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

[CointreauVersial]

Anything but the C-word!

Yes, Stropps. Unclear why you can't go to your mum's without DD.

GGG - I well up whenever I think of The Young leaving home. Crying and gin would seem good answers.

Poor DS. We just met up with some friends and their kiddies at the local museum garden. They did the usual 'pointless running about' for ages, then it turned into a game involving a gun and a ball. But it was always DS being fired at or kicked at. He's so easy-going he just goes along with it all. A grown up intervened and asked if he was OK, to give him an 'out', but he just said he was fine. Then five minutes later ran up to me bawling. And he hardly ever cries. He's so like me - goes along with stuff as doesn't know how to say no, then can't get himself out of the situation as lack of confidence/assertiveness. His friend, one of the ringleaders, sent a video message to apologise, however...

Stropps, just catching up on this thread - have some to help deal with it all. DD2 is refusing to go on her French exchange (leaves on Friday). DD1 has come home, gone out, and is going to another party tonight. DH is his usual grumpy self. Shitten has an upset stomach and has wiped its arse round the bathroom. The joy of being away for 24 hours.

I am wheezing, stink of fags and sound like I am on 40 a day. It is like having the Daily Mail being broadcast loudly, on a loop, spending time with my mother. I thought she might be more sympathetic to refugees, given that her grandparents were refugees, and that more of the family came over here before WW2, and still more in 1956. But no.

MrsS, your DD1 is turning into quite a party animal. I wonder who she takes after?
Sorry your DM is still stuck in Mary Whitehouse/Daily Fail/etc 1971 What pearls of wisdom does she have to share this time?

Herbs, assertiveness training?

Am back home reclining on the sofa with a large cup of tea - think alcohol might not be the answer right now!

Ds1 dropped off and all went smoothly - but it was very odd and hard actually LEAVING him there - I mean my head knew that was sort of the point but it still seemed quite bizarre. I haven't sobbed - yet - just feel very strange and a bit bereft. It's a complicated business as I'm so pleased and excited for him as well as very sad that he's gone... He's taken his cuddly rabbit that he's had since a baby with him though so he should be fine

Aww at cuddly bunny... he'll be fine, you'll be fine.

DH has been shopping, so the fridge is full. We now have stuff to eat: salmon, smoked salmon and salad. There is also a lot of Champagne...

Aargh, the cuddly rabbit detail almost set me off blubbing there, GGG.
I have decided I need to spend tomorrow continuing with some serious gardening (creating a new bit of lawn out of a wilderness) which I've been putting off since the spring. Will plan for Friday visit to Dm and in all honesty I'm not feeling like playing happy families just now, so maybe solo visit is no bad thing.
How very cheering to hear the update about your Dm, MI. Good on her. And how nice for you to have a pleasant visit.
Am ignoring Dd's idiocies and am going to watch Pitch Perfect 2 with her tonight. Am also ignoring her diktat from this morning about how she is now a vegan and serving chicken bourgignon. Vegan, my arse.
I had a set of great grandparents who were immigrants. My Dm finds this v easy to ignore, as they were my Df's grandparents.

GGG love the cuddly rabbit thing. dS2 still has "Blanket " which makes the occasional appearance. I wonder if he'll take it to Uni next year.....?Your DS will be fine and so will you. I always think there's something wrong with me that I don't mind so very much if my DC go away. ds1 has been threatening to go Down Under to work for a bit. The threat is now a reality....he has his plane ticket for January. People keep asking me if I'm happy about it.,..and aren't I so upset and worried. I'm fine with it... I am not a real mother, I think.

stropps tilly mrsS sorry about DDs giving you so much grief in one way or another. I think you handle it all so well.

MI that sounds like a much better visit. Your DM is quite the trooper, even is she does drive you bonkers.

BD sensible moves, I think. Don't end up fire fighting like us. Get help and make arrangements before you really need them.

Oh cremo there's little you can do if he's determined to become a cardiac invalid. Might he be depressed...? might some treatment in that direction be of help?

CV Can you kindly tell exGF's DM that there really isn't anything more to say. Or make some excuse. I mean, you hardly want to get into a quasi MIL role when it's teens and first loves. Unless you really want to keep her for a friend, of course. I bet the young people would be cringing.

herbs poor DS. It's the kind and tolerant ones that suffer isn't it...although they will ultimately be the nicer people when they grow up and great husband material maybe a word or two about there being no need to carry on with a game that makes him unhappy as games are meant to be fun? Good that the other guy apologied though.

Phew...have I caught up? Sorry if I missed anyone out. It's a peaceful haven here and really what we need. DS is in a surprisingly good mood...has something to do with having done his homework before we left, I think. dd only has art and has done the bulk of it. DH now has DDs cold manflu and is being a right miserable bastard as men often are when afflicted. I am developing a nervous twitch as I always do she everyone around me is ill...
Nevertheless, we managed a six mile hike today followed by an obscenely gluttonous cream tea at local hotel (see FB). My feet hurt.

I must ensure I've invited all crepeys. I've done most by Facebook - let me know if I've missed anyone out!

Hotel wise we have both a travelodge (at the tube station) and an ibis (in a slightly less savoury location but fine). Plus various other less corporate options.

You are quite clearly a brilliant Mum Rose - really. For me I think it's difficult because the emotions are so mixed. Anxious about him managing everything and being happy, sad about him not being here with the rest of us, excited for him and proud of all he's had to do to get there... a bit rollercoasterish.

Rose, we used to spend lots of time in Middleton when I was small - have many hapy memories of the beach there and riding lessons. Am sure I've been for tea at that hotel too!

Rudy, we'll be here to hold your hand when it's your turn .

Erm Herbs haven't seen invite? But to be honest the way my life is at the moment I could have missed a large rock hitting planet earth...

Re ds oh please please find a solution (and let me know what it is) low status is fine if inside you are mega confident (looking at you dp), absolute bugger if you are not... I bear the scars - and am trying to guide do to..

Rose you are a bloody star - I loves you. You are so caring and supportive,

Strops - hoping things settle....

Have gone with BTM's suggestion and told XGF's DM I am "really busy at the moment". We shall see if she buys it.

Herbs, I'm not on FB.....

I'm sure that's a good tactic CV. If she persists you might just want to be blunt - and say something like best not as ds would be upset if he thought you were talking about this with her (which I expect would be the truth!).

Cuddly rabbit [wails]. GGG that is exactly it - leaving them feels so...odd even though (in our case) we had done a five hr drive to achieve that! Then the house feels so....odd. Back from my day out with dd, we had a lovely time and I saw her house and tiny bedroom (complete with fluffy duck). We get on much better now than we ever did when she was at home - I didn't feel sad to see how her this year Rose - it felt right. Suspect ds' departure may be a different matter.

Rudy, crepey solidarity as we watch our teens depart is a wonderful thing.

GGG, well done on parting with your ds. It's a dreadful wrench, isn't it? I'd like to know when the voice in one's head saying "Is he alright?" stops. A friend of mine with 4 dc said that she manages to forget about her adult dc as long as they're out of sight and out of mind, but once she's back in contact, she starts with the worrying again. I have to say I find that true of ds. At least we are now reasonably confident that he'll tell us when things are not OK.

CV, my only concern re XGF DM would be if some trouble were brewing. If gf were thinking of any kind of complaint which could be headed off by you meeting gf DM. EG, she's not likely to be pregnant? Sorry to be so blunt! Don't want to alarm you!

Herbs, I'm not on FB, so I have been cheeky enough to PM you.

Farinelli and the King
...wonderful

Oh, I'm a huge fan of Mark Rylance. I'll see if any of me mates want to go to it.

Well done for not weeping over him GGG. I'm pushing away the thought that this will be us in two years.

DD's speech at open day was impressive & made me proud and oddly sad at the same time. I was looking at all the hopeful parents whose girls haven't yet started and wishing we could do it all again.

Big catch-up day today, which is probably why I'm still in bed

MI, good to hear you've had a pleasant visit to your Mum and found yourself able to appreciate her. It can be hard to get in touch with those positive feelings in among all the crap.

Lovely night out with friends last night, can't believe I haven't got a hangover.

Got to pack up the sitting room today for the floor-sander-man - it badly needs redoing. On a house S&B note, I am wanting to replace the old rug we have, and I am very keen on this However, I can't decide if it is (a silly choice with teens in the house) better to go for the large one - same size as current rug or medium (because then we could walk round it rather than over it IYSWIM). I think the medium might just look stupidly small. Or perhaps I shouldn't be thinking of cream. Thoughts please!

Herbs/other crepeys, are we bringing our other halfs to your party? And is everyone staying over or are S London crepeys heading home on the tube/bus?!

Staying over??? I missed that bit. I assumed a man in a red sports car would whizz me home, probably making hopeful suggestions about Taking The Top Down, which obvious he thinks is hilarious and I riposte about being Offered a Ride.

I ought to do some music practice, but decorator is meant to come round to check out DD2's crumbling room...

Hmmm re rug - but I think that's because the Inferiority Complex is mainly festooned with effnic rugs inherited from DP's mum. It is perhaps the only area of decor on which we agree.

It's a lovely rug, but I'd get the large, so you can sit on it. Depends on how messy they are or how long you want it to last. I'm slightly of the mind that things last less time the more they are enjoyed and if you've had good use out of something, it's ok if it gets a bit shabby and then has to be replaced sooner. Obviously, a cup of tea spilt on the first evening would be vair vair annoying......

GGG, how are you feeling this morning? It is a bit of a process you go through. I have reasonable amount of contact with dd1, dh has virtually none as he stubbornly refuses to embrace technology, but we are trying to get her to ring home every so often so at least her siblings can speak to her. We've set up a family WhatsApp group so pictures of lunches, art works, dogs and anything we find funny can quickly be shared. I can't believe you said you spent time in M-O-S when you were young - it's where ddad is and where I spent my whole misspent youth.... or maybe we've had this conversation!

I'm so glad your mum is looking/feeling better, MI. That's one trip well spent.

Auriga, we had the Open Day yesterday of the school dd2 hopes to go to - same group as your dd. We heard some marvelous speeches, especially from an old girl who had just finished an experimental psychology degree and was really full of confidence.

I walked into the hall there and found five, really nice Y6 girls that dd2 had known at her old school (the school I hated and pulled both of my dc out of)....so it looks like lots are finally deserting the hideous place. However, it does mean that if she does go there, she'll virtually know the whole class on day one, which would be great

Full of cold again today so planning to do lots of pottering around and homework management today. Dh starts back at work again tomorrow, so looking forward to my free days off at the end of the week.