Crepey wattle and daub

[herbaceous]

At last! I get to use my thread title.

Over here, my hags.

What is jungle curry?

Had a good catch up with DH and our friends last night in a local, comparing notes on troublesome DSs and a lovely day with my friend today, starting with free coffee and cake in JL, and ending in Nopi - delish

Thankfully not going out tonight!

No Rudy, get a new one asap!

Rudy where I live is weird - it's not very big but boasts a Clarkes, Fat Face and Waitrose , but also a lot of independents...... I thought being away from a big city centre I'd save money - doesn't seem to work like that!

Can I join the Difficult Daughter Sub-Team as well, please? DD1 has been absolutely vile over the last few days - grumpy, selfish, and (most irritating of all) winding her little sister up at every opportunity. This afternoon's row culminated in her pushing DD2 backwards against her shelf unit, breaking two of DD2's prized snow globes. Many tears and recriminations, and a lot of broken glass and glitter on the carpet.

We've been on cleaning detail as well today. DH has mowed the lawn and cleaned both cars (the fact that that his family are over this weekend has nothing to do with this sudden burst of house-pride, oh no), and DD2 and I have mucked out her bedroom, installing her smart new Ikea storage and relocating the surviving snow globes out of harm's way DS has gone to the cinema followed by a party with GF. BIL/SIL show up at dinner time and will be here until Tuesday.

I ought to do a bit of cleaning but an SO TIRED and music practice is more urgent. I did produce 1,500 words today though. Doubtless DP will do his usual hoovering tomorrow...

Commiserations on the tiredness, MI. I'm starting to remember what it feels like to be human but still whacked & (oddly) finding it hard to sleep.

I've started dog-walking again, cooked a few healthy meals, got my hair cut and generally started to get back on track a bit. And booked a long w/e in Paris for Easter :)

Back from the football where I had words with a man sitting behind me. Mostly our neighbours are season ticket holders like us, but there are a very seats which aren't taken. There was a big family quite close and the man I had words with was using appalling language - I turned round (with trepidation) and told him to watch his language because of the children. He moaned at me, but did stop , and then disappeared at half time. Usually everyone is careful when there are little ones around.

I have got a horrible cough which I think I have picked up from the GC.

I am still cogitating about the trainers, Herbs. DD has been telling me how comfortable her Sketchers are, so I think I will give them a whirl.

Doh - a few seats which aren't taken.

Shopping this afternoon with DD1 (DD2 refused to get out of bed and has been in it all day, drawing), got her new tops in Desigual and a couple of jumpers elsewhere. She helpfully pointed out that most of her tops date from fifth and sixth grade (she's now in tenth grade), so was, perhaps, overdue some new stuff... We walked most of the way to Oxford Street, due to the lack of buses, so now feeling a bit pooped and in need of wine.

In my absence, DH has washed the kitchen floor and has cleaned the bathrooms. And won a competition on an obscure radio station - they were announcing it as we came in from shopping. So he is less grumpy than usual.

Rudy -
It is a town, but I'm used to so much bigger and can't believe I still spend a fortune

Had a major dd-related explosion here on Thursday. All over now. I still have the headache however. She says she must have the right to lose her temper occasionally given the stress of revision. The thing I most object to is when she takes it out on ds, though.

I have a coursework deadline tomorrow evening and the stress about that has been building. I was not in the best state on Thursday because in order to get to my scary tutorial and one other meeting, I had to pass through five (5, V) of London's busiest rail terminals. I am scared of busy rail terminals. Thursday evening was almost terminal, but not quite.

Is a mother allowed to have a Life while public exams are being prepared for? Possibly not.

Sympathy to all other teenage girl owners. Easter bank holiday is approaching.

Rudy, 30 years is a long time! I feel quite faint at the very idea.

Does DD get the fact that if she doesn't do anything, this summer is not going to be a barrel of laughs? It must be v tough.

Don't talk about bedrooms. I think there are things festering in the girls'. Not sure I have the energy to investigate. Though am much better after 12 (twelve, XII) hours' sleep!

DD2 informs me that she has a project due in tomorrow, that she has been given two weeks in which to complete it. She hasn't even started it.

Her French teacher's response to her not being stretched in French was a) to deny it vigorously b) to give her an AS level text book to work her way through in her spare time and c) to give her "extra worksheets" to complete in class "as extension work" while the rest of the class are getting on with asking directions to the station.

Maybe we should corral all these truculent DD's together . Mine is chiefly annoyed because I won't let her go off interrailing at age 16. She is an immature 16 (as she demonstrated yesterday) and I just don't know how she would cope if it all went horribly wrong.

Had a lovely evening yesterday as one of DH's work colleagues is an amateur tenor. We went to see his company's recital at a small room in Paris and they were surprisingly good. For the second half, they were joined by three singers from the Opera de Paris which in a small room was fairly mind blowing.

Then had a nice drink with DH in a nice bar behind Montmartre. We are resolved to make more of an effort to get up to Paris in the evening - while we still can!

Mrs S - I feel your frustration.

It's tricky isn't it. The homework thing is hard. I nag Ds to do it but only on the grounds that if he doesn't its detention and then he'll meltdown about that! But as he has cantered through Geography in an hour (in theory it's supposed to take three as it's an Extended Learning Assignment) I guess I shouldn't worry too much......

Yesterday's meltdown was over breakfast (don't ask...)

Monday looms - Crepeys my choices are a. Go down for usual train but stand elsewhere and get on a different carriage b. Go for the later train
I am tending towards b as I really do not want to engage or does that make me a wimp?

MrsS that must be so infuriating - I think I'd go higher - head of Dept or just the head as where is the meeting of dd's needs?