Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Crepes in this petty pace from day to day

[CointreauVersial]

Anything but the C-word!

Good luck Herbs! Lovely to see you appearing over the waves, NU.

And lovely to see everyone on Saturday. As I kept saying in slightly maudlin fashion when I finally reached you, it was a fantastic sight - whole table of fabulous women having fabulous time.

11 day rota is genius (?Magi). may stick a list up somewhere that I can check off - weekdays we alternate between pasta, cheat's paella (ie tinned mackerel etc), lentil stew (curried or otherwise loosely flavoured), traybakes, that spicy egg and tomato thing Ottolenghi does, that lentil and rice thing with onions O. does, and obviously leftovers. ds not keen on potatoes unless roast but quite tolerant otherwise.

mrsS is chicken paprikas what I think it is...my grandmother used to call it paprika hoon ( hoon probably being 'hen') ....a sort of braised chicken with loads of said spice...I haven't had it for years!! Love red cabbage too....

Nuuuuuuuu!,
Welcome back. Lucky old you in the sunshine. Enjoy yourself and come back rested and lightly bronzed.

Rose that looks very nice indeed. We necked my tart too quickly for photos. It did look very tempting ( as Mary Berry would say )

NU! Hello....

I also hope I left enough..... Please let me know if not..... (I still got home before the LA Gav lot!)

Hellooooo NU!!!!

The IT system was indeed staffed by someone who kept talking in acronyms. I managed finally at least to log in and to get to my email. Have no idea how to do anything else and not for want of trying to find out - I really am trying to leave behind a lifetime of lady horror about anything technical...

Hi NU!! :)

Very best of luck, Herbs. That sort of interview process is standard procedure for all teaching jobs now. Be warned - they didn't give me any lunch when I went for that interview in the summer and the timings got all stuffed up, so I didn't get into the actual panel interview until 1.30, by which time I was ready to eat the chair. This may or may not have affected my performance. Take supplies, just in case, would be my advice.

MI, best of luck for Wed. I hope all the IT glitches are ironed out by then.

Rather predictably, dd had a crisis this morning. I had 2 deadlines to meet by midday, but also managed to sort her out enough to get her into school by 10.30. Have had an email exchange with the head of year and her tutors and one of the tutors tracked her down and spoke to her this afternoon. Among many other things, I suggested to dd this morning that she might benefit from bereavement counselling and for the first time ever she agreed with me. However, she also agreed with me when I said that I suspected that if I set it all up for her, she would go along with the idea until the first appointment and then refuse to go. Still, maybe one day she'll be brave enough to actually take the step.

MrsS, your winter menu gave me wind just reading it. I am possibly the most flatulent person on the planet and ingesting cabbage or onions in any quantity at all is unwise. Indeed the list of things I cannot/should not eat because of their effect on my insides is very long, sadly. Well, I can eat them - but I then need to spend 24 hours on my own in a field. Ours is probably the only household in the country where it is never the dog that gets blamed for any unfortunate emanations.

God yes, I've just reread it and my IBS is acting up immediately.

Lunch was not mentioned, but as my interview isn't until 2, I should have time to dash out to a peculiar corner shop for a bag of skips and a carton of Just Juice if dining at the top table isn't forthcoming.

DP made us squash and chickpea curry tonight, which may or may not prove wise tomorrow morning. I've got to get to the school by 7.45! Which is about when I usually get up...

Let's definitely share some quick and easy dinner ideas.
Today I made a Nigel Slater salmon curryish thing - which was very easy and very delicious - from the 'Kitchen Diaries'. Served with green beans and naan bread. Dh and ds1 really liked it. Ds2 refused to even try it and just had c 6 green beans for hus supper.... Such is my life.

Re money on Saturday night, I can confirm that everyone left the right amount - CV expertly worked out the bill

Cremo, could I get your recipe for microwaved red cabbage please?

There seem to be a lot of chickpeas and green beans going on tonight!

GGG, I am amazed that your DS2 could survive on 6 green beans - mine won't touch green beans with a barge-pole!

Stropps, that is good that she has acknowledged it - will you attempt to get any info - there are various charities which offer support/counselling which might be worth looking at for her to not turn up at?!

And NU, lovely to see you!

He is not only a very fussy eater but also stubborn as a mule - (can't imagine where he gets that from) - a potent and infuriating combination.

Tonight we had halloumi, sulkily dry fried with leftover salad (half a bag of lettuce, half a pepper, the end of a cucumber, some tinned sweetcorn that was sloshing about in the fridge, an avocado that had seen better days and tomatoes). It was adequate, but I wasn't putting in any more effort. Something in it is making me more than a bit windy, and I am sitting on the chaise longue firing out little staccato farts. TMI...

Fwiw I never ate a nourishing vegetable until I was in my 20s. Perhaps a raw carrot stick or a little sweetcorn, but anything green no way Jose. Surprisingly I survived and pretty much live off veg, some of which I even grow myself. Dmum never fussed, never hid a vegetable, just fed me fruit and potatoes I suppose. I love cabbage, love love love it, but this is relatively recent phenomenon.

BTM of course.
1 small red cabbage
1 Bramley or similar style apple
Some brown sugar, muscovado by choice
Water
Balsamic vinegar

Take a microwaveable and ovenproof dish with a lid.( I have a two person size ceramic casserole dish)
Very finely slice the red cabbage. Peel and core a cooking apple and chop into thin slices.
Put a good handful of the red cabbage into the casserole. Arrange a layer of apple slices. Continue in this vein until all used up. add a little water to the pot,and a splash of balsamic vinegar if you have some.
Season with s&p and a dessertspoonful of brown sugar. Cling film the top and place the casserole lid on top of this.
Microwave on full for 2mins. Remove and stir. Replace the cling and lid and mw again for another minute. Discard the cling film. Stir again and transfer to the oven for up to 30mins, while making rest of dinner.

That money-counting on Saturday evening was a bit of a challenge; I don't know which made it harder - GGG stealing notes out of my "already counted" pile, or the fact that I had drunk so much red wine I was seeing double. Restaurant seemed happy, anyway....!

Sniggering at Strops and her wind. Dinner this evening was particularly easy, and required no effort on my part, because I left it all to DH and DD1 while I took DS to an Open Evening at the local sixth form college. Much food for thought - they do certain A levels and BTECs that current school doesn't.

And who did we bump into? XGF and her DM...... Awk-ward! DS ignored them both completely and walked straight past, but I am not fifteen stopped for a brief chat - things seem to have settled down a bit, thank goodness, and DM was perfectly friendly. I later found DS cowering round the corner like a scared rabbit.

And welcome back, NU! Enjoy your holiday.

Oooh yes, and I have won a £100 Hobbycraft voucher after commenting on a thread. Guess what the DDs and DNieces will be getting for Christmas?

Sorry CV [shame]. You managed admirably despite my interference!

even.

Bit of a sidetrack, but...what's the difference between shame and embarrassment? Shame's a lot worse, innit, with some element of public humiliation? I'm sure I've read some tract about the social control uses of shame....

Apols if no-one else remotely interested - it's just that I see as embarrassment, not shame, so I was struck by GGG's post.

MI, maybe you could ask an anthropologist for us.

I've just been listening to R4 all about our close relations, chimps and bonobos. Chimps are nasty, bonobos are lovely and empathic. Appaz we should be less chimpy and more bonoby.

Hi, NU, glad you're having a great time. Good luck, Herbs!

Good luck Herbs!

I see the bonkers interviewing of teachers hasn't changed. In my day they used to make you all wait until everyone had been interviewed to get the outcome - that made for a tres long day!

Oh yes, CollyMolly - you could do a Shades of Meaning exercise with shame/embarrassment/humiliation, etc!

Herbs, hope you're up and getting your smart Sainsbo's outfit on

CV, eek on bumping into GF and DM! Make sure you find out as much as you can about the sixth form college and whether it is a good match in all ways (as well as offering different subjects) for your DS - after DD's experiences on changing school for sixth form!

I'm up, having hardly slept. Sainsbury's dress on, heart racing, mind blank. I bloody hate this stuff.

Still, I'll know by the end of today.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

GOOD LUCK HERBS

Mrs S - you should open a restaurant - your food sounds fab.

NU - A big hello - very jealous of your beach holiday.