The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

lildoonbuggy

First course was orange slices, second course was orange slices with lettuce leaves and the third course was orange slices with some sort of chocolate sauce or compote. Thankfully work paid for it but extra guests were charged at £40 a head. It was also at a big hotel chain!

vivatifosi

lildoonbuggy wrote: »

Hi vivatifosi! I've not explored Herts very much yet so will need to get around that. Moved here a year ago and very much enjoying it - especially being able to have a backyard and be within 30 minutes of central London.

In terms of meat substitutes - what about root veg and legumes? My mother is the same, hates the taste, smell and sight of meat but seems to be okay with mushroom. It's a shame some places think vegetarians don't need flavoursome dishes. Went to a Christmas party recently where a vegetarian colleague was served orange slices for all 3 courses ��

I like oranges, but not sure that I'd like to eat quite so much! Poor thing.

I like root veg, but I'm allergic to potatoes, so tend to substitute sweet potatoes or parsnips. And I love cheese and nuts.

Have any of the local nice people been to.St Albans Christmas market? We may pop over this weekend if it's worth a visit, but the online reviews are a bit old.

Jazee

Morning all.

Viva, I've not been to the St. Albans Christmas market, but I did go to Berkhamsted last weekend. Not a Christmas market, but a lovely Christmassy feel to the place with lots of little independant shops and market stalls down the main street. Thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Am off to York today. Wish me luck with the crowds there.

silvercar

St Albans market is very good generally, don’t know whether that raises expectations for the Xmas market.

Then reviews are often full of criticism. On holiday we spent a few days in the hotel right next to the waterfalls; one reviewer complained that he could hear the water all night! Guess he expected them to turn off at night!

vivatifosi

I do like Berkhamsted, but have trouble dragging him indoors over there unless we are going to The Rex. Speaking of which, we've got tickets to see Paddington 2 at the Odyssey, big kids that we are.

http://therexberkhamsted.com/home-calendar/
http://odysseypictures.co.uk

Both are beautiful places to go catch a film if you haven't already tried lil.

ETA... we cross posted but thanks silver. We may take a trip over later today, having a bit of a lazy, nice coffee and a croissant and get up very slowly type of morning, so may be hours before we get there.

SingleSue

karcher wrote: »

I like mushrooms and avocados...add a sliced tomato, some shredded lettuce and a dollop of mayo encased in a freshly baked crusty baguette and you have one of my fave sandwiches

I'm also an insomniac, hence reading your 'nice' thread for the first time on yet another sleepless night.

Oh and I have a very dodgy laptop screen

Greetings fellow insomniac, I think it was one of my insomniac nights that I discovered this thread too but it was years ago and many many sleepless nights have been and gone since then to be sure.

Pyxis

lildoonbuggy wrote: »

First course was orange slices, second course was orange slices with lettuce leaves and the third course was orange slices with some sort of chocolate sauce or compote. Thankfully work paid for it but extra guests were charged at £40 a head. It was also at a big hotel chain!

But that's awful!
Whether I'd paid for it or not, I would have complained!

SingleSue

lildoonbuggy wrote: »

Ouch SingleSue, after some quick stalking, was the culprit the degrees thread? I too try to look for silver linings, much to the chagrin of some who feel there is a single formula to success. I am one of those annoying big picture people but alas, it's fun bopping up against the stream. Glad I've found a place with avocados to soothe my soul! :beer:

That one I just find frustrating so I come here to chill rather than hide after reading it.

I'm also a big picture person and a big believer in not giving up and accepting your lot in life. Think big but accept that it may not work out is so much better than thinking small and never taking a chance on life and consequently, never moving on.

If I hadn't believed that, I would have a youngest son locked in his own world, completely non verbal, a middle son so out of control with aspergic rages that he would be in a secure residential home and an eldest son probably doing a minimum wage job or on medication for stress or both (the stress the other two caused with their disabilities was leading him to have stress meltdowns when he was younger where he would literally throw himself against walls to hurt himself)

Instead I currently have two at university and one on a graduate scheme earning double the minimum wage....and most folks here on this thread have been with me on the (sometimes very eek) journey.

I took a huge risk to do it, completely beggered up my career, my finances and my health but with little hope when I started the process of doing my own therapies with them that it would work....the gamble paid off.

vivatifosi

Sue, I know it's not my call, but I think you need to update your sig. You mentioned a week or so about giving hope and info to others. This would be a small way of doing it.

Both Lydia and I have had people contacting us with comments or questions about ours. You may find that someone sees yours in passing and feels inspired enough to do similar.

SingleSue

I have thought about changing it but parents of autistic children are protective as anything and can get quite er, stroppy. As an example, I offered my services to a local autism parenting group but because I don't subscribe to the "My child can't do that, they are autistic" or "You must do special things as my child is autistic" way of thinking, she thought my input would be 'too disruptive'.

I get where they are coming from, I was like that in the early days of diagnosis and you just want to protect your child from the big nasty world but in doing so, they are relegating their children to a life of fear and hopelessness. Joe has put it into words, he has his behind the gates life and his life since the gates opened, he describes now being able to see colours where before everything was monochrome.

Ok he will never be able to experience feelings like everyone else and has described himself as a human robot and that the world can be a confusing place but he also much prefers his life now that he is not behind the barrier.