The Creped Crusaders - new thread!

[wilbur]

New thread for chatting. Oh and swapping S&B tips.

Having a manic day here - INSET day at school and I have 7 kids (inc my 3) over for lunch. While also trying to "work from home" and talk to removal people.

I am back from Disney! We survived, although I think they would have been just as happy in a hotel with a swimming pool and no Disney at all. I pointed out several times that We Are Going Away Next Week And There Is A Pool At The House But No Mickey Mouse several times, but to no avail. Went to outlet mall there, which looks exactly like Bicester Village. Got DD1 some shorts from Ralph Lauren (reduced, reduced again, and then reduced again) and a Coach bag for me, which will provoke DH to ask Do You Really Need Another Bag, followed by I Bought You A Nice One Six Years Ago That You Never Use.

Disney was busier than last year and was like Jeremy Kyle Nation, being full of British families committing the cardinal MN sin of Taking Their Children On Holiday During Term Time. It was very easy to spot the Brits, as they all had tattooed legs and faces (the women) and bad hair dye (the men) and were wearing "leisure wear" and were about twice the size of the French (but smelled considerably more fragrant). The children were all being told to Shut The Fuck Up You Little Fucker, and had those hard little faces that children of 8 and 9 should not have. There were lots of Spanish there (their children break up early too), who all seemed to be very jolly and having a great time (unlike the joyless Brits), a group of about 20 Indian ladies in the most beautiful sarees, the leader of which was having no truck with the incredibly rude French man on the gate. She was icily polite to him in flawless French, after he started off by shouting at her "You don't speak French, I imagine" (in French). It always makes me smile when someone gets the better of rude French customer service - and why could he not simply have asked if she spoke French? I last saw them all tucking their sarees in on the Rocknrollercoaster, shrieking with laughter. The Germans seemed notably absent - all busy working hard to save the Eurozone, I imagine, with no time for fun and frivolity.

MrsS, it was a holiday??? I thought it was a day trip! You clearly have some staying power (in areas other than just the bar) - we did opening - closing time a couple of summers ago.... never again! But the DC all loved it (you mean-mummy, ruby)

DD is being obsequiously nice this afternoon - could it be something to do with that phone call????

We went for three days...it was quite long enough.

I do like the unFrenchness of it all, in a way.

DD1 is still a bit teary about having to leave Paris next summer. I have decided against applying for a job I don't really want in Austria. I had the worst year of my life in Austria, and while I accept that this was 20+ years ago, the scars still remain. Austria is not me.

I'm with Ruby - the dcs are going to remain Disney-deprived.

Now, Hags, I have an S&B query for you: are trousers OK for interview wear? I do not, as yet, have any interviews to go to, but I have finally managed to get myself (mentally and emotionally) ready to apply for some "proper" jobs. So thinking ahead in a very positive manner - what do 40-somethings who bloody hate skirts wear in these situations? I also need to lay my hands on a nifty tailored jacket which is smart enough, but not OTT. I am clueless. Approaching a size 10 (down from 12), short, big shoulders. Hate heels. Hmmm....

Other news: dh's treatment schedule has all been brought forward and things will be kicking off over the next couple of weeks. We are both feeling a teeny bit sick with apprehension about this.

Yes to trousers with a nice tailored jacket. I am not sure about the feet. When I wear trousers to work with flat shoes, I look feel like an enormous rugby playing lesbian*, and am never sure what to wear under the trousers - do I wear the dreaded pop socks? Black ones or American Tan?

• I think this is because I used to work with one who always wore trousers and men's shoes, and DH "helpfully" said we could be twins, which he found hysterically funny and I didn't. Bizarrely, he used to know her partner through work, and said that I was "just her type" as she liked big girls as well. I said rather sourly that at least I was attractive to someone.

Good luck with your DH's treatment, Stropps.

Stropps, good luck to your DH and you.
And yes, I think smart trousers and jacket (not matchy matchy) would look good - what about a nice pair of platform wedges if you don't want heels? Just make sure the trousers are long enough - there's nothing worse with ankle swingers (this is always a problem when you have long legs and the shops all do standard length)!

Thanks for the good wishes re: dh's treatment.

Now, where to get the aforementioned jacket and trews? Hobbs? It's a tricky one for me as a) I have not had to shop for this kind of clothes since the early 1990s and b) where I live has no shops, so will have to make a major expedition. I don't like shopping for grown-up work clothes - it's too difficult

Hmm. Wedges. I shall give this some thought. In between having a hair panic. I am thinking .... wig.

Hi all...
Stropps - good luck to DH. Agree re trousers/jacket - this is my default for interviews as I rarely wear skirts. I tend to wear low shoes as don't to heels either!

Disney - my idea of hell. We did three days a couple of years ago (in-laws paid), and I hated it, it was like ingesting your body weight in sugar. Luckily ds was younger so we would do about 3 quarters of a day and then head back to the hotel and drink in the bar :)

Crepeys I am after the bidding war we accepted an offer, the next day another buyer came back and offer 3K OVER the asking price! Dp being moral and upright said no, but then our buyer pulled out, so we went back and said 'oh yes' please'! So from rubbish offers and all that we appear to have sold OVER the asking price.....(not over until the fat lady sings I know!)

Oooh, cautious congrats BD! :)

BD

Ooooh, Blackduck, get you with your suddenly very des res!

Crossing fingers and holding thumbs for you!

:) They came round to measure up last night and she said 'Oh I so wish we had found this house sooner' to which dp replied 'not as much as we do'!
We are now anxiously waiting for the solicitors info and the searches to start. We have had survey on one we want to buy and waiting to see that to check we are not buying a pig in a poke.......

I'd take the money, Ruby.

I'm with MrsS

Survey back, some issues we need to investigate further, but have decided whatever happens with our purchase we will sell and rent if necessary.
Hound appears to have picked up my stress levels and has chewed a lump out of his leg and is limping - is now wearing cone of shame....

Oh the money, without a doubt

One of DD's friend's mum is kindly taking them into school today - I don't envy her - it'll be chaos on the roads! (bus strike, for you non-Londoners!)

We had the builders in to do a small plastering, etc job. After they had gone, I went to the loo and thought eew, the DC could have flushed. Then when it didn't go away, I thought, eew, the builder.... But it wouldn't flush at all and after a bit of careful investigation, I realised it was solid brown plaster, the exact colour of poo I have texted him a picture of it and he is supposed to be coming round tonight to sort it..... I hope he can - it is DISGUSTING!

LOL at the poo coloured plaster! And your investigation of it - what were you doing, jabbing it from a distance with the loo brush?

Our mission for today is a) to pack, b) to tidy the house a bit before DH gets back and c) to go and see Snow White and the Huntsman. My main mission is to get the DDs out of bed before lunchtime...

Yes

So where are you off to?

Hello hags

Great news re house, BD. Not so great news about the poo-impersonating plaster, BTM. That could play havoc with your pipes.

Where is our BUGGERING SUMMER? By the it comes, if it does, the year will be more than half gone, and it will nearly be Christmas, again. Too depressing. It's also something of a wardrobe challenge, as I put away my woolies for the summer.

What I want is a warmish, slightly drapey, hooded cardi that isn't a hoodie for just casual wear for those in-between days. A (gay) friend of mine was sporting just the thing the other day, so I googled it. It was £250.

Off to Sheffield tomorrow to stay with my twins friend. DS will have a whale of a time, as he loves the twins, but I shall need dosing with valium. Those twins are Hard Work, not to mention the potty training stress. Two poos in pants the other day, after a gazillion abortive sits on the potty in the park, in the park's loos, at home, etc... Poo arrived just as I was cooking his tea, the cat was yowling, etc etc. Gah.

I don't think we are going to get to the cinema as the DDs seem very uninclined to do anything. I have asked them several times to let me have their clothes to take on holiday and they have not come up with anything. It needs to be done, and it needs to be done today. They don't seem to get this. And I have broken the internet radio. It went bleep when I dusted it and now has no life at all. I have unplugged it and plugged it back in, and nada. DH is not going to be happy.

Ooh Herbs, I spent 4 yearsstudying (well, that's what I was supposed to be doing) in Sheffield

Builder came this evening and the brownpooplaster is gone, phew!

My mother rang me tonight, to say, have a nice holiday, and by the way my skin cancer's come back. Asked her how long she thought she had had it, and she said, "oh ages, but I didn't want to mention it to my consultant, as I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of something interesting. I saw another consultant today, she was Asian, but she was quite nice , so I told her, and she said it will have to come off in the next couple of weeks, and she is absolutely positive it is melanoma."

Words fail me sometimes - well quite often, actually, with my mother.

MrsS not sure what to say to that...did she save up that piece of news for just prior to your hols?

I think on top of stressed dog, I am about to be told that ds has shingles...bugger....