Tea Room the Fifteenth - The Viking Hall

[amberlight]

Here we are in the 15th instalment of the Tea Room for the One Child Family board. All are welcome, whether parents of a single splendid offspring or any other number.
We are this time in a Viking Long Hall tearoom, complete with optional helmets, roaring log fires (in case of chilly spring evenings), rugs aplenty, and all the usual mod cons of life as well.
Our Viking tea room contains Mellors the gardener/handyperson with a talent for relaxing massage (amongst a variety of other characters including Bishops, camels, bison, horses, guinea pigs, dogs, etc etc for reasons that would take too long to explain but you're welcome to read the other Tea Room threads and prepare to have your mind thoroughly boggled). Plenty of tea/coffee/cake/virtual bolly always on offer.
Join us, relax, chat, enjoy.

Goodness Mellors, you have obviously been working out in the sun

Will have to get Can Any Mother.. off the shelf again. I think that large families were quite normal then, as contraception was pretty hard to get hold of. My grandfather was one of 10, my other grandfather one of 7 who lived to be teens (3 children died at birth or as small children). But there were also a lot of people with no children - at least 5 of my great aunts had no children.

MN is generally bad for my book buying habits - I am currently in the blissful state of having found on here that a book of which I am very fond is actually one of a quintet, so have 4 more of them in a box in my office waiting to be read.

Any plans for this weekend ? I assume Oxeye will be off in the tent ?

Fingers crossed for the FineLad - although I am sure he doesn't need it

Perhaps the FineLad should be here, combining all his skills by declaiming Thucydides through a megaphone?

What's the quintet, Cmot? Do you still buy, cough, real books? I thought you were of the Kindle generation (although I guess not everything been kindled yet)?

How are your Womad plans? I am hoping to spend at least some of the weekend in the sun. Too many other things arranged to go off on a camping jaunt, sadly. We're going to a Bollywood dance show tomorrow at a venue which I think Oxeye also frequents.

It's the Wrinkle in Time by Madeline D'Engle. I do indeed buy real books - the Kindle is for travelling, so I generally only buy things for it that will read and reread - and you are right, not everything is available or more specifically available in the UK yet.

I do have some interesting books awaiting my attention on that though - one about the history of probability, and the other about the electricity standards war. Should take me a bit longer to read than a novel too, which is a bonus.

Bollywood dance show sounds fab. Will you have a Froot Shoot about your person to wave in case you suspect Oxeye to be there ?

DH still thinking about Womad - have given him a deadline of Sunday to commit, and then will book. He is too busy thinking about applying for yet another job atm. At least this one wouldn't require relocation - having almost completed all the work on the house (just kitchen worktops to be done, and they are ordered), I do not intend to move until I have had a chance to enjoy it

Helllooo!
I am suffering from an inability to concentrate on anything much - I have Other Problems that are occupying my thoughts and necessitating sudden extremely quick dashes to the loo.

So - just waving generally and saying that I haven't read that book you're all talking about but it sounds good (if sad at the end) and I think of you all as friends. I would love to meet up with you all one day but appreciate that some of you are shy rabbits so won't hold it against you if you decide not to.

We had a rather fab day - went to the Shark and Ray Centre up near Nelson's Bay; we all got into wetsuits and then into the indoor pools with the sharks and rays! We were given 3 little pots of shrimp and squid to feed them (from sticks with pegs on) and it was all terribly exciting! Too much for miniThumb when the biiiiig ray came up to MrThumb while he was carrying miniT - he squeaked that he "didn't like it" and wanted to be put down OUT of the water. Fair enough - after a couple of the reef sharks got a bit too excited, we exited the pool as well! I got a suck on the ankle from a Port Jackson shark that was a few feet long but no damage; MrT said he was nibbled by the reef sharks but he was being a wuss .
The rays were amAZing - the big one was huge and I will put a pic up of it at some point (along with the pic of miniThumb on horseback from last weekend ) because it is really HUGE but very friendly (and debarbed). There are some things about this place that I really do appreciate...

See, told you I couldn't concentrate - Happy Birthday to CMOTtiddler, although probably too late.

Ooo, in all this exam panic I haven't said Happy Birthday to Tiddler either Happy Birthday!

I'm happy for any meet-up that can cope with a slighly eccentric and nervous aspie in it and isn't somewhere hugely crowded and noisy with lots of flickering lights (otherwise people will find me hiding under something/needing a hug, which is all very alarming) .

Amber, I sometimes think you're the least eccentric person here. And I don't mean that at all unkindly.

Bathing with sharks, Thumb? Eek.

Sooo I felt the fear and did it anyway this morning! I gave a guest lecture in a uni! It went well. I wonder if I passed drivingmisscrazy while walking around the campus as she works there (btw I haven't seen dmc in the tea room for ages, nor Mindy).

Afterwards me, dh and LittleO scrambled around the Wicklow Mountains. It was great fun. LittleO fell asleep on the way home, now he'll be up really late!

Oxeye - No, never heard of LittleO books. Must google them.

I'm all in favour of meeting up! I agree about the online probs. On occasion I've wanted to say things and then stopped as although I'd be happy to talk to you guys other people could also read it.

Hope Fine Lads exams went well Amber.

Well. Just let me pour some Brandy Alexanders down the little red lane and I'll be right with you
now mellors is looking very fine striking poses in the fountain and Sebastian would suit me fine. Friskiness is a bit like hard work these days. I'd like to sit and stare at him and share some plovers eggs

what I thought about the large families is that many of us wouldn't have been allowed to join the ccc since you had to be a mum. I can guarantee I'd have been one of the childless aunts. But there would have been room for some serious eccentricty I feel

Amber hope fine lad survives and I'm with small. I think you're one of the tea room rocks xx
cmot I'm having womad committment ishioos too v I'll keep you posted
enjoy Bollywood small. I am envious
yes we might camp this weekend maybe next though

evening all. any one care to try a bit of Rhubarb and ginger sponge pudding? Its a bit yummy, has candied peel in it too. goes very well with ice cream or cream.

I am a domestic godess today. hurrah for me. and the friend who provided the salad leaves from her garden. I made a dinner from stuff we had in, using up bits and bobs and garden produce AND it was very nice indeed.

UniS gives a garlicky burp of contentment.

All the best to tea room children doing exams and those potty training, and those trying to get sunburnt despite their parents best efforts.
I'm off to pot on some basil and sage and plant out sweet peas. Now boy is in bed and DH down teh pub I shall garden.

Aando well done you! Canyou tell us your firld or would that be too exposing? We have historians in the Hatita Hacienda ...
Unis you always do more in half a day than I do in a month. Vjust Reading your energy levels makes me feel tired
< sigh> I need trousers. But none fit. Grabbed three pairs as I rushed past usually reliable shop. I couldn't get them over my thighs and tummy. Sigh. I feel like a farking babapapa .....
I know I need to eat less exercise more blah blardy blah but I have never been so unfit before and it is just too dauntib

gah
I shall just have to look elsewhere. Evans probably

well it only sounds like a lot when I write it down. The house is always a bit of a tip as there are so many more interesting things to do. And boy is probably spoilt rotten as his mummy likes playing with him more than doing house work.

Sweet peas are planted out. ditto curry plant and 3 ornamental sages. potted on are a basil and an edible sage.

Where has this week gone, its skipped by and its friday evening again. Pudding club tomorrow evening... ummmmmm.

Gosh, you lot have all been busy in here!

I agree about names; I know the 'real' names of Milk and Tiddler, but still only think of them by their Tea Room names - maybe those are their names. Actually, I sometimes think of Wriggle as 'Wriggle'.

And I definitely think of RacingPig as such.

I have been fearing heading for Evans, too. All that running about yesterday evening was a bit of a wake-up call, so I had small healthy meals all day, no ice cream arriving home after work on a hot Friday when everyone else did ... and ended up in the pub eating burger and chips having planted out only 10 of 55 tomato plants.

Wriggle is now snoring very loudly. She is fine all day, then the minute she falls asleep she can't breathe and snores. It is not possible to convey the volume of the snoring, especially in my ear all night. I presume it must be some form of hayfever, as it goes away in the winter.

SmallBunch, I have read 'Descent of Woman' and possibly something to do with children in evolution. And of course heard quite a few episodes of Dr Finley's casebook.

The few of you who are anywhere near my vast age may wish to switch on BBC4 where James Taylor is in concert. He provided the soundtrack to my adolescence. So much so that I am having a Proustian (ooh get me) Madeleine moment and can feel a lump in my throat. All that emotion recollected in tranquility.

I am now a dress size above the one at which I always vowed I would shoot myself. I am planning a summer of salad self-sufficiency. Perhaps I should commit to only eating what I have grown?

Unis - I too am agog at your DIY prowess but confess that I too neglect housework in favour of, well, just about anything.

I saw DMC on another thread earlier. I do hope she and Mindy will return.

Woohoo! I have just had a great flashback to my yoof, playing PacMan on Google! It's excellent fun (sad old mare emoticon)

Hi all, sorry I've been AWOL. Busy in RL and then I get all behind with reading everyone's posts and feel badly. Have also namechanged... think Tea Room meet up in Anaheim last year, and maple syrup

So once again, I have not read back, just saw thumb on another thread and thought, I really must pop in and say hello.

Am at work with a miserable cold. Worst possible timing to be ill, DH is away for three days taking a course so it's all me. And I had big plans: put together DS's Big Boy bed (bought at IKEA), wash his new StarWars sheets, put up his new curtains... we'll see how much gets done.

I hope he takes well to having his room look all different suddenly... I wasn't concerned until I recalled DMC's DD not taking well to being moved to a different room... any advice? I've been making a big deal out of his Big Boy PJs and Big Boy bed - the PJs were met with enthusiasm, but when I mentioned the bed, I got a look and a "no". I guess we'll see.

Happycopter, arrgh re terrible cold!

PS Amberboy's exams were 'arrghh', according to him. We'll see what happens...more next week and the week after.

Sorry to be hogging the priest hole... there is another corner free of hay if it is needed.

I hope that Amberboy's exams weren't too 'arrghh' - I was downright unlivable with between my 'A'-level exams and the results because I thought that I had failed the maths. (I hadn't)

ASBoF - I too am eating a lot of salad in the hope that I will lose girth. I have never been this fat/unfit. Partly comfort eating, partly spending so much time in the car and sitting inactively by Dad.

It looks like Dad's long journey to death will soon be over - he has not woken up for 24 hours now, and consequently had nothing to drink during this period.

Oh Donk - big ear rubs and donkey-hugs to you - it's such a sad thing to go through. In the kindest possible way, I hope he doesn't linger too long in that state - it just prolongs the agony.

(Adds some Rescue Remedy to Donk's tea bucket - helped me and Dad enormously through Mum dying)

I should go onto salad-only meals as am also at my heaviest and a place I'd never thought I'd be sans being pg - am most upset but clearly not enough to give up the wine and chocolate [bad emoticon]

Sorry to hear of your cold JM happycopter - perhaps you need the Berocca? Apparently it comes in tropical fruit flavour as well as orange now...

Amber - tis natural to assume all A levels were AAARRRGH! until the results come in - I was convinced I had done very badly indeed but achieved quite respectable (if not brilliant) results in the end.

I too have been getting rather too involved with the ol' brioche and croissants today!

I have to stop eating now because I have to go into central Paris tomorrow and I will need to get past the fashion and weight police at Porte Maillot.

If you are over 10 stone, have non swishy hair or have gone out wearing fleece they send you back to where you came from.

Amber - I think he's done alright. I can feel it in me bones!

Sorry - I should stop skim reading the tearoom I always miss the important bits ....

Donk - PLEASE keep us upto date! We are all thinking of you. xxxx

PMSL at tea - I can just see them withering non-conformists with their snooty looks, too!

What are you doing up at this undgodly hour?

Well... Beer started to sort the washing while I was at work this morning by tipping it onto the bed. It is a weekly routine and then I arrive home very late and sort the washing in an attempt to find the bed, the dog, the child or all of these things.

Today I had enough and moaned about this being a rather annoying thing to be doing every Saturday and he promised he would finish sorting it out. I am up late because I am waiting for him to finish before I get into bed but... I am not sure if I will last out that long as he seems to be asleep infront of the telly [oooh so romantic emotion].

Donki, keeping you and your Dad in thought and prayers. We're here.

Have started cooked breakfast going on the Viking Aga for those wanting some.