Creper Roses

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Here!

I cooked a bit before Uni, but it was mostly heating up french bread pizza (remember that?). Learned to cook at Uni as the food at the canteen was rank. I mainly lived on a veg chilli of my own invention which included a lot of frozen veg, quartered potatoes, tinned toms and one of those tins of kidney beans in chilli sauce which was quite a good shortcut to a smokey bbq flavour. TBH, I would still eat like a student now if I were left to my own devices as I am very low rent. Baked beans straight from the tin? Yummy.

And Happy Birthday, MI - hope you had a lovely day.

Yes MI that FB photo is lovely.

Here I am coming to the end of first week sans dp - I know you do this all the time Rudy, but the dog walk, sort ds, up and out at 6.40, do a days work, get back to get ds at a reasonable time, dog walk, feed has knackered me. Not helped by the alarm playing up so me waking up at 4.00 because I'm afraid I'm going to miss my lift (oh the joys of living in the sticks). And starting Sunday I get to do it all again ........

I didn't know BerryLellow, Ruby, but yes, such sad news.

Stropps - no-one is interested in giving me a mammogram either.

Did someone mention a meet up? How about here?

I rarely venture out of this thread these days so hadn't heard of BerryLellow, but yes very sad.

Oh looks nice MrsS

TGIF........

Wotcher all. Many thanks for liking pic (I still don't but clearly that is just me!). Let's do meetup.

Have NO idea what to do for DD2's 11th birthday either...

I think I came across Berry when I did some knitting for Woolly Hugs. Such sad news.

It's a glorious day here and we had breakfast outside (as a retiring present I was given a big table and chairs for the patio - I bless it every morning when it's a day like this! ). My day will be cleaning and then planting up tubs etc for the garden. DH is going biking and then to the consultant re his hiatus hernia. I am having mild palpitations wondering how he would get on if he actually has to go into hospital.

How is your back, Crem, after your driving?

I have been listening to the D Day celebrations on the radio: so awful the loss of life and so amazing that the veterans say that they were just doing their job.

In S & B news, I am trialling Bare Minerals Bare Skin foundation. It's a serum, with an SPF of 20. I have to say that my heart sank when I saw it was Bare Minerals, since I had my run in with the orange lady in Selfridges when I told her that I thought her make up highlighted both my pores and my wrinkles, and she snapped "Most of our mature ladies, such as yourself, really love it." However, I am quite impressed with this, as it looks very natural - like my skin but better, and you can vary the amount of coverage, which is good. It has quite a nice blurring effect on the wrinkles, but doesn't make you look "made up." I ordered a pale shade, and thought, as soon as I pressed "send" that I should have chosen a darker one, but reviews on US make up sites all said that colours came up dark, and the one I have picked does seem OK, colourwise.

Less style and beauty, I am now using Astral as my moisturiser instead of Nivea Soft.

Bugger maturity.

I appear to be doing a lot of work for very little money . It includes a series of interviews later today which will be interesting as my cough has progressed to the barking-sealion stage.

In S&B news, I am going to spend my birthday-clothes-money small cheque from my parents on a pair of Levi Curve jeans as they're rather more than I'd usually pay for jeans and I adore the pair DP got me in the US. Given that I wear jeans a great deal, it makes sense to adorn my 51-year-old @rse in the most ahem flattering style.

(I think I look like Lou from EastEnders in that pic. There's no hope for me, is there? )

Oh no, that is very sad news about Berry

MrsS, that place looks good to me too! When is good for everybody? Fridays are usually best, aren't they? How about Fri 2th June or 4th July?

I am feeling happy - just drawn some decent teams on the work World Cup sweeps and it's sunny

MI you do not look like Lou!!

I'm afraid I have no idea who either BerryLellow or Lou from East Enders are. I feel only one of these is a problem.

Experienced mothers: I am considering holding DS's fifth birthday party in a local park, quite possibly one with a brilliant pirate ship climbing frame. This cuts out the whole stress of numbers, etc, but adds in the stress of weather. It's in early July, so you'd hope it would be sunny, but one never knows.

Has anyone done such a thing? Recommendations? Jolly wheezes for games? Everything will have to be portable in a small car...

Yes what a lovely sunny day it is. I am loitering in Rayners Lane of all places while DS takes a GCSE at an external exam centre.. he's doing it independently of school. Then I have to get him in to school for the biology paper. This evening I have to get DD to wembley for the 1D gig. DS1 is taking her and we have to hand her over to him at wembley park. A finely coordinated plan. DS1 has bought ear plugs!!! Apparently to blot out the screaming...then we have to do the whole thing in reverse to get her home.

mother please stop fretting about your photo. You look great! And I look crap in Levi's even though I'd love to have a pair, so good on you!

I don't know who Berry was but this sounds like a sad loss.

Herbs, the one problem apart from the weather is that it isn't contained, so there is a slight but perceptible risk of new kids pottering along (and your own going AWOL) but one of DD1's friends did this a while back and it was rather great. Not least because adults could come along and drink wine which of course cuts down the AWOL potential. Weather of course is an Ishoo.

I'm expecting all children to be accompanied by adults, as they're only four or five, cutting down the AWOL potential. Stray kids joining in could be a problem, but only if they start eating the food!

I'm considering a gazebo for shelter/shade, or failing that a handy tree. The 'entertainment' could comprise me making balloon pirate swords, for use on the ship, plus the odd race with small prizes for all, which could substitute for the infernal 'party bag'.

Herbs, I'd be quite tempted to go down the party lunch box route, so they are all pre-packed and they can just take their box and sit down somewhere. Whenever we've tried to do a picnic with a mass of children, its the all sitting around a massive blanket, reaching across for the bowl of crisps, carrots etc, which gets a bit crazy. And definitely individual juice cartons, not cups of squash.

BTM, did you mean 27th or the 4th? 27th is better for me, because like CV, I am doing a whole year leaving party for dd2 on the 5th!

Dd1 is out on her first driving lesson

You can make swords out of balloons???? Respect!

Ooh yes, deffo lunchboxes.

I personally would bring in handy teenagers to get the little buggers going, but you are made of sterner stuff, as evinced by the balloons.

Lunchboxes a good wheeze, though this would require knowing how many are coming. I dare say I could make up some more on the hoof if required.

I only really know one teenager, brother of invitee, so he could come to whip them up. Though from previous experience, the whipping up isn't the problem - it's the calming down again afterwards.

I can't actually make swords, yet, but am planning to consult YouTube. How hard can it be???

Herbs, we did this a few times for DD, whose birthday is at the end of July. It will be fine, especially if most adults stay. We did some traditional party games, and some general running about with bats and balls, etc. Blanket on the ground and food/cake, etc. The only problem is the weather - can you do running about in the park in the rain and food back at yours if necessary?

Re balloon swords, as long as you get the right type of balloon, it should be OK. And LOTS of spares!

So 27th gets a vote. How about everyone else?!

27th fine by me, even though I have both a concert and a fifth birthday party the next day!

We could do food back at ours, but it's a bit of a schlep from the proposed park. Our nearest park (which would be v handy) has no lavs, which would be a problem.

Food etc could be under proposed gazebo...