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.

Becharoo, I would pay good money to get away to a tent at chateau Beachy. But I can't go tenting as we are away so Dh can indulge his midlife crisis love of learning French Patisserie. It was a Christmas Pressie from moi. Gawd help us.

but thank you, and I will aim to come some year as it always sounds amazing.

Mrs S, that sounds like something that would happen to me. Which is why I gave up tampons. Well done for pulling it off gracefully in public.

RANT ALERT
I have written a resignation letter, but am keeping it in a holding pattern. ( in handbag) I won't send it until there really is no option. I am relentlessly being asked to do things which cause me either stress or outrage. I have a horrible narcissistic co-worker who is frankly terrorising me for her own pleasure. I have a crowd of 'bosses' who get paid 10 times what I get paid , but who do sod all and 'delegate' or pass on everything to me to sort out despite having removed all control of said issues from me. Fed up doesn't cover it.

All the interviews I've been to are competency based as well. My brain just doesn't work in that clear cut way. I try, but my creative side takes over and I don't seem to be able to stick to 'The Script'. The ageism going on is startling. And don't even mention feedback. Herbs, I've never had an encouraging comment. Experience counts for nothing these days. They want proof, youth and bits of paper.
Its all vomit-inducing.

Tonight I shall watch Welsh Crime Drama in the shape of Hinterland and sip slow gin fabricated by dh last year, in a complete huff. He is currently making macaroons flavoured with sloe gin. Fancy pants. Fuck me you have to laugh.

I agree with "proof, yoof and bits of paper" Crem. I am the oldest in my department by 10 years.

Tis dm's birthday today ( on subject of buying gifts for the elderly). She is so thin that her mattress has become agony, so I have got her a single mattress topper for her side of the bed. no doubt she will look at me like I've two heads, but she is impossible to buy for and want nothing. Maybe Ill bring her some of dh's macarons as well.

Wow Cremo, can I come to yours for tea?!
Love that you are carrying your letter of resignation around in your handbag But not that you need one

I am NOT the oldest at my place of work - I think I am 9th out of about 25, but there are a few of us of a similar age

DH has just returned from a tennis open day. With an injury. How predictable is he?

Cremo - work sounds really shite - although like your handbag pending system.

I must be the only person who is not blown away by macaroons - people buy them at posh patisseries and go on about them and I think they are just "alright". I like a nice British pudding - crumble or a slice of Victoria sandwich. As you can see I've really adapted to France!

DH has snuck out and bought nasty black speakers for the telly. A huge black thing has been put in the place of my vase - not the aesthetic I was going for in the living room.

.....well it turns out nasty black speakers are pretty cool and can be plugged into Youtube - have been educating DD2 with Wham when they were cool - Wham Rap, Young Guns (George looks about 12) and ABC - All of My Heart, Poison Arrow - Martin Fry still gorgeous inspite of dodgy hair. Sigh 1980's pop videos - moody, superficial but fun.

Am I all alone this evening? Can you tell I've had rosé?

Good for you, Hatty! Is DD2 enjoying her education or just goggling at what passed for music videos back in the 80s?

I have a 15 minute wait between coats of teak oil on the garden table. Pots are now overflowing with Lidl bedding plants (yes, I agree, shrubs and perennials in the borders, but you need a few geraniums and marigolds in yer patio pots). I just need my patio back now.

Last night's Footy BBQ was lovely, a big farewell to the team with a long speech from their coach, including a slide show ("ahhh, weren't they cute?"). DS had the most caps of anyone in the team (118 apprearances), and DH got a bottle of Jameson to thank him for being the dad who, every week, puts the nets away, picks up the cones, runs the line etc. etc. Same again tomorrow for his other team!!

DD1 staggered back from her DofE hike (first words were "I'm NOT doing Silver!), but it all went well, and she wasn't too tired. She had a tear in her eye when she came into the living room to find that DS (the big softy) had set up the foot-spa and made her a cup of tea. Aww.

It was when I realised that a high proportion of the office had not been born when I first went into the City, that I realised I had to go.

Luckily for me, where I currently live, I am yoof

I have been to a glorious party today, celebrating a friends remission from cancer. Must have been 100 people there, hog roasting and drinking fizz..... Lovely.

I'm home now so I can indulge before Eurovision....

CV - DD2 approves and was dancing. Your DC obviously get on better than mine. DS do something nice for DD2? - over his dead body!

Beachy - the party sounds lovely. I shall dip into Eurovision at the end. DS is out so I shall find a film to watch with DH.

Oh CV, that is so sweet! dd once did a cadet march in the wrong boots and came home with a blister covering most of her foot, great slabs of skin hanging off. We all said urrgh put it away.

Crem, the *s. Just awful. You deserve so much better.

My own DD1 is off doing DoE practice. DP and I nipped down to Canterbury for the afternoon in his Midlifecrisismobile.

Good charity shops including a fab bookshop.

I am beginning to feel slightly more human (I realise it's a loooong journey but I don't need to go back to bed every 20 minutes) . This may be partly because I finally picked up my Great Novel, henceforth to be known as the Choli-ripper

Glad to hear it, MI . Do go back to bed as often as you need to for the duration - it will pass.

at Choli-ripper.

Hatty - it gladdens my heart, particularly because they never got along as young children. They then settled into several years of distant but largely benign co-existence. Only when DD1 started at secondary did they discover they had a few things in common, and now they genuinely get along well. They are also united in their belief that DD2 is an irritating little squirrel, who will be giving us the right runaround once she hits her teens (in three month's time...eek).

Eurovision - hooray!! DH is armed with his notebook and pen....as usual, I'm watching with half an eye and chuckling at Graham Norton and his norty commentary.

Well - I think the UK song deserved much better than that - if One Direction had sung it , it would have been a hit. Like the new voting system. Ukraine ... well it's a protest song innit.

So pleased to hear you are feeling a bit better, MI.

Off to start to clear DH's aunt's flat. Hopefully she will be in a nursing home in a few days.

MM, sympathies - not a great/easy job, she is lucky to have you to do it

Hatty, those vid's bring back memories - I wonder if I still know every word of each song!

Beachy, that party sounds great.

CV, your DS sounds so similar to mine

Great night out last night - early doors with DH for hipster pubs, burgers and cocktails then I ditched him (he said DD and DS were snuggled up on the sofa watching DVD's of themselves as toddlers when he got in!) and met MI and MrsS for more cocktails. And no hangover this morning - result!

Handy S&B tip: after ingesting a couple of pints of strong beer, DO NOT succumb to the urge to apply fake tan. The results the following morning may not be exactly as you had envisaged. Ho hum.

Herbs, damn and blarst re: job. However, the interview must count as good practice and at least you live in an area where other jobs will come up. Sorry you have to dispiriting rubbish job in the meantime, though.

Crem, I was so sad to hear about bereaved goatmama. And very to hear about the state of play at your workplace. And gah, ageism. I am beginning to wonder whether there is any point in my doing a very expensive and taxing qualification next year, as I'm not sure I will actually be able to get enough work to make it worth my while.

MI, glad to hear you're feeling a bit better. Those cocktails were clearly medicinal.

CV, how lovely that your dcs get on so well. I have to say I chortled a bit about the slogging up Box Hill. I used to be forced to slog up and down it as a pre-schooler, as my gm lived half-way up it. I remember my dm bizarrely taking us up the steepest and most precarious route with tiny db in a pushchair and me being shouted at most of the way for being "weedy". I was 4 and carrying my tiny suitcase full of Very Important Toys and an umbrella.

The family vegetarian went out for a sedate evening of Eurovision viewing to celebrate a friend's b-day last night. She came back at 10am this morning and demolished some sausage rolls I made yesterday.

Must now go and purchase picnic foods for ds, as he has met up with his harem at the swimming pool and then they are all going for a picnic. Aww.

Think I have the Crepey hangover.....

Went for disappointing meal with dp. There clearly is no where decent to eat round here :(

Cremo - am fuming for you, but it is so much the norm. We got 3 instead of 5 years for our recent audit - so that's two audits we have technically failed, but the senior management are still in place. Thus is despite the fact the failure of the latest was essentially down to the fact we have no strategy - surely something that can't be blamed on those lower down? (But I bet he tries to....)

Officially with Cremo and may well start to carry my resignation around with me too....

I am about to hang up various lighter-weight garments instead of constantly burrowing for them, and put thick sweaters into hibernation. This may be unwise

We woz robbed Eurovision-wise! Our song was excellent.

I didn't open my eyes this morning until 11am.

I probably haven't watched Eurovision since I was in my thirties; I did, however, quite like our song when I heard it and, like CV, thought it deserved better.

Crem and BD, resignation letter in handbag sounds like a good idea.

It was my youngest GD's third birthday yesterday so we spent lunch and all afternoon with the family. DGD was given a spider girl costume for her birthday and looked so sweet in the bright red and blue! (And so much better than pink). I loved the tutu style skirt - major win as her favourite clothes are her DB's cast offs.

Regarding DC getting on, my two sort of tolerated each other, until DS's first marriage split up, when he returned, firstly, to the family home for a few months, then moved in, at their insistence, with DD and her DP (now DH). They now get on extremely well; it was as if DS realised that DD was a person in her own right, not just an annoying little sister.

DS and DDiL have been for Breakfast in the Sky today - 100 feet up in the air (hoisted up by a crane!) which they seemed to enjoy. It looks as if they will be here for about another week: carpets and hard flooring are going down this week. DH and I are having four exotic nights in a caravan from tomorrow, so fingers crossed the temperature doesn't drop any more.

MI, glad to hear there is a little bit of normality in your life.

Well done to the cocktail drinkers last night and of course to Ookraine for their emotional Eurovisin win last night. I have to say the scoring system was far superior to previous years and created quite an exciting finish. I think Australia, that we'll know European state thought they had it in the bag.GN was very sweet with his little tribute to Sir Terry W. looking forward to Kiev already

MI I am heartened to hear that a little normality is creeping in. And that going back to working on the novel is good therapy.

NU I do hope you enjoy your few days away. Sounds like you deserve a break.

BD, it's utter shite isn't it. Soul destroying in fact. I can't help thinking that it is making me ill. I have had so many little infections and headaches and periods of mental exhaustion recently. It can't possibly good for you.

Dh making me watch Grand Prix. But it's incredibly exciting ! Imagine !
Happy Sunday lovelies.

'Proof, yoof and bits of paper'. < wry smile >

Rather enervated and hungover myself after going to our NCT group's summer gathering in Tunbridge Wells (some photos on FB). Had initially intended to stay the night, but then hostess phoned saying she felt a bit ropey so would we mind not staying. Then when we got there decided that I needed to be able to let my hair down (i.e. drink), so that we should stay the night. DP had to be persuaded. We had no clean pants, toothbrush, etc, but it was of course all fine and good fun. DP got hopelessly drunk and smashed a wine glass. I find myself getting unreasonably furious with him when he's like that, even if I'm pretty pissed too!

As usual in strange houses I didn't sleep at all well, and now have loads of work to do for tomorrow. Bah.

Oh, and in utterly non S&B news, my hostess leant me a onesie for my evening relaxation. O. M. G. I am hooked. How comfy! How relaxing! I am going to buy one for every day of the week. DP will leave me.

Just snip a hole in the crotch, Herbs, and he'll stay.