Walking in a Crepey Wonderland!

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I couldn't see that anyone else had started a new thread, after Stropps carelessly finished the old one without starting a new one, so here you are.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

MI - hope you're feeling better. .

I am pleased to report that I have solved the tights always falling down problem by buying a smaller size. (YY, MI, I can see you rolling your eyes from here, all the way down the 185 bus route!)

My loathing of driving dates back to a fly drive holiday we went on in the States in 1994. Half way across the Atlantic, DH suddenly announced that he had left his driving licence on the kitchen table. It was the worst drive of my life from the airport, pootling along in the right lane, when suddenly "Right Lane Must Turn Right" or we were joined by another four lanes. I drove well over 1000 miles in two weeks and never wanted to get into a car again by the end of it.

I am approaching Christmas by throwing money I haven't got at things. Felt very guilty about my cousin having my mother for new year and a few days before, so have splashed out on a large bottle of her favourite perfume. No idea what to get her DH. Think I will get my uncle some Hungarian wine and sausage (he is Hungarian) - but where from? Wine should be relatively easy, but sausage? I know he would really like this - I must be able to get a nice paprika salami from somewhere, surely? (Pity he's not Polish - there's a proliferation of Polish shops, but Hungarian? Nem.)

[motherinferior]

Waitrose?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Have found Hungarian gourmet food shop online so have ordered from them. Am praying it arrives before Christmas, as I didn't want to spend nearly £10 on next day delivery.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Dammit, yes, probably should have done Waitrose, but am now in full on stressy mode. Meh, it's done now. Please God let it arrive on time.

[herbaceous]

Christmas 'fayre' today. I am all prepared. The school, it seems, isn't. There's one senior member of staff who has not done, to my knowledge, a single thing she's promised to do this term.

A fellow parent got a free piano for the school, and organised delivery. Vacant Teacher said she'd organise someone to sort it at the school's end. She didn't, so it's languishing in a shed, no doubt warping. She said she'd sort out DS's eye procedures. She didn't. And for the fair, she was supposed to organise looking after children of helpers. She hasn't. A parent has had to step in. She doesn't actually have any class to teach, so fark knows what she does all day.

On a child health tip, DS has a very sore tongue, with little spots on it. No temperature, and no other rash. He's a bit miserable, but don't know how to help...

[motherinferior]

My editing has arrived back with me...vastly, VASTLY changed. I am not sure what the protocol is here and the contact bloke isn't at his desk...

[herbaceous]

Your editing re-edited? Nothing more vexing.

Another school-related issue. Apparently, when allocating reception places in September the local authority forgot all about those children deferred until January. Now they're having to squeeze them into already bursting schools. Our head has agreed to take on a whole new reception class, next to DS's, and has wangled a load of funding for it. Our LA is quite staggeringly incompetent.

[Stropperella]

Oh no, MI, I hope you are feeling better now and do not get any icky recurrence.

MrsS, I didn't know there was such a thing as Hungarian gourmet food. Admittedly, I have never been to Hungary, but I haven't heard immensely positive reports of the cuisine there. Although thinking about it, these reports may all have come from vegetarians.. Good luck on the sausage delivery front. :)

Rudy, I know where you're coming from about dependent women, however I used to do absolutely everything myself and me insisting that dh does at least some is to preserve my health and sanity. The only way I'm dependent (and this is admittedly quite a biggie) is in the business IT dept, as he is in charge of most of that. Otherwise, everything is in effect my job. In dh's (rather feeble) defence, he spent nearly 30 years married to someone who did nothing but clean excessively, run around after her children (even once they were adults) and spend money, whilst he worked all hours (earning proper money, unlike now). Therefore, he has had to learn a new role since moving in with me, but he hasn't learnt it very well. As for dcs putting bins out etc, getting them to do chores is a battle I continue to fight. Sometimes they are helpful and sometimes not so much.

I used to do all the DIY, but since dh relentlessly criticised all my efforts, I handed over all DIY to him. He is actually very good at it, has a vast array of tools and is a perfectionist. The problem lies in a) him getting round to doing the job and b) the snail-like speed with which it then progresses. When I paint anything, I consider the fact that it ends up all one colour means that it is a job well done. When he paints anything, he sands it all to buggery first and then is all super-careful so there are no blobs blah blah blah. My standards are possibly excessively low, whereas his are ultra-high - in the painting and decorating dept, at least.

[Stropperella]

x-posts, herbs and MI.

MI, oh no oh no to messed-about editing job.

Herbs, just at indolent teacher and dozy LA. Will the extra class be in the shed with the warping piano and taught by indolent teacher??

[MrsSchadenfreude]

I need a nice lie down now. I have made some more mincemeat and tidied the kitchen. We are off to the Christmas Market in Birmingham this afternoon (meeting up with friends, not some random outing!). Please God don't let it be as shit and as busy as the one on the Southbank.

[motherinferior]

God I feel a bit dreadful

[Stropperella]

MrsS, I must admit I did have a good chortle at your FB post about the Christmas Market on the SB, as I briefly visited that one with dd a few weeks ago and therefore knew exactly what you meant.

[herbaceous]

Indolent Teacher seems very pleasant, but is dead behind the eyes. I suspect she's on lithium. New head teacher is super-efficient, so I suspect IT may not last much longer.

[Stropperella]

MI, can you take the day off?

[motherinferior]

OTOH am being ridiculously self-pitying; have had email from my lovely friend F, the one whose little girl died, who is absolutely bloody dreading Christmas (last year they went away, this year probably won't be possible) and mentioned 'dropping off baby clothes' with our former colleague (the one having PFB at 47); I would never normally get religious on anyone's behind but if those of you who do have some kind of faith could murmur in the almighty's shell-like about hoping she too has another baby, I'd be v grateful. Heart-wrenching.

[motherinferior]

Stropps, no, but can prop self up. Is not too awful.

[bigTillyMintspie]

Homemade mincemeat? Again? Caught a bit of Christmas GBBO last night and Queen Mary was making it - must be all the rage this year! And a Christmas market in Brum - who'd have thought it?!

MI sorry to hear about your editing. And Herbs at the senior teacher. But sadly not surprised at bulge class. We have had loads of them down here and yet noone seems to have computed that all of these extra children will need secondary school places imminently.

Am having a sneaky coffee before a meeting. Well it is nearly Christmas

[bigTillyMintspie]

Oh MI xpost - how sad

[herbaceous]

Oh MI. That's unbearable. I don't think I could go on.

[motherinferior]

I know. You wouldn't guess, to meet her....

[Blackduck]

Hi all - MI hope you are feeling better.
Herbs - grr on your behalf re teacher. Our school Fayes run like clockwork (a fab PTA and a head who takes no shit)
Rudy - I with Stropps - I didn't do stuff in order to ensure dp pulls his weight . He is, however, doing all the driving on this hol - not quite a fly drive MrsS!

Brum market is okay - usually heaving - is my local do I'm a bit meh about it.

[herbaceous]

DP can't drive, which causes me some vexation. He had lessons, but managed to manipulate it that he never took his test. It's not too bad these days, since I made it plain that me driving him two hours, each way, too and from his parents in a day, him getting shitfaced, then just walking off slamming the door and going into our house without saying thank you was NOT ACCEPTABLE.

It's going to get annoying if/once DS needs ferrying about to various classes, etc, and I'm the one has to do it all.

We both do everything, otherwise. Though flat-pack furniture is left to me, as I actively enjoy it.

[lalsy]

I like flatpack furniture too.

I would like some dcs who put bins out and tidy up, for Christmas please.

MI, how terribly sad about your friend. On the editing front, have they re-edited or changed the content (both vv annoying)?

[motherinferior]

BTW we have a bulge class in reception, announced at beginning of summer hols. As the existing three (and this is much bigger than previous years!) classes are called Lions, Tigers and Bears, I pressed v strongly for this to be the class, but sadly they've gone for something really annoying like Panthers, which is maddening as surely that means three felines and then anomalous bears.

[motherinferior]

They've changed some of the style (WRONGLY) and also content...and added some more of those lovely refs that made me weep on your cyber-shoulder.