Proportional Crepresentation

[Cremolafoam]

There you go lovelies

Oh, no, the anniversary stuff was just to excuse my current grumpiness, not to do with domestic stuff. And I have now remodelled holiday. It's just the overall role of t'ai Chi in my life!

Hello Crepeys...have at last caught up. MI I wonder if many of us have got to the stage where we don't mind holidaying separately, or may even have a mid preference for it. There's no rule that says you always have to go together or as a family. Are you getting any closer to a solution? BTM you seem to have made progress on the holiday front, though?

We do two weeks if across the Atlantic...otherwise 7-10 days is easily enough for me, but I am really exhausted from the facilitation role with which I have been landed over the years when we travel....which is why I am having a month in Sussex this year, (and planning to do the Fringe at the end of August) and sod everyone else.

CV love the colour of your bathroom

Crem are you sure your eye hasn't become infected?

stropps as I have said, just look at your schedule..no wonder you're tired but always good to get it checked out. In this era of zero hours, I suspect that many more people will have crazy contracts or none at all, as time progresses. I teach under licence with significant restrictions on what I can and can't do, but remain self employed although I think the organisation sails very close to the wind.

lalsy would a few further visits to Universities help...maybe informal ones where you know someone already studying there?

Photos please Monty

Cloud could you refresh an outfit just with a new jacket and hat?

I have had a frustrating morning with my emails going down again. Trying not to lose the chilled outness of a lovely weekend at the flat but struggling. Aaaargh.

I have progressed. MrsS and I will jaunt to Lisbon once I've told her - anyone else want to come? - and DP is booking place in the northern countryside for a week. He has also rung and suggested we are nicer to each other, in an apologising sort of way.

Good news, MI.

Rose, deadline is Thursday....tbh all are good choices - it is just weighing up processy things like slightly lower offer vs better accommodation guarantee - weighing up relative risks really. I remain unconvinced about visits - with both dd and ds, felt we were overly influenced by whether the sun was shining and what we had for lunch!

Lalsy, I completely agree about the disproportionate influence of the weather and lunch. But against that it is good that the prospective student feels positive towards their choice. Dd3 has gone for the offer which on paper seemed to tick fewest boxes but she went and was love struck. And she is now working her socks off to impress them so it's all turned out well.

DD1 at six told me her favourite subjects were Literacy and Lunch.

That apple didn't fall far from the tree...

MI, .

MrsW, I totally agree. Was just talking to dd who said you should put down where you most want to be - then you will be more likely to see the positives, engage, and ignore the blemishes (or words to that effect and given they are all good choices and probably all have nice lunches somewhere!). For ds, that may mean little clear blue water between firm and insurance, grades-wise.

Thats what I'm thinking, Rose - although the price of a new hat and coat is ££££.

I was thinking new frock with sleeves (so no jacket or coat required) and reuse a hat. I have 3 of the blinking things. Taupe shoes as per last year...

Glad things are looking slightly more positive, MI. DH and I often have time apart. I used to think it made the marriage stronger, but we spend so much time apart anyway, that now I'm not so sure.

Anyway - he's being conciliatory, so that's a plus.

Anything on here Cloud?

Eye not infected but given an antiseptic eye wash in place of boiled water I was told to use. Another week of antibiotic and steroid drops. I'll be right as rain.

Glorious again here today. Lunch in the garden with a baby goat 🐐🍎🥒🥕🥗

Nice link Crem. Jaques Vert has certainly improved of late...
Lunch with a baby goat...how sweet. Cloud I know what you mean...hats often cost more than the dress. I have loads....from the days when I was religious. Sometimes M&S have the most amazing hats and very reasonable, compared with JL and Fenwick. But you have to be instore at the right moment, I find.

Sounds like a plan MI. Maybe you and DP should get away sans enfants at some point to practice being nicer to one another....

Lalsy sometimes, it's the sunshine and the good lunch that swings it... It'll sort itself out...you'll see.

Have spent the rest of the day cussing the computer but at least I now have emails on my phone and iPad.

Reasons to be cheerful...
Nice afternoon oasis with new client who is a joy to work with and pays on the spot
Short time with lovely lady gardener and the wisteria (planted 10 years ago) has flowered for the very first time...)
Singing tonight and tomorrow even though I can't master the Sopr 2 part of a very hard Cole Porter
AND....Is it just me or is the Boden catalogue that has just arrived ab fab, especially for hour glasses....??

Glad you have had a nice day, Rose; your reasons to be cheerful sound good. I hope the new treatment works for the eye, Crem. Am jealous at the thought of a baby goat.

MI, so pleased to hear that you have sorted a holiday with MrsS. I think if I had actually met any of you in real life I might have thought about coming with you (though probably not as have new baby to come, cruise, visit of friend, visit to friend all coming up).

Lalsy, I hope DS gets sorted. Re 'stotting mad', the cleaner where I worked used the expression. She came from the West Country, but had lived up here for years, so I was never sure where it came from.

Have had an especially tiring day with DGD, though her DDad collected her early so I could go to the GP for my blood test results. Vitamin D levels are low, but evidently that's what happens when you live in the far north. Doctor has advised me to spend at least 30 minutes in the sun every day and they will retest in the autumn. Kidney function test was below normal so retest on Thursday as it can affect you when you take Ibroprofen which I did daily after my knee operation. I did shed a few tears (result of very early morning), at which doctor asked if I was depressed and did I want ADs? Was a bit to be honest. Assured doctor I was fine in that respect.

Then, sitting here earlier the house phone rang and it was DH ringing from Majorca to tell me that he had lost his mobile, who knows where. This is the brand new phone we bought and I set up for him last Wednesday. I really do despair.

LTB, NU. With a note on the front door saying 'hope you got my message...oh no, you couldn't, could you'.

I am tired and already behind with work. Am going to fix supper and come back to the desk.

MI I could be seriously tempted - it depends when.

I recommend this place 100maneiras.com/?lang=en

MrsS, I hope dd1 managed to keep it together for the exams. Those IB exams are certainly challenging. I seem to remember they are generally longer than the A level exams. And yes, re: my employers. But it's the dirty secret in independent schools, lots of them. Even expensive and well known ones. They have loads of people, particularly in their specials needs depts, on fakey self-employment deals or on rubbish contracts that absolve them of pension responsibilities. And somehow I suspect HMRC won't be sending the inspectors into any of them any time soon.

Rose, what did you like? I like a bit of Boden.

Yeah, Stropps, tho they are massively increasing the numbers of returns they investigate - hardly anyone used to have to worry....my standard insurance indemnifies my clients against it now.

Extremely jealous of lunch with baby goat. Look after yourself, Crem.

NU, what are you supposed to do if there is no sun - which presumably here hasn't been too often or you wouldn't have the issue?

NU, wondering the same as Lalsy and a bit that lots of people oop north have low vit D.

MrsS it's hardly surprising that your DD lost the plot - such a stressful time for them and the first tie she has done proper formal external exams? Hope she manages to keep herself together and do her best - I know only too well how over-wrought teens can get with exams!

Week of 22 July..

The vitamin D thing is interesting in that DBiL (in the Midlands) has a similar problem and DSis said before I went that it would be a vitamin D deficiency. Anyhoo, we suffer up here and it shows up particularly at the end of the winter. Doctor didn't want to prescribe as we are now (theoretically) going into lots of sun - if I am still low in the autumn they will do something. I can't imagine lack of vitamin D will be the cause of Stropps' tiredness, living as she does, down south.

The forecast for tomorrow is excellent, so perhaps a few hours outside will be good for me.

Good luck to any DC taking exams tomorrow.

NU, does that mean you should be taking more winter hols in the sun?

Yes Rose, linkies to Boden goodies.pretty please.

I think you don't need an actual sunny day for Vit D, just outsideness is ok. The kids in PS here are booted outside so they get some everyday. (Asaik, which is not much)
Hope you feel better soon NU. Pooh to ds for losing phone.

I had no idea, NU, ow intriguing. Have just looked it up and the official advice is now that many of us should consider supplements in the winter and autumn. Good reason to eat more liver, not that I usually need any encouragement......

Apparently from November-ish onwards, it is the wrong kind of sun (even if you get it), doesn't matter how much you are outside.

I listened to an interview with Jed Mercurio today in which he said he didn't plot all his plotlines out from the start. I thought that really showed in LOD recently - some ridiculous things were allowed to happen to get the right people in the same room together or whatever. He was interesting though about he how he has tried to explore different but similar public sector working cultures.

Sun needs to be at a higher angle to generate vit D. Interesting stuff. Lots of work on its role in inflammation and in conditions that are associated with inflammation.

Oh I must listen to that Lalsy. I enjoyed it so much, but not quite as much when it was less hyped (cf Peaky Blinders, The Fall, Broadchurch) and more of a 'long game' storyline. Must look for that. Thanks Lalsy.