Gunpowder, Treason and Crepes

[CointreauVersial]

Here we are again.....

Do you mean in Crimplene Carcrash "Classical Collection" Mrs S?

Congratulations on ousting the nightmare, MrsS - good teamwork! I'll have to look in our local M&S.

I've just come back from my weekly class (learning to write a form of non-fiction). I'm all discombobulated because the group dynamics are odd. There are six (6, VI) of us, all women of a certain age - I think I am the youngest - with a tutor who's about the age of the oldest class member. It reminds me of that Clint Eastwood film where he's a soldier hiding in a girl's school; Clint flirts with all of them till they get pissed off and kill him. Our tutor doesn't flirt, but one of the women in our class has taken on the role of the flirt/teacher's pet, and the oldest one seems to want to be the mother of us all, and tell us all, including the tutor guy, what to do. That leaves four of us being observers of this panto. Is this normal? Can't the two attention-seeking women playing roles just sit and learn? I'm wondering if it bears comparison with your class, Stropps. Glad to hear that's going well.

How are you celebrating this great work development Mrs S?
Does it mean you can hope to be employed on something useful now that will utilise you not inconsiderable talents?

That's what I have been doing, Rudy, unconsciously - but in return I get flak from The Mother and The Flirt. I just really can't submit to their dominance.

It sounds both v interesting but also v annoying if you are there to learn and these two are carrying on like this. I think you might need to join forces with the others against them and squash their twatishness.

Molly, what do you think would happen if you told the class what you've observed?

Er, I think they might kill me?

No, seriously, I suppose I could do that. I could state it in a light-hearted way. I'm not OK with buttoning my lip. Actually their behaviour makes me quite bolshie. Makes me want to shout: We're all equal, OK?

MrsS that is grand news! Here goes from bad to worse as someone else is writing an implementation plan from one of my programmes despite the fact my team and I run it from first contact to completion. I.e. It is my total responsibility. So that's two people this week who think they do my job. Perhaps I should just put on auto forward on my email?

I am contemplating how to handle this as I find it completely insulting - she is implying she is actually doing work my team do (and she doesn't understand diddly squat)

And yes it's 05:00 but I've had a night of puking ds and I think the washing machine is giving up the ghost sigh

Anyone heard from MI?

YAY!

And yes, is this also going to result in any changes for you, MrsS?

Molly, that sounds very annoying. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to button my lip either. Could you do a piece of non-fiction writing about the scenario and share it at the next session?

BD, bad luck on the sick/washing machine front. Not sure how you should handle the work sitch, but I'm sure someone else has good advice.

I was just thinking of MI too

MrsS, really good news and it must mean that more changes are on the way - hopeful - I would think.

Molly, another one who couldn't keep quiet either.

BD, commiserations.

I have been wondering about MI, too.

The cashmere sounds good, particularly lilac v necked jumpers. I have just had an email to say that there is 40% off everything at the Gap outlet at Team Valley for two days, but the thought of the traffic on the Western Bypass is off putting.

Gap seem to have 40% off in stores too NU. I am trying not to buy anything!

MrsS, is this woman the main nightmare, or a minor player, sorry, I haven't quite followed. In either case ding dong indeed.

BD that sounds awful and you must be exhausted. It must be so tempting for send all the work this person claims they are doing already to them!

Molly, how annoying. I wonder if this is something about writing - that it forces us to expose our innards, which makes people feel more insecure and keener to assert their identity (real or imagined).? I did a one-off class on a specific form of non-fiction too and definitely felt the room was full of people who wanted to make an impact (although they may have, wrongly in my view, thought that paid work would come from it). I also did a course on something techy last year and that was so different - everyone just turned up and got on with the work, gave help if requested, but not an ego to be seen, bit of normal chat before ad after. Weirdly though, men sat in one row, women in another (it was computer based).

How is your knee today, BTM?

Mrs S - glad it's going a little better - I must say, your office sounds like The Apprentice. BD - sorry it's going so badly for you at work.

Molly - I love that Clint Eastwood film - Play Misty for Me.

Here I'm crossing my fingers for DD2's maths test. Bastardy teacher said she had to do it the French way not the comprehensible way her sister had shown her. Even though with the other methodology she had everything correct and understood it.[angry

Rudy - I have read your link about plopping and will try with DD next hair wash.

Thanks for asking NU! It's the back of the knee and still feeling like I pulled something, but better than yesterday. How's yours?

Hatty, what is the French way?

My snuggler has arrived The delivery men were very impressed with how well it just fitted into the space. And so was I - had a last minute panic! I am now perusing lamps to go next to it and cushions to go on it!

What's a snuggler? I think I want one.....is it a 'big chair'?

We bought a big chair about a year ago, tucked in the corner of the living room. It's my favourite.

Yes, I want to know what a snuggler is, too, BTM. My knee isn't so bad today (well if I discount the few minutes when I get out of bed).

The Christmas cake is in the oven and we have just had a nice lunch of Nigella's butternut squash soup. The house is like a fridge as we have had all the windows and doors open to let out the fumes from the anti flea aerosol which DH has been spraying round the ground floor. Fingers crossed.

Yes it's a big chair or small sofa - just enough space for two to snuggle up together! And for one to sprawl a bit on their own

We've got a snuggler-type chair (my office was giving it away) and at the moment it's marooned in the middle of the room as it's a bit big to fit in with the ridiculous number of other pieces of furniture we have . It is lovely though and the kids love piling up in it together to play on the Hudl.

Molly - those group dynamics would drive me nuts (although I would probably resort to under breath tutting and eye rolling, rather than any constructive protest). The attention-seeking thing is one of the reasons I have to sit near the door when I'm at anything that involves an audience discussion at the end, in case there is one of those people who stands up and drones on about their own experience for aeons before waffling out some nonsense question which can always be translated as "hello famous/learned person on stage, please validate me". I find it so toe-curlingly painful that I often have to put my fingers in my ears or leave. I realise this probably says a lot about my own ability to handle group dynamics....

Am going for a hospital appt later, pelvic scan, bah. Nothing major, just some slightly odd things to check out, I'm sure it's all perimenopause, but how can you tell when the symptoms of completely normal mother-nature stuff seem to cross over with scary lady-part diseases? Anyhoo, I'm mainly concerned that my ladygarden will cause as it has been allowed to romp untamed for months. I can maintain eyebrows or bikini line, not both, it seems.

Good luck with the hospital appointment, Wilbur. Don't worry about your lady garden - you will find that it takes care of itself with age. And I am sure that the nurses, doctors, etc, aren't interested.

DD has just rung: DGD2 (18 mo) is running a high temperature and needs to come home - needless to say DD has their car seat in her car at the office, so DH has gone to fetch DSoniL so they can go in our car to bring DGD home.

Wilbur - hope the appointment goes well - anything going slightly off kilter down there is always best checked out.

BTM - The French do their divisions and subtractions differently to us. Also, you have to follow an exact sequence in problem solving - underlining in red etc. One boy said all the French finished late in their first set of exams in Imperial because they were so busy doing their calculations "comme il faut".

Evening all. I'm just taking a short break with a cappuccino before I have to head out again to take DS to football. I am accompanying my coffee with a rather deeeelicious slice of cake DS made at DofE Cookery Mmmm.

Project bathroom is underway! He's done a massive amount already. As expected (thanks previous owner), all sorts of shoddy stuff was uncovered once the room was stripped out, including two layers of tiles (delightful 70s brown under naff 90s burgundy), cables sellotaped to walls, live socket behind radiator, and brickwork above windows supported by nothing more than a piece of wood and a prayer. So builder has been called in. Strangely enough, I feel a lot calmer now it's all going ahead - but ask me again in a month's time.

I took the DCs to the optician's earlier for a check up, and both DDs came away with the depressing news that they have to wear glasses. DD2 just for "critical" use (I.e back of classroom, watching TV), but DD1's is bad enough to need them all all the time. Poor lass, starts her periods, then is prescribed glasses in the same week. She already has the braces..... I am going to look into contact lenses, but I'm not sure what's covered NHS-wise. DS is super-smug as the only member of the family with 20-20 vision.

Dying to know what this "snugger" is, BTM. And BD sympathies.

Cripes, must go.

Wilbur, hope apt went well - I had a couple of them, then polyps removed. Something like that?

CV, your DS seems to be doing rather well at DofE cookery - does he do any at home too?
Glad to hear the bathroom's got started - shame they always unearth some bodge-job.
Nothing too exciting about a snuggler - it's just a small sofa/wide chair!