Crepey wattle and daub

[herbaceous]

At last! I get to use my thread title.

Over here, my hags.

DS has just announced he wants a bow tie.

What are Full Men ?

Bow tie eh? excellent?

I know, poor Fitzroy.

Sorry, that should have said Family Man - think it was either autocorrect or my fat fingers!

Just sung Happy Birthday to DS and had some cake and tea to warm ourselves up after freezing at footy - going to the pub later for birthday tea He may be 14, but he is no longer the biggest in his team - they have nearly all shot up in the time he was away trialling!

Oh dear, just had to post on a thread to explain someone (whom I knew slightly through MN has died).

Oh how sad, MI.

Just spoken to DM again. It sounded like (from what I could make out) she was confuddled by the numbers on her heating/hw control panel as it didn't sound like the engineer had to do anything much. Only a week till I go up and see for myself how she is managing on her own

Not a nice thing to have to do, MI. I think the idea of DPs paying for your rail ticket is a good one.

Once more commiserations to Crepeys with difficult teenagers - I am sure things are more complicated now than they used to be, but they really don't help themselves. And it can't be easy with all those raging hormones, either. Stropps, don't let her wear you down.

BD, good luck tomorrow whatever you decide to do. Perhaps sleep on the decision.

What date was Crem's operation - I can't remember whether it was the 20th or 23rd, but I know it's due.

Enjoy DS's birthday party, BTM, and I hope he's had a great day.

My cough is getting much worse - am at the stage of almost throwing up when I have a spell.

I have a feeling we've missed the chance of wishing Crem all the best with her operation - I have searched back and she was expecting to go in on the 20th... unless it was postponed or something.

Apologies Crem and sending you belated positive vibes. Hope it all went to plan and that you're OK. Let us know how you are when you can? .

Here it's all go. Took my ddad out for birthday brunch somewhere new and rather good - Granger and Co, here then the delights of a huge supermarket shop and the washing...

But at least my teenagers are being quite low maintenance at the moment. Although ds2 has put a countdown thing on his 'phone which counts down the days til ds1 (hopefully) heads off to university and gives us all a daily update saying he can't wait... Sympathy in bucket loads to those wrangling with more demanding teens.

Flipping 'eck QQ, that place looks gargeous. And I say that as one who had a huge Sunday roast in a local pub in an attempt to assuage a hangover. The party in Tunbridge Wells was quite a late one - I got to bed at 2, and DP at 3. Naturally, DS, staying in our room, woke up at 6.30. I held him at bay playing on my phone and then iPad until the batteries ran out, then had to get up at 9. Feeling shattered and can't wait for bedtime. Mmmmm. Bed.

I do not envy you lot your horrible teens. I know it's all part of breaking away from the parental bond, and all that, but couldn't they do it a bit more nicely?

Lot of this coughing flu thing about. Our hosts in TW had both had it, and had risen from their sick beds to host the party. I fear their recovery may have been set back a few decades!

Oh yes Cremo - hope all is okay!

Cremo - was thinking about you today hope all OK

Cremo - best wishes xx.

MI - difficult.

NU - it's not whooping cough is it? A friend of mine described coughing like this for about a month and it turned out to be this. I immediately went and got a booster injection as I rather naively thought that whooping cough was a thing of the old days.

QQ at uni countdown.

Hope all is OK, Crem.

QQ, none of us here really twigged that they come back . Especially from Oxbridge, where they come back for ages at Xmas and Easter and can't swan off doing things abroad because they bloody well have to work. It was a rude shock to dd, who would've done the countdown thing had she known it existed.

Thanks for all your empathy re dd. Most resonant was Rudy's comment about how dd is over it in seconds whereas it lingers with me for days. I'm sure there are ways off shaking off that kind of contamination - I have just tussled with a loon, now I must recover myself. Sounds like BD could do with some of that tomorrow - good luck, BD. We'll all be agog for the cathartic report back.

Rose, I made Nigella's clementine cake which MI gave me the recipe for, yonks ago. I have been considering making it next time with beetroot in place of the sugar. A nice red cake.

Oh dear MI

Crem sorry…I need reminding of everything these days. Do hope all is ok and you are weathering your surgery and recovery period well. xx

NU hope you feel better soon ….agree with Hatty re checking the whooping cough thing…otherwise I guess the phlegm just has to come up somehow….

Molly that cake sounds good…suggest you have a fair few slices. I am currently making myself SW chips…I feel in need of comfort eating…

Happy birthday to Tilly's DS and QQ's DDad!!! Soz about the worries about your DM Tilly

Crashed computer is now with DS1 and DBIL for salvage…DS2 doesn't seem too worried…never mind, DH is doing plenty of nervous ticks…enough for both of them. I wish he would just SHUT UP. On the positive side, Art Homework is done..hooray, for better or for worse and DS2 isn't fretting about tomorrows exam unduly. I am going to continue catching up on "The Hostages" …is anyone else watching it…BBC4? And eat my SW chips with lots of sea salt and ketchup and NO Protein or Vegetables

QQ the menu looks very nice

SW chips - recipe?

Beetroot in place of sugar? Sounds good - let us know if it works!

We ended up in our favourite Turkish place as the pub was only doing roasts.

DD now has to write her French CA and I have to check it before bed...

Molly, you're not doing it right. You need to be truly dysfunctional like my parents, to whose house I never returned for more than a couple of weeks after my second term at university. If you're going to be good parents, what d'you expect, eh?

Crem, hope you are soon skipping about like a spring lamb.

MI - so sad about the MNer. I had been hoping for a happy outcome, or at least more time.

DD2 has apologised for being foul this weekend. I am contemplating going away with her for a week at Easter and have told her that if she is this foul, I won't want to go. This weekend we were supposed to go into town to open a bank account for her, she wouldn't get up, and said she would "do it during the school holidays." She was supposed to come to Oxford Street with us yesterday, but didn't want to get up. She now regrets doing neither, and wasting the whole weekend. On the plus side, she has been drawing again, and doing some animation, and has finally shown her digital art to her art teacher.

I am tired and fed up, for no particular reason.

I'm settling in for Poldark and hoping he's going to take off his shirt again!

I've been finding out about the Poldarkian horses. Him on his horse, eh?

We're recording Hostages but are too busy still with Fortitude, Critical and such like.

Can I just say how much I hated CAs, ISOs etc? Dd doesn't seem to be doing many of them...or else I'm oblivious.

Good luck tomorrow, BD. Get some sleep.

Make a Nigella cake, MrsS.

Molly, I made Butterscotch and Praline muffins earlier - I think there is one left. I have wine instead, for now.

He did.

Cremo, hope it went/goes well

Have managed to get to choose the TV pros tonight! We watched the Caribbean one (with the presenter who looks spookily like a good friend of mine from uni) and then the Louis Theroux one. No Poldark here

BTM - Wot! No Poldark!

MrsS, I see you've been on the Brian thread...

Got early. Mega avoidance. Bummer as I don't get to travel with other people!
Hi hum at least I might get some work done.

I am a great avoider, too, BD. Have a good day.

Hatty, I don't think it's whooping cough which I had as a child (DC also had it when DD was 9 months' old). I am pretty sure that I picked this up from the DGC - they, of course, are now fine, although the baby is going to see the GP this afternoon. I slept well but am already exhausted.

Crem, if you are around, I hope the op went well and you are feeling more yourself.