Crepeys of a consistently high standard

[Stropperella]

So there. :)

If Devon is anything like London, it's going to piss down and be windy today, nice tomorrow, horrid Sunday. And not great all next week. Super fun for the summer holidays...

Yes, ideal isn't it Herbs? Bit better the following week when we are away but it does seem daft that the dc spend the best weather slogging through school and exams, and then just as the storms start and the nights draw in, we go on holiday. Hatty, whereabouts are you going?

I am about to do my second aqua class this week. I did a land-based one on Wednesday, astonished at what other people could do, waved arms and legs around and smiled vacantly, thought oh well at least I won't ache as I've hardly done anything. Reader, I can barely move.

Really don't feel like putting words on a page. Or doing much else. I have tackled backlog of Dull Admin this week. dd started another summer job which she is really enjoying (educational - she is already talking about "my group" ); ds has slept and caught up on backlog of screen based activities (two weeks away but still [hmmm] - whose idea were summer holidays again?).

DD2 continues to drive me up the wall . She perks up like nobody's business in the company of her friends - spent yesterday with a friend whose mum is also a friend of mine - but then refuses to do anything, from getting out of bed onwards. Now saying she doesn't want to meet another friend to go swimming. "I just want a day to myself." I do understand that, but I also know from bitter experience this means she ends up bored and lonely and loafing into my office and then on the last day of the holidays saying oh she wishes she'd done more with it all...all she has to do is answer a text and go bloody swimming, ffs!

Lalsy we're going to Combwich - I think it's actually just over the border in Somerset. I needed somewhere equidistant between Bristol and Exeter.

My DS has done exactly the same as yours - slept and Minecraft. I suspect we are wifi free in the UK and we'll have to read a book!

I am giving the house a once over before we set off again and DH has taken DS to see Antman!

Have a lovely time, all you travellers.
I am sooooo glad we came home yesterday, as we were able to pack up the tent in dry weather and I even got 3 loads of washing dry when we got home. Still got about another 4 loads to do, mind. And have come home to a deadline for Monday. No rest for the wicked..
My back did not like camping one bit, unsurprisingly, posh Thermarest mat or not. Will do my physio exercises once I have found a bit of the carpet that doesn't smell of beer.
Whereabouts in Devon are you going, Hatty?

Ah, x-posts, Hatty.

Hatty, you'll not be that far from me, so if you fancy a mini-MU, let me know.

Will do Stropps although I think we'll be on the road a lot visiting DSis, Exeter and Bristol Uni's and possibly Bath. Have bought DS a waterproof this morning!

Stropps, I smiled broadly at someone yesterday on my way back from my Ladysplash. "Ooh, that's Stropps," I thought. And then, er, realised it wasn't.

(You were looking great, btw. [grin))

Oho A Stroppelganger!

So brilliant to hear about BTM and Bds travels. We've gone very international all of a sudden. Hatty , hope le depart is not too stressful, and you enjoy your break.

MI great news on the trumpet exam. Well done dd. I know that hanging about the house thing very well. I used to send dd out shopping for groceries when in that mood. Surprising how quickly she was ' meeting a friend' or going to the park.

I'm just back from my Pilates and feeling like a wreck. It's one of those days where everything felt very gentle in class but actually the teacher was trying to secretly break us. Had to limp to the car and truck and find a bit of floor , where I am now.
Bum

OK Stropps and other ladies - do I drive M4 and M5, or M3 and A303 - M3 is shorter but I'm wondering if M4 is faster?

MI - of course, congrat's to the young trumpeteer!

I think a storm is coming here, I am dripping and the sky is looking o!inous.

@ there being an urban Stroppelganger
Sorry to hear pilates is crippling you, Crem. I have to say I gave up yoga after about 8 weeks because I found I was in significantly more pain for about 3 days after the class. And my experience with pilates in the past has not been particularly positive. Maybe I should try again with a different teacher, but I'm unconvinced at the moment.
Still knackered, despite unusually long lie-in this morning. Got up to let the chickens out at 7, went back to bed for "5 mins" and woke up at 11 - that never happens.

Hatty, buying a waterproof was definitely a smart move. In N London today it has rained steadily and quite heavily since dawn, the sky is leaden grey and it is COLD. Take out a few t shirts and add a jumper and some wellies is my advice.

Here have managed 3 ladysplashes this week and feel quite virtuous. Need to resume ladyjogging for ultimate smugness though...

Lovely to hear about all the adventurous holidays. In an inspired move yesterday I persuaded someone to house and dogsit for me for a few days in a couple of weeks time. Have booked flights to Copenhagen for us all - have always wanted to go and really looking forward to it. Any tips / reccomendations? Haven't found anywhere to stay yet - whoops.

In the time it's taken me to type this it's raining twice as heavily as before... bloody hell.

Hatty, I would go M4 and M5. The A303 is a bastard of a road and frequently locked solid.

Ooh yes - big congrats to your trumpeter. MI. Grade 5 with merit is vvv good indeed. Here, we have a paltry Grade 2 in piano, but given that ds had to take it in a hurry a term early because his teacher suddenly decided to take a term's "maturity leave" in the autumn and ds was so anxious about the exam that we missed a year last year, we're happy he passed.

OK M4 it is then - thanks Stropps.

Amazing to hear from tilly and BD from exotic locations. You aren't missing anything….it's bucketing down as described and I have got drenched more than once today. Have spent 4 hours in a development team meeting feeling like a dumb arse, but as usual seem to have a lot of action notes with my initials next to them.mug And all this, despite protesting that I was going AWOL for the whole month of August and a bit of July

What can you do, MI? They just can't see the boundaries between Ma at work and Ma in non work mode. They gatecrash everything but don't want to Go and Do Something Suitable for Teens on Summer Hols….Maybe try Crem's sending on errand stunt? Mine break up today. DD has gone to Nandos with friends and will presumably arrive home like a drowned rat in due course. can't be arsed to pick up DS is on his last day at work experience which he has surprisingly, enjoyed. And has allegedly spoken a massive amount of French. They will both presumably be loafing around, sleep walking from one screen to another by tomorrow….

Good luck with the trip to Devon Hatty I have no idea about the motorways and routes. I would rather go a longer route and keep going than a shorter route with the risk of 6 mile tail backs sorry, unhelpful Maybe check BBC Travel before you get on the road?

I really am not impressed with this weather.

I'm so unimpressed I had to go and eat a completely gratuitous chocolate miniroll. I rather love minirolls. They pack a fabulously junkfood punch for a mere 70 or so calories. If one then does in fact saunter away from the tub, of course.

Have ordered a selection of foodstuffs for next week's lunches, including frozen garlic bread and small pizzas. And fishfingers, obvs.

Stroppelganger!

Crikey, this rain. DS and I were supposed to be having a picnic with our gang, in our usual idyllic spot in Epping Forest. Obvs this did not happen. Instead a few of us went to the Barbican and did the treasure hunt - following lots of clues to fill in some words and getting a prize at the end. Just the ticket. Also involved a lot of running around and around in vast Brutalist spaces while we drank coffee. Only mild dampness ensued during the dashes between stations and home/destination.

Chums round for curry and champers later to belatedly celebrate my PGCE finishing. Must take it easy, however, as have to drive to Bracknell tomorrow morning to see MiL. It would be nice if DP deigned to learn to drive - being the only one who can is beginning to wear pretty thin.

Packing up, it's been raining here too on and off.

Had a glorious afternoon with a very dishy gendarmerie after ds's rental bike was nicked from the beach car park, then arrived back to the campsite to find the bike has been retrieved from the sand dunes, with all labels stripped off and clearly an actual theft (as opposed to a bit of joy riding). So much relief.

The curfew has been set for midnight, after which all romances and drinking must stop ds has moved onto an American girl! She's 16, he's faking 15!

Raining in Paris too now. I have packed clothes for the entire temperature range - 10 to 30!

Waves from the dry North. DH actually managed 50 miles on his bike today so is very pleased with himself. He has started to go to a Heart Class and was told on Wednesday no badminton, squash, tennis etc., and absolutely no raising of arms over his head! When he was discharged from hospital he was given no restrictions so was rather upset. I suggested he rang his consultant who has said noo, as long as he is warmed up all is fine. DH has permission to tell the class this, so I think there may be storms ahead at the class.

I hope all the travelling goes ok, nothing worse than being on motorways in torrential rain.

Weird all the conflicting information NU. Maybe just gentle exercise until he's abolutely sure.

Agreed about rain on motorway - I once did Paris - Middlesbrough with rain all the way. It took me two days to recover.

Sorry, MI, I'd like to report that JH was an atrocious c**t, but he really wasn't.

at hearing all these exotic and far-flung holiday reports. Hell's Teeth, it was appalling weather today! The house is draped with wet "stuff" as both DD2 and DS were out and about in the pouring rain (raincoat? umbrella?? pfffftt!); also no-one bothered to empty the tent of duvets and sleeping bags before the deluge, so that all got soaked too. My finger was poised above the central heating button.

Hatty - agree with Strops - the A303 is the Road To Hell and to be avoided at all costs. M4/M5 is longer but usually faster and less stressful. I'm just watching the chaos around Folkestone/Dover on the news and feeling very sorry for everyone trying to get away (and hoping it won't affect us in a few weeks). Will it affect you, Hatty?

Need to book some hotels and whatnot for our few days in Belgium/Netherlands. Any ideas of nice places to go between Calais and Eindhoven?

It's all happening Crepeys. Have managed to track down somewhere to stay in Copenhagen so it's really happening (lucky as we'd already booked the flights!).
STILL pouring with rain and freezing here. Totally crap.