March 06 - the other thread ran out of space!!!!!

[laundrylover]

Oh no - the thread ran out of space so couldn't even post a link!!!

Let me know when you find it ladies.......

um, what a star..? little pickle has refused to wee from 8am to 1pm at which point he wet himself during lunch. ho hum. complet change of clothing needed. guess i should get used to it.

UniS: Oh dear... We have had those days in the past as well. I wonder what gets into their little heads? Maybe he did not approve of your wardrobe selection this morning? It is a creative way to get a new outfit...

Hopefully this afternoon will be better!

hello, yes, I'm back - came in late last night as we spnt the day at Beamish Museum on the way home.

Just caught up on the thread with some speed reading...

Caddy - sorry you are having such a bad time of it Hope you are on the mend now and can get it sorted. Yes - dp cpme for a meet up! Could you really? You can stay with us. Not too close to August though, as we will be in packing chaos! Are you really after numer 5!? Cool!

Everyone else, hello...sorry but as I've just spent 30 mins ignoring kids whilst reading the thread, I can't go back and skim again to comment on everyones posts! Good to 'see' you all again though

Trip was great! We did have snow, but it was whilst we were on Mull (staying in a house for those 4 days). It was very cold at Loch Lomond, and then at Durham on the way back, but we were ok. Surely it will never be that cold again, In Europe in August-October!? Loved the Lakes, and Mull was great but we had bad weather there, so a bit boring as all acticities ar out doors there. Edinburgh was gorgeous. Went to Valvona and Crolla of scotland Street Fame, if anyone has read it? I love cities

Kids loved sleeping up in the roof, and generlly had a good time and were mostly good in the van. They are bored now, hanging arund the house all day whilst I do washing!

DH had a good time and was gnerally cheerful. Said he feels he doesn't spend enough time with us (as he has to work!), and then when he is with us he expects things t be a certain way (ie, perfect) and is then discouraged when they are not as he hoped. So he says he needs to have more realistic expectations of daiy ife with children. Nothing like 3 months in a camper van to sort that out!

Overall, a really good trip though, our best as a family of 4! Hurrah! Have a very long list of things to do/buy for van beore we go properly though, and a bone to pick with the van converter, who didn't hook up the electrics or water pump in van properly

Must go and mother..
xxx

Yeah Astrophe! How fabulous that things went well. Rain is one of the hazards and at least the van will be sorted before your long haul in August.

Are you planning to be in our neck of the woods at any point? Geneva is beautiful in the summer and I am only 800 metres from the beach and less than a mile from the outdoor pool, too. Can I convince you by saying that we have a fabulous laundry room with a tumble dryer and two bathtubs? I would be honoured to have you if only to let you do laundry for free while your DCs run around the garden with mine.

I did not call the Dr today... DH will shoot me if I don't make the call tomorrow though.

Must run as DD is still up and asking me to feed her 'for a bit'. She is a hard-sell!

Caddy we will collectivly shoot you if you don't make that call tomorrow too

Astro I'd take Caddy up on that offer if I were you too
Glad you had a great time, what did you think of Beamish, we did it in the snow when dd1 was 18mths, brrrrrrr but good I thought.
Your whole trip sounds lovely. Glad you had time to find running in probs with the Bongo and very glad dh opened up to you and you're getting things sorted out

Uni, did he choose his clothes this morning, or did you?? I found out dd2 took herself to the loo again at nursery once today Hope you have a better day of it tomorrow.

I've been in York today! met a friend to hand over some stock she's brought from our shop (and a great excuse for a coffee and a window shop!! ) lovely part day off, I did take ss home too, so it was only a bit further on!!

Welcome back Astro -hols sound good and glad that you and Dh got time to talk too. Wouldn't it be fab to go and see Caddy???!

Caddy - Phone. Doctor. Now....or we won't talk to you today.

Friz, coffee with your friend sounds lovely. I think that your DD2 is trying to tell you something - put the poor child in knickers please!!!

Well, I got the contract from Thurs interview - phew - so now have to go to Brum for two days training next week and an overnighter in a hotel with my old buddy from Brighton who got it too!!! can't wait - am planning on getting very drunk indeed.

Started back at Slimming World last night as my college course has finished - have put on 11 pounds since just before Xmas but I knew this. Ah well, back to the food diaries and away from the choc.

Thanks for the welcomes

Friz - glad you had a nice window shop in york, we went last summer and thought it was lovely there. Beamish - we thought was brilliant. We spent 6 hours there and could have easily spent another 2, but the kids were ired and we had to drive home. We did think they could to more with it -make it more personal with stories about charactors, and with more people dressed up as charactors, but it was stil very good. The attention to detail is amazing.

LL, glad you got the contract - sounds like it will be a fun one! about the extra pounds, although I'm sure you will have it off again very quickly. I am still ploddin away with losing weight -have now a BMI of 25, but would still like to lose another 5kg ish. This WILL be the term though, as I am going to walk to nursery now that it is spring and hence warm and sunny .

Caddy - er...YES! It would be fab to meet you and your DC. Actually I have no idea where in Switzerland Geneva is...

ok, just found the atlas. Its highly likely that we will be around Switzerland in September, although we have no dates and wont for ages - will that be a problem? Are you ging away at all? Is there a caravan park near you we can pitch up at? (or do you have a large field?) You did confuse me somewhat with the beach - made me think perhaps Switzerland snuck down to the sea at some place I didn't know about...but I guess its a lake?

Right - well, have a truckload of jobs to do today - lots more washing from the holiday, internet searching for things we need for the van, sewing blackout lining on kids curtains, clean bathroom, make the huge bunch of rhubarb we got from the garden yesterday into crumbles, and generally tidy up the extremely messy house. Better get to it

oh and forgot say ...CADDY!!!! THE P H O N E!!!

I am drumming up the courage to pick up the phone...

I won't come back until I have made that call.

Astro: We will be here from mid August until Christmas so very flexible on the dates. You will find that my house resembles how you describe your house this morning (unless I have tons of notice that happens to coincide with tons of energy)

Geneva is located on the largest lake in Western Europe. September is supposed to be beautiful. I am not sure about campground but I have a driveway and a large fenced-in back garden. Not exactly a field but given the prohibitive price of everything in Switzerland, the shabby locale may be worth considering.

Technically, we live closer to Nyon than Geneva. There are many pictures on the web if you google search. (Not that you have time with all the housework!!!)

I am not really here but this site is great :www.myswitzerland.com/en.cfm/destinations/resorts/offer-Destinations_Resorts-General-list-00 9.html

Still not sure about caravan park though.

this even

www.camping.ch/ may help. Rolle and St Cergue are the closest to us. Rolle is on the lake and St Cergue is in the Jura mountains.

Now where is that phone?!?!

ready...aim...

I really tried...

There was no answer at the number listed so I tried the email address and it bounced back that this doctor is no longer at this clinic...

I have emailed someone else asking for a recent list of specialist doctors who speak english in the region. Honest Engine. Please don't shoot--YET!

OK. I have now emailed the clinic directly asking if they have an English speaking specialist.

Will you talk to me?

Ok then Caddy!

BTW I meant to tell you that my boob lumps got the all clear - it's my neck lumps being investigated now!! Never ending....

Just snuck a look at your home town - wow!!!

LL: It is far from my home-town but it is certainly a beautiful substitute! (I grew up on the West Coast of Canada.)

That is seriously GREAT news about your lumps! I hope the neck one proves to be an all-clear as well.

Astro:I am a bit of a continental Europe expert (having done much travel with four children) so feel free to ask for recommendations.

OK... I now have the number of the specialist at the clinic near me. He is a native French speaker who speaks English 'perfectly' according to the clinic.

Now to summon the courage to call. How pathetic am I?

I hope you've called by now missus....

I know it's not your real 'home town' - that's an americanism I think so not even sure why I used it!! Do you miss Canada Caddy? Are your family back there too? Where is your DH from? Just being nosy! Don't reply if it's going to make you homesick.

Did ya call them caddy? if not - BANG.
Beach in geneva, has to be the lake. hope you have some fun family days on the beach this summer caddy. No waves, nice.

yestersay went from bad to worse on teh wee front. not a single wee in potty, 4 on floor. arrrrgh. Suspect he held it in so long he strained shpinter musles and so had no warning at all for rest of day. SLIGHTY better so far today.
Who choses his clothes... me, occasionaly I give him a choice of this or this. he LIKES bike (lycra) shorts tho, choses them when given a choice. 99p at lidl, I ain't complainning, they dry V quick. he likes them coz daddy goes off to work every morning in bike shorts and boy wants to be like daddy.
poor sausage he gets so stressed about wet shorts and socks ho, he really doesn;t like wetting himself.

Hmmm, yes, ok, I will talk to you caddy, cos you TRIED. But make sure you keep trying! Not pathetic though - I hate making phone calls to people I don't know, and especially when its a scary subject, and then the language issue - I don't blame you at all...but you must still call

Any advice on where to go would b great. Can you email me to save everyone else having to read it?

( katisrael at gmail dot com )

I can't get your link to work but it may be the computer playing up - I'll try again later. I'm sure we will be very satisfied with your drive way Caddy, especially now that the figures are in from the trip we just did, and in those two weeks we spent our budget for 3 weeks in Europe (we didn't try to be cheap though, whereas in Europe we will only eat beans...and drink cheap spanish wine )

Caddy, I have also forgotton the ages of your DC - DS of 11, DD of 2 and two others I have no idea...

Sorry to hear about the wee Uni - DS had a few days at the start when I thought 'why am I doing this', but he came good, and I'm sure your DS will soon. Do you have carpet floors?

OK, so my jobs for the day - so far I have done nothing but browse endless online shops and spent £100 on two rucksacks, 3 Sigg drink bottles, a folding frypan and two thermal mugs.

Have not done the washing, started tea, done anything constructive with the kids, made black out curtains, vacuumed, finished un-packing, made rhubarb crumble, tidied the house or cleaned the bathroom . I always think onlone shopping will be quick, and I am always wrong.

So...I now have one hour to do all of the above...eek!

meant to say Caddy (who me...procrastinate!?), the rough plan is Calais-Belgium-Netherlands-Copenhagen-Germany-Chzech Rep- Austria-Switzerland-North Italy-South France-Spain-Back through France...or as much as we can do in 3-4 months. We plan to stop for 5-7 days each time and do day trips on the bikes or in the van, so that we are not on the road all the time. Any ideas of specific towns to go to, or to avoid, or anything else you (or anyone!) has to say wil be appreciated.

I have been to all of those countries breifly in my youth (obv am very old now!), except for Denmark. Loved Italy and Switzerland especially. DH has only been to Toulouse. We both love Italian and Spanish food, and food generally, and visiting nice towns and beautiful scenery. We have a very small budget (hence going to Chzech Rep!).

Ok...am going to be productive now...

Copenhagen- We will be there July 26th - Aug 5th ish . I have a tip of about a camp site near the city centre, I'll mail you when i rememebr astro.

Astro, you must go to Chaumont in the Loire valley here. It has a fab and very low key garden festival which runs all summer at the chateau. Camp ground in the village. The web link is the only one I could find in English but there are some nice french ones with piccies if you google it.

We've been twice but stayed in Blois at a foul campsite. First time we had to sit a thunderstorm out in the car and second time there was a big poo in the shower. Only when we'd walked four miles in the rain and got a train to Chaumont did we remmeber the delightful little camp site there.