Crepeys say Bah Humbug, (it's not Christmas yet)

[beachyhead]

Here we go

Agree about avoiding the doctors at all costs - there is D&V around too which would be grim as all grimness. I have a routine appt at the hosp next week and I'm planning to go in a hazard suit.

Cremo - hope you feel a bit better tomorrow and that you can cut the work day short once you've done your meetings. And I think dd should leave her hair green - it will give her grandparents something to about for weeks to come and will probably be quite revitalising.

Rose - I hope you allow yourself some tinsel now. I think indulging in a few things that one longed for as a child is good for the soul.

I have a small box of tinsel and baubles kept at the flat in Sussex. They are my guilty, childish pleasure.

I agree too. A tv that works properly is mine (we had a black and white one which regularly displayed the top of the picture on the bottom - made the Dad's Army intro very entertaining).

Crem, the return of the student is very exciting, but look after yourself in the meantime. And you Rudy.

Well, I take back my bah humbug as a SS package has arrived . Can't tell you how that cheered my morning and I haven't opened it yet!

Now I'm feeling bad as I have SS but have not been to the Post Office and am too lazy to go today as it's horrible outside.

MrsS, what about a crepey afternoon tea celebration? There are loads of deals on all the time, so it doesn't have to cost a packet

Rose, get that tinsel up!

And how lovely that your students are looking forward to getting their washing done and meals cooked coming home for Christmas

I haven't bought mine yet Hatty, don't feel bad!

I haven't bought mine either!

Nor me. Did we decide if we're posting, or bringing to the meet up?

I'm still all shook up about my sis and mum's fight. Neither of them really talk to the other, properly, but quite often use me as a go-between, so when they fall out - or, rather, when my sister sends one of her bi-annual coruscating emails - I feel caught in the middle. I don't know whether to try to be UN-style peacemaker, to metaphorically bang their heads together, or to just not say anything at all.

Emails have gone very quiet today, which either means they've spoken or the phone, or they're not talking at all.

Herbs, that sounds horrible. I'd be tempted to smile and wave and ignore, unless one of them asks you I think [but my extended family is hardly a model of good communication].

We are sending SS to preserve the mystery.

dd is flagging I think - would like to be home. Hope we can live up to it!

MrsS....oooh what lovely options.

Herbs, say nothing.

I think we are posting SS.

Hatty - I'm only 47. Only on the crepey thread do I feel youthful.

Guess what? I have a plastered bathroom. A few days to dry out, then the plumber can start fitting out. Dare I use the words "home straight"? No, perhaps best not.

Just checking - overall SS costs don't include p&p, right? (phew)

Herbs, duck out of family stuff. Is Not Your Problem.

Rose that's so sweet - go get your advent calendar and tinsel.

In the best continuing saga of DS and the advent calendar - his friend brought him a spare one from the States - which DS has then forgotten at school!

CV - you are a young thing.

Am going to serious book club tonight - I may be drunk and rebellious in a corner.

I do have many opinions to give on the matter, as you can imagine, but my sticking my oar in in the past hasn't helped.

Thing is, I suspect a large portion of BiL involvement. He's very alpha male, very competitive, very black-and-white, and his family dynamics are totally screwed up. He's only just started speaking to his own father after a number of years. don't want him to have too much influence over sis...

No no. Step away. Not my problem.

Wilbur, thank you for the vote of confidence. I was able to see my progress last week, but I have to say I am feeling mucho meh about things otherwise just now.
I think I may have just hit "the wall" with my course a bit later than some other people on it. I am also very at the clear expectation that we all (i.e. students on the course) have money to burn. I would be very interested to be a fly on the wall at the equivalent courses run for teachers around here because I have a very, very strong suspicion that there would not be an expectation that we all have bloody ipads or, if not, will be able to rush out and buy one or a laptop because we need to prove we can teaching one poxy thing using ICT. I have neither an ipad nor a laptop. I have a large and powerful desktop computer and that is all I have needed up until now. I have already spent well over £150 on books and other resources and am beginning to find the expenditure is too much (have found the occasional thing secondhand on Amazon).

In fairness, I am also feeling rocky because the 10th anniversary of my ex-husband (dd's dad) hanging himself is this Friday and the 9th anniversary of my dad's death is on the 15th. Miserable Christmases? Oh yes, we've had a few of those. My mother is still insisting that we all go to hers for trad lunch, but is taking every opportunity to moan about having to buy presents for the vast extended family and assorted ingrates. DB and family will be there, but the rest of the family who used to turn up (cousins, aunt and uncle) have been slowly falling away over the past few years and my mother insists that we must all still exchange presents, but moans like hell because she doesn't want to pay the postage. I think what she doesn't want to admit is that she finds the anniversary of my dad's death tricky. She thinks that kind of thing is wet, so pretends other stuff is troubling her instead. I just go along with this, as I've got plenty on my own plate and can't be arsed remonstrating with her.

I spent last weekend trying to get Christmas presents sorted and get on top of the cleaning. Am now paying the price as I'm feeling as though I don't understand what the hell I'm doing with my coursework and I have to teach for the first time next week (previously we have just been assessing). Today they gave us the sample lesson plan - jeez - 6 bloody pages. And then I have to make all the resources and write other assignments. Do they expect us to be superhuman?

OK, thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Now I'm off for a bath and an early night.

Oh and sorry in advance for my SS not being very secret. I think it will be a bit obvious who it's from.

And ps: my 50th is at the end of January, 11 days after ds's 10th birthday. Even the thought of doing anything for my birthday is too much effort and I can't afford the time or the dosh. I may do a sponsored abseil off a cliff for charity or something later in the year. Maybe a bit of coasteering in the summer, if I can find anyone brave enough to do it with me.

Coasteering Stropps? Count me out

You do have a lot of grim memories to cope with at this time of year - make sure you put yourself first and don't worry too much about everyone else (easier said than done) your wellbeing is important too

Re the lesson plan, I could send you a copy of mine, or anything else of use. And I have some books knocking around (didn't buy much and used a lot of online refs IIRC)

Stropps, anniversaries are the pits I think and creep up insidiously with their emotional demands when we think we are getting along nicely. I am so sorry this time of year holds such memories. The course sounds incredibly demanding and it is not surprising it makes you feel like this at times - but you are nearly at the end of term and Wilbur is spot on. Look after yourself.

Oh Stropps, all those anniversaries are unspeakable. Enormous amounts of fortitude to add to the enormous fortitude you already have.
One thing at a time is the only way, to avoid being overwhelmed. Don't forget we are all on Team Stropps.

I am not yet 50. But feel 108 today.
Dh has gone out to his dmums probably because I'm being a pain in the arse
Rose, I sent dd some tinsel today in a kind of Christmassy Red Cross parcel. Also a galaxy selection box natch.

Herbs my immediate reaction is to step away from the Unwinable War.
There is probably little you can do to affect their opinions without having things taken out on you. Entrenchment requires each of the parties to change their viewpoint just enough to resolve things.
Step away and be a little selfish about it. Your ds is what Xmas should be about , not old family battles.

BTM, thank you for the offer of help, I may well need to ask you a couple of questions, if that is ok? I'm going to re-do some planning stuff tomorrow and really get a grip on the things I was having a panic about today, so hopefully I will feel as though I have a better understanding of it all after that. I may be able to answer my own questions after I've done that, so I will try that first!

Lalsy, you put it so well: those anniversaries damn well do "creep up insidiously with their emotional demands". Weirdly, exh's own father also died in December, so exh was always a Christmas miserablist. I am not a Christmas miserablist. I will perk up like anything by the 3rd week in December. And I do love a goodly helping of tat and tinsel.

Crem, thank you - and I do hope that you feel better soon. You do seem to have had about 20 times more than your fair share of germs this year. :(

I don't know whether I've mentioned this before, but I probably have - I seem to be repeating myself more than ever these days, so sorry in advance - but exh was a specialist teacher for dyslexics and did his quals at the same centre where I'm doing mine. I'm afraid I sat in the car in the car park at the centre this afternoon and suddenly had to blub. I think it now seems all far enough away in history that I can finally have that "Bugger, that was a bad mess and I sincerely wish it hadn't turned out like that" moment that I couldn't allow myself 10 years ago. Dd and I just bake special (to us) biscuits every year. We don't say anything. We just make the biscuits and have a little think. We will do that on Friday and then we will hopefully move on. Onwards and upwards etc etc.

Awww Stropps {{{big hugs}}}

And of course - I would be very happy to help, anytime

Oh stropps, you've got me blubbing about the biscuits.