Creper Roses

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Here!

Welcome back MI, glad it went OK and how lovely your dds want to repeat. Yorkshire Dales a great place for large gatherings IMO, very lovely countryside with something for everyone, lots of pottering and playing potential. My MIL thinks buying a lot of food for a lot of people is immoral, and discusses every morsel she eats in terms of how often she will have to go to the gym now. I wasn't crazy about these food mind games being played around dd, when she was younger, more anxious and more vulnerable, by her loving dgm.

Crem, sorry you had such a dreadful day, I hope the physio can help.

My mum is queen - empress - of food mind games. DSis pointed out recently how she has to eat less than anyone else, leave a small amount to prove how overwhelmed she's been, and so on. I will recount many other irritations in due course, including her insistence you can't be trained to translate, you need a special literary sensitivity. (I admit I said irritably at this point any bugger can have literary sensitivity. I should know.)

CV, dress will be fab on you. I myself scored a yellow silk print tunic in the Age UK shop yesterday and am wearing that. Must do music practice and Aldi. DD1 has announced she is going to revise "in the library".

MI I love the sound of the yellow silk tunic.

My mother is the inverse. A farmers daughter one is expected to clear ones plate entirely or there is obviously something wrong.
Food is constantly provided for 'The Five Thousand' even if it's just an afternoon snack for dd a cake will appear , and a tin of shortbread, and an apple pie. Both ddad and dmum are in a constant battle against starvation. Not a bit if wonder I lacked portion control for years....

Well done for surviving, MI! I find myself wanting to say something on the subject of translation, but there is no connection between the sort of work I do most of the time and any particular literary sensitivity. I do wonder how any literary translators who don't have a partner with a well-paid job survive. I know a fair few well-regarded literary translators with a lot of books to their name by big-name authors, but they make their money by working for the EU or doing commercial stuff - or they have a partner who pays the bills. Literary translation takes a particular talent, loads of time and pays peanuts. What I do pays badly, but lit trans is even worse. I used to think I would like to do it, but I actually detest having to get into the author's head to the extent that you have to.

We were summoned to dm's yesterday for lunch (a v nice lunch, in fairness) as db and family were down. I had told them all weeks ago that this w/e was really busy for us, but no matter. We had to rush home because I was going out to a gig with a friend. As usual, we were so late that I had no time to get ready and so went straight out with glam friend. I looked like her gm. Expect photos to appear on FB imminently. I have seen some grim photos of me looking like a dwarfish tubby old lady this week. Am trying to accept that this is just how it is. My hair looked nice for 2 weeks post-haircut and now looks mad again. Bum.

Dh was very lovely last night and phoned at midnight to ask if I wanted a lift home, so he came and picked me up but we staying at friend's house quacking until 1.15am. Then we all had to be up to get ds to his Youth Theatre rehearsal at 9.20 this morning. Dm is coming round this afternoon - I must now bake a cake and start the annual ritual of cutting the hedge. There is perhaps 250 ft of hedge and it is 6ft high and about 3ft wide. It is like painting the Forth Bridge - by the time I have finished the first cut and disposed of the huge amount of clippings in about 7 runs to the dump, it is time to start cutting it again.

CV, you will look lovely in that dress.

Yo crepesters. Sorry - no time to read thread as on phone, but just to say I'm in crepey nirvana - Betty's tea rooms on Harrogate. I'm on my own at a prime corner window table for four, getting daggers from the staff. [rebel]

Herbs

Stropps, looking forward to the photos!

My DM was a feeder, but is now just a little old lady with loads of boxes of biscuits, etc lying around the kitchen

I have a headache and feel a teensy bit unwell...

I have just got back from Aldi, laden with veg and salad, to be greeted by DP lecturing me on how we don't eat enough veg

Has everyone been to Yorkshire this week or am I missing something
?????
Mrs S move slowly , and rehydrate...

CV, dress will look great.

MI, snap - and questions to restaurant staff about how light the cake vegetarian rissoles (meat being too heavy) are.

Afternoon, MrsS

Thanks for the nice comments about the dress. I know it looks OK really - it looked great in the soft lights and skinny mirrors of the Phase Eight fitting rooms (it is double layered, so very smoothing), but in the harsh light of my bathroom I was attacked by paranoia about being able to see every wrinkle, lump and bump. I instinctively dress to blend in, rather than stand out - although I love fashion and shopping for clothes I really don't want to be centre of attention clothes-wise, ("what does she think she looks like in that tight dress...?"). Aargh, why should I care?

Anyway, on to more glamorous matters - the kitchen drain has blocked again, so armed with my trusty bottle of caustic soda, off I go.

I have walked over the hill and bought lovely italian food stuffs and come back to find I have gained another child.....

Bloody pyracantha here Stropps - I bear the scars...

My mum is of the 'you don't eat enough' brigade and constantly harasses ds for not clearing his plate ..... It can cause fiord issues of a different type!

Fiord?! That'll be food....

Visitors have departed and DH and I are collapsed in a heap feeling absolutely exhausted. The visit went well, much food and alcohol was consumed and the house is now a tip. I seem to have been washing towels for hours and haven't even thought about stripping the beds yet.

The weather has been lovely and Northumberland was showing her best face. The weather was in fact so good that we have had breakfast outside most days.

I have converted everyone to the salted caramel green tea (had to ration it at the end! ).

Crem, I hope your back is a bit better today and BTM, that the teenage angst is calming down. One of the couples who stayed lost their son to a drug overdose last summer: I can't imagine how awful that must be - but it tends to put things into perspective for me when things aren't going too well.

We were going to spend the afternoon catching up on the newspapers but Dd has been in touch and they're all coming over soon.

Gosh NU it's people central chez vous!

I am a little better and have had a short necessary foray to asda. Now feeling overwhelmed and sore. That'll learn me.

Grey cat has assassinated a tiny fledging blue tit. I am not as pleased about this as she is. Murdering fluffbag.

We have pyracanthus too BD.

NU, it sounds like you were a great host.

MrsS, spotted you on FB - DS spends quite a bit of his time in that neck of the woods as one of his mate lives down that way!

Am feeling slightly more positive after a chat that sounded at least a bit hopeful. Things were so much easier when they were toddlers.

BTM, that sounds encouraging. No advice this time, just hang in there and keep the lines of communication open.

DD and family have just left, clutching bags of food - if it stays here I have no willpower and would only eat it. DGD2, who is now lurching around in that way babies have, has been introduced to the perils of the garden, ie grass, which she considers the work of the devil, cue much sobbing.

Crem, commiserations about the baby bird, I would be distraught, fortunately NuCat is too old to catch things.

Aww, I remember when mine first went on the grass! And the snow. DS hated it - strange how much he loves skiing now!

Mother trip sounds like a success! re. being able to wear yellow…
I'm afraid my folks are of the "kill you with food" variety (hence DM going nuts when poor DDad can't eat as of late).."What…you don't EAT…?" when someone politely refuses thirds. Commiserate with you BD
Stropps admiring your gardening and baking projects.
Herbs very I love Bettys in Harrogate but don't get north of Watford Gap often enough. Have a fat rascal for me…
CV dress is a gorgeous choice. i'm sure you'll feel great in it on the day.
crem cautious optimism?
Family 80th birthday lunch today, just me and DH invited. Vere posh…felt like a clumsy, fat frump as I always do at these things.DM came as it was her DSis in law's birthday…it was good for her to get out a bit. DH and I argued all the way there about the driving (his) Please tell me we aren't the only couple who argue about the driving. We got lost and were half an hour late. But still feel good we went to the band last night…really enjoyed it and no one gives a damn what I wear. Must do it more often. DS has music GCSE tomoz….anyone else?

Rose, we don't really argue about DH's driving, more that I am endlessly telling him to keep to the speed limit, he never excessively speeds, just goes 4-5 miles over, but these days there is no leeway.

I am very good at map reading ... preens ... so we rarely got lost even before we had a built in satnav.

I hope the posh lunch was good.

DP has put potatoes in the oven. Wonder how much veg he'll produce alongside - my money's on frozen sweetcorn and/or small amount of salad . He has also had screaming row with DD1 about the state of her room (to be fair he was trying to Hoover and mop in there) and chucked a lot of stuff in the wash and now she can't find her oyster travel card. I am not sure quite why he is barking at me about this...

Hi all,

Glad to hear of slight improvements chez Crem and BTM & the successful family reunions.

DD has been all the way to Glasgow on her own to stay with big cousin, who's shown her a really good time. She's now texting from train on way home.

In a piece of atrocious timing, I've been on call & busy the whole time she's been away, so a sunny child-free weekend has gone to waste. I'm looking at all the household tasks still undone & regretting the fun unhad.

How are you guys coping with Happy Valley? I found it unbearable. My stomach's pretty strong for real-life crises but not for that level of gut-wrenching as entertainment. Having a teenage DD of course doesn't help. Enjoying House of Cards instead .

Happy valley has me enthralled Auriga, but then I am a Nordic noir addict and find this not even nearly so grim . Very close to the bone depiction of depression by Sarah Lancashire . Hard to watch agreed.
Sorry your weekend was lost , but in the wrong way. I am predicting a scorching June, so there will be plenty of garden days to look forward to. Oh yes.
< tried desperately to think positively while leg throbs alarmingly>

Auriga, that's great of your DD - fab to do that on her own and have a good time

I watch virtually no TV - there's usually sport or crap American stuff or DD's Hollyoaks/Towie/Jeremy Kyle, etc. No wonder she is making her life like an episode of any one of them

Cremo, sorry to hear your leg is throbbing - has the back pain moved, or is it extra pain?

I am liking your weather predictions, but the professionals seem to be thinking differently!