Tea Room the Eighteenth - the Cricket Pavilion

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Welcome one and all to our new abode - a lovely old-fashioned Cricket Pavilion, with decks outdoors and a rather lovely Members' Bar, complete with deep-seated leather comfy chairs and any drink you care to mention.

Our outdoor amenities include the well-tended cricket pitch, kept immaculate by Mellors, our multi-purpose man; a couple of tennis courts round the back for those who prefer the Wimbledon scene; and another multi-purpose pitch (can be used for hosting Fine Lad-style rugby matches, or Little Kickers' football, or the occasional All Comers' Lacrosse Tournament.

Bishops abound, mostly snoozing in the leather armchairs; there are sundry animals around - guineapigs and bison mostly - and of course the Naked Mohawk Babies, fetchingly attired in cricket whites (most unusual for them!)

The cricket pavilion tea room is open to all - those with only one child who need a safe haven predominate but having more than one child is fine - come in, have an egg'n'cress sandwich and a glass of Pimms!

*other fillings and beverages also available.

If I tortured someone for three days, would there have been no point during those three days when I thought "gosh, this is wrong!". I'd wait until I stood in the dock before it occurred to me to say "gosh, what an awful thing to do, M'Lud, I'll never do it again, honest guv!? And judges believe this, do they?

UnSerpent - thanks for your question. It's something we've been wrestling with these last few days since JB has been so very unhappy at his daycare. I may have lucked into a solution - a friend of mine who has a nanny for her daughter has offered to nanny-share at her house on Mondays. So we'll try it and see if it works. He knows my friend and her daughter and the nanny already, we've had lots of playdates, so maybe this will be better.

I do definitely need childcare on Mondays though because I gave up working Saturdays. But no, it does not have to be daycare.

I think this went wrong because of several things - one is that I think the woman who runs the daycare (out of her home, and she has three other children that she minds) is not a good fit for JB. We (DH, all the grandparents, me, and my friends whom I've left him with) are all what you'd call "warm and fuzzy" people. We're very affectionate and so is JB. The lady at daycare is more a straight-up, no nonsense kind of person. I think she's a good person, and must have a warm heart because why else would anyone choose to have a daycare? It pays next to nothing. But I think maybe she's just a poor fit for JB. Also, I was kind of forced to throw him into that environment, because another daycare fell through three days before I was scheduled to start Mondays. I should have done a more gradual introduction for him, but couldn't :(
So I'm partly to blame.

Anyway - the main thing is that I have some other options, but it was a really terrible week for JB and for DH and me, knowing he was so upset.

Are donkeys allowed in the Cricket Pavilion? I lost my way - I think the squirrels ate the bread crumbs!

Life was a bit difficult over the summer, and I am not very good about regulating how much time I spend in here, so I thought I should give it a break.

I just wanted to say hello and see how everyone is doing - I hope that all the ill people feel better soon, and Amber, I am keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm afraid that with the price of hay so high this year, I will have to forego the haypile. It was a bit messy anyway - and the grass seed got everywhere!

Anybody want a cup of tea?

Donki!!!! Great to see you!

I would love some tea.

Donki ! It's so good to see you ((hug)). Tea would be lovely, and I'm glad to report that your tea bucket came to the pavilion with us, although the aspidistras pot has been standing in it.

I have been massaging my arm with rosehip oil - it is lovely, and most of the manky skin has come off now

Ah! My tea bucket! Now I just need the VERY BIG teapot so that there is enough tea for everyone...

Amazing how I can do all that with only hooves and teeth, eh!

What have you done to your arm CMOT?

You are welcome JB's MM (JM I assume?)It's a nice ceylon tea - unless you want something else (I think it is a teapot of requirement)

I fell off horse, landed on my wrist, dislocated it, broke 6 bones in my wrist, annoyed my nerves, and fractured my elbow. Have has 3 lots of surgery, 1 week in external fixation and 8 weeks in plaster. It hasn't been fun, and the physio even less so over the next many months.

Donki! How lovely to see you again! Sorry to hear you've had a difficult summer. Won't ask, but do tell us if you need to.

CMOTD - glad your arm skin has responded well - bet it smells lovely too.

JBM - that sounds like it might be a reasonable compromise.

MrT and his ma have just left to go to a bird show 1.5 hours away (nothing in this country) - he was supposed to check on miniT and me at 8 to see if we wanted to come but effectively put the kibosh on that by not checking until 8:30, too late for us to get ready in time. In fact, miniT is still asleep. I'm not bothered, I don't think miniT is ready really.

Donki - This must be synchronicity. I was thinking about you yesterday.

Ouch! CMOT - I was amazingly lucky when I was still riding, and whilst I hit the deck a few times (inevitable when riding youngsters...) I always bounced. Sympathy - physio can be gruelling.

Many thanks for all the carrots. (I am particularly honoured by the entire SmallGrown carrot crop).

It's lovely to see you all again.

wow small, thats was big crop of carrots. Unis Garden only managed about 5grams of carrot this year. 5 of them, all with not very bushy tops and when I pulled them up the most mini carrots ever, about 2cm long and 2mm wide.

I think I do courgettes better than carrots.

Hi Donk. nice to see you again.

I may have overestimated the weight of the carrots!

Ok, maybe we grew the same miniature variety ....

what did you mange to get a useful crop of? I've just harvested my last lettuce, frost forecast tonight.

The carrots were Parmex or something very like. Have had a good crop of parsley (not very helpful, but there), tomatoes (grown from seed, preen) and salad leaves. French beans and peppers all eaten by slugs, Pink Fir Apples and Jerusalem artichokes pitiful.

But sowed coriander two weeks ago because Toby told me too and it is sprouting very nicely, so hope springs eternal ...

Donki!!!! Welcome back!!!!

Here, hubby may be temporarily asked to go home whilst they are contemplating what to do with him for a second operation this week. I'm sort of with bits of because I'm so tired myself and I know I've got to keep getting everything right for him too. Thank goodness for good friends and family...

Donki how lovely to see you and big hugs all round to all others
cmot glad arm a bit happier
small I am in awe of those levels of croppage. My seeds are still in the drawer!!
Amber I am so sorry for your tribulations
jm I do hope nanny share helps. We have always found nanny care the way for us

sorry not to be around too much life is busy but I do think of you all. My parcel arrived from AandO. Very exciting!!

Unis sees Mr tickle in the priest hole and runs for the hills.

taking twiglets with her.

Well, he's home The doc seems to have found a way to avoid a second operation for him, and as long as he's very sensible and has me looking after him and running the business at the same time things should be fine. If only I weren't completely exhausted....

Is chicken feed gluten free? If so, I might join you... couldn't have had the croissants anyhow...

I have just discovered there are 2 inset days at the end of this week...hmmm....

Mine's already on half term holidays, since they get two weeks off.

I don't know if the habituees of the Cricket Pavilion might be interested in looking at

I thought it very fine. It cheered me up.

And particulalry appropriate to the cricket pavilion - I see we have an old fashioned radio in the corner for listening to Test Match Special

Even if I can't type "particularly" (have you ever tried typing with hooves? The keys are just too small...)

Goodish news about Amber's dh. Hooray. Have a hug or, better still, why not borrow Mellors for a week or two to act as general manager and factotum? I'm sure he could help you run the company - after all, there is nothing that Mellors cannot do.

Loved that song, Donki. Somebody tweeted it in my direction yesterday. I loved .