Crepeyistmas Time, Camel Toe and Whine...

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Pandering to the uncouth...

Electrician is "baffled" by the non-working shower. We have to call the manufacturer tomorrow and hope they can get an engineer here pronto (yeah, right). Because the bath fill is also electronic (pumped) we have no bath either.

On a positive note, DS survived his CAs and was relatively chipper about his performance. We shall see.

I'm in the car waiting for him to appear after football. I had an hour to kill, so ended up in Majestic tasting sherry with a distant friend I bumped into while browsing the aisles.

MI did the BelTel contact direct you to AgeNI
If so I might have a contact for you there

I have given up trying to do coursework for the moment and have instead been busying myself cleaning up dog vomit. Ddog didn't let me know he was feeling poorly, as he normally does, and instead hid little piles of puke all around the house for me to happen upon. Very entertaining. Not. I suspect him of rustling a choc dec off the Christmas tree because I did see him on the arm of the sofa by the tree yesterday and he jumped off and ran away looking shifty. I though we had carefully positioned all the edible decs out of his reach, but maybe we underestimated his ingenuity.
Beachy, glad it's not just me with Christmas dementia. And good luck at the doggy Christmas party. Sounds mad bonkers to me. If I took ddog to something like that it would most likely be carnage.
I hope all the poorly people feel better soon. There seems to be a particularly foul chesty bug around this year that hangs about for ages. Dd seems to have finally shaken it off, but she had it for weeks. The GP's newest diagnosis for her facial rash is perioral dermatitis, so she is now on anti-bs for a month to see if that clears it up.
I have sworn off FB for a while, as I have been suffering repeated attacks of rage at some of the facile political guff that pops up in my newsfeed and also an overload of twee inspirational quotes. I need to tweak the settings so I no longer have to read what some people post. I am "friended" with a bunch of people for work purposes and these are, ahem, the key offenders.

I'm sending you a hug, Crem. {{}}

CV, a very big booooo to non-working shower and bath. Hope it's all fixed soon.

I think my SS has arrived. It has a "not to be opened until the 25th" instruction, so I am being good.

Big hug from me too Crem and some .

Crem and CV - nightmare with mice and huge disappointment with bathroom. I hope you both get your problems fixed before Christmas.

I have had a nice morning with DD1 - she wanted to a see Hunger Games so we very naughtily went to a morning session (justifiable on the grounds it's half price). We then wandered round and got some last minute presents.

Could somebody advise me whether whipping cream is the same as double cream or not. I was confused as M&S had whipping cream and double cream which was marked suitable for whipping.

DD1 has a friend over tonight who she hasn't seen since the family moved to England so they are closeted together catching up on a lot of gossip

Oh - and Monty - congrats to DD on piano exam.

Whipping cream is not the same as double, Hatty - it's kind of in-between single and double! Obviously you can whip it - it comes out lighter than whipped double. HTH!

Cremo, mousie sympathies - we get plenty here in SE London. Sticky pads are your friend

CV, great sympathies - how frustrating

DH has just picked up the car. Apparently the mechanic had his office in completely perfect order. I dream of living with a man like that! DH is a "piler" as he just said

Thanks BTM - that would explain why the whipping cream didn't go really thick - I should have bought double. After all this time muddling through with French cream the array at M&S is a bit of a novelty.

It always amazed me that you couldn't buy cream that whipped (without the aid of Chanti-fix) in the land that invented Creme Chantilly. Before the arrival of M & S, I used to buy the highest fat cream I could find and mix it with marscapone.

DH has gone to Ikea. This won't end well.

French cream is shite isn't it?

Have pmed you again Rudy

Au contraire BTM, I love French dairy products - everything from fromage blancs to fromage frais to crème Fraiche, crème laitiere, right through to that Normandy butter with salt crystals gleaming on top.
Granted you can't get anything that whips unless it comes out of a can,
but give me a big bowl of crème Anglaise anytime
I am a heart attack waiting to happen

Stropps, here's a link for you:

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2877236/Hilarious-photos-reveal-cats-dogs-ruining-Christmas.html

It's Daily Mail, and I DON'T CARE. I saw it on Sky Press Preview last night so I did not buy the paper.

Not in the least defensive, moi.

Oh yes, Cremo, fromage blanc/from frais and crème fraiche are all good. And that Normandy butter. But French cream for whipping is shite

Last day at last! Not a half day for me though
DH and the DC's finish at lunch (well DD is staying back to put the finishing touches on her coursework and DS has a detention along with about 10 of his classmates) and then DH is off to the pub, DD and mates back here with films and Chinese and DS is off to a footy place with his mates. I should be going out to a bar in town with work, but I think us oldies may give it the swerve and go locally instead. If we even have the energy for that!

I still have more four days to go - all full ones! We won't get a half day on Christmas Eve either!
Here wfh today and then a very busy weekend with the parents. Realised I won't get a lie in either.....

BD, that sounds like a long slog. I hope it is not too awful. Hang on in there.

BTM, will you be hitting L Lane for your festivities? Town is so completely rammed at the moment. I would give it a wide berth.

I finished work last night and was taken out for champagne by an old student. Got home and realised how much I have left to do. Ooops. I am foregoing my morning ladyjog to do an audit of who has got what. All heart, me. Plus it is pouring.

Happy Friday, Crepeys

Monty, the young tings have booked a bar in the city. I think we oldies might just about stagger onto L Lane! Champagne sounds good

DC were very grumpy and arguey last night. Am going to hide in my room and bolt out the door before they start again - can't face it this morning.

Yes, I attempted a Ladyjog and returned home pronto when it started to pour. Then it cleared up, of course (DP sent me helpful text as I was finishing breakfast). Have remained in unalluring running kit and will try for lunchtime.

BD, that is pants. I am working on Monday, at least, but from home obviously.

My two finish at lunch; older one will go to friend's ("you can pick me up but you never usually offer") and smaller one will stagger home to the sofa.

Just heard from teaching interview – they want to keep me in the pool but use me for third-years and there’s nothing in Jan that fits me/them. Which is absolutely fine. They sounded v keen on me, actually, kept going on about how much they like me. So I feel appreciated yet not exploited.

Am really not sure I have any expertise at all - CDiff clearly doesn't think so - and certainly not for anyone past beginner stage...

BTW should we think about a Jan meetup to lighten the blues?

Oh and in other news lovely friend of mine has had IVF twins, bit early (pre-eclampsia) but they're not minute and they look ADORABLE and I'm really really happy for her; she and her partner will be fab parents and like so many of us thought it wasn't going to happen, having got started on the whole enterprise rather late. (She is of near-Crepey vintage.)

cremo sorry about the rodents. We had similar issues at our previous house, except it wasn't a mouse iyswim. I'd just had a baby and nearly went mad. No mercy, I say. No mercy.
Strength to BD and other crepeys who are soldiering on to the bitter end. I do miss the workplace at Xmas. but not the last minute panics I had to sort out when everyone else had buggered off.
mrsS I have been sending that rude Xmas song to friends. Everyone thinks it's hilarious. Fascinating aida are on at the royal festival hall early in the new year. Thinking of going with DH.
I am feeling very run down with this wretched cold that won't go away. DS is still off school , not right yet. DH has one Xmas do after another. I have been wrapping Xmas presents by the light of the hanukah candles. And ruining my low carbs regime with one feckin' doughnut after another.

Cross post. Nice news mi. And we'll done on the interview. You are clearly impressive.

One of my little lovelies is doing a Christmas wordsearch and is perturbed that they had spelled chimney wrongly. He said it should be spelled chimbley