If you read L's comments last night, you'll know his ex cornered him at his flat last night and was generally horrible to him. I wasn't much good, as I tend not to be where there's nothing physically broken to mend. L came back here for the night, which I was glad of, and even let me make him toasted cheese before bed.
Once again, I'm left hating the fact that there's nothing useful I can do, or even say, to help. All I can do is wait and try to be supportive. And possibly make more caramel brownies.
72 comments:
You're doing...everything you could. And more. Don't think it's not useful.
And I feel like one lonely tadpole would be cruel. but I don't want a flat full of frogs. School sounds like a much better idea. We could dig them a pond.
Yessss, sucker his teacher into it. This is an excellent plan. :D Tadpoles are all kinds of educational.
Also, toasted cheese and caramel brownies. Mmm.
Thanks.
Really? Do you know how to do that? Does it need a filter or something? (I don't know, I admit I'm thinking of fish tanks right now.) Because that sounds like almost as much fun to me as it's going to sound to Sherlock when he reads this.
Lindsay - It would be extremely educational. I don't know how she could say no!
I do know how to do that. And I'm fairly sure frogs have survived for quite a while without filters...
Seriously though, it's slightly better if there's a pump just to circulate the water and stop it from going murky. It would be simple to dig a pond and get it set up.
How hours of back-breaking digging sound like fun, I'm unsure though.
You can sit in the shade and direct me. I'll get the kids to help - assuming Mrs T approves of all this.
Making an actual pond and raising frogs in it sounds like amazing fun, digging or no. I was never allowed to have messy pets as a kid, all right? This would've been the coolest thing ever when I was Sherlock's age. Or really even Mycroft's.
We'll talk to Mrs T. The kids (and no doubt some sort of health and safety bods) can decide on the design. A 'natural' pond might seem like it will attract more nature...but a pond with stone/brick walls will make it far easier to see the creatures within.
And I guess we'll have to provide some sort of Sherlock-proof netting? Or he'll be in it like a shot.
Just remember, frogs try to return to where they were born to mate. So year one might have two frogs...a few years down the line the school might end up with hundreds.
This sounds like entirely too much fun, but I suspect you'll need kid-proof netting. Surely Sherlock isn't the only kid who's be in the pond.
And very educational. The school's only personal wetlands ecosystem. With added mud. (The mothers who dress their children in designer clothes, however, may never forgive you.) (That, by the way, wouldn't be me. I firmly adhere to the parenting rule of "Children need dirt to grow up healthy.")
a few years down the line the school might end up with hundreds.
The mothers who dress their children in designer clothes, however, may never forgive you.
Both of you seem to be pointing out only the advantages as far as I'm concerned. :)
Mine wasn't meant to be anything other than an observation.
Sherlock will probably have moved schools before they're actually knee deep in frogs. I think he'd be very proud of it as his legacy there.
I know I would be.
I like this entire plan much better than bringing some poor little tadpole home to live in a tank.
well...ask Mrs T, do a rain dance in the hope that the school playground becomes a bit softer than the current baked-dry-concrete-consistency, and we'll get on it. Somehow.
Brownies are smelling nice.
A friend of mine has two ponds in her garden. She has fish and all sort of nice plants, and Japanese turtles (I'm sure they have a different name in English, but I'm afraid I don't know it), as well as frogs. But you could never see the tiny frogs because they would always hide among the plants. You could only hear them signing at night. :) What about the bees? Is Sherlock still fascinated by them?
It's quite sweet how enthused you are about digging a pond and filling it with tadpoles :-) I have images of you and Sherlock in wellies splashing about whilst Lestrade and Mycroft direct activities.
I also wish that I had caramel brownies. Or a large drink (not scotch though, can't stand the stuff). Possibly both. Might have to raid the chocolate stash.
Ha. Brownie triumph twice in a row.
Rain dances. Hm. I bet I can google that.
L - whiskey has its uses. You could call it medicinal.
Lupe - he is, but I don't think the bees would go over well at a school, sadly.
Anon - How can anyone not be enthused about making a pond full of tadpoles!
I love the pond idea. I'd say I'd come help dig, but given how far away I am it wouldn't be really cost effective.
mm, scotch. I'm actually into irish whiskey at the moment. :D
As a small child I found endless hours of entertainment bothering frogs in muddy ponds (given a chance, I will still chase down frogs and coo at their cuteness,) so John, I thoroughly applaud your frog-related enthusiasm! ^_^
Is it still medicinal at 2am? And when does it become a slippery slope?
Why do thoughts ambush you inthe dark.
It's their favorite time.
I had a mate who insisted you were all right as long as you turned up the next morning for work hungover. If you were still drunk, you had a problem.
Come back to bed?
John - You're not useless. If Lestrade doesn't mind it (and I get the sense that he doesn't), being held and hugged and other forms of physical closeness is hugely comforting.
I like the pond idea and Sherlock leaving a legacy to the school, but think you and Lestrade are slightly nuts for being so enhusiastic about a project that will require fairly intensive labor. Maybe L can bargain to do this instead of another speech. XD
Is Sherlock still banned from the internet? (If so, how on earth are you successfully enforcing that?) I'm surprised he hasn't chimed in on the frog-pond plan; I'm certainly eager for it to come to fruition.
This probably betrays that I'm from the USA, but my first thought about a pond at a school is the potential liability issues for even a small water hazard.
I don't know about there, but here you can buy these ginormous plastic ponds that set into the hole you dig. The advantage is that they have piping already attached so you can just hook up your pump without having to worry about major plumbing.
Also, in solution to the kids-in-the-pond problem, when my brother built a pond as an Eagle project, we built a small bridge over it that was wide enough for the younger kids to lay down on and maybe three feet above the water so little fingers couldn't reach the critters.
Good luck!
TTFN,
Bronwyn
Bronwyn --
The bridge sounds like a great idea overall (if possibly suggesting a larger pond than John may have had in mind) but how do you keep little ones from a) not using it as a jumping-in platform b) not going in over the edge of the pond instead?
I've seen ponds on university campuses over here that aren't obviously super-protected from the little ones (who make school visits to it), so maybe even over here people don't perceive wildlife ponds to be the same level of hazard/liability as swimming pools? I keep reading about how homeowners can get in dreadful legal trouble for kids getting in their pool almost regardless of the level of security they put in to keep kids out.
Ann E. - No, Sherlock's not banned. Bt he isn't allowed any access to the internet in his room. Plus at tepm when Danger started that conversation he should have been well asleep. I'm sure he'll notice all this at some point today.
Lawless - I did point out the physical effort involved! Mind you, right now I could do with some mindless physical work to get on with.
John - sorry, there was only so long I could stare at the walls for. In the end it seemed like getting up and doing some work was a better way to spend my night.
Ann - Ten pm that should have said.
If you do dig a pond, remember you have to line it, or all the water disappears. Made that mistake as a kid. (No aquatic life was harmed.)
John - I think you might be surprised at how many people would not be bouncing with excitement at the prospect of creating ponds full of tadpoles. Um, obviously I have no idea if you are literally bouncing with excitement, but it certainly reads as if you are :-)
Lestrade - for me (and YMMV), it's a slippery slope if I stop asking myself if it's a slippery slope. And I have no doubt that John could suggest various forms of physical exercise you could try should you need a distraction in the middle of the night :-)
John, thank you. Thank you so much. I'm so glad you're there for Orio. Kowing he's got you with him makes me feel so much better about the entire shitty situation.
Orio - Be strong. You're better than him, always will be. Don't listen to him. Listen to John, and let him help. And call me if you want a chat. Which I know you probably won't. And you're all welcome here any time you want to get out of London.
Nameless - yeah, he pretty much was. Whether at ponds or brownie cooking I'm unsure. If he leapt off the sofa and ran to the oven one more time I was going to sit on him.
And yeah, that's probably about right. I didn't set foot on that slippery slope. And despite my hard won reputation as a completely filthy sex maniac, right now I'm really not feeling like much of anything. I think seeing Bryan brought up a lot of feelings I'd really rather never have had again.
Nickey - thanks.
Nicky - I'm not actually doing much beyond doling out hugs and baked goods, but at least I'm here I suppose, yeah.
L - I was not bouncing! With excitement or anything else. I just wanted to make sure they didn't burn.
Mrs T thought the pond was a good idea provided she didn't have to dig it, and said she'd ask about getting permission, though she wasn't sanguine it would happen before the summer holidays.
You were bouncing.
Summer holidays would be a good time to dig, i guess. Maybe get other people involved too.
Thanks for the comment to the troll. I just couldn't be bothered this morning.
Probably would've been better to let it go, but I just couldn't do it this time.
I was not bouncing, I do not bounce. It is exciting though! Where did you learn how to build ponds anyway?
Heh. I know I personally would like to see some of those parents wielding shovels.
When I first left home I stayed close, because mum's boyfriend was an utter wanker and violent (the irony). Worked as a landscaper for a friend's father.
Can you believe this rain?? Can't see the other side of the street here. The ground will be parched after weeks of none, and now flood. It's going to be chaos on the roads.
Due to my rain dance, no doubt.
Bloody hell. that's actually quite scary.
Nameless - he wasn't bouncing. He was rain dancing. Just very bouncily.
John, if you're enjoying the baking, you could try flapjacks; really easy to make, really nommy to eat. I use the recipe here: http://duramecho.com/Food/Flapjack/ - personally I like the chewy version, and find the best thing to stop the top going crunchy is to put a baking tray on the oven shelf above the flapjacks as they bake.
I'm taking Lestrade's word on the bouncing thing.
You should seriously track down an IP on that troll, especially with the last comment. Given everything that is going on, work and home, right now, I think it's somewhat worrisome.
Not my business, I know. And yet.
boom boom
Lindsay - I had a theory on the semi-regular troll (who I'm not overly worried about), but I agree these latest comments are worrying. And, if it is all one person, then my theory is shot to hell.
Danger, fancy meeting up for lunch, if you have time? I'm having one of those days where I want to sit under my desk and ignore the world. But as I can't do that, every little thing is annoying me and my temper is hanging by a thread. I've already ripped my SOCO for one case a new one, for something that isn't really his fault. I feel like I'm completely unfit for anyone to be near.
Which doesn't actually make lunch sound very appealing at all, I suppose.
Yeah, lunch sounds good. Are you hungry now?
Not hungry at all, to be honest. but I'm ready for a break any time you are.
That's all right, I can eat whatever you get as well, I'm starved. Meet somewhere? Or do you want to just come home and avoid people?
Haven't really got time to get home. do you mind coming to the yard? We can go to one of the cafes or grab something and sit in the park if the rain holds off.
Sure, see you soon.
Thanks. It means a lot. And I know you'll play it down, but it does.
I like having lunch with you!
It's not just having lunch, it's dragging yourself across town to do it. Not everyone would have done. And it made me feel better. My team will probably be thanking you too.
Everyone with any sense would have - it's just a taxi ride, you don't work on the moon! Just saying, I'm happy to have lunch with you whenever you've got time. It's not a chore, it's a pleasure.
Well...just thanks. Really.
Anywhere in particular you'd like to go on the bike? And are your boots comfy, if we go for a walk wherever we end up?
They are comfy. I've been wearing them around the flat a bit to break them in.
Dunno, how far do you want to go?
Far north of Scotland??
Seriously, though, you'll probably need a rest and a stretch. Hell, it's been so long since I rode properly I will too.
Ever been to Dungeness? It's 2 hours away, give or take. But we could stop for breaks.
Sounds perfect. It'll be nice to see the sea again, and the north(ish) of Scotland contains my parents, so on the whole I'd prefer Dungeness.
It's rather...bleak. But I like it. We should take a camera. It's not romantic, but it's sort of nice.
And Derek Jarman's garden is there - if you're into your gay history.
And if we do ever go to Scotland, I'm fairly sure we can avoid your parents if needed.
Do you think you might tell them? Call them or go up and see them? I can always take a few days off, you know, keep an eye on the boys with Mrs Hudson, if you wanted to go up alone.
I've just had to look and his garden up, but it looks beautiful. Is it actually open to the public? There's no website or anything.
My parents... I'd thought I might write a slightly more detailed account of what happened at Baskerville Hall and then just send them the blog URL. I'm surprised Harry's kept it to herself this long honestly, though also grateful.
I know it's a bit, um. Well, cowardly. But there's such a lot to tell them, and it would involve so much less shouting. Not shouting. What's the word I'm looking for. Ah, yes: awkward silences and unspoken recriminations.
I suspect it's a bad idea and I should just call them and get it over with, but it's very tempting. And I did always mean to write that whole thing up properly.
it's not exactly 'open', it's just there. No fences, nothing, you can just walk past/stop on the road and have a look. (and feel slightly embarrassed if anyone's at home in the cabin) It's not very big. Last time I was there some other nearby cabins had 'gardens' made up of driftwood etc. too.
The whole place is sort of ugly, to be honest (Dungeness, not DJ's garden), but striking.
...That sounds bad.
They're very nice people, and I'm sure they'll love you and the boys.
I do understand, I'm not trying to push it.
I didn't tell Mum I was gay. It just never seemed the right moment.
Obviously she found out.
What happened? If you don't mind saying.
(Garden sounds v nice by the way, as does the whole place. I like bleak.)
Part of the reason I left school was because I got a lot of grief after telling my best friend I thought I was gay. He took about two seconds of staring at me to decide we were no longer friends, and told...well, everyone, pretty much. So it wasn't exactly a secret, and Mum's bloke-of-the-time (the violent wanker referred to above) found out down the pub, and in the midst of one of their rows told her he wasn't surprised her boy turned out queer.
I don't think she believed him, but she did ask me next time I saw her, and I said I was. I think she was a bit disappointed, at first. But by the time she met a boyfriend of mine she'd had a lot of time to get used to the idea.
God. I'm sorry. I mean, I suppose it could've gone worse, but that's quite bad enough. It was brave of you to tell him and it shouldn't have turned out like that.
Yeah, well, taught me a lot of things.
Mainly that I needed to stop trusting people and get out of there.
If all that hadn't happened I might have stayed on at school, got an apprenticeship and become a farm machinery mechanic (yes, I know, I know, but I grew up in the countryside - that seemed like an amazing dream job!) And then we'd only have met if you stayed down at the Hall and had an emergency thresher breakdown or something...
It doesn't sound like a bad job. You'd always be in demand, I imagine. But since I can't picture myself having any sort of thresher emergency, I'm glad you went for policing instead. I haven't had much to do with the countryside...as you may possibly have noticed.
I think in terms of excitement, policing probably trumps fixing bailers and tractors.
Speaking of the countryside, we should seriously think about camping and stuff soon. As in, times and locations. Possibly getting some gear. Definitely getting one of those tents with different compartments. One for us, one for the boys, one for the dogs? Although the dogs will just get in with Mycroft regardless, I suppose. At least he won't be cold.
Just damp and doggy smelling.
You're the countryside expert - location suggestions? I can do some research too. As for when, any time after they're out of school is fine with me. Do you know when you're likely to be able to get away?
I think Dorset would be nice. Not too far to go, but pretty when we get there. Don't think all of us want a very long journey? I don't know - depends if we hire a car...or with the dogs, a 4x4.
I assume they're out between mid-July and September. Although with Mycroft we need to find out when he needs to be on days out to school and things - I think there are open days?
I just need to check those dates vs. any court dates and book it off.
I think we're actually going to see Eton before school is out, and then Harrow is mid-July, but I'll check with him. And I'd sort of like to be home for the Wimbledon final, but it's not a big deal.
Not a problem. I'm sure I can fit in around that. how long do we want? A week? More? Less?
More if you can manage it? But I remember how buried you were trying to catch up after you were ill that week.
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