The Crepey Buds Of May

[GiddyGiddyGoat]

Err, how did that happen with no one noticing!
It's because we're all on the dark and stormy, sloe gin and prosecco innit.

Sorry for the not v inspired title but I panicked.

CV - how come your DS is doing the iGCSE? - that's what we do here as we're forrin.

I have used AirBnB - mainly for Cambridge, where it's been great but I just looked for the Lake District and looks like it's full of dodgy home owners on the make. I think it's too touristy so I'd be better staying with the regular sites. You will note crepeys how we have come down from my Iceland plan earlier in the year. It turned out it was going to cost about 8K and with no weather guarantee. I would still love to do it one day though. Things are too confused this year as I don't know where various teenagers are planning to be.

Crem - apparently Paris is the Airbnb capital of the world! Am going to abandon holiday cottages for now and watch The Durrells and Undercover.

MI - also thinking of you xx

MI, you are very much in my thoughts.

Sorry to have not been around much on-thread, but RL is ridiculously busy and I continue to have trouble being all the people I have to be.

The exams season has already started here with 2 lots of French orals last week. Dd has been so much better since the psychs increased the dose of her meds a few weeks ago. She has made frankly heroic attempts to get herself straight with her schoolwork and is now dealing with retaking most of last year's exams, plus doing all her A2s with an attendance record of, well, let's just say an awful lot less than 50% this year. She says that whatever happens on results day, she will deal with it. I respect her crazy pigheadedness, because she is so like me. I just hope that she can find a good way forward from all this eventually.
Ds is off on Scout camp this w/e. His dodgy arm means that he is not supposed to do some of the activities (e.g. climbing and abseiling), but there will be plenty he can do. Am expecting him to return smelly and exhausted tomorrow afternoon.

My HoD's mum dropped dead last w/e. Bit sad, as she is far away on another continent and HoD had not seen her for 18 months. Hod now off there for funeral etc and all is already falling apart at work.

I organised a date night with dh last night, which was actually really fun. Ah bless him, he is shit at housework, but he is so kind and really makes me larf. However, we were both so knackered due to work that we both had to go to sleep as soon as we got in. Can't take the pace any more.

beautiful woods with oak, silver birch, swathes of bluebells and wood anemones (and lovely people). heaven. well worth the journey

stropps, well done to your dd - sounds like she's finding her way, whatever it will turn out to be

crem - hope you're right and dps consider moving

MI - thinking of you

Sorry to miss the Dark and Stormys!

Dd is finally having her birthday treat from last year - a spa day for her and 3 friends at a luxury hotel on the coast. She was given the voucher (by me) last July, but refused to discuss using it until about 6 weeks ago. She said it was "too stressful" to organise 3 of her friends to come, so instead she has invited her (current) BFF and me and my friend who lives across the road and is Not Crepey. Next Saturday is the day. I am very much looking forward to it.
Dd has also not been out partying since Easter Sunday. It's all probably too little, too late, but at least she's going in the right direction. It's amazing to see her making sense to herself again, though.

Was such a gorgeous day.

MI and Auriga, you are right I think. MI, glad yesterday panned out better tan expected.

Hatty, we went to Iceland a few years back: stayed in a youth hostel, a couple of farms, rented a house, and a BnB in the city. Going beyond the basics once out of the greater R areas gets expensive very quickly as there isn't much but lots of the farms do BnB. I have been to Bassenthwaite (lovely), in a house on the coast. It was a bit of a drive to the Lake District though. Is it the Lakes or nothing (we have found cottages in the Peaks, near pubs, great walking, much emptier, good rocks if that appeals)?

Stropps, dd is doing brilliantly I think. Hats off to her, and to you. I tried to have a date night on Friday but forgot to tell dh so we ended up in different venues!

Thanks, Lalsy and addle. It's all still very much on a one day at a time basis, but there have indeed been plenty of positive developments.
Trying to catch up on the old thread: woah Beachy, go girl! Good luck with the next chapter!

Strops - I'm sooo cheered by news of DD - it does sound like it is starting to come good for her (athough I realise you have to take things one day at a time). The spa day sounds lovely. And isn't it nice when a date night, or time away from the daily grind, reminds you why you are together?

Hattie - DS is doing iGCSE in addition to the regular GCSE because he is rubbish at English, and it's the school's canny ruse to get the weaker pupils the necessary C. I'm not complaining, tbh - it's never been his "thing", and it would be a right royal PITA if he had to retake English next year. Part of the iGCSE qualification required him to talk for five minutes about a chosen subject - a doddle for him!

DH has a sunburnt forehead. Quite how he's going to cope with August in California is beyond me.

CV, they do English iGCSE at the DCs comps. The hardest bit for DD was the speaking

Stropps, fantastic on the DS front! And how lovely and telling that she is taking you to the spa

Dark and Stormy night was fab, and no hangover this morning (even with the extremely alcoholic daiquiri) was a bonus!

Addle, that sounds idyllic - was it a secret venue or can you share?

We have just had a family Netflix evening watching The Hunting Ground - rather traumatic but educational.

Since last night I have been looking at the old thread and wondering where everybody was ... doh ...

MI, my thoughts are with you and your family: it was good that DH and the girls were able to come up today. And Auriga is quite right, I am sure, about DM shaping you .

Stropps, how encouraging about DD, fingers crossed for her (and you). I hope DS enjoys himself.

CV, whereabouts are you going to in California?

Crem, good to hear DPs are recovering, albeit slowly.

I was jealous to read about good weather, as it has been pretty miserable here. I am quite depressed actually as though we are ok with DS and family (and it has been easier than expected, tbh) I am sick of the state of the house with clutter everywhere. I seem stuck in limbo, with no energy or inclination to do anything, all trivial I know compared with what other Crepeys are facing.

Not trivial NU, it is really hard to live surrounded by clutter. Think that's why kondo has been so popular. Is there an end in sight (sorry, I can't remember). Hope you get some sunshine soon too.

Morning all.

The slow decline continues.

Excellent news re DD, Stropps. Long may it continue!

I am surrounded by clutter still and despair that we will ever get straight. Apparently we are going to put a lot of my stuff into storage, so that we can get straight. So DH has bought a load of packing boxes, which have been unpacked, propped up against the rowing machine, and have made an excellent scratching post for the cats...

Went to friend's 70th birthday party, which was a bit depressing, as she has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and the prognosis isn't great, apparently. Peeps, when you hit your 70s, can I please urge you all to embrace colour? Apart from my friend, who always looks glam (she was wearing a bronze and black trouser suit, and full slap) and a woman with a sharp grey geometric bob, in a red dress, with a statement necklace, the rest were all wearing muted greys, pale blues and beige, mostly shapeless. A good bra would have done wonders for most of them, and the woman who informed me, with some pride, that she still wore bikini knickers, and was not going to succumb to Big Pants, really should have embraced Big Pants with gusto, or at least bought her bikini briefs two sized larger, as it was more cheese wire effect than Visible Panty Line. And the Hotter Sandal was much in evidence.

Feel very worried and sad about my friend. She is moving back to UK, at least for the foreseeable future, while they sort her out.

Oh and Crem, re the violet liqueur, use it with white wine for a Violette Kir. I don't know what it tastes like, but a friend of mine used to love it.

Yes to a large shaping knicker. Like Rose , I like a high leg , but they are hard to get right, so big pant it is. [pants]
Huzzah for colour Mrs S. I can't see our generation sliding into beige ,really. Although there are an increasing amount of sack dresses out there courtesy of Toast and Cos.Yet there's so much more one can get away with now. I Like the sound of the lady in the red frock with statement jewellery.
So sorry to hear your friend has breast cancer. Is there no hope Mrs S? Recovery rates are good, but perhaps that depends on age.

NU , so very sorry you are feeling low. I can't imagine how you manage in the midst of family all around =mess. Keep your eye on the end of the tunnel, and try and do small tidying if you can. Looking at it all is bound to overwhelm I'm sure. Thinking of you.

Stropps, what a difference a year makes. Imagine trying to arrange a spa day with DD , this time last year. I know it's early days, but wow. Good on both of you. Amazing women.

Is anyone in touch with Molly?

Crem, yep, I know. It would have been Murder in the Steam Room at best. (Don't get me wrong, there is still the potential for meltdowns on a regular basis. And the tension between dd and dh is still pretty much in evidence, with yours truly having to mediate most of the bloody time.) I'm glad to hear that your dps are feeling a bit better, but am not surprised the dual lurgy experience has knocked their confidence. Hope they start to think about moving sooner rather than later.

MI, so glad that you had a bit of uplifting respite yesterday. You're doing an amazing job and please give yourself pats on the back at least hourly.

MrsS, that's miserable news about your friend. :( With regard to beige-i-tude, I'm afraid I am one of those beigey old biddies fading into the background. I mean, I wear a fair bit of colour and am what someone recently termed 'a playful dresser' (I think this means that I manage to stay a whisker's breadth away from full-on eccentricity) - but I think people either only see the colourful clothes or they see my shrivelled beige old face and frazzled hair. The two don't go together. If I try to do glam, I just end up looking like a pantomime dame.

NU, you deserve several medals for having an entire family and their pets in your house for so long without there being any outbreak of hostilities. My good humour would have lasted less than half a day in your circs.

I rarely watch any TV, but I'm going to have a look at bits of that Normal for Norfolk on iplayer, as dm knows all the people and at least one cousin has featured in it. Although, dm says the programme is v boring as everyone is being much more sensible than they are in RL.

'Making more sense to herself' That is excellent Strops.

I have been reading on my phone but kept trying to use an old password to get in and post, as I re-set phone. Durr.

MI - If I could send you energy and peace I would fax it to you forthwith .

I've had a quiet weekend embarking on re-read of novel. There is much de-cluttering to do in the first two thirds, but it ends well (and all's well that).

DD1 has been here. Mostly writing songs and dancing in her room. She is so happy in her own company - chip off the old block. Today she's gone shopping with mates for a party outfit. Her face when I gave her four twenty pound notes was a picture. She's so used to us/me not having money, it was a pleasure to give it to her.

DD2 has been with DH in his home town where she ran in and won a race. She was tripped over at the start (DH saw her in tears, and feared for their long trip home) and third after one lap, then won. Am very proud.

Going to galvanise myself to collect Mum's Doro easyphone (cheap one, not smartphone) then do some serious tidying/decluttering in our front and back room.

Will have to borrow a neighbour for safety at 6 when someone comes to see the drumkit. Hope they'll flash the cash and take it with them, would be nice to see the back of it before the week starts.

Gosh a lot going on in Crepeys lives!

stropps it's heart warming to hear DD seems to be going in a happier direction. Lovely news.

NU perhaps you don't realise how much you're dealing with. It's no mean feat to have a whole family move in with you for some considerable time. And when one surveys ones abode and only sees the clutter and the jobs that need doing, it isn't a happy thing. Sorry the weathers lousy where you are. It doesn't help doesn't it.

crem DParents will recover but this has been a nasty bug. Small steps.

mrsS how awful for your friend to have to face a big birthday gathering having just got such bad news. I hope they can get the disease under control at least.

Not a happy place chez nous. The revision and associated stress is up in the red zone. I am having to push DD so hard and she is working but it's so soul destroying when she does one past paper, after another, and gets such low marks. And we are so surrounded by people going on about their DCs wonderful predicted grades. My job is then to bolster up DDs confidence and tell her she's doing well. As convincingly as I can. I. Am. Exhausted. It's bank holiday and lovely weather. We should be out walking and picnicking. Sorry to miss the MU. It would have been a lovely distraction.

Yes indeed...where is molly ?

Ps waf I wept when DS1 sold his beautiful purple Zildjian drum kit. I liked all that banging and crashing.....

NU, I don't blame you for feeling fed up - clutter does my head in too

Stropps, you are NOT a beige person. Stop putting yourself down! And I wonder if MI knows any of the Normal for Norfolk too?!

WAF, how fab for DD2 and lovely that DD1 is enjoying a shopping spree. In that shopping centre that is nearby and perfect for pre-teens and young teens?!

I PMd Molly the other day - I think RL has got in the way, but she was KOBO. I hope.

Pleased to say that I have had a more productive day than yesterday - Karcher'd the patio's (though needs more), shouted at DH for being so bloody useless at DIY (need more wire up for the climbers and he has even bodged that. Again) and been for a cycle ride/lunch with a friend. Thankfully DH and DS have gone to watch the local team at an away match with friends, so a bit of peace for now, apart from DD singing at the top of her voice whilst she is revising

I also heard from Molly. She's fine.

Blimey crepeys, I'm bushed.

Spent today and yesterday chez Aged Ps, and it's just exhausting. DSis was there, with niece, which was great. She was the one who had epilepsy, and operation on her brain. In November, before the op, she was in a wheelchair, incontinent and slurred her words. The other day she came near the top in a running race, and she spent the weekend chasing around with DS like nothing was ever the matter. An absolute miracle.

DSis bought High Tea for all in Lavenham, but marred rather by DMum's knees being agony and her taking it out on the waiting staff, DDad having to be taken to the loo every five minutes, and not hearing or remembering what anyone said, and DS playing up because it was so posh.

House is filthy, not helped by DDad generally missing the loo on most occasions, as he's nearly blind but won't have his cataract done. Niece broke the stairlift, which is now stuck halfway up the stairs, beeping forlornly.

DMum booked in for a knee replacement over half term, so Sis and I will have to look after dad, which will drive me utterly DEMENTED.

Couldn't wait to get away, and now of course feel hideously guilty.

Herbs, that all sounds v tough and wearing, apart from the news about your dn, which has me welling up......that is sooooo wonderful.

Rose, sorry it is all so stressful with dd - which year is she in?

Herbs darling, let us help in seeing if your dad qualifies for any assistance and/or it can be paid for. I see your cataract and raise you my dad's hearing - though it could be worse as he did consent to cataract op.

Heading home for respite tomorrow, assuming that my mother continues to grip on. Darling cousin brought Cook coq au vin today. Sis looking vv fragile. DP lecturing me sententiously on value of doing this - he did it for his mum, to be fair, and assures me he'd do it for me (I said please book me into a hospice WHERE THE DRUGS ARE ON HAND). Coop gin surprisingly drinkable.