Gunpowder, Treason and Crepes

[CointreauVersial]

Here we are again.....

BD that sounds a wonderful banquet....do they give you sorbet half way to cleanse the palate?
tilly shopping, theatre, cinema, gym and meeting lots of friends for coffee...
auriga kids get so up tight about GCSEs so I'd think it's a bit close. I do remember being sent to speak French with relatives in Belgium (DMs family are all Belgians ) both Easters before O and A levels and didn't seem worried but things have changed haven't they?
DH doesn't buy me clothes but he will happily fund them most of the time so I'm sayin' naught! He's also a failure at buying his own clothes, though.
Just home from a day teaching in town. Went well but oh god am I knackered. DH has gone to collect the kids from the theatre and I am sitting in a chair. What's on the box tonight? Anything worth watching?

Just met up with friends A and B from our NCT group, and their fellas and kids, for a walk in the woods. Are seeing friends C from same group tomorrow, and actually admitted it to A and B. It's still at the stage that seeing individuals, not as the group, is politically sensitive.

As we (us, and families A and B) were walking down the road, family D drove past. Sadly, the one who gets highly miffed if any of us meet up without her. Erk.

Of round to A's house, with B staying over, tonight for a take-away. And cooking roast pork with cider gravy tomorrow for C.

With me?

Auriga - I forgot - personally I wouldn't do a major trip just before exams

Ooh er Herbs - I've had a beer and you've lost me.

Hatty, Suits would be perfect except I can't tell men in suits apart so I need, for comprehension as well as political reasons, series with lots of women in .

I think things have changed a lot with GCSEs - including the no of subjects and no of papers in each. It adds up to a lot more Faff (technical term).

Lalsy I think the chief partner in suits is a woman like Diane Lockhart - DD is always going on about her clothes.

Yes, you are right - but there were enough men in suits left for me to get muddled. What was that film with Kevin Spacey and loads of men in suits? I couldn't make hear or tail of it . Love Diane .

Diane gives me hope for when I'm 60 - although she already looks better than me now - she is fab .

Lalsy, DS and DH LOVE Two and a half men. It is quite funny. Why have I never heard of The Good Wife? Probably because they always watching the above or football or some American crap. No idea what Suits is. Or Diane?!

Rose, I'm afraid I have those hobbies already! I either need more friends or different hobbies!

Herbs, complicated? Much?

I am feeling rather smug. DS couldn't get the 3G to work on my old phone with his sim. I have done it for him, following instructions on t'internet - Geek Squad. Can highly recommend! This also means we will not need to rush down to Carphone Warehouse tomorrow morning, so DH can take me out for brunch as promised

DD and her mates have gone off to the Blackheath fireworks. On the train.

Hi there my lovelies.

What fantastic weather again! Love this time of year.
Nice lazy day. Went out for fab lunch with ds1 who is working hard for hideous BMAT test (admissions test for medicine) which is on Wednesday. He already has an i/v invite from Birmingham for a few weeks time. Eeeek!

Ds2 out with my ddad to a football match which they both really enjoy.

Busy lolling on sofa with ddog and contemplating a large sherry...

Auriga, glad you got to do some singing. Have to say ds1 spent the Easter hols pre GCSEs (and then ASs) working extremely hard. A two week holiday then would not have worked for us. Difficult I know but their GCSEs put them inevitably under considerable pressure and they need time and space to work. Ds2's turn next year!

Apparently my mother is waiting to be invited to ours for Christmas. She knows it is the Outlaws' turn.

No-one else will have her. DFIL was havering about wanting to stay at home at Christmas. Perhaps they will, but if they do, we will have to have my mother sucking the joy out of it all.

Rudy, funnily enough one of my friends was saying the other night about joining a cycling group for women. I am quite interested

Crem, we have a mouse too. Just seen by DS whilst he was eating his muffin

QQ Good Luck to your DS1 - a friends son went through that a couple of years ago - hard work! And lovely that your DS2 enjoys footy with his granddad. DS LOVES his granddad

We did, Rudy! Let's talk dates. I could do
Fri 5th Dec
Fri 14th or Sat 15th

Any good for anyone?

That'll be 12th/13th I mean

Or Mon22nd/Tues 23rd?!!!

BTM, do you cycle much hereabouts? I am a slow, car-avoiding but enthusiastic cyclist and I think South London is brilliant for it, such lovely parks and quiet streets.

A bit. A favourite route is up to the Southbank (by the Design museum) or to Dulwich then Brockwell park. I am not very fast either, and I have a massive bike which means less effort!

Maybe we could start up a crepey cycling group?

Free poppadoms are free poppadoms Rudy...

Oooh not done up to town for a while BTM, but I like Dulwich/Brockwell parks. I like going west to the river too (let the train take the strain sometimes). Yes, crepey knees go cycling!

Auriga, your half-term sounds lovely. And how great that you were able to sing for at least part of the recording. Re: Easter holiday - I really wouldn't advocate taking any Y11s away for a holiday at that point. Agree with everyone else who says the students do need to be allowed the space to get on with work at that point because they are thrown into exams very swiftly after the start of the summer term, particularly if they are doing art, as BTM says. Also, as the exams are usually finished by mid-June, you maybe get the chance to go away for a holiday at an off-peak time?

BTM, you are so right about the party being a major achievement for me. It is only a few years ago that I was sufficiently unwell that the thought of even having one of ds's (then very little) friends round for tea would have brought on a full-blown panic attack. Dh had managed to totally not take on board any details about the party and he was rather gob-smacked at the number of people in the house last night, but he was also quite pleased. Ds this morning awarded me "three trillion parenting points". I allowed myself to be pleased for a moment or two, but as I am familiar with the volatility of his points system, I fully realise that I will probably be debited about seven trillion points next week for this year's unenthusiastic take on Fireworks Night.

I don't think I will be able to make any pre-Christmas meet-up, sadly, as this course and general work and domestic gubbins, not to mention networking like a crazy thing to try and build up the clientele for the new business, is going to be sucking the lifeblood out of me for the next while.

Thanks to our A1 in-house rodent exterminator we do not have any rogue rodents in our house. Just the one in a cage.

Herbs, your NCT friends sound like quite hard work.

Stropps, that's brilliant about the party.

I think it could be breeze, Rudy. I would like to try the DD trick at one of our local Indians, but a) DD would NOT go on her own and b) we don't really get takeaways - prefer to eat in, especially on a Sunday buffet!

Lalsy, maybe we could do a crepey-bikeride-meetup at Brockwell café?

Stropps, be pleased for as long as long - you did great

So come on Hags, let's try for some dates (so sorry if you are too busy Stropps) Lalsy?

Stropps - well done on the party - I know exactly how you feel. I have a huge fear of throwing dinner parties and parties - mainly because half the people round here live in mansions and are domestic goddesses. It is for this reason people have to know us really well before I feel comfortable with having them round. I don't want to be judged.