Crepes, Galettes, Pancakes and Brian the Bucket!

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Here you go...

That's what I feel about the exercise bike, MI, I just wish I enjoyed it. The exercise bike is nowhere near as pleasant as actually cycling.

Gold star MI for lady jogging on what is surely a difficult day. Not surprised your concentration is all over the shop. Sending peaceful vibes and hand holding.
BD how terribly sad. I hope today is cathartic rather than depressing . You do not need any more shoved on your shoulders right now.
Stropps - hang on in there. What a complete idiot that HT is. I can't believe people still think that way. Personally I have not met anyone whose life is the wonderful wealthy streamlined vision of perfection. I'd have been seething at that comment.
We are all better for surviving our trials and family difficulties. And that should be valued. Harrumph

Hattie - glad you got the Air b&b thing working . You've probably discovered that you can filter properties to be ' whole apartment' as opposed to shared accom. I've used the site 20 times or so. Indeed we are staying in a lovely looking place in Venice in a couple of weeks. It's great if you value your independence and want to chillax instead of eating out every night. Also better value than an hotel.

Rose, my lovely, please have a good week. You really deserve one.

MI - thinking of you today.

Also, those assemblies are too long. I am going to y8 one but only just. Would think again if I had two to go to. Am planning to feedback that they try and do it in an hour next time and termly is maybe too often? Lovely idea, in theory.

BD sad re your mum. Julian Cope? I LOVED Teardrop Explodes. Must look if he's playing in London...
Saw Birdman last night. Crazy, mad, wonderful.

Keep warm all.

Sorry BD, not enough air between my first two sentences to you.

MI - hope your Mum's operation goes smoothly tomorrow, glad you managed a good lunch (and limoncello ) with her this week.

This morning, we took ds1 to buy the laptop he has been saving for for the past year - he's put all his Xmas and b'day money towards it and most of his pocket money, so we then topped it up as b'day present and as a thank you for being so good about bringing dd to and from school on the train with him. He's got a v smart Acer one, good deal. I tried to see if they would give us a further discount on one for me too (mine is on its very very last legs) but sadly my negotiating tactics didn't work and I will have to wait.

Bloody freezing here as thermostat is on the blink - "it's 20 degrees!" it says as my fingers are going white and I'm sat in the house with a scarf and woolly hat on.

Re crepey qualifications - I also love sherry but rarely drink it as dh doesn't like it, I used to knit many moons ago, but only very basic (I did make a sweater with hugely long sleeves in my teens ), and I like opera, particularly when it involves a picnic in Holland Park.

I used to knit, as you all know .

To add to everything else my phone has decided to pack up.

WTAF? That post was from last night, which clearly didn't make it to the ether until this morning (shoulda just bought the new laptop).

Anyway, hope you're ok MI and that various birthdays or birthday outings this week turn out to be nice and restorative (although I know that's not always the case).

I worked myself up into a frenzy of worry about money last night - we have a tax bill that's and are about to give Everything We Have to the builders. I know we will manage, just, mainly because I am very good at stretching every cent, but the thought of the robbing Peter to pay Paul, and the bargain hunting, and probably no summer holiday for the 3rd year running gets me down. It is our pension plan though, so I just have to look at it like it's a work project that will trash my life for months but be worth it in the end. So, I must buck up as I have things to look forward to - friends have invited us to Evian for half term so we will be able to ski locally there for a few days which is v exciting and dh is looking at the ferry over so we can bring back, even more exciting.

In the spirit of bargain hunting, I have done quite well on Ebay for sinks and stuff, and in the process discovered this beauty which I heart mightily. Sadly it's too far for me to collect, but it cheered me up a lot when I saw it.

Thanks for kind words, addle and cremo. I'm feeling so meh about my birthday. DH sprung in to action when I had to tell him in exasperation, I was holding off a friend who wanted me to go on a Bollywood evening with her, in the forlorn hope he'd arranged something for my birthday weekend. This wasn't very long ago. Apparently I'm to keep Fri morning free and he's invited some friends to a band night at the theatre as they happen to be playing on Sat night. We go to their gigs regularly....ConS is the bass player. I wish Crepeys could be there to cheer me along. At the moment I feel like running away with the circus.

ConS and I are meanwhile working feverishly and will carry on tomorrow morning to get this play finished.

I must do like Wilbur and buck up.

Oh yes, Wilbur! We could bring wine back too
And I like that light/seat thing!

Oh dear Rose, I would go to the Bollywood evening - sounds much more fun!

Crepeys - we have some fishcakes that supposedly expired yesterday. Would you eat them?

Started today in a blue funk, not helped by putting apple juice rather than milk in my vital morning cuppa, having worked all weekend, then not understanding the first bit of our lecture, thinking I was stupid, why was I doing this course, my brain is full, blah blah.

But then we had to a task in which it became apparent that various bits of learning HAD in fact gone in. Then I screwed up my courage to ask a question of the rather scary male tutor, and he was very nice and it turns out lots of other people didn't understand it either. So I left feeling much more positive. And with a mild crush on the scary tutor. No hair, but a lovely deep voice.

Yes, without a second thought. I would make sure they were properly cooked though.

@ scary hairless tutor!

Well, he had eyebrows (and I'm assuming, ahem, 'other' hair) but just none on his head.

Lol@ Herbs. It's hilarious to get a crush on the back of a few kind words. ( this would NEVER happen to me, oh no)
Walnut, sorry to hear of money woes, but it will be worth it. Evian sounds lovely as well.

Walnut,,?.. WALNUT???
I meant Wilbur - autocorrect has gone nutty - fnar!

"other" hair ROFL - was that what you were thinking about

Here DS is all pleased with himself because his maths teacher wrote a very positive note about him in his planner (after phone call moaning about him on Fri) - it's amazing what a bit of sleep can do!

walnut

Nutty autocorrect - oh, very good.

Hell yeah, Herbs, eat the fishcakes. I opened a pot of double cream the other day which was ten whole days past the Use By. It was absolutely fine.

Thinking of you, MI...

I have made my first Airbandb booking - thanks Crem for sending me back to the site. . If this one works out I'll make it our Cambridge base.

Herbs - I'd eat fishcakes but do as BTM suggests.

Have just got back from parents evening - DS talks too much and could do much better if he applied himself. I knew this already. His maths teacher is really scary though!

Without the good-looking and "other" hair vibe, Hatty?

Go Hatty !
I really hope it works out for you! Forgot to mention that Wilbur is a host on air b&b too. Our place in Budapest was the swankiest place I've ever stayed, and our Copenhagen one last year was like something out of a Scandinavian modern homes magazine -all white and steel and glass.

She’s out of surgery. They did take the bowel out BUT that means they are pretty sure they got all the cancer they could.

In other news, there was a time when I was a complete goer sucker for bald blokes. Especially ones with glasses.

I'd definitely eat the fishcakes.

Can I have ?

That sounds good, MI. You can most definitely have !

DD2's maths teacher is rather hot. In a young sort of way.

MI, have more than one. Things sound as good as they can do with your mum.

Re hot tutor, with 'other' hair, this is in the context of zero (0, 0) other male interest. Most of my fellow students are women, and the men there are are not exciting. One even has a man bun.

I also have a mild crush on our choir leader, and once had a chastely saucy dream about him. Along with, I'd imagine, 95% of the choir.