must be patient.

Excellent about the NCT sale, Mistle. Our NCT sales were always in a poncetastic prosperous area, so TrowelGirl had some very fancy gear.

I'm liking the idea of the cafe near the NHM, but this has also reminded me of Daquise, the Polish place near there which used to serve fabulous potato pancakes with sour cream. Perhaps - if we're ripping a hole in the space/time continuum - we could eat in both places simultaneously?

The banana and cinnamon muffin is yummy. Would anyone like some hot chocolate to go with theirs?

So how long ago was that T&E? The last tearoom lasted about 2 months right?

Hope you guys are all well. Loving the new tearoom Amber, the sound of hooves on the road and birdsong are just so soothing.

I'm a bit miserable today. A new theatre was opening in the city, and it was opening with Swan Lake. We desperately wanted to go and have looked at ticket master for months waiting for the tickets to go on sale. They never came up for sale, we called the newly opened theatre over the weekend, all tickets are sold out, there are no returns. Tonight is the last night and I'm gutted, had really wanted to go. Every now and then I just get sick of the whole never going out thing.

Also LittleO is supposed to be doing a charity wear your pjs to school day on Thurs. We have to get him sponsered...problem is we have noone to ask for sponsership money [sad friendless life emoticon]. My family all live abroad and I won't see them for about a month, dh family live 5 hrs drive away and we won't see them for again about a month, I work for myself from home so no work colleagues, dh is in uni so all his friends are penniless students, I moved to the area when LittleO was born but lost contact with the mommy crowd after maternity leave as I returned to work and they were all stay at home moms, having playdates at times I couldn't make due to work. So...noone to ask ! Am in a dilemma, what should I do? The options seem to be: Canvas neighbours, dh uni friends and then write down all family names and far away friends and donate money ourselves in their names, or keep LittleO home from school that day ?

I used to go to uni next to the Nat Hisory Museum and loved it!! Would pop in all the time as I had to walk past it twice a day. I loved living in London and miss it still so much. I want to take ds there, perhaps in the summer, since there is nothing to do in this godforsaken country.

Sorry for miserable post !

Blimey, 5 Nov 08 was the first Tea Room opening!

A&O, I'd go for donating money in other people's names if necessary.

A&O - he's not that old is he? We sent Mistlechick in to school for his sponsored walk with 4 people sponsoring him... Not going to be drawn (yet) into the competitive how many sponsors can you get for your child situations as there are quite a few yummy mummies at school who will always beat me hands down as they can take theirs to the gym, coffee mornings etc, and I don't feel I can ask work many times for that sort of thing.

There aren't many threads that continue to go on at the same sort of pace - I was on one that has continued, but posts get added at a much slower rate and there are often big gaps in the conversations.

I'm glad we stop to get lunch ready - the soup was slopping about a bit on the aga earlier, but I think that the NMBs tied the lid on firmly to stop it sloshing out (although they do seem to enjoy cleaning the top of the aga as they can use it like a skating rink when it's clean.

I'm really pleased to say that Ds is now enchanted by Padington stories, can retain a huge amount of the detail of the plot, and recount it to his teacher.... And becuase its rather long to read a whole chapter when he should be going to sleep, I can read it to him in the bathroom while he washes himself (thereby killing two birds with one stone - encouraging him to wash himself rather than rely on me, and getting the story read earlier so bedtime isn't delayed)

He got overly excited yesterday and then had a few breaking down in sobs sessions... including saying that dh didn't love him... reassured him that wasn't the case! However have promised to play buckaroo later on - will see how we get on!

Yes, I'd donate in others' names. Only keep him at home if you have something really nice to do. You certainly don't need many sponsors names when they are little. Sorry you are feeling so miserable.

Sorry too for Daisy with her 'it feels like a punishment' - I know that feeling too but it is TOTAL NONSENSE. There is a strange urge, when one is terrible disappointed, to blame yourself. Don't know if men do it too. The thing to do is to imagine someone else saying that to you - 'this is a punishment because you are a worthless person' - you'd be furious.

Good idea about stopping at this picturesque pub!

I think I joined in the first tea room, while it was being steered by Bocca, who has long been off travelling. I have a vivid mental image of her.

RS - but Bocca strangely appeared when someone else dissappeared - then dissappeared when that person reappeared.... can't help thinking that there was some element of consequence there!

Amber - wow, that is really long running. I'm impressed.

MT - he is not, he's three and a half and goes to pre-school 4 mornings a week. We have just always called it school .

That's very brave of you with the sponsership form. The letter accompanying the form said 'we are looking for all of the children to fill up their sponsership cards' so I took it to mean that it should be filled completely, but there are 40 lines on it ...which is completely impossible. I think I will write on family names and pay on their behalf , but not go so far as to make up people entirely in order to fill up the form.

Well done on getting Mistlechick to wash himself, ds fights against doing anything himself, we are trying to change it by refusing to get toys etc when he can get them. So far there has been much crying but in the end he gets it. It is hard though I think because at one point you have to do things for them and if they are not naturally independent types it is hard for them to suddenly be required to do something themselves that was previously always done for them. Ok, that didn't make much sense !!

Good morning all!
And welcome dawnangel, hope you stay around.

Safe flight CMOT! Maybe I'll see you closer to my time zone, we'll be three hours apart.

I had a really fun day cross-border shopping yesterday while DH caught up with some of his friends who live in Bellingham (half an hour from us but in Washington state.) Jackbaby was at G-ma's (DH's mum's, grandma) where he always has a lot of fun. She bought him a house made of cardboard, it's about four and a half feet tall and he can run in and out of it. She is honestly the best grandma and MIL and I just love her. She's taking him again today so I can go to yoga. I don't know if I mentioned it but I did a 30-day challenge in yoga in February - one class a day for 30 days - and LOVED it. It's probably my favourite form of exercise ever, my body seems to thrive on it. Anyway - DH went away for a week immediately after the challenge ended and I went from going every day to suddenly not going for a week or more... gah, it's amazing how quickly you can stiffen up again. I feel like I have to work to catch up now!!

It's raining here. But the forsythia and cherry trees are in wild exuberant yellow and pink bloom, the magnolia buds are fat and a lot are open, and tulips, daffs and hyacinths are everywhere. My tulips, strangely, are still only green, they have buds but they're not open - and I have a south-west facing flower bed. Very odd. I also have some tulips that never develop flowers, just leaves - going to dig those up this year to make room for ones that really bloom! MIL ordered me 12 daylily bulbs, and a berry garden - a blueberry bush, two raspberry canes, and ten everbearing strawberrry plants... DS could woof down a dozen strawberries in one go so that'll be good.

I also got a recipe for Sunshine muffins, will be making these later. They call for putting an entire orange, peel and all, in the blender and mixing it with the dry ingredients. Will let you know how they turn out if anyone wants the recipe.

Whew, this must be my longest post for several threads (I apologize for having been MIA a lot).

I remember Bocca - I remember the follow on too - but I can't remember which tea room I joined in! It wasn't the first, might have been the 5th or the 7th - dunno.

CMOTD - do you ever get tired, I mean really tired, of having all these long journeys to do? I know it's an integral part of your job, but doesn't it get on your tits every now and then? Just interested, cos I think it would really get on mine after not very long at all.

A&O - where are you again? Are you in the UK or somewhere else? can't remember. And about missing Swan Lake - I hate missing out on things like that, especially if I've been looking forward to it.

Cor!! I joined on the 3rd incarnation of the tearoom! Longer ago than I thought, a whole 14months ago!

That lovely T42 invited me along..

I was in the first tearoom (in my bonfire night guise) - I think there has been on tearoom since that I completely failed to turn up in, but I'm not going to check.

I kind of can't believe it was November 2008 that it all started, but given that this is the 14th, and they last a month or two, it adds up!

AandO I would have a word with the preschool if I were you! Asking that the children 'fill up their forms' is either completely unreasonable or a careless miscommunication. I always hated sponsored stuff when I was a kid - it felt like everyone else had masses of family locally (this wouldn't have been the case, it being a strong naval area), with lots of friends-of-family to sponsor them. I felt really inadequate with my parent and grandparents (not local) on there, and my two aunts/uncles (again not local) if it was something big. It was much better when I did a sponsored parachute jump years later, entirely voluntary, got the entire family, then-boyfriend's family, colleagues, old university friends, the security guards at work ...

I'd go for a few on-behalf-of sponsorships too, but expecting you to fill up the whole form is too much. TrowelGirl has one of those Marie Curie daffodil envelopes at the moment and we'll do our best but we're never going to get a name on every line.

I remember Bocca. She was beautiful, witty and highly intelligent, as I remember. And modest to boot.

I should never have said that the weather's nice here. It's getting colder and darker by the minute. I suspect there'll be a downpour just as I collect TrowelGirl from school. [glum]

Still, there's always cake.

cake, mmmmmmm.....

I have to make chocolate krispies tomorrow. I haven't made those since I was quite young with Mum - and am actually going to have to look up how to do it - cos I can't remember if it's as simple as just melting chocolate and bunging the rice krispies in, or whether butter is involved anywhere.

And then I have to make pineapple and cheese hedgehogs - Wednesday is national Playgroup Day here in Oz and we are having an Open Day for our under-subscribed playgroup so we are bringing nice things to eat to entice other mums in. What we really need is a structured programme for our playgroup - at the moment there is no structure at all, we just have access to the toy library and the DC play with the toys while mums sit and chat. Which actually isn't that bad but some mums prefer to have activities.

I shouldn't be awake - I'm having one of my "can't breathe properly" nights, where I can't seem to take deep enough breaths so I do lots of yawning to get the air right down, and then my breathing doesn't work properly if I focus on it (never been any good at yoga!) so I have to try and ignore it. Lying down makes it all so much worse

The weather is crazy here, sun shining now but was hailing an hour ago!

I'm in Ireland Thumb. Miserable place on the whole (sorry, having a foul tempered day). Nothing to do other than go to pubs really, it also rains alot. I'm particularly annoyed with it at the mo as LittleO and I decided to go to the national aquarium over the weekend and it was so rubbish and so expensive, I feel we have no facilities of any quality here (I'm a barrel of laughs today ). So, we are quite an international crowd then, you in Australia, Jackmamma in Canada, Catita in Mexico, someone in France maybe?, everyone else in UK I think?, and then of course CMOT seeming to be pretty much everywhere .

Will go with the on-behalf-of sponserships, and not even attempt to fill the whole card of 40 lines. The teachers are really lovely and I'm sure they won't be demanding more names.

What time is it there Thumb? I don't know if this is silly but would using vicks or something help? Is it stress related?

Yes, Teafortwo is in France. Ireland can be very wet and dull and I remember getting bored in Dublin when I had to spend the whole day there by myself, waiting to meet someone in the evening.

I think you are right with the on-behalf-of sponsorships - I know I loathed having to do sponsored anything when I was young, hated having to ask people for money for it. I never had more than family members and our lovely next door neighbours on my list.

any "school" demanding that sponser cards are "filled up" is being daft and rude. Tis presumptious to assume all families have the money to "sponser/ donate" to every cause the school fancy.
I'v even known a caring school to cancel a sponsored event after a local employer closed down and laid off half the parents in the town.

Boy has only done one sponsor thing, and that was coz I was organising it. he raised about 20 quid from me and his granny for cycling round and round childens centre garden, all the children who took part were given a water bottle and sticker regardless of money raised for centre or not.

I'm sorry to hear that you're not enjoying life in Ireland, AndO. Dublin is on my list of places to visit, but there's a vast difference between visiting somewhere and living there. Did you move there quite recently?

I think you need A Plan. Do you have any local friends? Can you book for something else at the theatre?

Meanwhile, would you like a cup of tea and a slice of raspberry pavlova?

Thank you T&E, . Sorry for being such a thread hog today !

I'm 33, and have lived 15 years of this in the UK (born in England, went to uni there, worked there a bit), the rest has been in Ireland. I moved to Dublin in Jan 2005, so five years ago now. We were in London for the four years before that. We moved here as dh was to return to uni and decided he wanted to study a particular course that he could not do in the uk....he then changed his mind and studied a course that he could have done in London! I had already got a job over here by the time this was decided though so we decided to stay. He defered uni a year and is now just about to finish his 4 year uni course, so that's why we have been here 5 years. I never wanted to come as did not enjoy living in Ireland as a child, but did it for him (he's Irish).

No local friends really, worked in a uni for first few years here, made friends with all the post docs and phd students...all but two have now moved out of the country as is the nature of academic work, and one of the remaining two will be leaving this summer ! I then started working for myself from home so no way to make friends through work. No luck with local people, met a bunch through a toddler group but they were all sahms so when I returned to work I just lost contact with them as they all had playdates on days I was working and ds was at childminders. This is a totally different area of Ireland than where I was bought up, so my old school friends etc are all 5 hrs drive away. So I'm doing really badly on the local friends front !

I should book something else in the theatre, but on a positive note I have just looked up a bunch of easter egg hunts, easter festivities to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Sorry for long post.

Hmm.

That does sound trying, AandO. Do have any interests that you could pursue at an evening class? Could you just stalk befriend the nicest-looking of LittleO's friends' mums?

AandO - You work in academia . I really look upto people who study for a job so much so that it makes me feel giddy - Like when I meet someone off of der telly or summfink! (I am still recovering the double whammy of Catita's hubby being of the university type and on the telly).

I too am living quite farrrr from 'ome. Well... it isn't really far far far just France... but not really "France France" c'est Paris mon cherie! Paris, like London too, has a culture all of its own. I am just scratching the surface of what Paris is all about after being here for 4yrs now!

I think I am someone who is a natural outsider and drawn to people who are different from me so I overall feel quite happy here but the thoughts you have brought up do cross my mind now and then. TBH my main sad thoughts are that all of my most intimate friends live far away (one in Tasmania FFS!!!) and not many of my dearest friends have had children yet so are far away in the place their minds are at too. I sometimes I do yearn for us all to live in the same street drinking tea and eating cake with our children running around on the green out the front... you know... the older ones helping the younger ones to wipe their noses...

One thing I would like to share with you is that central Paris is generally full to the brim with Irish people biggin' it up most nights of the week so sometimes it feels like Dublin here too!!!