tea room 36 - Teh Alpine Chalet

[UniS]

Welcome to the Tea rooms newest incarnation. A cozy log cabin with a roaring log fire, comfy chintz sofas and a dedicated man about the house, our Butler, Mellors. Out of the windows you can see sparkling white snow gently drifted up under the green Christmas trees and bright blue skies. Children can all be packed off to play healthy outdoor stuff while we stay snug n warm in here with our mulled wine, tea,artisan hot chocolate and other beverages served in mugs, glasses or buckets.

The usual rules apply - no fisticuffs. And no messing with the aspidistra.

Hoof rub, Donki?

Welcome, Missfitless :)

Maud, I have been for a wander around my tiny garden this morning :) - we're supposed to have lovely weather this weekend, around 18 degrees both days, so it should all go and bloom by Sunday evening! I've got strawberries planted in a big old whiskey barrel, and my peonies are shooting up as we speak, my magnolia bush has a bunch of buds on it, and so does my dogwood. I'm really hoping it will flower lots more this year. Loved the picture of your clematis. I've planted a few, eventually I hope they'll all be climbing up the fences.

we have had a boyless day. weird.
he is having fun at a cub scout activity day. we went for a bike ride to a pub for lunch.

Oh thanks for making me feel so welcome.

Well, I have 4 (three girls, one boy). I like the way you all have specific nicknames/initials for yours, everywhere else on mn it's a lot less personal isn't it, just DD, DD1, DS, etc.

Donki, sorry things are so shitty right now. I've brought some freshly pulled carrots, the ones with the leaves still on, and with a bit of mud (which I can wipe off, if you prefer,) and a patchwork donkey rug xx

Are you all keen gardeners then? I'm a wannabe gardener...but in practice I'm a bit completely rubbish!

Well, it's not a universally shared passion around here ::looks protectively at aspidistra:: but several of us are interested in gardening. I'm obsessed, frankly.

Thank you JM - The hoof rub made all the difference, and the maple glazed carrots were a special treat. Balm for a Donki's soul.

The fresh spring carrots are tasty too - the green tops give them extra carroty 'bite'. Thank you Misfit.

The YD has spent a happy afternoon playing Minecraft at his friend's. Balm for his soul.

?Waves yet another bottle of carrot gin in people's direction?

Anybody want some? It really is remarkably good - or there is wine for the more conventional. Mellors brought in a couple of notably fine vintages.

(The absence of the YD when MrD returned allowed me to chew his ears thoroughly...)

Yes please to carrot gin Donki.

I wish I had some wise words or magical solutions for the RL challenges but sending you ear rubs, cosy blankets, tasty treats and a sympathetic ear if you need it.

Hello Misfitless! I am very much a 'plant it and hope for the best' gardener but love cooking with home grown stuff.

Hi beanandspud...I think I need to apply that philosophy to my own garden, just actually do some planting, rather than picturing it all in my head, but never actually getting round to doing anything about it.

I'm a terrible procrastinator!

We had a spur of the moment trip to a railway and rides on both a diesel and a steamie. SmallBoy was most thrilled.

I don't know what tomorrow entails.

SB and I grow things in pots and bags. We do very well with butterfly & bee attracters but don't do well with fruits and veg but we try! He's managed to get a seed from an apple he had for a snack to grow something so that's exciting. On Friday we planted a pear seed and some pepper seeds from a pear and a pepper we used in cooking so we'll see if the do anything.

Morning all!

I wonder what today will bring? It's Palm Sunday - and locally they are commemorating a Battle from the wars of the Roses. If the weather is nice we might go.

I can smell baking - I think that Mellors and the NMBs are making hot cross buns fresh for breakfast!

Its me and boy making hot cross buns for tea. very yummy they are too ( if slightly misshapen* ) . Well I eventually got me self logged back on here...

Misfitless I am one of the keen but disorganised garden brigade. I love to grow things I can eat. I'm contemplating getting a tea bush to fill a hole left by a blown down large shrub/ small tree. So far this spring we have had a small quantity of purple sprouting , equally small white sprouting , a tiny bit of curly kale , and lots of chives , rosemary and bay out of the garden.

waves to donki. ~~~~~~~~~~

• not actually rocket ship shaped , but not exactly round either.

I'm finally back on-line, too.

I took SB to church for the first time in a long time today. He went to Little Church and has decided he liked it. The teacher also let him borrow a book for the rest of Mass, which he thought he could borrow to bring home (like a library). After talking to the teacher after Mass it was agreed he could borrow the book to bring home after all and he's to return it at the next Little Church in two weeks. SB is over the moon. He clutched that book the entire rest of Mass, even taking it up to Communion (I think he wanted to show the priest, if I'm honest).

The Scout Troop went to a local National Trust site today for a run around in the gardens and a cream tea after. Yum. We're off to another NT property next weekend sometime to do one of their egg hunts. Mmmm, chocolate Easter egg.....

gingerbread man? anybody.

Donki, you may bite the head off yours.

Yes please to the gingerbread man, UniS.

We have been to the NT too. I do love the NT at this (or at any other) time of year.

lush? are you in disguise? or new?

New? Not me! I'm a very very old tea roomer with a new name. Didn't mean to confuse you. Will PM you,

thank you lush. you are who I thought you might be in disguise. the new name is most fitting in this season of garden springing forthness.

Yes, I deliberately went for a horticultural theme!

Oh no! I am not going to bite the head off. I sm going to start with the toes....

?Waves at Lush even though I have no idea who you are?

I feel the lure of the priesthole... and several bottles of carrot gin.

Oh no! I am not going to bite the head off. I sm going to start with the toes....

?Waves at Lush even though I have no idea who you are?

I feel the lure of the priesthole... and several bottles of carrot gin.

Quiet in here at night!

I think the NMBs are over in North Leeds again on frying pan manouvres.

morning all.

teeny tiny fried eggs for breakfast curtosy of the nmb frying pan squad.

I had to redirect the NMBs as they mistook our rather dark red skoda for a different one... But I pointed out that MrD wasn't here and they trooped off in their normal rabble to find the right one.

Hello Misfits, Hello Lush (are you who I think you are from early days? if so, welcome back and I hope all is well!)

My parents have been up for the weekend, to drop mistlechick back. It sounded as though he had a great time - and behaved well. They took him to tea at MiLs and he behaved abominably I understand - I pointed out to mum that this was because she doesn't have the clear boundaries and lets him get away with things so he carries on seeing how far he can push the boundaries....

MC and I got up early and took the dog for a walk before breakfast this morning - she saw (and ran after) some rabbits so she's had a great day already.

MC took her in for 'best child handler' on Saturday - he won! Despite being in a class with older children who had much better behaved dogs - apparent the fact that he had to get mistlehound to sit when they stopped, whilst the other two had dogs that sat as soon as you stopped was the clincher. We've met the judge before - and he was very good and gave mc some more tips on how to get the dog to work for him.

I might drag Donki out for a nocturnal ramble this evening...

That sounds like a good idea MT :)

Lush, I'm loving the unintentional double entendre in your name :o
Speaking of which, , anyone? Carrot or otherwise?

Finally got myself logged back in, too.

We had a gorgeous weekend. So warm!!!! I trimmed my hedges and fertilised the garden, did a bit of weeding, and then was given a new hydrangea for the front patch. So I dug up the not-exactly-thriving lavender, divided it and planted it in the back. Hopefully it will do better there. Unfortunately I had to be rather rough with it when dividing, but Spanish lavender seems to be rather tough, so we'll see how it does.

I feel ancient saying this but my back is rather feeling yesterday's exertions. So is my poor elbow. Tendinitis is not funny for someone in my profession.