ELEVENSES HERE *****************************************************************************************

[MaryAnnSingleton]

think we've been deleted,so shall we put ourselves here in other subjects ?
Sleepless night fretting about T and loos and lunches at big school - how neurotic am I ?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HIPPI
have a lovely day ! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morning

Have managed to sneak on here with a cup of coffee. It is raining and dh is walking O and E to school.

I was woken up this mornig with a lovely card, and O and E had each bought me a little something with their pocket money : One Kinder Hippo biscuit adn a Sherbert DibDab

Fireplace is indeed lovely, dh bought it on eBay. It is fab because I wanted one that was similar to teh one in the living room, and because I wanted original Victorian not reproduction it has taken a while to find one (a few years in fact)
It is sitting next to me now, looking very tired. But will be fab once shotblasted adn blackened

lovely - I'm having a cup of coffee too, washing on,and 2 rice cakes with nutella to celebrate your bday ! Off to drop winter duvets into cleaners before we need them and then to Sainsbury's - see how little I can spend !!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HIPPI
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Hope you have a fab day Your presents sound wonderful - just goes to show what is important to our kids!!!!

Good luck with the shopping MAS! I've no idea what we're having for tea...will have to rummage through what's left and cobble something together. Tuna something probably because dh has bought catering quantities as its on special ATM

I've just got back from my first PTA. It was OK. Nine parents, which is good, but the three existing members seem to want to repeat what has happened every year, without working out if it was successful first. I know we mustn't try to barge in, but honestly, it's a bit pointless if we don't make any more money. We have another meeting soon and hopefully we'll manage to recruit some reception parents, and see what they think. Looks like I'll be busy though

Hello

Lovely singing hotcross

Have just come back from a lovely pub lunch. Feel satisfied adn very happy. Dh has gone to collect O and E and then we are having birthday cake. Don't think I can eat any more actually....

Took the fireplace to the expert in Croydon. We paid £72 for it and it is going to cost £70 to do it up to a very good, clean, usuable condition. He reckons in a good condition those sell for over £300. He said we snapped up a bargain So I feel very happy now! Not that we are going to sell it, I can already picture it in our dining room!

Hotcross, enjoy the PTA but be careful - if they are anything like our PTA they will suck you dry. Don't overdo it. I felt I could not say no and ended up running myself ragged. I am sure in was what contributed to my depression.

MAS, how did the shopping go?

hey good for you with the PTA hotcross - I guess the existing ladies are a bit stuck in their ways - you must inject some enthusiasm for new ideas into them !! (am so relieved there's no more PTA for me,mind !)
I managed to get my shopping to £80 something - no wine, oh I've just remembered that I forgot BEER - damn, damn,damn. (that's partly why is wasn't so much..how foolish of me !)
Met T's friend E's mum in Sainsb. and she told me that T has to go to the music dept. to see when his singing lessons are - T doesn't know this as he hasn't been told - and wouldn't have known had she not told me - it's all so much new stuff ! have rung music dept and left a message. T very cheery today - chicken tikka salad for lunch. I am an appalling example to him as I'm just eating my lunch which is a small tin of sweetcorn (from the tin !!

hippi - glad you've had a lovely day - and brilliant news about the fireplace - it'll look fabulous. We loved this house on first sight because it has the original Victorian fireplaces in every room.

Am at the tin of sweetcorn for lunch - you should be ashamed!!! Glad T sounds happy and well done for the shopping. I did ours and spent £75(can't remember when, a few days ago) and it's all gone I'm scrabbling around trying to find something filling enough for tea. B will have some pasta from last night, but I think dh will be having bacon and eggs and maybe some frozen chips. Not terribly exciting...

Glad you're having a nice day hippi. Enjoy your cake! You'll have to let us see a pic of the fireplace when it's done.

Have been stewing about the PTA. Met one of the mums in the playground at pick up. We were just chatting and I said I wondered how other PTA's raised 1000s each year. Maybe sponsorship? And got a mouthful about our PTA not being pushy and she wouldn't do it if it were etc etc etc. Gosh, no wonder we don't make much if the attitude is not to make money.... Obviously the workload is less if you don't do much, but equally it must be worth a try??? However, I do know what you mean about getting sucked in and it taking over, and I am a bit like that, and don't know when to stop, so I will keep my mouth shut and potter on without making waves

perhaps it's just a hobby thing with some PTA mums, something to do but not too involving ! I second the advice to keep your distance a bit to avoid being sucked in too much..be warned

Oh joy we have Barnaby Bear home for the weekend. We have to take him everywhere with us and email the class with pictures to tell them what he has been up to. There goes my quiet weekend! Apparently last years teacher recommended us to get the ball rolling as a family who would 'do it properly'

B is in bed cuddling him tightly!

do you have to take his photo with B ? !

oh yes, you do I see - sorry,didn't read properly !

Wow hotcross, you have a modern Barnaby Bear!! You get to e-mail the school We had to do it the old-fashioned way by writing in his diary! Mucho faff but E loved it!

We will now have Victorian fireplaces in teh living room, dining room, master bed adn E's bed. Teh one in teh kitchen adn in the bathroom were removed ages ago (at least 30 years) and I would not know how to go about putting them back in. Also, in teh bathroom I would need to change the whole layout adn all the plumbing to get it back in. So we have a restored original victorian radiator in there instead

Back to normal today, had a lovely day yesterday.
O and E cheerful about going to school, so so far so good.

Victorian radiator sounds fab - would love one in our bathroom !
T off to school - have to rush him in the mornings as he lingers over breakfast and teeth cleaning - but he was out by 8.20 after much nagging by me - I hate to hear myself going on, but.... am just having some coffee before going up to start on the book job - have decided to go ahead before I get approval as I think they'll go with what I've done and I am running out of time !
Have a good day all !

It is really nice MAS, I love it
In fact dh is on about getting an original one for the lounge. We have modern victorian ones if that makes sense, look here like these in the kitchen, hallway, our bedroom, O's room and E's room. And will be getting another one for the dinign room. I like them, they are reminiscent of Victorian ones without being too twee.

Hope the link works...

Yes!! It worked

Oh MAS, thank you so much for my lovely birthday e-mail! I love the card - is that one of yours?

oh they are nice radiators - they'd go very well here !!
Yes, that was one of my cards - one that I did to see if card companies might be interested in my illustrating for them (no they weren't )

Morning all

Glad you had a nice day yesterday hippi. And it didn't rain Those radiators are really nice, they would look good here too.

When we bought our house it had no original features left. The previous owner stripped them all out in the 70s, and we are left with a lovely Victorian shell with a mishmash of 60s/70s styling. Lovely! And we can't afford to do major stuff to it yet(ever???) and I struggle to get inspired as I know what I would do to the place with lots of money, but it's much much harder on a budget. Also dh is not good at buying vintage stuff. His mother never has done, so to him, it's just someone else's junk I do sneak things in though

Have been in school this morning sorting out the library. We did nearly 2 hours and could easily spend a good couple of days in there. The mum I was doing it with is lovely, so it was fun. I'm picking her dd up from school tonight as she has a meeting at her son's school as doesn't think she'll make it back in time.

Am waiting for a plumber to come and quote for us.

hotcross, I know how you feel. Our house was a delight of 80's pink and grey. With only an original fireplace in teh lounge. We have been here 11 years adn have only started putting reclaimed fireplaces and the one old and 4 new-but-old radiators back into the house over the last4 years. And we do it bit by bit. Bathroom radiator was 4 years ago, E's adn O's radiator were 3 years ago, hall radiator was last year, floorboards were last year, bedroom fireplaces were last year, kitchen radiator this year, dining room fireplace is obviously happening now, and teh radiator hopefully by Christmas. We have not been able (and won't be able) to afford to replace the kitchen or bathroom, so it is just a case of making the best of it
The B&Q radiators do look beautiful, I love them, but they are a bugger to dust with all those individual columns. I don't do them as often as I should....

plumber hotcross ? what are you having done ?
Just down to eat a marmite and watercress sandwich - have made a start on work...
T's music dept rang back to say that his singing lessons started on Monday and he should have been sent down to check his timetable (the lessons happen once a week at different times, during a lesson time - so he needs to know when and to excuse himself from the lesson he's in and get to the music block (and presumably then find out what he's missed in the lesson to catch up!) - more complications - but he has to learn these skills, time keeping and organisation - it's so hard to leave him to it, but he won't learn otherwise.

You make me feel a bit happier hippi. When other people just click their fingers and someone comes in to renovate their house/fit new kitchen etc it's hard not to feel too despondent when we've still only just decorated 2 rooms (and they're still not finished). We need an old 70s fireplace and gas fire taking out before I can ahve the wood burning stove I've got my eye on. The quote was £3500 which we can't manage

Our neighbour popped in this morning to say his plumber was about to finish work on his house and would we like him to pop in and quote for anything. We need a sink put in the downstairs loo and a shower fitted in upstairs bathroom, and the gas fire in the living room disconnected if he's corgi registered, so at least if we get a quote we can start budgeting for it.

Poor T. It all seems like such a complicated system, but it will no doubt get clearer. Surely they should have sent you a letter saying about singing lessons, rather than to expect a brand new school boy to sort it out.

Did the plumber come ?
There's a house in the next road to ours which has it's garage and access to the house opposite our house and they constantly have men in doing stuff - it's quite incredible - they must be loaded !!
To be fair T's school did send a letter before term started saying that children having music lessons would be called down to the music block to see their timetables - I guess they either forgot or T wasn't paying attention - I hadn't seen the letter,dh had,though I should have paid attention myself if I had I'd have warned him, but never mind.
He says he had a bread roll and a blueberry muffin for lunch ! He has signed himself up for Reading Club at lunchtimes on Thursdays so I think on that day I'll give him sandwiches !
He is doing his German and French homework now and leaving maths until Sunday