Hot town, Crepes in the city

[bigTillyMint]

I think Jamie Bells ears are bigger! And DSs hair is lighter (though he is sporting a 1980s barnet!), and his jaw a teeny bit widea, but he looks a bit like him in the pics of JB aged about 18 which I am incapable of linking to

Scuppered on sundowner front as it is raining Though still hot However no we get to try the huge complimentary umbrellas! Not sure how we'll fit them down the street with the mad traffic/pedestrians

Soup excellent: a friend who is a real foodie recommended using tom yum paste, ages ago, and it produced a great hot and sour flavour.

Hatty, good luck! Are you doing Striding Edge?

Well, that was most enjoyable - but Claire Balding would have explained what mirror glaze is.

Phew, Rudy - glad DS is home...hope he's on the mend (whatever it was). Reading - hmmm....DS thought we would be on holiday so never sorted out tickets, and is now slightly regretful his friends are all going and he's not....but not regretful enough to hunt out tickets at this stage (I'm quietly relieved). Hope you manage to sell it. DS is bricking it about tomorrow. He is planning to scoot into school, pick up his envelope, then take himself into a quiet corner elsewhere to open it. He is so worried he hasn't got the grades he needs, poor lamb.

BD - I would say today was a great day to go to Bluewater. The DDs and I hit Sutton today for the pre-school shop, and it was a breeze. No-one in the carpark, no-one in Clarks for the school shoe shop (miracle!), and we bought all the school stationery in Wilkinson's - a huge stack of pens, pencils, geometry sets and pencil cases for an outlay of less than £8. A stack of black opaque tights from Primark, and we were done!

Aww fingers crossed for your DS CV.

DD is off tomorrow at the crack Rudy. They are just finishing packing and are then going to sleep round another friends for lift there tomorrow.

Enjoyed GBBO - Selasi is my favourite

Do you think he's secretly cut-throat?

Dunno, but I wouldn't mind finding out

Thanks so much for flowers! Am touched. Feel greatly relieved by arrival on scene of most impressive community matron. Did not know they existed- how ignorant am I? - but this one seems very kind and helpful indeed.

for Flora and Rudy.

Am contemplating taking a Night Nurse to make sure I get a decent night's sleep, and feel better tomorrow. The witnesses have assured me that they won't gossip, so that's good. And I don't think they will, either - the fact that I won't be in next week, when that colleague is back will be helpful, because by the time I get back, it will all have been past history and no interest. I do feel a bit of an emotional mess though.

Bake Off was great, wasn't it? DH didn't think so, as he fell asleep half way through.

What ho, crepeys. I gather there's a heatwave in the capital. No heat wave here, but lovely clear sunny weather, which has been the perfect backdrop for outrageously scenic beaches, driving my snazzy turbo hire care around deserted roads, and exploring the amazing Cragside, vast and scenic home of the pioneer of hydro electricity, which was remarkably interesting.

I have eaten my own body weight in fish-based food, often accompanied by chips. My clothes are all too small in the waist. I'd like to thin this is because they've all shrink, but this seems too much of a coincidence. It's all worth it. We had fish and ships tonight overlooking the sea at Seahouses, with the amazing Bamburgh castle in sunset to our left, and the lovely harbour to our right, with boats puttering in and out. I do love it here.

Flora - I know only too well of the emotions of which you speak. Unlike you, I am only too ready to pour my heart out on here, so you have probably gathered. Sorry about that! But yes - community matrons are Marvellous things, appearing out of nowhere with sage advice and raised toilet seats.

Bake Off.. How very soothing it is. We love Selasi, and weren't keen on Dramatic Lipstick or Mad Blonde.

In other viewing news, we've been scaring ourselves silly watching Stranger Things, as recommended by many friends. Set in the 80s, with Winona Ryder, spirits in electric lights and a lot of Chopper bikes.

Also loving that Netflix show Herbs. And your description of beside the seaside. Wow!
Obviously Selasi is our fave here too although Dh rates Benjamina rather a lot too (for purposes of balance no doubt) only got a s far as the second challenge before raiding the biccy tin. Dh has already started The Great Genoese Challenge and is in the kitchen now whipping sugar and eggs.
how long does the series go on for?.....
Tom yum paste is marvellous stuff MI.

Rudy, sorry DS is (-and you are) having a rotten time of it. Much love to you all. Is the ticket listed on Gumtree? Generally find tickets go very quickly on there if set at real value. Hope it goes for you Rudy.

Thinking about all the Crepeys dcs awaiting the Envelope tomorrow. fingers crossed for you all.

Glad DS is home Rudy even if not entirely well.

Loved GBBO but haven't warmed to anyone as yet. Irritated by gothic lipstick woman....

Is there such thing of pathological fear of disappointment...? Results T minus 9 hours.

Everything crossed for all the GCSEers for tomorrow (and of course their creepy mothers!).

Loved GBBO - there's something most soothing about it all.

Herbs, your holiday sounds brilliant. Sod the trousers of truth. X

We have been and done the university. It was a long day and dd had to be slightly coerced into it, it was all but worth it. A long day made significantly longer by a trip to Ikea to buy student house stuff.

I was astonished to find that after three weeks of pancake breakfasts and enormo-burgers that I had only put on a pound. And that's gone already. Makes me wonder why I bother with the low-carbing.

Rose - I think much of DS's stress/worry about results is because he's pretty sure most of his friends will do better than he will. Hence he doesn't want to hang around at school for the weeping/screaming/hugging. Fingers tightly crossed for all of them.

Flora, my experience was that things I never knew existed kept appearing. Often after I had been reduced to tears. And that was with Auriga's very useful phone guidance...if you are indeed in Scotland at least isn't it a bit more humane/joined-up or is that my hopeful assumption?

CV!

Well done Stropps!

I didn't warm to goth-lipstick woman either.

DS has to wait till 11 to pick up his 2 results - think he is a bit nervous. Good Luck to all the Y11's!

Good luck to all those getting results today!

Crossing everything for GCSE-takers!

herbs, we were looking out at the coast yesterday from the train and I imagined the YM building his castles on those stunning beaches....your hol sounds just what Sister ordered after the time you've been having.

My body clock is completely deranged - wide awake till four last night.

MI, I have bought your eyebrow dye recommendation! Now can you explain exactly how I do it please?! Bit nervous!

Good luck to all awaiting results. I have everything crossed for you.

GBBO on form - Mary looked spectacular and very well coiffed. Bet she has extensions though to make her hair that thick. Everyone with blue eyes looked very blue - do you think they had a job lot of contacts? I loved Benjamina and selasi, thought jane could be good and I feel nervous of the headmistress who does low grade aerobics while she cooks and listens to her cake to see if it's done. Can't bear tears in week one though. All a bit too much. They'll be stretchered out by week 4.

Mrs S, sorry you are feeling exhausted. I think you need a break. Take it easy

Rudy, sending love and good wishes to your Ds and to you.

Flora, sorry things are tough. We have so much experience of the woes of aged parents on this thread that you will always find good advice or a hand hold when you need one. Lovely to have you around.

Herbs, all my clothes have shrunk too so I am trying to stay off the sauce unless I am out. It is too easy in our house just to have a glass here and there, especially as dh is at home and we would have been on holiday this week if the job situation had been different. However, I am not rating my chances of getting back into my work clothes unless I do something drastic. The skipping and ladyjogging is helping a bit.

Right, breakfast then school shoes. Wish me luck.

X post - am going to try the dye too so a "just for men" masterclass would be fantastic.

Stropps that is brilliant news. 😀

Good luck to all those collecting their GCSE results today (and to their DPs). Fantastically well done to Stropps for getting DD to university.

Herbs, we love Cragside, too (especially the first electric dishwasher). I think you have misunderstood the weather up here - this is a heat wave! Shame about the rain this morning.