Tea room 16 welcome to Shangri-la

[UniS]

Shangri-la = a hidden valley with beautiful views and crystal streams of course, and some inter-far eastern type of chalet things set around a Serene Courtyard with ever-blooming Japanese cherry trees, lots of refreshing fragrant teas, silk cushions, tinkling tiny waterfalls and bonsai trees, Gardens of Tranquillity etc.

Home to teh 16th Tea room, a haven for those with one or more or less children who like cake, tea, talking nonsense and oggling Mellors ( our handyman/ butler). If its your first vist, pull up a cushion .Mind out for the guinea pigs and other pets and do take care not to squash the teeny tiny naked mowhawk babies ( nmbs
, no longer naked and now toilet trained you will glad to hear)as they go about their duties helping Mellors.

Confused... come on, jump in and have a hot chocolate.

Scout that's crazy early!!! But a coffee would be great thanks !

Parcel sounds good - and I'm sure that we can manage virtual parcels for JM and TW and vice versa so that postage costs don't outweigh the cost of contents....

mistlechick was a lovely baby - generally very relaxed, fairly happy to sit on anyone's lap, no really fixed routines so easily adapted to different situations... pity it has been all downhill since then really!

Floods of tears this morning as Dh has gone away to work - only one night this week - but 4 nights a week from next. Silly thing is that he always demands me to do his bath etc rather than dh... Anyway, loss of dh during the week should be good for my waistline - probably will bypass supper or just cook some veg or something...

at Salisbury meet-up - too far for me unfortunately.... However, will look up UniS's email tonight and see if we can make plans for when I'm abandoned on holiday in Devon by dh.... I'm absolutely determined that mistlechick and I will enjoy ourselves though!

Anyone for a cinamon danish and/or strawberries and a cup of something?

ohhhh, danish and strawberries for me, I've had garden raspberries and strawbs already this morning.
Boy is practising his unicycling and wants me to sit on the bench he is holding on to, gota go. I'll take me knitting

Tea, I forgot to say earlier - I need some advice - would like to push with Mistlechick's french as he's doing some at school (although when I did it at this age we at least did it with a native speaker so had fantastic accents - he's coming out with quite broad Yorkshire French ifyswim....) - are there any dvds that you might suggest that are good in French? I'm not actually worried at all with written French at the mo - just the aural/oral side...

UniS - mistlechick will be and at Unic.. if he gets shown it if when we meet up later this month - do you need any plants for the garden that I might have and might be able to bring?

LOL @ Turdis! I had occasion to use said box last night, and it didn't actually smell that bad!

Feeling shattered and tired. Unfortunately I am hosting my usual fun and funky bible study session this afternoon, so need to wake myself up a bit! Argh!

don;t worry MT- boys unicycling practise consists of him getting on, holding teh bench and fence and getting off, not much more yet. he is trying to hop but hasn't grasped teh idea that you have to grip teh saddle between legs , so he bounces up and down and teh wheel remains on teh floor... We are not pushing him, just letting him play with it and take his own time.

Sounds just right UniS - mistlechick will still be (particularly if you deign to demonstrate for him!).

I will be free Tues/Weds/Thurs - I'll email you and hopefully we can sort something... (is there a beach remotely near you we might be able to have a picnic on or something?)

I see the NMBs have decided to brighten up the aspidistra by digging out the fascinators which they must have found somewhere in the packing cases and adorning it very prettily - they go well with the lanterns. JM - even you must agree that it looks rather good like that!

We're about as far from the Sea as you can get in Devon, BUT we do have a nice paddling/ rock sliding spot on a stream only a mile away.

Argh DD come home upset, because 3 of the girls at school have been picking on her, including the one who has caused problems all along (although she wasn't the ringleader this time). I am getting FED UP of it, 2 of the children are girls we've had round the house to play, and I thought it was going OK!

DD had a run in on Friday with THE girl, who'd tried to take something off her.

I really don't know what to do... its difficult because I know and am friendly with the parents! ARGH

(disappears down priest's hole)

I only have half a minute to post before dropping JB off at nursery so I can go help a friend paint her house (we're painting the cedar siding barn red)... but if not too expensive I'm in for the parcels. What fun.

If anyone sends me an aspidistra, however, I will devise suitable revenge

Mistle, one of the best and easiest (and cheapest) things we found for Wriggle is Dora the Explorer. You can just select French from the language set up/configuration and then you get simple phrases frequently repeated. The French version aims to teach children a few English phrases (in the most peculiar accent), but it is still 90% easy, clear French. £4 today in Morrisons.

Some Disney DVDs from the library have a French option - Tinkerbell and Lady and the Tramp, for example.

Or you could go for culture as well as language and get a DVD by Michel Ocelot, such as Kirikou or Azur et Asmar (google them and look at some clips on youtube).

The best things would probably be DVDs with simple series in episodes, such as petit ours brun, tchoupi, etc, but Mistlechick might find them too young. (I show them to all of KS1 and y3). Find some clips on youtube or daily motion and see what you think.

Oxeye and Small, will check diary tomorrow (actually not much choice - we are off to France on 28th. How about July 12th or 19th? We are already booked for 12th and would have to unbook, so 19th would be best.

(I can't believe I am going to meet Oxeye and Small!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Maisy mouse DVDs have language options and simple stories. have a root about on teh BBC website, there were some good simple german videos and games I used when learning, maybe french too.

Arse. I can't do 12 or 19 July

22nd???????

Ooooh, yummy!

ummmm, cake.
Managed to womble a wheelbarrow load of wood today. hurrah, more for next winters fire wood pile.

I'll have some marble cake

just back in from teh garden, watering, weeding, potting on, takes time. But teh payback is nice, fresh broad beans and pak choi in our stir fry tonight.

would anyone care fro a lemon grass and ginger infusion? no idea what it will taste like but it sounds suitably calming and shangri-la like.

Thanks UniS -- could you add a shot (or three!) of something extra in my infusion?

something EVEN more calming than lemon grass and ginger... erm.. how about gin, or night nurse?

yep, night nurse should do teh trick, one night nurse sleepy time special coming your way.

Tell me Scout - before you fall asleep, is there a guides centenary badge that I can get my hands on as an ex guide for my camp blanket? I could probably offer a patch trade if I tried hard.

oo, UniS - we go "wombling" for wood and kindling in the bush as well! Except I think we've already had most of it in a sort walking distance - might have to take the car further down soon!

2 nights without MrThumb down, one to go - miniThumb was a bit fretful about "where Daddy?" last night but got over it quite quickly and spoke to Daddy on the phone happily.

I can't have night nurse - it keeps me awake.

But I'll have some cake, ta!

Mmmm, Gin..... A nice G&T could go down well about now, with a focus on the G and not T.

As for Centenary Badges, there are all sorts -- specific events, challenges, county, region, general. What type or types would you like and I'll get my hands on some for you. I'm fairly sure I have a spare county launch one around here (DH doesn't really care about badges but he always gets one because he does the photography) but also know county has spare of those (bought one for BabyScout's camp blanket since he was "there"). I'm fairly sure county will have spare from the event just held Saturday (or again, you can have DH's) and for our county centenary camp next month. I recently purchased a region centenary badge. And there are several types nationally, including cloth and metal. What would you like?

(Thank you for the G&T and the NightNurse...think I might go off to bed soon now that I've calmed down.)