MMXV (2015, twenty fifteen) : Here Come The Crepeys!

[CointreauVersial]

More crepey wisdom.....

Apparently, being ambassador to the Holy See is a full time job. That sounds like quite a cushy number, no?

Neither of my dc know what they want to do. dd sometimes talks of teaching but I think she knows that is because it runs in the family (not me or dh) and she has had some lovely, funny, kind teachers that she has really looked up to.

I don't think most know at 16 and was reassured at at the A level talk that that is fine and most courses/careers don't need very specific combinations, apart from very mathsy or vocational things. Neither of my dc have wanted to keep going with loads of subjects - more a case of scraping the barrel - that must be hard if you really don't want to drop things.

Horse incident?

Morning all Crepeys.

My dc have vague ideas of careers. Dd1 will be something artistic and is veering towards photo journalism at the moment. Ds wants to be an activist not sure what on behalf of and dd2 is going to be Prime Minister, although why anyone would want that job escapes me.....

I have a horrible week ahead with our inspectors coming in . Think Ofstead for those of you teachers.... Hard nosed financial nitpickers, I like to think of them.... The analysts are sorely prepared and some haven't even bothered to reread their files, which I have so lovingly reprinted and presented them with. So be it

Sorry you have a horrid week in prospect, Beachy. Hope it goes quickly.

My lot are too young to have serious career aspirations, thank God. At the moment, DD1 wants to be a dancer or a vet, and DD2 an illustrator.

The black dog seems to have landed at my house. I am going to ladyjog heartily around Brock after I drop the children in an attempt to escape him.

Happy Monday, everyone

Beachy much strength!

If we got all out Black dogs together would we have a pack?

Good Luck Beachy!

The heating is not working again. It is 14 degrees in my room. Lucky that I had my porridge and a hearty walk here, but I am beginning to feel it.

I am also cold, currently perched on an uncomfortable stool at the orthodontist, watching DD2 have her new braces put on. This place is bloody freezing.

DS brought his new GF over for dinner last night. She's very nice and chatty, and put up well with a barrage of small talk from DH and me, and knowing smirks from the DDs.

Hoping ailing Crepeys Cremo Auriga have turned the corner. Wish you both better. NU hope DGD is ok after her trip to A&E.

Having been brought up to pursue a "sensible" profession for a young woman and missed my chance to be creative, my instinct has been to tell my kids to follow their passions. DS1 loves music and computers…so he trained in music technology. He has found his niche in the digital advertising industry and found that he has a talent for project management. He still does his music and works as a DJ in the evenings and weekends for an events company. DS2 will almost certainly do MFL at Uni but has no idea what he'll do afterwards. He just loves languages. DD is on another planet but wants to be an actress and do her art. Who knows what she'll end up doing. Some kids do have a vocation so know what they want to do at 16 but it's probably more usual to be in a state of flux, isn't it?

to those anticipating a trying week ahead whether it's work or chasing away that pesky black dog. Maybe January isn't the best month to be 'dry'…although as a non drinker…it does beat me why it's soooo hard not to drink. Am I missing a trick here?

I'm not in a too bad mood even though we had our quota of weekend screaming. Nice evening with DH last night seeing Fascinating Aida…loadsa laughs followed by a nice supper at a hotel on the way home. And in bed by 11 (liking these shows that start at 6pm!!!…what a Crepey I am)

This morning I'm off to Kew for a meeting…everyone else is in the Sarf and it's the furthest I'm prepared to drive….found a Costa in a shopping Centre there which will do…Might need to have a mooch around Gap afterwards though… to y'know, make it worthwhile

CV, a girlfriend!
DS is like DH and extremely cagey about such things! But we did get to know DD's bf in Y9 pretty well. Glad she's not interested ATM!

Rose, there are lots of naice places in Kew!

:) @ the Crepey Black Dog Pack. Mine is the fat, grey-muzzled, faintly whiffy one huffing along at the back.

Hope it goes ok this week, Beachy.

Auriga, I do hope you are feeling better. And your dm is behaving herself.

Here, we do not have enough paid work, but I still have too much study work. Am pruning all unnecessary expenditure and as dh spent all the Christmas break sorting out the garage (a significantly bigger job than it sounds), he is now ebaying a vast pile of stuff that has been sitting in there since he moved in 11.5 years ago. Am trying not to worry about how we are going to survive and am instead focusing on just managing to make it through until I can find teaching work. And I will find teaching work. Somehow or other. Geographical location makes that more tricky than it might be if I was based in a big city.

In other news, dd seems to have finally discovered boys. It appears that spending 45 mins in front of the mirror every morning is not the only thing making her late for school. It would appear that she has a bunch of wannabe suitors from the year above. Does nothing by halves, that girl. Still, I was pleased to note that they are all the sort who could help her with her chemistry.

Go Stropps DD!

I am fighting my own snarly snappy black dog, which nips at my heels and makes me cry - I can see it, it's the sort of dog that just won't go away however much you try and shoo it. A Ladyjog helped as did an actually active weekend, doing stuff with nice people. MrsS and I went to see Paddington. We sniggered at the innuendos .

ohh MI at Paddington and an outing.

I have very rose coloured boots on - they make me :)

Meanwhile meltdown from ds this weekend. When I have a moment I'll type up a post and ask for advice...

Stropps - DD - glad the boys are a decent sort - or is "helping with chemistry" code?

We had an open evening last night and DD2 appears to be at the opposite end of the maturity spectrum to DD1. Hopefully, hearing that she needs to grow up and not act like a surly teenager from her teachers rather than her boring old parents will have an impact.

I am ashamed to say that we did not march yesterday having previously been invited to drink champagne with our friends who have just relocated from London. In fairness to her I sense she is terrified at landing in France from Kensington although St Germain end Laye is not exactly slumming it. I did feel like a decadent bourgeois though, as even the neighbours were moved to march. We did manage to arrive back at the same time as many in our street so it looked as if we'd been doing our civic duty. In my defence - I did attend the local gathering in my town.

Today I have a streaming cold - not helped by doing the dusting - I think that may have to be postponed until another day.

MI and Mrs S - Paddington?!

It was a Sunday morning outing, not a Saturday night one! A fiver at the fleapit that's 10 minutes' train journey from my house.

Stropps and Hatty, mm loving the suitors who can do chemistry and the sneaking back after champagne drinking not marching .

Oh dear, I fear a black dog arrival too. It's a slithery insistent little retriever and it just sits in the field opposite looking at me longingly.
I don't quite want to burn the house down , but I'm close. Am worried about influence of a ' friend' of dds at Uni. Dd is mesmerised by her . I know this probably won't last but I fear the comedown. Dds mental Heath is so fragile - very up and then very down ( gp involved) .
We had friends for lunch yesterday and if found it very difficult to concentrate on the conversation. Dh and I both felt worn out afterwards.

I have been at the pain clinic this am, and I am now in the queue for another scan. There are 34 people before me so I met be here some time.

Crem , so sorry you have this worry about dd. It is especially horrible when they are far away.

Crem - exactly what Lalsy said - it's really difficult when they are so far away that you can't keep an eye on them. I also think at this age they trust others far too easily - we, on the other hand, are mistrustful cynical old bats - but not always without reason. I have lectured DD a bit on being careful what she confides to her new life long buddies (that she's known for two months).

Hope the queue has inched a long a bit.

Oh crem. So tough. But you are being so much better than eg my parents were when my sister left home and I think they just effectively went back to ignoring her MH issues. My sister is currently furious with them for the way they're totally ignoring the serious depression of a friend's student son (who's at the university where my dad used to teach - they seem to feel he should just snap out of it and go back to lectures).

In other news, I must get round to using the chickpea flour that's been lurking in our cupboards for, ahem, far too long. Anyone made socca/farinata? If it works, it might be a pleasant option for the gluten-intolerant as well as the meat-avoidant.

Oh Crem, I am so sorry hear about your DD worries. Does she have other more "suitable" (sorry, can't think of a better word) friends to support her? Sorry you are in pain and in such a long queue. Hope queue is receding a little

Hatty, that is a lovely tale about the champagne.

Just heard that someone I used to work with has died. He was only 63. He was such a lovely man and so supportive when I was starting out. I think I need to go for a walk to buck myself up a little. I shall try to return in a cheerier frame of mind.

MI, was it our fleapit?!

Cremo, so sorry you are suffering both physically and mentally. It must be bad enough when they go away to university anyway, never mind with additional MH problems. And so far from you.

Here DH has just received an email saying that our outbound flights to go skiing have been cancelled Not sure what we are going to do about that. I think we will have to dig deep and pay for new ones, but he is trying to contact the dodgy company.

Oh dear lord, what a terrible Monday we're all having! Mine looking quite calm by comparison.

(The chickpea flour was SO out of date I quietly binned it. Ahem.)

My Monday is so far OK. . I had a fellow course inmate round to work on our scheme of work for an assignment - designing a 20-hour course, complete with 3,000-word rationale.

While she was here she bought £20 of old clothes I was trying to get rid of. So, result! Now, naturally, I am prevaricating rather than looking up learning theories. Pedagogy, if you will.

Mine was actually OK! But I'm sure I will now have a horrible evening at home

Herbs, that IS a result. Stropps, can you try the same?!