The Crepe Escape

[Cremolafoam]

We were getting to the end.

These are v affordable as well as being pleasantly summery...

MI

BD on our way home now, but thinking about you - how are you getting on with your mum? Mine was in a post-stroke unit for a couple of weeks after hers, then home with NHS people popping in a bit. Very good support, actually.

We think she is intellectually OK for the minute, but word-finding is definitely worse. However, she was able to direct us to the cinema fine today despite having not been for at least 3 years, and then did a George Michaelesque dive out of the car when we got back so she could get the front door open quickly for us while DH parked up!

Like them MI (so does DD1 who's looking over my shoulder).

I frequently forget common words. I suspect it's the meds I'm on, so am not worrying about it too much as yet. It only happens when I speak and not when I write, so doesn't affect my work. The family is now used to me either acting out or paraphrasing random words in the middle of sentences. My short-term memory, which used to be spookily good, is now crap.

Nice brogues, MI. I have some that are v. similar. My trotters are not quite as teeny as yours, but are still quite small, although also square. Which is a bummer. But I appear to look OK in brogues.

Ds has a homework which involves writing lists of things that live in and beside fresh water, so we went on a field trip today to the water meadows. This meant nets, buckets, mud and, obviously, ds falling in the river. At least he only fell in once. The dog got unhelpfully over-excited every time we fished out something interesting, so he fell in five times. We saw a heron, caught two fish, a multitude of caddis fly larvae and a water scorpion. Dd took lots of interesting pics and all was well with the world.

We appear to have signed up for going rock-climbing on Friday.

Stropps, I am impressed. I wouldhave just told DS to think of things

Still 2hrs of car journey to home.kids are no longer bickering - DD is sulking as DH took the ipad off her for shouting and screaming.

Equally impressed here at field trip, Stropps, that's way good parenting, innit. MIL helped dd and ds2 fish sticklebacks out of their stream while they were staying at the weekend and I was passionately grateful for the countryside immersion course. I used to spend hours waiting for sticklebacks and now I'm not sure I'd recognise one. And I certainly have no idea what a water scorpion is.

Ds1 has just revealed to us the existence of the school intranet where vast amount of Y7 revision guidelines and crib sheets have been languishing for weeks. The likelihood of him even reading it all, let alone learning it, before next week is slim, to say the least. Do boys ever get it together? Deep, deep sigh.

Like those brogues, MI, they are nice and slim for summer.

Wilbur, my DS sounds very similar - Parents eve in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping they won't confirm my worst fears....

We are very slack on the countryside front - PILs caravan site anyone? |

Field trips are one of my few parenting strong points and we do lots. :) But only because I am madly keen on all that stuff. I completely missed my vocation - I wanted to be an entomologist, but due to teenage mental health isshoos and changing schools at a key point, I ended up taking subjects that were easy (languages, in my case) rather than what I was interested in (sciences). So the dcs are frequently dragged off to grub about in streams or rock pools and examine some less glamorous examples of British wildlife. Water scorpion

Dd is surprising me by being very studious about her upcoming first 3 GCSEs. She has been doing mucho revision and, when not revising, going to the gym/ doing exercise classes. (Although this last is proving rather expensive, as it makes her very hungry and she is eating an astounding amount).

Yes well done Stropp's - mine would also have been Googling.

How old are your DS's ladies - mine is 10 - the DD's are 17 and 15 and good students. When I moan about DS everybody laughs and says "he's a boy". Even the teacher who has had all three of my children.

My ds is only 8 and a slacker. But dd is just as bad and has been a rubbish student all her life until a few months ago. She is v. able and has been able to coast through until now with a minimum of effort. It's only this year that she has realised that she needs to apply herself or she won't get the results she wants. We shall see whether she has left it too late..

Other wildlife project this week: photographing oil beetles and uploading data to buglife

Yes, sorry, I know... But I love this stuff.

My DS is 13, and in full grunting, slouching, slacker mode.

Hatty, my DS is 12 but looks about 14 and acts about 3 He is loud and annoying as well as being a slacker in comparison to DD!

Ds1 is also 12. He is generally very sweet still - he has always been a kind and loving boy (although prone to bouts of furious showing off when he feels attention is lacking), but there is a vacant look and general grump that takes over on a regular basis now. I can cope with grunting and bad temper, but the gormless duh stuff is maddening. As for organisation, gah!

Crepeys, I have interviews for two jobs that I really want. But they have been scheduled for when I am on holiday - I will have no internet, no phone and only limited mobile phone coverage. (They have offered me a phone interview or I can do it from London in person or in Paris by video.) What do I do? If I were to do it in person, it would take at least three days out of my holiday, in Paris, two days. Shall I thank them for the interview, express my delight at having made the shortlist, tell them about the holiday and say "What can we do to resolve this?" Being interviewed on a clunky phone with limited coverage which keeps cutting out will seriously disadvantage me, but I don't want to take days out of the middle of my holiday. It can't be earlier, as the chairperson of the panel is on leave...

Sweet, wilbur? I don't think anyone has ever described DS as sweet

MrsS, congrats on getting the interviews! Yes, do what you said and see what they suggest. Maybe there will be some sort of solution? How about skype on the ipad?

ruby

I only have dss (almost 16 and just 14).
Ds1 is incredibly well organised, hardworking, focused and very keen to do well (in middle of GCSEs).
Ds2 is completely disorganised, is all about minimum effort, but is fortunately very clever and very keen to do well (Year 9).
Ds1 not surprisingly finds ds2 infuriating...

I've been very remiss and not thanked Crem for her shoe selection. Thanks so much there and food for thought. I might have to go less sandelly and more foot coverage. I'm paranoid about my foot sliding down and my toes all getting squished out the end, looking strange and purple...

Ha ha to the bed hiding children. I so pity my dd1 when she does finally get a bf, as there will be numerous annoying interruptions...

My DS is 12 also and not very old looking at all... Massively into wildlife, bushcraft and lots of making things with knives, axes, wood etc... He permanently plays the victim though, which is exhausting. Always feels 'got at' by the world, so gets a bit angsty...

Relations between him and dd2 are at an all time low, which is making both their behaviour appalling. They have two days apart later this week, which I am looking forward to immensely. As anyone read that book on sibling rivalry that is oft recommended on here? Any good?

Well done on your interviews, Mrs S. I would chuck the arrangements back at them and see what could be done. I think I would probably suffer the two day interruption to my hols than risk the video link... But I would have to pretty certain I was in with a very good chance.

From what you lot say - DS can only go down hill until possibly redemption at about 18! I wish he would be interested in beetles and wildlife - he only likes the computer! I'm trying to read "My Family and Other Animals" with him to inspire him.

Queenie - your DS's are like my DD's - both smart but the eldest doesn't have to work and the second is a grafter. Very annoying for DD2.

MrsS - agree with everybody else see if interview is movable.

I love the Buglife charity. DP funded it for a while (in work capacity, not personally) and the bloke who runs it is molto fabulous (and looks exactly like a bug himself. He plays up to this in photos with Big Glasses).

MrsS, I would take tactic of first chucking it back at them but secondly being prepared to take a chunk of leave to go back. I know this is a total bummer, but if you really want the jobs go for them.

I shall investigate those shoes. THough am giving up hope of anything bar large chunky wellies (which my autocorrect just tried to change to 'willies', fnar*) being appropriate footwear. Is a spot of summer too much to ask, eh?

DD1 is a grafter and well-organised. DD2 has been known to hand in her homework with a note saying 'sorry, didn't get a chance to finish this' (though that was last year and this year's teacher is a lot tougher). Both of them, however, appear to be in with the Studious Crowds of their respective classes - in fact DD2's lot are particularly studious, I gather. DD1 had mates over yesterday and they revised French ....admittedly before going swimming.

*I sent out a cheery Christmas pic of my two on holiday in Cornwall a couple of years ago. The editor of a Rather Serious Mental Health Magazine emailed me back saying 'great willies'! I wasn't sure at the time if he was referring to the sheep in the pic, and then realised he was meant the Inferiorettes' footwear...

Am wondering who programmed the autocorrect that cannot recognise "wellies" and substitutes "willies"

I think there is a market for trendy wellies/hiking boots/town shoes ie. nice things that go everywhere - is what I'm trying to say.