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.

DD is supposed to be meeting with the head tomorrow, to find out what will happen next year. Head hasn't told me - DD came home and told me this evening.

BabyScout and I went to Mini Makers (Creative Messy play for the under 18 months). This week the main floor activity was yellow and orange paint. BabyScout LOVED it. Went diving in and was covered. Managed to cover me in it as well. But it's worth the paint covered socks/jeans/shirt/hands to see him so happy and having such fun.

One baby, older than BabyScout, kept offering him a toy ladder and as BabyScout went reaching for it the boy would take it away. He did this about four times. I realize they're babies and don't know any better, and I kept trying to distract BabyScout, but he was getting upset. He (finally) started to cry and the mother of the other baby made some snarky comment about girls "wanting what others had." I didn't/couldn't say anything about what was going on THEY'RE BABIES!! but I wasn't sure if she thought BabyScout was a girl. He definitely has a boy's name and the woman that runs the play time always greets all of the babies as they come in and all of the regular mums know all of the regular babies' names.

Spaghetti cake went down a storm tonight!

Mary -- Is the Head meeting with just your DD or are you to attend as well?

worry not about baby comments scout, someone is always willing to read in to babies actions stuff that isn't there . Twas just one childs game not quite chiming with another childs idea of the game. happens all the time and continues till they are MUCH older than babyscout. Mistle chick and Boy both thought sword fights were a fun idea, but neither liked being hit by a sword. Foam swords I hasten to add, I'm not quite such a rubbish parent as all that.

DH is having a day off tomorrow, we're off on another one day holiday. Will see if weather is good enough to go for a walk and explore some hut circles and stone rows.

AandO - so glad I am not the only one being a chauffeur.

Not that worried about the outer - I have said nothing here that I wouldn't say to her, except the ranting about DH at times. That is my safety valve - if not our relationship might not have survived the last year and Wriggle would have lost the best father in the world. I am sorry you have to read it (although you don't; you can just skip it, as I hope you all do).

Wriggle had a great day at the seaside yesterday and has at last stopped talking about how she fell off her surfboard and went right under (obviously DH was not there!)

Why is BabyScout orange???

MaryBS, 'what will happen' in what way? Changing classes/friendship groups?

UniS -- I know they were babies being babies. I wasn't bothered at all by the baby "teasing" with the toy. It's a game and exploring. BabyScout doesn't do that yet, but I know he will as part of his learning about the world. I think I was more shocked/possibly a bit disturbed by the fact that she thought BabyScout, with his very masculine name, was a girl! I did also wonder if we were all having a bit of the PFB "not my baby!" moment as a lot of other mums seemed to perk up/listen in/watch the interactions to make sure babies weren't snatching precious toys from their baby.

(Have just realized -- is Shangri-La getting a bit full?)

Yes, where will we go next? Do we need a holiday-type tea room? Obviously xposted with Scout's explanation of BabyScout's orangeness.

Holiday type sounds good. A beach with the sea? Rock pools? White sand? Clear water to see the fishies?

Could we go to one of those exotic wooden houses on stilts over the water? I've always wanted to stay in one of those. It could be all white muslin and gentle breezes and shoals of colourful fish. And cocktails.

Mmmm, cocktails!

Let's have an awesome beach hut on stilts over torquise sea and White linen and high count Egyptian linen sheets real honeymoon dream stuff with a squeaky beach and warm sea and coconut palms and long drinks served by mellors .....

Yay!! That sounds fab!

Off down the country at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Got a work meeting there and then a christening over the weekend. So I won't be around for a few days. Have a great weekend everyone and I'll see you in the new tea room if you've moved over the weekend .

xxx

love the idea of a idyllic beach hut place 0 with fresh pineapples and coconut and mangoes and everything on tap (sounds like Indonesia).
Snorkelling on the coral reef for those who like such things...

Can we have buckets of sunblock in our beach hut on stilts? Some of us are fair and burn at the word "sun".

And can it be right at the water's edge, so that the water comes right into the hut, into a covered area, so you can swim inside, but if you want to go outside, you can just keep swimming, and where there's little or no tide so no danger of flooding?

I like the sounds of that, Mary and thumb!

No sunblock! This is the Tearoom - there will be no burning so no need for fake protection that does strange things to skin and prevents natural sun protection (production of melanin and Vitamin D).
I am v. fair too - I don't wear sun cream if I can avoid it, and go for the zinc-based stuff when I have to wear it. I do not appreciate the concept of nanoparticles of titanium stuff residing under my skin at all.

Sorry for mini-lecture, one of my big bugbears of modern life.

I think a channel into an indoor pool, that leads back out to the sea but is carefully non-tidal, is a lovely idea. And the channel could have large palmleaf-rooved pergola type thingy over it for shade and protection.

And we need to have some automated palm-wavers to keep us cool! Or we could have punkah-wallahs, but they might be a bit non-PC - what do you think?

If I was the punkah-wallah, would that be PC enough if I volunteered in the first place? Could supply own turban and possibly a tea urn?

Been a bit quiet. Disaster here re a holiday tour I've had to cancel on account of how they decided not to make it possible for me to go on it . Have been so glad of the support of my advocate and family and friends,but not been up to writing much. Apologies.

Amber am so sorry touve been let down again
thumb. I an going to have to ask about sun cream aren't I. You mean it's not as simple as slap on kids suncream anymore ?

oxeye, thanks. Same bunch, as well. At least they're consistent.

Anyone for a large slice of choc cake?

Gah! Amber, that is so and and pathetic of them but perhaps you're best off staying as far away from them as possible now? Leave them to it, they clearly don't want to understand/remedy the situation.

Chocolate cake, you say...

Oxeye - I would give a full and detailed answer but I can hear miniThumb stirring so might have to save it til later - but meantime read up Prof. Michael Holick's stuff on Vitamin D. In fact, even the Cancer UK website has changed its advice slightly, no longer do they advocate blanket Suncream at All Times but suggest some exposure is beneficial. But Holick is an expert. Here in Oz the sun is definitely stronger - you can feel it burning holes in you - but we just stay out of it whenever it's that hot; we go out before 10am and after 3pm, so we avoid the worst of the burning time. The Aussies still have their Slip Slap Slop or whatever it is protocol - but they really ought to rethink it as well. Lack of Vitamin D has its own health issues, as well as rickets and osteopaenia, it has been linked to increases in cancer, Alzheimer's and various other diseases. Anyway - I offer it for info and leave you to make your own judgements.

Bugger - got it wrong again - it's osteomalacia, not osteopaenia. Arse. Still, the point's the same.

miniThumb seems to have gone back to sleep, hurrah! No coughing so far tonight either - was beginning to feel like Bad Mummy again for not taking him to the doc's about his night time only cough. Especially when someone said their son did that and he has mild asthma.

Hi all... JM here.

Having a wobbly week. I'm trying so hard to get off my ADs... been on them for two years now and would like to see how I cope without. So far... wibbly wobbly. Feelings feel much stronger IYKWIM. Uncomfortably so. Occasional skyrocketing anxiety and I'm being a complete bitch a bit irritable... fortunately mostly inside my own head, very little of it has fallen out of my big mouth so far... gah.

Very large virtual and therefore non-painful or irritating ((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))) to Amber. The people you're dealing with are bastards. I'm feeling quite cranky enough to offer to go kick their hateful arses for you if you'd like.

Hi all - am returned from forrin climes, and knackered.

Am looking at flights to visit JM next year (and do some work, but bringing DH and tiddler). Hurrah !

Scout - can you email me MNcmotdibbler @ googlemail.com ? I have a large bag of treats for you. We had lunch in Reading Market yesterday, and I wondered if I could import any of the canoli etc for you, but decided they wouldn't survive.

Bolly all round ?

Jm good for you. I know little but offer hugs and take tiny steps, do what is right for you and be gentle on yourself
I am a bad mummy. Been out all day. Working and tired. Oxboy tired too. I end up shrieking at him and pullng him up sonewhat forcefully to go to bed. Hexwas sobbing for hid dad. I felt like joining him
I don't want to be the kind of person who shouts at their babies whn the going is tough. I should have more sophisticated coping mechanisms.
sorry