The Crepertoire - put on your peignoir and get into the boudoir

[MrsSchadenfreude]

And out of the armoire.

auriga you are an example to us all....feeling lousy but finding joy and keeping occupied. MI don't go down the road of 'what have I achieved....' that way madness lies. And I am already there so no room at the inn. Sitting in the garden and celebrating your many achievements with a nice drink or 10 is a lot better use of your time.

No drunkenness, hangovers or the like here...but I have caught DDs cold...commiserations Lalsy, and am furious. I have very low tolerance for snotiness and a blocked head so am in a baaaaad mood. Did manage a lovely long lunch out with NDN who is on her third novel, for which there is no advance but just has to be submitted on completion to her publisher. I then did some planting in the garden, aubritia along a low wall, cosmos and large daisies from seed in container kits from Sainsbos.

DH is back, plodding around. DS2 home from Barcelona later. I have much cooking and preps to do for the festival. I can't face it. I am still in bed with much Kleenex instead.

Book it MrsS do not pass go, do not collect £200. Just get thee to Rio.

I am planning sitting in the garden with a book and a glass of wine this afternoon. DH is cleaning the kitchen noisily, but at least he is doing it. The cat and I are having a cuddle on the bed, and he is purring loudly. I am going to cook ham later, with gratin dauphinois and broccoli. I also have a lot of rhubarb, so will make a rhubarb polenta cake too.

I want some dungarees now....

I am sitting in the sun, breakfasting in peace and wondering what time I can start Karchering the patios - would 10am be acceptable on a Sunday?

No hangover here despite plenty of prosecco and dinner at friends last night

Auriga, what a lovely plan for the day. Likewise all the crepey plans for garden lolling.
I am going to visit M&D in the hope that I find them not bickering or deep sighing . As they slipped off to France ( against all medical advice) last week, and ddad had his wallet nicked in St Paul de Vence, so they had no way of getting money, and failed to cancel the cards until yesterday ( they NEVER ask for help, I despair) I am in meh form. But will drink coffee amiably before work. We have a big World Championship this week, so all hands to the pump from 6am -11pm. Feel exhausted just thinking about it.👯‍♂️👯🕴🏻
Happy Sunday Crepeyfolk.

Morning crepeys.

Yes, MI. Comparison is the thief of joy (is that a Stropps-ism?). The only way to remain sane and happy is to be proud of one's own achievements as they are. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Talking of which, I have another minor triumph to report. The conductor of my orchestra was at the concert last night, and asked me whether I'd like to do a bassoon solo at their next concert! Blimey. Full-time job, magazine to write and edit, and bassoon to practise madly. I'm going to be busy.

DP has taken DS to morning choir service! Yay! And this afternoon we're off to the seaside. Yay! I may have a quintet rehearsal tonight, but really hope not as it's my only evening at home for six days, and tomorrow I'm off to Sheffield for two days.

Inspired by you industrious garden types, I may mow the lawn before seaside jaunt. Though it's tricky when cats can't go outside, and door has to be open to enable plugging in of mower...

Rudy, thank you.

I am feeling a bit crumpled after a somewhat disturbed night, with dh arriving back sometime after 1am (he was playing a gig) and dd coming at at 6am, seemingly completely sober, so no Brian use.

Today, I shall once again don my dungarees and do some digging and planting in the garden. And I am also going to make pound cake and a salmon and broccoli quiche.

Dd has an extremely low offer for the radiography course and she has not made a final decision about it yet. She says she will "probably" still do her retakes, but is not going to see them as the be-all and end-all any more. She has applied for several apprenticeships so far, including one at the BBC, and says she feels more comfortable with the idea of "earn as you learn" than she does with university. She also says she feels much happier since she found there are actually training opportunities she is interested in. She certainly sounds and looks happier and I really hope she keeps thinking like this. I also hope she has some joy with her applications.

Depends if you feel you've achieved anything, Herbs. I haven't, much, except in terms of things like 'well, you've kept going' which is of course in itself quite something.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, of course - and maybe that is what I need to realise - but there's no harm in taking a good detached look at one's under-achievements, I think. If only to try to work out how to achieve something after all.

Herbs, I feel a lot more tired after reading your post. I wish I had your energy levels. Bloody well done on all your myriad achievements. I so wish I had the discipline and training to do really musical things like all you musical crepeys.

Auriga, I am so sorry you are ill and worried. I wish you a restful and restorative day in the sunshine today.

Crem, you need the patience of a saint to deal with your dps. Hope you manage to have some R&R to shore up your energy levels for the coming week. Sounds as though it will be gruelling.

Commiserations to those down with a stinking cold. Dh and Stroppdog (!) have an allergic reaction to a particular plant that is flowering at the moment. Dh is snotty and snoring, and Stroppdog's eyes are streaming.

It depends what 'achieve' means, and by whose measure. There will always be people who've achieved more - Nobel prizes, presidency of US, etc - and, thankfully, those who've achieved less.

You have had a number of successful careers, written a novel, conducted yourself as a successful and authentic freelance journalist, brought up two self-sufficient and kind daughters, and have a large network of friends, who don't measure you by 'achievement'. Yah?

Well, tbh I scrape an insufficient living heavily subsidised by DP and I have drafted an unpublishable novel which no agent would consider in its current form. And my 'successful careers' just mean 'I've had various jobs, with limited amounts of success in them all'.

The kids are admittedly great but that's just luck of the draw. I think this group is testimony to that!

I am also sick of living in my mother's shadow and that will only clear if and when I do something successful to do with writing. And probably not then.

What do you want to achieve, MI? I haven't got to where I wanted to be by now in my career, and will now never get there, as I am simply too old. I think keeping going is no bad achievement. I am still here, I haven't killed anyone , the DDs have got to where they are - passing or failing their exams will be up to them, not me. Similarly, I am not responsible for DH not making the progress in his career that he wanted, or my mother's hopelessness.

One small achievement for my new job - have recruited someone who gave as one of his justifications for wanting the job was that he really wanted to work for me, which made me feel quite pleased.

MI, you are incredibly bright, funny, you are a damn good writer, rock good hair and a cleavage with style, have two charming and delightful daughters and I am proud to have you as a close friend.

MI, stop beating yourself up. After a lifetime of beating myself up at every opportunity, I finally realised that it was completely self-defeating and actually stopped me from achieving anything. I was actually using it as an avoidance tactic. Not saying that you are, but I am saying that I feel better and achieve more since I stopped undermining myself by telling myself how shit I am in comparison to everyone else.

What I'd like to do is get my head round this sodding novel redraft and have it in a form where the main comments aren't "well, or would be good if you rewrote it completely".

MI, What a lovely tribute to your many talents from MrsS

"From quiet homes and first beginning, out to the undiscovered ends, there's nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends."

Hilaire Belloc

Your great relationship with your DDs is a better testimony to your achievements than any number of academic papers or books published.

Kids can muck it up despite even the most wonderful parenting - they have free choice.

But they don't get to be great without a lot of love & input.

MI - I was just going to post the same as Herbs. You seem to have achieved a lot to me and should be proud of yourself. You are clever, talented, have nice teenagers and have written a book. I am in awe.

As for Herbs - just downright jealous you can sing (and play the bassoon).

Mrs S - Rio sounds like a plan DH cooking and cleaning (albeit passive aggressively). Is he slowly getting the message?

Auriga - glad Paris went well. Hope you feel better soon.xx.

After a lifetime of beating myself up at every opportunity, I finally realised that it was completely self-defeating and actually stopped me from achieving anything. I was actually using it as an avoidance tactic. Not saying that you are, but I am saying that I feel better and achieve more since I stopped undermining myself by telling myself how shit I am in comparison to everyone else.

WORD, Stropps. That is exactly what I've been doing.

Who's first in line for a 'What Would Stropps Say' t-shirt?

Joins queue for T shirt.

Hahahahaha Obvs my dd, ds and dh are at the front of the t-shirt queue. NOT.

On the back it could say 'Actually, dear, I think you'll find I'm right.'

I think you'll find you're wrong about that, darling.

I am probably also a bit of a mess because it's coming up to the anniversary of my mother's death and I don't feel sledge-hammered by grief but I do feel corroded with anger about all sorts of things.

MI - I think those would be totally normal emotions.

I wish that I'd had the confidence and insight that I do now, when I was young. Then I would have done things a little differently instead of being undermined by lack of self confidence. I think that is the message I try to give to my children - make the most of things whilst you're young, you have it all but stay nice and non-judgemental whilst you do this.

Or ODFPD
I want a tshirt.

Parents delighted to be home. Refuse to say how shit it was and how ddad struggles to walk. I asked how they dealt with Dublin airport and dm said they had to get 'help' a buggy was summoned by a kindly passing Aer Lingus person. ( not organised in advance of course) the family gossip is that another of my cousins is divorcing meaning The Family House and Farm may have to be sold as a result. This fills me with fury.
Also they have two adopted Syrian children . You couldn't write this stuff.

Am going out to conduct passive aggressive gardening. Dh better stand back.

Stop doing yourselves down. MM Great quote. I often feel the way you feel MI, but as Herbs and Stropps say it is counterproductive. It causes me to stare out the window in a kind of stagnant fugue state.
Dont go there.

DD2 appears to have grown out of most of her clothes. All of her jeans are too short and none of her shirts fit because of the bosoms.