The One and Only Tea Room - Now Hanging in Babylon

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Well folks, here we are, transported through time and space to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Golden couches and the distressed chintz sofa are arranged on a terrace overlooking the Euphrates and, as we recline on the exquisitely-soft cushions eating peeled grapes, we can enjoy the warm fragrance of the gardens' many exotic blooms. The garden is tended by the indefatigable Mellors, with occasional help from the bishops, rabbis and any passing world leaders. Somewhere behind the terrace there is an aga and a priest's hole, with optional massage table.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink and conversation ranging from the profound to the profoundly silly.

thank you!

Hi all.

I'm avoiding the washing.

Amber you are an inspiration to me since you have a bunch of chemicals pumped into your veins on a regular basis and still go to work, garden, what have you. I'd be laying on the sofa moaning.

Even LCT is over by the washer telling me to fold things...

I feel the same about both of you Mary and Amber. There are very few people in my direct environment who have as much time for me as me as you two.

There are plenty of occasions when I do indeed lie on a sofa for a while, which saves falling over. But I just don't stay there for more than a short amount of time [despairing of Amber emoticon] I don't think it's bravery. It might be complete stupidity to be honest.

I'm avoiding the washing as well.

Just spent the last 30 minutes rehearsing Wriggle shouting saying 'Happy Father's Day' in French to make a card with a recording in it for M.Snake, as featured on the site Likebees. It said that you could choose your own image and upload a greeting and was half price.

It would NOT allow me to upload my own image and then the little box for 'enter voucher code' flashed past in a split second and it charged me full price because I couldn't get back to it. It is a FRAUD!!! Don't try it. Site "Vocal Greetings" or "Voiceyourfeelings". I have now spent over £6 on a really naff looking card (although hopefully it will scream in Wriggle's melodious tones).

I also rather admire Amber, MaryBS, Maud, Mistle, CMOT, Tea, DutchOma ... in fact everyone here!

This tea room is full of amazing and admirable women.

::cuts cake::

yes it is, Maud. I'm just not one of them.

I still consider myself as a tearoom newbie and even though I don't know a lot of the history or background there are some amazing ladies on here.

Thank you for all of the London suggestions, we're not coming down until next month but I shall look at booking the Duck Tour as Small Bean will love it! I can seeing us spending a day on buses, taxis and trains.

It has rained here all day so very quiet. We had friends over last night and DH cooked a fantastic Chinese meal so it's leftovers tonight. And the good news is that I'm on holiday until Friday - hurray!

::passes round chineses pork with plums and kung po prawns::

Please pass the Chinese leftovers this way - I looooooove Chinese food and we never eat it in England. (Only, strangely, when we are in France)

I have some homemade Chinese -- would you like some of that, too, Serp?

::Looks hopefully at the Chinese dishes::

::Looks sternly at Amber::

You have a remarkable list of achievements, Amber, both big and small. Besides which, you are a good friend to many which is perhaps the biggest achievement of all.

::zips her lip::

Amber You are remarkable. Just ask the bishops. Or the bison. Whatever.

It's considered polite in China to slurp one's food, right?

::slurp, slurp::

Now that I'm sufficiently fed and watered (and procrastinating doing the washing up and ironing and getting ready for tomorrow) I'd like to join in the love fest. As TS would say "aaaawwwwwwww" with a non-threatening hug (though his are often around the knees).

Very wet here, too, but we still went to the the Sunday Farm today. I think next year TS will get more out of it but he was still interested in the goings-on around him.

I'm due to go on a campsite visit tomorrow but would much rather go to Tot Time where there's going to be a visit from the fire engine (and firemen! ). I'm due to drive everyone because of TS's carseat but that means I have to stay, and do the test walk, etc., and I'm just not in the mood.

Scout - You could always do what we did last year and set fire to the barbecue. Fire engine, fireman, lots of embarrassment (mostly me) and some great pics of Small Bean in the fire engine...

[I should add that it was a complete accident and very scary]

I understand that it's never difficult to get mums to volunteer at Brownies on the night that the fire brigade come to help with the Fire Safety badge!

Firemen? Fire Safety Badge? I could be your Snowy Owl or your Long Eared Owl or your Small Bat or whatever the Brown Owl underlings are called Maud ...::slightly desperate emoticon::

Amber - I think you are pretty awesomely fab actually. Not just from here but reading some of your RL links and ventures.

Scout - just tell 'em you can't go...neither explain nor complain

UnSerp liking Wriggle shouting to her Pappy, sorry it's at such expense. I must shift my lazy arse card making talents before next weekend....

hurrrmph, fire brigade round here won;t come and do a home visit and fit a smoke alarm. The lot in big city we moved away from were VERY keen to come and bring a fire engine round one Sunday morning to do just that. Boy ( and several other small boys in teh neighbour hood) loved it.

Unserp- message received and understood. I shall attempt to remember to stop in at post office tomorrow.

Would you like to try some rather good sticky ginger tiffin? Its abit god in RL, so should be fantastic in the tea room. We spent part of a dismal rainy sunday making stuff. Also put a new ( to us ) bookcase together and reorganised teh books in dining / music room.

note to the confused. In winter its teh dining room and we eat in there as its warmer than the kitchen. In summer we don;t and teh room is used mainly for choir and piano practise. We are used to season shifts in how we use a house, used to switch bedroom depending on wind direction in our first - very draughty- flat.

sounds like a most productive day UniS and my, the ginger tiffin is lovely, and entirely without calories I shall have mine with and Chinese .. thanks all

Less productive day here. We used to shape shift in bedrooms too - one was freezing in winter, on first floor so we went to cozy dormer room which became airless and stifling in summer!

at Chateau Maud.

Oxeye - I am utterly desperate to recruit a Snowy Owl, Tawny Owl or Mad Old Bat. I would enrol OxBoy as a Brownie if it meant you would come too!

V impressed at UniS' seasonal moves. Of course, we move between wings of the chateau as the mood takes us and I imagine Oxeye does likewise in Buck House.

Night all!

oh yes, chatuex Uni is of course blessed with wings and annex ... and a priest hole, HaHa and yurt in teh garden. :-) in my dreams.

I do have a nice hammock tho.

I would love a hammock. I was admiring a piece of modern sculpture in an open garden when I realised it was the stand for the hammock.

Night again!