The Crepe Escape

[herbaceous]

New thread!

Title can refer either to our upcoming holidays, or our upcoming fleeing from the Bojo-led charabanc of doom.

How are you feeling Beachy? it's a big deal even if you did want to leave.

It's massive actually. It's kind of where I am someone, so it's very strange to walk away. Maybe I'll be something somewhere else, but for now my priorities have to be with ds to get him through......

I will miss it though

Yes to coffee but I have a horrible day full of meetings. When and where?

I found it soon hard to leave my old career and it took me at least 6 months to adjust to the loss of it - but I'm very glad I did!
Is ds OK?

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked for coffee at short notice, but I'm free to do anything in the morning. I can come into town, whenever.

Ds is my most sensitive child and fair to say, it's all coming out now. He seems to have a good gang of people looking out for him so we are just navigating the system, IYKWM....

Beachy, I am free in the morning. I've PM'ed you my work number. Can you come to my office? How about around 1030?

Good luck in your brave new work-free world, Beachy!

Ouch at hedge-quote, Crem. We've just had a quote for the removal of a yew tree. £350. And tomorrow we will be shelling out £150 for someone to jet our kitchen drain, which is blocked and whiffy. What dull stuff to spend money on.

Agree CV. That's thing about the hedge. It will do its best to grow back, and we are back to square one.

Beachy, all the best waking up to a brand new world.

Yes, very good wishes Beachy. I stepped back a while ago to focus more on DM and DD & it worked out well for me, I'm glad I did it. But the adjustment is huge.

CV I was immensely relieved that DD didn't want to do the D of E, partly because I could foresee her being stuck in tents or on long hikes with one particularly difficult classmate.

She's had a brilliant w/e and the concert was impressive and moving. She's full of talk of photobombs and water fights but they've obviously worked extremely hard & actually had hardly any free time. The (v famous) conductor stopped to tell me afterwards how impressed he was with DD and she was comically awe-struck to think he'd noticed her. And an old singing friend came to meet us in Ely and hear the concert, which was lovely.

Thanks for good wishes; it was the shortest migraine ever as I got the drugs down me before the light show had even started. I was back to normal in a few hours & had a pleasant weekend

Beachy, glad you can support your DS - isn't it scary how many of our DC need propping up? What is the system here doing to them?

CV, it must have been a day for drains - DH didn't get home till 10 because there was a sewage leak at his place. I would have thought that was the school-keepers job, but it seems not...

Cremo, is it a job you could just get a labourer to do with a bit of supervision from you/your DH or does it need specialist equipment?

Auriga, glad to hear you and DD had a good weekend - it's what you need

I am the only one up here - DD has finished and is in party-mode, DS has the Strike Day off, and DH is going in later I am glad to have the p&q. Is it really 2 more weeks to go? I feel exhausted.

Beachy, all the best, it must feel odd, but exciting I hope? Sorry to hear about ds.

Loads of people needed propping up when I was at school but it never happened because emotional needs were much less talked about, which was very damaging, IMO. At a reunion a few years, people felt things were better for their dc now because they could talk to their friends, teachers, parents and being close to your teens is seen as a good thing. I think it is complicated.

Auriga, well done to dd. You must be swelling with pride, that is so lovely.

Yep, Lalsy: nobody even noticed when my sister had quite bad anorexia at 16. I saw an old friend yesterday and he said he'd finally addressed the chronic anxiety he'd had since, well, always - no support or noticing whatsoever at school. I think it's better now in that respect. I went into school to talk to DD2's HOY about her quite mild anxiety and they took that seriously too...

However obviously that's not to minimise what is going on with quite a few of our offspring and I realise I am getting off vv lightly and am v slack parent.

Off to suburbia (fortunately my end of town so v close) to 'discuss' this potential work!

That's interesting Lalsy. And good.

I had a fairly shit time at home as a child/tween, but became very independent and KOBO. So I guess when I got to being a teen I was pretty self-reliant and would never in a million years have gone to a teacher! I wasn't really aware of anyone needing to be propped up, but maybe I just gravitated towards people that didn't, IYSWIM. As a student, one of my besties needed a bit of propping up - no real support back in those days other than friends, AFAICR.

Thanks all for your thoughts and wishes, I'm awake and feeling ok. Off to coffee with Mrs S this morning, a little bit of work this afternoon then home. Hooray

I think it's so true that teens are more aware now, plus they talk to each other more. He's gone from a very strict rigid school to a more caring sharing place and I think that's helped him have a think about what's happening in his head. But as you say, better out than in! And nice for me to be around to just be there.

I've been planning, with maps , lots of lovely walks.

Dd1 is of the opinion that boys are much less supported and spends a fair bit of her time providing a Listening Ear allegedly.

Good luck beachy. It's a good and brave thing you're doing and DS is going to be ok. Hope some of your planned walks bring you close to EP! There seem to be lots of suffering school kids out there and I'm glad there is better and earlier identification. I'm not sure we've nailed exactLy what to do, though and the responsibilities of parents relative to school staff.

Auriga that sounds so lovely about your DD and her singing.

Have had a very dramatic 48 hours. The function went off well and I was happy with the outfit...some of you may have seen on FB. However at around 10.30 PM, DM got a series of missed calls from the caretaker of her flats. There was smoke pouring out of the flat and they'd called the fire brigade and evacuated the block. I had to get her and DSis and DNeph (who are staying there ) out of the function venue without other DSis who's party it was, knowing so as not to spoil their night. Well the long and short of it is, an ancient. unused hostess trolley had inadvertently been switched on and caught fire. DM had stored all sorts of inflammable rubbish inside it. Fortunately it was caught quickly and there's mainly smoke damage. They can live there whilst the work is being done.

I think the stress of it all (and the last few months) has got to me and I had to be brought home from Wimbledon by DH yesterday with a god awful headache and vomiting. Had to cancel work today as well. I am having another day in bed. Gah.

Crikey Rose, what a night. I'm not surprised it's taken its toll on you. Mix all that up with a mega-hostessing stint, and you deserve some time in bed. There's something symbolic about the culprit of the fire being a hostess trolley, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

No school for DS today, as it's the strike, so we're going to go and see Aged Parents. I don't know how many times people have told mum which drugs she should take, and when, including having paracetamol four times a day, but from the phone convo last night she still doesn't seem to know.

DS is cross that we won't be going to Suffolk via a series of complex train routes. But as we've got to get there and back, and have lunch, in time for his swimming lesson at 4 it's not practical. DP has told him off for being ungrateful.

Rose, please take it vv easy. MM was right when she told me to do so - I am feeling much better in cons

...equence

Rose take it easy.....!

I am WFH with three teens as Ds's school is out.

I was (am) a chronically shy and introverted child but because I was bright no one ever thought about my lack of social capabilities.

I agree they all talk much more today and are far more aware and, in some respects, cut each other more slack (well that is certainly true of ds's friends......)

Here work has taken (another) turn for the worst. I wish like Beachy I could just walk away, but there's the mortgage to be paid.

Oh BD , sorry to hear things going down hill still. So depressing. As we are in a v quiet time here, and many staff on holiday, I am in a holding pattern.didn't get the interview for recent job application. Too bad.

Rose , love, no wonder you were near collapse after all the running around at the weekend. Very sorry to hear about fire at dm's. Terrible shock for you all. Rest and recuperate. Block mind if you can. Poor thing.

Beachy, you are doing a wonderful thing.

Auriga, dds concert sounds absolutely wonderful, and how tremendous that Herr conductor noticed her talents.

No propping up here when I was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 11. Had a week in hospital during which I was shown how to draw up a syringe and practice on an orange. Then everyone acted as if nothing had changed and life went on as normal, but treated me as if I was a bit odd. Particularly at school, where I was treated as some kind of weakling.
Curiously , like BTM it made me very independent and capable on the outside Internally it took me until my 40s30s to stop feeling like I was 'unworthy.' Still struggle a bit tbh.

Anyhow, have mucho admin to do today , plus a coffee cake to run up for a bake sale for local cancer charidee. So sick of 'grey' weather.... And shops with winter clothes already. Ffs

Rose, stay put! You poor thing, what a kerfuffle.

BD, I agree about cutting each other more slack in some ways too, sorry work has taken another downhill turn.

. BTM, yes, that makes sense doesn't it? Some stuff I read recently suggested that we build resilience by being challenged, and what makes all the difference is having one (or more) person who supports and loves us - think crepeys could have told the researchers that!. I suspect some teenagers have always had quite a hard time, because of the turmoil within and because society has confused, extreme and changing expectations.

Crem, that's .

Have ordered a large EU flag (we can't normally display stuff cos of dh job but he says this one is OK). But was disappointed to see Lidl has not put a rush order of Welsh flags in.......

• (and of course actual crapola stuff happening to them as well).

I have more workthough won't hear about this morning's pitch till next week (they were v friendly and nice). Have made a quite amazing-smelling curry - using a bunch of coriander and chunk of coconut cream I picked up on way home - with the salmon pieces DP overlooked the other day in favour of frozen ones. It will cheer me as my nose returns to grindstone. Must fossick in freezer first for prawns to add to it.

Rose - please take things easy - you've had a stressful time.

Still having waves of depression & put it down to Brexit. But was hugely cheered yesterday as DS rung & we are off to France next week to see him, DIL & PFGD!

Fossick is a wonderful word