The Naked Crepe

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Psst, over here!

Hatty, I agree - we should get a big prize and a ceremony. I want to be a Hero of Soviet Motherhood. Then I can Move On to other pursuits, trailing my motherhood accomplishments in my magnificent wake.

Herbs, dd would not be pleased to be seen as a spare. she would fucking kill you if you called her that

Oh feck MI

BD well done on interview. And finding the email!

Molly

BD, I often use the search function on email!

I did know it was almost certainly going to happen...

S&B q: do I put mascara on non-swollen eye to go to choir, or stay symmetrical? Am wearing a black wrap dress (Topshop via chazzer) over a scoopy red vest (my mum) in hope of distracting the eye errrr elsewhere

I think no to the mascara. Would look a bit Clockwork Orange.

Bit of a total bummer re mag. Especially since that stymies my jolly feature ideas! If I get this job, which I don't think I will (especially since I haven't heard anything from recruiter yet as promised), I may be in touch! But it's a pretty niche area...

Molly - didn't mean to cause offence re 'spare'! Rather, it's that what most people feel with their last child doing I feel with my only. But none of my friends have 'babies' his age. Probably why I've got so many friends with only children!

Oh, no offence taken at all, Herbs. I do know what you mean. It's just that dd has an entire violin orchestra permanently on standby to play when anyone implies, to the slightest degree, that she is in any way not the most important child we have.

I have a certain dissonance re age, as well, having had both mine at an older age. I think any difference like that - being older, having an only, or whatever - increases the isolation of motherhood. And also having a child not following a linear route - ahem, looking at you, ds. And yet we and they are all so different.

Gosh Molly thats so very true.
Im sure i get the badge for 'where did it all go tits up' parenting. Doubt well ever be appreciated by dd, who distances herself from her entire family by bring a thoughtless twat.
Suffice to say a sum of money changed hands (ddad>dd )and no thanks was expressed AT ALL.

On other joyless news i am booked for 4 long days in France to clear the house, avec maman. Whoop. Anyone want 3 beds and a lawnmower?

Beachy, my advice would be to just keep on planning as you would normally. Dont put your life on hold.
Ds should also very much have things to look forward to as wee goals.iyswim.

Cremo, 4 days to clear the house I know what a job it was at DM's. Do you have professional movers to help?

Sorry to hear your DD is so ungrateful

Holding my breath re the sale of DM's house, which is teetering on the brink of exchange/completion, but is not there yet.

Crem - there is a thing called "le bon coin" - you put the beds online and people will come and collect them. Especially if they're free.

Crem - maybe DD will only become aware of what you've done when she has her own children.

It may be a cliché, but it seems to be that it's when they have any children of their own that us parents get a real look-in again. Partly because we are then of immense use again; but also, as you say, Hatty, appreciation hopefully kicks in. Although having said that, I'm hoping the fact that we own a house in London will continue to be a draw - both of ours are likely to want to attend concerts/events in London and we do encourage their friends to stay over as well. This stage is all about separating, though, isn't it?

Oh gosh, I have barely caught up.

Good on you BD...good luck with it all. How far is the commute? And Herbs has the interview date come through yet?

MI sorry about the arsey client cut- back. BOO to CDiff and all who sail in her. How's the eye? My parents always used to swear by spoonbathing. It sounds pornographic, doesn't it, but has anyone from my era heard of it? You wrap cotton wool around a spoon and dip in warm salt water and bathe the eye.

Molly it's funny how we are now wondering about our purpose, having waved off the DC to university. After all, have we not spent much of their childhood trying to prove that we have purpose over and above??? Weird place to be, I grant you

Beachy best to book in a few things, even if they have to be postponed at times. I so used to hate waiting for that phone call and then wanted to eat my own eyes when the call didn't come and I'd done nothing that gave me joy (purpose?) in the day.

As for moi, I am sleep walking, such is the fatigue of the last three days. And I can't afford to enjoy the adrenalin slump as I will have to work around the clock to get my rewrite done by latest, a week today. I am teaching a real class tonight which will seem pedestrian and dull compared to the drama we are weaving. What huge, huge fun. I just wish I could sleep at night.... We are nearly fully booked too. And I keep drooling over the gorgeousness of the cast....Yikes and double yikes.

The eye, thank you so much for asking, is healing by draining rather repulsively.

Actually I am quite drained myself. Realising I will be even worse off next year for definite.
And also I responded to a very sweet email from a childhood friend about my mother and ended up just splurging at her. I'm really angry still about all the assumptions of my, and my sister's, Selfless Daughterly Devotion when actually nobody asked us about whether we wanted to go through such bloody awfulness.

I have to say - as I've said before - that sometimes having one's own children throws the parental input into not a very complimentary light (though who among is can rival the unparalleled mother of MrsS?)

Am off to choir. Hope this is Nourishing and Restorative.

MI, yes I agree. Becoming a parent myself made me realise things about my childhood. I learned a lot about parenting from friends. Sorry about c.diff, regular gigs a godsend.

Rose, you sound very excited. I am so pleased.

MI, have you tried bathing your eye with cold tea? I find it works well.

I am doing nothing - some dozing and a little light reading. Just not being at work is quite relaxing.

I've got an interview! I could choose the day... Does this mean I'm one of only a few being called? I'm getting a flavour of what it might be like - for the interview I have to source three cover images and write cover lines, come up with an idea for a supplement and a brief for the writer, define the magazine's reader in 50 words, and a couple of other things. Cripes.

Have just returned from playing my bassoon in the orchestra for which I was 'headhunted'. You will get an idea of the standard when I say that I was by no means the worst player.

Oddly the orchestra is based in the same Essex town as the job, somewhere I hadn't been for years. And now features large in life.

Herbs oh well done you!! That's brill. Toes crossed for you.

Mrs S keep your feet up for as along as poss.

Hatty , I was exaggerating a bit about the furniture. Most of it has already been sold on. But yes we shall be offloading beaucoup de petit choses at the door of the Croix Rouge and then shipping the rest. Can't leave dad for very long with diss I'm afraid.he doesn't want Mum away at all.:0/

By the way how the blimmin 'ec did it get to be October so damn quickly?

Hooray, Herbs! Go sock it to them!

DH has found out what "nothing to eat in the house" really looks like. Got up this morning, tried to find something for breakfast. No cereal, no bread, nothing. We had a banana each and some raspberries. I said I would make lunch for us and friend's Mum (friend had gone shopping). Found some eggs and a bit of cheese, so made us omelettes. There is literally no food. No pasta, tinned tomatoes, lentils, veg, meat, cheese, cold meats. Absolutely nothing to make a meal with. Apparently we are having a takeaway tonight. We got packet soup (diluted as not enough to go round) and cheese sandwiches last night. I have offered to cook tomorrow, otherwise I think we will all starve. Managed to get out to supermarket today and got stuff for sandwiches and some bread. But seriously, WTF?

Herbs

MrsS!

Herbs, fab - surely the orchestra being in the same town is A Sign?!

Ooh, I think so, BTM.... go east, young Herbs

Well done on the interview. I guess if they ask all the applicants to do that, they have lots of content for the coming months.

You are all right. I need to plan my days and cancel if necessary. I will take your advice forthwith.

I'm so excited for you Rose.... try to savour these days, early birth of a playwright.

Saw amazing Shakespeare last night, so uplifted by that (and spending 5 hours in the company of peaceful stress free Dad).

Beachy! You were in my dream last night - in your garden, getting advice on pruning your fruit trees - we live the high life, don't we

Go for it, Herbs and BD! Inspiring!

Blast it, MI. maybe won't happen ...?

Good plan, Beachy. Which Shaekspeare?

Anyone watched the British Vogue prog? lots of comments on MN about AS being grumpy and sullen. I thought she mostly just had middleaged woman face and hated having a faux naif documentary maker around. Thought she and Lucinda Chambers were great

I have just this to say about my day today - corporate awayday, dress code smart casual

Some of my least favourite words

Addle, I feel your pain (and sadly no, it's now definite).

Right, must bash keys.

MrsS, who ARE these non-eating weirdos? (Actually I bet lots of MNers have soup and cheese sandwiches for dinner. I am not one one of them. Nice soup and cheese on toast, now...)