The Owl Man goeth - Owelefs, come to my nest, bring wine

[ParsleyTheLioness]

Well,he went about a week ago...other thread on here. Apparently his online dating habit commenced when me and dd wouldn't go owl watching with him one night....We are seeing him this morning at Mac's. He texted me to say he's moving into 'a room' (cue for sympathy, no?). I text back to say does he want the spare kettle (I am already taking him the travel iron). No response for 24 hrs, so I text again, saying, well, does he want the kettle? Get a text back, as if to a stranger who is harassing him, saying no thank you, and see you at X (in other words, I shall speak to you no more, or should that be Hoot No More, until then). I am hurt and fecked off.

Tell me not to text unless it is absolutely necessary.

Poor DD. And you of course. It's crap for both of you. Have I already told you about my friend's sister, who completely lost it with her Dad when he left her mum after ~33y of marriage? Her feelings of betrayal were so immense that she hasn't spoken to him since - and she was a real Daddy's girl. It was like the ultimate betrayal - her Daddy, her hero, had feet of clay after all - he has missed out for the last nearly 20 years on seeing her and her children, his only grandchildren.

Fess up time re the Herbs and kid.s TV - 1) I was a teenager and loved it! 2) I bought the Watch with Mother video when it came out, which had an episode of the Herbs on it, also Pogle's Wood. 3) I watched the original Andy Pandy at my gran's when I was a LO. We didn't have a tellly, it was the 50s, and I used to cry my eyes out every time Andy and Teddy had to go back in the basket.

fool it really is very early days, these things take time to process, and although counselling can help the process, people do work through them with the help of parents, children, friends, family - and now Mumsnet!

Fool ?

Oops, I am posting on about 4 threads as other people, and am starting to get confused! Different posts trigger different thoughts, sorry Parsley, I was thinking about you both!

perhaps I need a rest from Mumsnet?

Thank you, as long as you weren't dissing me. I have, however, been a Fool undoubtedly, but hopefully have learnt enough to NEVER do it again!

Yes, easy to be confused.com on here....

Just dropping in with a Friday night tipple for you, Parsley.

Loving the sound of your bags. Crafting can be v. therapeutic - you're living in the moment, focusing on what needs to done, while thoughts can free range on the periphery of your vision

It's a good way to detach from the frantic overthinking that theatens to engulf us when a twunt has done the dirty.

Re 'names'; as you've rightly surmised, you can call yourself whatever you want whenever you want providing you are not setting out to criminally deceive or defraud.

Some 'professionals' eh? Methinks that one should go back to law school.

Yes Izzy £210 an hour she charges. Methinks I am in the wrong job....Also, she has drafted my will with the wrong address on it (not impressed emoticon).
The bags are therapeutic. Also taken over an enterprise making chemo-hats. I am changing operations to the caravan in the garden, rather than letting it roam all over the house.
Thank you for the wine. Now just need chocolate or cake...

My new persona is something of a misnomer 'cos I won't be making the pies just yet.

Although my pecan pie was devoured yesterday, I can put a few bags of Famous Amos choc chip cookies and a few dozen assorted Hershey bars into a large bottle and float them across the pond to you if you like, Parsley.

The chemo-hats sound a particularly rewarding enterprise and certainly one that may be worthy of charitable status. Most charities these days are companies limited by guarantee - if you should need any help with forms, possible funding etc, please pm me.

When I want to turn off my brain, I fence. The type of fencing I engage in involves epees rather than sawing wood and using creosote substances. Anything that demands intense concentration on the moment such as shooting (paper targets and clay pigeons I hasten to add) provides a welcome relief from those constantly whirring thoughts. Although I am able to 'escape' by meditating for increasingly long periods I find that I can't sustain this through, for example, yoga or working out in a gym.

Maybe I enjoy combat? I certainly derive some satisfaction from outwitting bullies and twunts and I have no doubt you're going to win out over your ah

Have pm d Izzy. Got to go see ah tomorrow. Not the highlight of my week. About time he got his sodding post redirected.

Give him a time limit to get it done, Parsley, before you start binning it writing "Return to Sender" on it. He's just being lazy and manipulative.

I so need to do my Christmas pudding today or it won't get much maturation time at all. Just need motivation...

We used to put sixpences in ours, in silver foil to avoid horrid accidents.

Was 'stir up Sunday' last weekend, Thumb? If so, it passed me by and I won't be able to 'make a wish' for another week or so presupposing I get around to it.

I have found that boiling up the pud on the day (or day before) can produce a most acceptable accompaniment to brandy butter simply by ensuring that all of the dried fruit and wet 'fruit' such as apples/carrots are steeped in copious amounts of alcohol (stout, brandy, cointreau, port, or anything else to hand) for at least 72 hours (turning occasionally) before the other ingredients are added.

Somewhat miraculously, the need for maturation is dispensed with and this impromptu version has been successfully lit and duly exhibited the expected blue flames without the need for an additonal ladle full of brandy.

If it looks like Christmas pud, chances are it'll taste like it too and once they're stufed full of poultry, no-one will be any the wiser about the length of time it's been stood on a shelf with its muslin hat on

well that's true, izzy. A couple of years ago I was very late making them, the week before was my targeted date - but then I ended up in hospital until the 22nd, so had to do them when I came out! I don't use an awful lot of alcohol but will bear your suggestion in mind, thank you :) (don't tend to light the pud either, especially as DH "doesn't believe in" house contents insurance )

Hopefully the guests will be stufified or stupefied but I meant 'stuffed' full

Aren't you down under, Thumb? Surely you can light your pud outside off the barbie? [grin[

Steaming hot pud on plate, plate on firm surface, small ladle full of cold brandy poured over, strike and apply a match and, hey presto, one flaming pud - no flaming curtains or tablecloth. The blue flames only last a few seconds but they're impressive while they last.

The alternative - hold ladle full of brandy of naked flame, ignite, and pour over pudding - doesn't bear thinking about. Many a slip (or inferno as the case may be) between cup and lip and all that.

no, we have a traditional indoor Christmas roast - we've had 2 Christmases here so far and the first one was cool and wet, last year was hotter but still indoor. DH has a thing for roast goose and we don't have one of the big Weber gas barbecues, so it has to be done in the oven indoors.

Are you a recent migrant, Thumb? For some reason I formed the impression that you were a natural born right-on Ozzy sheila

heh heh - no, DH is but I'm a True Brit - only moved out here a couple of years ago.

Seen dh today. He has taken wedding ring off. Bothered, but not that bothered....

Had you already taken yours off, I can't remember? If you had, then fair enough - if not, I can see why it would bother you.
How did it go apart from the ring thing?

When you get divorced I think you'll have to to do your will again as divorce makes it null and void...

Did the solicitor tell you that?

Glad you're all doing ok, it's early days still.

That is true, Random - good point! If your solicitor "forgot" to mention that, Parsley, you really do need to dump him/her/them and get new ones!

mumblechum on here does wills VAT free (small business) she has an advert in the correct section called marlowwills - she gave me some excellent advice even though I ended up using the free will service via my union in the end.

Guess what, she didn't tell me....had to have it done anyhoo though, scared of dying in the meantime! Yes, I took my ring off, but have replaced it with a new silver wedding ring, as an Interim ring. He doesn't seem to have notice, but he was never observant.
He made a comment about, "If that's the way we end up going", meaning div, as if it were All My Choice, which annoyed me, but cannot get into full blown row with dd there.