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Original poster

Autumn Term At Crepey Towers

999 replies

QueenQueenie · 05/09/2013 10:38

I did it!

OP posts:
Stropperella · 02/10/2013 10:41

LC, that is known as "the Emperor's New Clothes" effect, is it not? Grin

Beachy, I want an OCD cleaning fairy

BD, that's very good news about your mum. How is your dad coping with it all?

Mr Stropps is very good at forgetting everything, unless it is to do with sex, guitars or computers. And is always, always late for everything. That is just how he is. I fought it for a long time, but now I think I should just accept it, work around it and conserve my energy for other issues. Grin

CointreauVersial · 02/10/2013 13:06

Bloody hell, Beachy, thank your lucky stars. Oh, to have a spontaneously domesticated DH. Envy Mine will clean if I point to the problem area and hand him an implement, but never does anything of his own volition.

Re: lateness, in our house I'm afraid I'm the one who is always a couple of minutes late for everything - not massively late, just a little bit. Too much faffing about when I should be heading out of the door. This is not sitting well with DS and DD1 at the moment, as they get the late marks/detentions, not me. Blush

DDad is so famously late for everything that I generally lie when telling him what time he needs to be somewhere (i.e. telling him the train leaves at 2.30, when it actually leaves at 3.00).

Crem - forgot to wish you a speedy recovery; with any luck you'll end up with a stupendously flat tummy post-pineapple!

addle · 02/10/2013 14:17

Another DH late for and forgets everything unless it's to do with music, football or camping. Was late to the Ewan McGregor Guys and Dolls so they missed the opening number(s) and had to stand outside. DS has yet to forgive.

Ddad has just informed me that he warned DD against the danger of drink and drugs at university - 'just say no'. (He himself is on a diet of whisky and 40 a day.)

Good to hear BD and hope all going well Crem!

bigTillyMint · 02/10/2013 14:48

Yes, Beachy, Envy But at least he's not late for things! I have a mortal fear of being late (passed on by my DM) which I have passed on to DS, but DD seems to have a slightly more laid back approach like DH.

Addle, how is your DD doing? And you?

lalsy · 02/10/2013 15:16

BTM, so do I! My family is the one in empty airport departure lounges in the middle of the night, having assumed vast queues...

bigTillyMint · 02/10/2013 15:19

Ah, now DH will not let me do that! But having had one flight when the DC were crying because I was slow catching them up from duty free and they were boarding, he does allow enough time now!

MrsSchadenfreude · 02/10/2013 21:31

I am always early, due to having parents who were always late for everything. A holiday wasn't a holiday unless we had to tear across the airport with all of our luggage because we'd arrived too late to check in and were sent straight to the gate.

wilbur · 03/10/2013 10:28

I did once cause us to actually miss a plane Blush or rather a traffic jam on a freeway between Conneticut and NY meant that the quick 10 minutes I spent looking for a childhood fave read in a bookstore was the exact 10 minutes we needed before the gate closed. Generally though, for planes and trains and school, I am an early bird.

MrsS - have apples and will see you later.

lalsy · 03/10/2013 11:31

I once was too late to get on an overbooked plane - on the second day of a new job, with a boss who hated lateness. Marvellous BA staff got a message to him (on overbooked plane), which left him with impression that I had organised an extra plane to follow. In fact, I had whimpered through tears at the gate Smile.

motherinferior · 03/10/2013 11:36

BD, I have just looked round the local school that I was hassling for its GCSE results...and it's set me thinking, again, about big v small schools. I really like the fact that a bigger school simply has the breadth to do more subjects - which is especially significant in things like languages. Food for thought?

MrsSchadenfreude · 03/10/2013 18:37

I have gone the big school route for DD1's school - not just for the subjects on offer but also more choice of friends. DD1 finds it quite difficult to make friends, and I felt that with a bigger school she stands more of a fighting chance of finding a few people that she will get on with.

Stropperella · 03/10/2013 21:55

Dammit, how I wish dd's school was better at teaching languages. It is, sadly, rubbish. Well, the French doesn't seem that bad, but they only offer German or Spanish otherwise (despite being a massive establishment) and the standard appears to be dreadful. Am suffering from another bout of utter rage at the whole blardy education system. Gah, I wish to buy a private island and go to live on it. Does anyone have one for sale for 5p, a couple of buttons and some eggs?

Stropperella · 03/10/2013 22:10

On an S&B note: I have not bothered with Boden for some time now, but I recently had a quick look at the teenage range and have discovered that the jeans fit and are much cheaper. Plus, I have experimented with the loose-fitting "boyfriend" style and find them to be a revelation. Wearing them with brogues and a slim-fitting top and am liking the effect.
(Already despairing of new haircut, though, but that's a whole other boring story)

Blackduck · 04/10/2013 08:34

MI - yes helpful... I am still debating - will look at another school next week... The big school does French, German and Spanish - offers Latin as a club and Japanese in 6th form....

Mum is good health-wise, but according to my db depressed - I am not sure if this is a natural reaction to all that has happened. She is certainly fed up that she missed the lovely summer.

Oh Stropps might take a look, but suspect I am a tad too porky at the moment (need to get back on the 5:2)

motherinferior · 04/10/2013 08:41

Actually DD1's French teacher last year drove me to the brink - she was Spanish and DD1 was learning this weird Spancais...

bigTillyMint · 04/10/2013 08:47

MI, DD had a French teacher who was Spanish (or was it vv?) - I wonder if she defected to your DD's school?!
DD does both and gets a tad confused. It doesn't help that they don't teach languages like they used to back in the day.

I am feeling a little jaded, having met my bestie last night as she is down for work.

And I am feeling just a tad too porky too, but have given up on dietingSmile

motherinferior · 04/10/2013 08:52

I flogged myself through the first Week 5 Couch podcast this morning.

I do notice that while I haven't lost any weight, my bras are doing up more comfortably on tighter hooks. Which is rather good as that is particularly the area of my body with which pregnancy wreaked havoc. (I weigh what I did, but waistlines etc have never returned to the same indentation...)

I have to say that the revamped v local school was looking rather encouraging. Lovely, lovely kids and some teachers who were clearly absolutely terrific, and a real sense of drive and purpose. I think it would still be a mistake to chuck in a guaranteed sibling place at a school which has made it onto that upward trajectory, but it's nice to see that the other options are very definitely improving.

originalpiratematerial · 04/10/2013 09:51

Yes, I think that's the thing with running - you don't necessarily weigh less but you do get trimmer. You've always been very trim anyway though - a very good advert for Pilates and swimming!

Sounds as if your local schools are on a similar trajectory to ours in Hackney. Say what you like about Michael Wilshaw, but he's been a very positive influence overall in this neck of the woods.

Original poster
QueenQueenie · 04/10/2013 14:06

Sorry to derail our thread with S and B talk...
Undettered by the cast iron pixie boots mishap I bought these beauties with the most recent 20% off and they arrived this morning and they are luverly. I bloody love Clarks (which is surely almost a definition of Crepeydom).

Newcomer ventures onto our threads. Asks "What is a Crepey? Am I a Crepey?". Response: "Do you bloody love Clarks newcomer?"
"Err, they're OK I suppose... but I can't say I love them". "You are not a Crepey.... (but feel free to hang around until you are)."

OP posts:
Blackduck · 04/10/2013 14:17

QQ - they are very nice!! What happened re pixie boots? I missed that!

herbaceous · 04/10/2013 14:27

Oooh QQ, I like those. But I mustn't buy any more ankle boots.

I've just got these little beauts for wearing with leggings and skirts, and already have some tan ankle boots for jeans. Though annoyingly my new jeans are too 'straight' of leg to tuck in, so hang over the top and make me look like I have hooves.

Original poster
QueenQueenie · 04/10/2013 14:29

Hi BD, glad to hear your Mum is largely on the mend. I think it would be very surprising not to be knocked for six by what she's been through, emotionally as well as physically. I think too it's very common to be depressed following a general anaesthetic so maybe don't be too worried about that side of it right now?

Re the boots, I had set my heart on these - cast iron pixie boots and when CV posted that she'd ordered them with 20% off but was planning to return them I badgered her into agreeing to bring them to the recent piss meet up so i could buy them off her... Then i tried them on in a shop and changed my mind... they were strangely like the sort of thing you might put on a playmobil figure and made my feet / legs look like trotters, not a good look....

OP posts:
Original poster
QueenQueenie · 04/10/2013 14:34

Ha Ha Herbs... not sure which is preferable, hooves or trotters, trotters or hooves... Hooves on balance I think. They are lovely boots are very bargainous. Far too nice to be called "Tina" (with apologies to any Tinas out there).

OP posts:
herbaceous · 04/10/2013 14:43

They were even cheaper, as I got them from Brand Alley for £60!

alto1 · 04/10/2013 16:15

Hi everyone,

Sorry your DM is feeling low, BD. Worth taking her to GP because some of the medication could be contributing & tweaking might help. They may need to rule out physical causes as well. In DH's case it was both & he improved quickly once causes were sorted.

Long commute and busy secondment still dominating life here - but we're going to hear dd sing in concert this evening & I've done some practice myself, which is just as well as we have concert in two weeks.

Got a job interview and a big talk to give soon, so may be in the market for a suit (first in several years). Sadly, I hate shopping & keep finding excuses to put it off. At one point I thought Artigiano was the answer but lately everything of theirs looks frumpily middle-aged - even I would feel as though I'd dressed up as my granny. Any thoughts? Remember I am crepier than thou (or should that be crepier than what you are?)