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.

Mom's Birthday and Christmas shopping for BabyScout and she's got me excited about it, too! (And yes, I am about half finished our Christmas shopping for DH's family and mine -- haven't started for BabyScout yet, though I do have a couple of birthday gifts for him.)

Christmas shopping ????????

So, Tea, do you teach numbers, colours, pets, that kind if thing? Do you do songs, poems, finger rhymes, etc? Doyou have a scheme of work to follow or do you get to make it up? Do normal stae schools teach English from the age of 4?

Pangalactic gargleblaster does not sound like the sort of thing one sips in Shangi-La.

Um... yes, Christmas shopping. Like I said, I'm half done. Big family AND have to have everything done by November for my side. Start early, spread out the shopping (if we see it, especially on a really good offer, we get it and keep it in the presents box). Pack my family's in the suitcases for our annual visit home and when we come back we have room for the shopping we've done and the presents my parents send back for Christmas. Nice little system.

(Would you hate me if I told you I have a spreadsheet of everything we've bought as well?)

Oh no, the Pangalactic Gargleblaster can be drunk anywhere. Mary, have you noticed that there is an Eccentrica Gallambits on MN ?

My christmas shopping usually starts in December. Often the week before Christmas tbh

DS and I had an interesting conversation in the car this afternoon 'Mummy, when can I grow a real baby' 'When you are grown up and found a special lady to make one with' "Will I grow in in MY tummy?' 'No darling, you'll give the lady a seed and it will go with her egg and make a baby' etc, etc,etc. He would not give in with it at all until full details had been disclosed. Not that I mind, but he won't keep it to himself, and will choose the most public places to add further questions or tell people

Would anyone else like a Pangalactic Gargleblaster?

I'd love a pangalactic gargleblaster too.

And don't we also have a Trillian on MN?

Hope it's just the way you like it!

Scout - What amazing forsight and self control you must have! If I bought chrissy prezzies now everyone would have bikinis to unwrap on Chrissy Morn. I find it difficult to imagine Christmas time and what people would need or like while being firmly in the summer time!

RS - It depends on the school. The schools I work for have clear guidelines and curriculums to follow but... some are a bit more ooooh what shall we do today... teach numbers, colours, pets... oh let's see how we feel [rolls eyes and shudders]. Normal state school starts English at CP.

CMOT - I have a copy of "Mummy Laid an Egg" ready for when those questions start. I am rather disappointed that Milk is yet to ask. So ooooh lucky you!!!

But what is eddie "doing" in teh space time continuum, and should he be there at all?

Have you read prt 6 " and Another thing" by Eion Colfer? I read it last week, pretty good, not quite DA, but not bad.

Ooh, I read the Amazon reviews of the Eoin Colfer book - mostly good, a few not so good. I don't think I would mind reading it as I am not terrible entrenched in the DA style - although having said that I do object to what I think of as "writers trying too hard". For me, Tom Holt falls into that category - I tried, for about 9 of his books I tried, but he didn't have the effortless humour that TP, for e.g., could manage (although going back to the beginning of TP's discworld series highlights how his writing improved after about the 4th in the series).

Scout - at Christmad/birthday shopping and spreadsheet!! Waaaay too organised...

A&O - hope the hole in the space-time continuum helps!

I wonder if anyone has tried to be Zaphod Beeblebrox on here? I've seen Trillian - can't remember if she is the same as TrillianAstra or not; and Eccentrica Gallumbits.

I think, given the ethereal nature of Shangri-La, that a pangalactic gargleblaster would be acceptable but could perhaps be given a more, um, relaxing name? Universal Elixir of Joy, perhaps?

CMOTD - your DS is obviously of the enquiring/scientific turn of mind as well then!

Tea - I quite like that sort of teaching, to some extent - more freedom to chop and change. Just maybe keep a spreadsheet list of what you've done with them.

Not read the Eoin Colfer book - I find that no-one can ever write in the style of the original. It comes up on my aspie "radar" as not being genuine, and irritates the life out of me! I might get it from the library, to see if my suspicions are confirmed! I used to like Tom Clancy till he started writing with someone else.

Drat. Too early for a PanGalactic Gargleblaster. Always wanted to try one.

And here was I thinking what I need is a pangalactic gargleblaster!
Sorry for radio silence I've been reading but not felt up to posting
dh is off on another big trip and rl has been tough. I have finally done the unforgivable and wailed " how shall I cope" so now he's going and feeling crap about it

Never too early for a Panglactic Gargleblaster!

Oxeye, urk. Have a Gargleblaster with extra blast. And the tea room duvet if it helps. And a massage from Mellors.

I'm still wondering exactly what to do about the Meeting That Went Very Wrong with one of the big charities where I work. The new boss says he won't take any responsibility for my safety if I'm bullied by people from other companies or charities in the course of my duties, so I can either drop 90% of the work and all the things I love doing...or get each company/charity to give me a separate 'safety person' and set up an agreement with each one. So I'd be dealing with about 20 different safety-people and my brain can't do that (on account of it being autistic) but I don't want to lose my job as I like the work

Amber, surely your boss has a duty of care to you to prevent bullying internally and externally ? For instance, it's just the same as not allowing customers to shout at shop staff - the management must not allow their staff to be abused by them, so why should you be allowed to be bullied ? Must be contary to Health and Safety ?

Oxeye, have a hug. I'm sure you will cope, but genuinely, if you need to get away for the weekend or want someone to do things with, then just CAT me.

DS is indeed very enquiring. He recited (with the aid of some sweets) the version of reproduction me and a human body book had gone through yesterday to my (slightly [hmm}) SIL, complete with multiple 'seeds' trying to get into the egg.

Have eaten my own body weight in cake and icecream today - SIL was having a charity cake eating event which was lovely

I would think your company has duty-of-care as well, Amber. I have clearly missed something, though -- why would your companies & charities bully you?

Sounds like you've handled your DS's questions very well, CMOT. My hat goes off to you! I am dreading those (though BabyScout is only still new so hopefully it'll be a while).

Had an email tonight from Mom that she and Dad went and found BabyScout's Christmas present/s. Well, assuming Christmas as that's what her subject said, though could be his birthday as well. Am very excited for BabyScout as they are cool gifts -- and ones that he'll be able to play with for years. Am hoping, though, that they decide to post the one as I'm not sure it'll fit in the suitcase at Thanksgiving. BabyScout is going to be one very lucky little boy on his birthday and Christmas!

I really feel for you Oxeye... dh once went away just for a fortnight. He had a fab time in Calafornia "finding himself" around various campfires while I had a really bad time living in France working hard and looking after dd.

I can't imagine it happening for such long stretches of time as for you or as regularly.

Amber - Hang on little tomato x x x x

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jz706sJMjg

california

Ha! I finally thought I had made it to the higher echelons on mumsnet and someone had actually created a thread title about me!

Then I read and realised it wasn't to be. So I'll skulk back to my own little corner of mumsnet, dreaming of notoriety.

Was nice while it lasted, though!

shangrila - please stay a while!!!

Scout, I'm autistic. Many people are wonderful about it. Some just aren't. I've had bullying, violence, sexual assault, rape, defrauding, hate mail, etc etc. It's been terrifying "coming out" as someone on the autism spectrum and trying to advocate for other autistic people sometimes. I think so many people wrongly think we're always something dangerou/uncaring/ disgusting that they think we're not people and they can do anything they like to us. Or say anything they like. It's not like we're human or anything or have feelings

I definitely agree that your employers have a duty of care to make sure that you are not bullied while at work, whether internally or externally while working on their behalf. That's one thing I love about the UK -- how employee friendly rules/laws are. Are you able to go above your boss for (more) support? (Sorry, you've probably heard of all that before.)

If he's your boss Amber surely it is his responsibility whether he wants it to be or not? Sounds like what he may be saying is that each organisation may have to carry out their own risk assessment but that should still be reported through your boss? Poor Amber. Can I help at all
I am ignoring Scouts spread sheet of presents ( unless she can provide good tips for birthday presents for mum, sis and friend all in the next four days)