Beware the Crepes of March!

[QueenQueenie]

Well someone had to do it as my last post was number 999...

Great title, thanks for starting the thread, QQ.

Half term here, and general teen dd aggro - naturally there is nothing in the house to eat, etc. Revision is a hunger-making thing, though, I'll admit.

Marvellous!

Beware indeed. Crepeys are formidable.

I did swim outside...it was gorgeous so long as you kept your shoulders under. Then into the hot tub jacuzzi thing also outside. All quite energising and child free, more importantly. cremo rudy I am growing to enjoy the more rustic swimming experience. Last summer, when we were here, lots of sea swimming was done. Has anyone ever been to Hampstead Ladies Pond before....I've been warned off, but remain kinda curious about it.

Had nice but frugal lunch and am waiting for facial. The massage was one of the best I've ever had.

Sorry you've been ill QQ....

Excellent.

Wading my way through my assignment, due a week today. As usual, prevaricating like a biatch. Not helped by being on a 5:2 fast day, so distracted by starvation.

At least DS is in childcare. I do worry sometimes that he doesn't have many friends, and then I put him in his play scheme and three children (who I don't even know) come running up saying his name, and dragging him off to play... I'm going to try and enthuse him over the two days we have together at half term (tomorrow and Wednesday) about stuff other than Star Wars and light sabres. It's getting very tedious.

I am trying to knock this idea for a brochure into shape. It's not quite so inchoate that I say "sod off, it's just not workable" but I do resent the fact it has been plonked onto my desk as my responsibility with no discussion of rates etc. Obviously I shall charge for even this bit of work. Quite highly.

Checking in....sitting snivelling at my desk. The cold which has been threatening for about two weeks is making a valiant effort to break through.

Everyone else is at home - off....not fair.

I regret taking on so much work for this week, now I'm hearing about pools, massages, restaurants in Paris and ski-ing. We decided to stay at home so that DD could revise but there's not much sign of that yet

Rang DBiL to chivvy him about letting mortgage/utility companies know he's in difficulty, getting debt advice etc. He hasn't started . But he's in the process of opening several months-worth of post, so I suppose that's something.

Then spent a fruitless hour and a half trying to get through to eye care centre about DM's appointment, now four weeks overdue. The number was either engaged or ringing out for that whole time. Main switchboard number also rang out. Better not go for that BP check today . Feeling ineffectual and frustrated.

Otoh, Nephew has returned to uni, well fed-up, & is coming back this Thursday . And my shoulder of lamb yesterday was a triumph

Auriga and Beachy, it's not fair, is it. I am going to take a bit of Friday off but I have just said OK to some more work. Why couldn't it all flood in a while ago???

Herbs, I pondered returning to 5:2 but I am so vile when hungry.

Hello ladies - just checking in from up north. Things have calmed down here and I've been shopping with DD2 - I have dissuaded her from buying an opera cloak in favour of a parka which will be more practical for school (and to replace the one she left on the bus!).

Rudy - Chartier is great for people who don't know Paris and want an authentic brasserie experience. I intend to take useless DB there when he rolls up in May.

Checking in

Half way home. Full of cold - hacking a lot. I am at work the next two days although looking at my inbox I wish I'd taken the whole week as originally planned. Off Thursday until next Tuesday and a couple of days to myself.

Rose, your spa day sounds lovely, despite the children!

Auriga, sympathies re BIL and work and your DM.
Sympathies also to all those at work.

Beautiful sunny day here. I did a bit of gentle skiing this morning, met the others for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the sun reading

Thank you for the thread, QQ. I have come back from a lovely lunch and a cup of tea at my friend's HUGE house. I had severe house envy and now mine feels very small.

More later

Had planned to go to Westfield Stratford with the DDs today, but DD2 had lost her Oyster card (again...), got shouty and didn't want to come. So I set off with DD1, got to Waterloo, and there were no trains between Canary Wharf and Stratford. So we went to Oxford Street instead. Got the DDs lots of pairs of pants in Debenhams sale, and DD2 a new bra. Lots of bras for the large of front and tiny of back reduced! Then had sandwich in caff there, and I had a glass of Champagne with it, as needed cheering up. Now about to watch friends in 4 in a bed. And have Nice Cup of Tea.

Rose, Iceland has fabulous outdoor swimming.....

I love it too - though do worry every summer about the annual stories of teens dying after jumping into reservoirs or rivers. I am very cautious!

Size isn't everything, Monty

I have Wednesday to Friday off, but two days will be spent careering down the country and back for this interview. She's just had her first rejection. Bit scary as we've only applied for three overall. Might concentrate her mind on Thursday.

Well I am back from A&E - I wasn't there all weekend, it just seemed like it (slight exaggeration, it was in fact six hours). DH doesn't have any breakages, fortunately, although he still looks as if he has been in a fight. His wrist is still badly swollen, but at least he can carry things now and drive the car. We had to stop and get fish and chips on the way back as we were so hungry and bang went my diet.

Of course when I was sitting in the hospital I should have been making DGS1 a birthday cake, so that was Sunday morning's job and then we went round to DD's for a birthday tea later on.

Glad to hear that the traveller's have got away ok and are enjoying their holidays. Hatty, the temperature is due to drop tonight, so you will need your thick coat tomorrow.

My mind has gone completely woolly, so although I have read posts, I can't for the life of me remember what was said. I recall that Rose has been swimming and has lost some weight (this probably resonates with me because that sounds like my weight loss campaign).

It's DH's birthday on Wednesday and I have foolishly arranged a meeting here at the house for a load of women - DH is going to have to go out for the afternoon.

Oh Beachy, fingers crossed that it goes well and that the others she went for come up trumps.

Good luck to dd, Beachy.

Things have been a bit hairy here for the last few days, as dd is once again being .. difficult. Went to my dm's on Sat for family lunch, spent yesterday doing all the animal husbandry and trying to get the house a little bit less grotty. Dd keeps telling us how much work she has to do and then doing nothing. Big blow-up because dh restricted her internet access and there was much swearing and throwing things by dd. We are apparently "totally odd" and "complete nazis" for trying to restrict her wifi access. Dh has also decided to go completely aggressive and hardline, which just makes her take it all out on me. He can't really win, in all honesty.
Her school insists on having every meeting and parents' evening for her class on Tuesdays this year and her teachers have been having a go at her because she's doing so badly and I haven't signed up to go and see them. They have my email address and phone number, fgs. I have now done her an "official" letter to give to all of them, explaining why I can't be there on Tuesdays and giving them an assortment of different ways to contact me. They have now also got a "how to do UCAS blah etc" evening. Of course also on a Tues and I think I will have to try and find a way to get my tutor to let me out early that day. Trouble is, all the stuff we do on the course is crucial and I can't afford to miss any of it. Pissed off with having to be in 2 places at once and dd now making a fuss about how my commitments are impacting on her. FFS.
Have also tried to interest her in going to Exeter to visit the university this Thurs, but she only gave the website a cursory glance and said she didn't know what to apply for and what's the point because she's going to fail everything anyway. Seriously, folks, if anyone has any cast-iron anger management tips, please share them. Am trying not to blow my top, as that is, quite frankly, a bit old hat round here. Trying to be drip-drip reasonable, but am feeling both murderous and trying not to get depressed.
Very sorry to hear about travails with elderly parents. If it's not the dcs, it's the parents. Worse case scenario = both at once.

ps: gave up trying to restrict dd's net access after a week and am now saying - ok, you make the right choice and please turn it off when you go to bed. Dh not happy and says I am pathetic for backing down and she is trampling all over me "like she always does". She just says things like "Why is he pretending to care about my work? He doesn't care at all and he just wants to wind me up and be horrible to me." I find this situation Quite Annoying.

QQ, sorry to hear you have been feeling below par. Hope you are on the mend now.
NU, sounds like your dh took quite a fall. Glad to hear nothing was kaput.

Stropps :( that sounds like serious hard work and I have no advice.....
Just here and please keep talking!