Would anyone like a cup of tea and a muffin?

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

I'm tired and in need of refreshment.

The tea room is now officially open, serving hot chocolate, tea, freshly-squeezed orange juice and a range of home-baked muffins. Tablecloths and crockery are charmingly mismatched antiques (no Cath Kidston here). We overlook an attractive although somewhat overgrown garden, with a distant view of rolling countryside.

Everyone is welcome but house rules dictate that anyone indulging in fisticuffs will be ejected.

Please come in.

Oh CMOT I so know the bed linen saga, we only have 4 staying this weekend, and one in a travel cot, but it's wash wash wash!

Hello Zazen and welcome!

Actually, maybe the NNs did like Mellors, and became more Charlie Dimmocks in their middle years

YES to the Sea Breeze, assuming as per long cafe tradition I can drink it rather than walk bracingly in it!

Sorry that Reindeercalf was tutted at, one of the joys of shopping with Daisyboy is his insistance that everyone should chat and be nice...

he says "scuse me Daisyboy coming" as we hurtle round with the trolley and he sings to items he particularly likes - generally the milk

most people I have to say manage to raise a smile

probalby because they can see a wonderful well adjusted and marvellous only when they see one

Bocca dear, I must remember that you are An Academic and not likely to shy away from difficult concepts.

I should not make fatuous ill-informed comments like "that seems a difficult concept" again....I shall study harder

Well, its 5 adults and a toddler in travel cot as guests, plus another 2 adults and toddler for lunch and tea. The family of 2 adults and 3 children have been mysteriously struck down with D&V, just as they have the last 2 years, and always just a couple of days before the event . It is now a competition to guess when the excuses start - the DH is the friend, and his DW I regret to say is a martyr type, who doesn't really like the rest of us, but won't say it outright. Anyway, so we will be 3 'onlys', with a non parent adult who is one of 10, and a childfree by choice couple.

A sea breeze is cranberry juice and vodka - so counts as one of your five a day too.

Oh, mmust just quickly post before we reach 1000 - how will we find each other??
Bocca!!! How??? Maybe we should just do as the "we took you to stately homes" threads do and call the next thread the same thing, part 2 (or 3 or whatever).
Or I liked my title (... if it's liquid, we have it - LOL)

BTW Daisy - ermm, poinsettia, whoops - I somehow missed your post from yesterday when I was feeling so blue, then saw it this morning when I read this thread backwards - thank you, you made me feel lots better.
(((Big very much approved in tearoom HUG)))

JM always happy to help! ((HUG))

Wow! All this pre-Christmas hospitality! You are all very generous and very brave.

cmot - How do you fit them all in? Or perhaps you have a guest wing at Cmot Mansions? You're quite right that a sea breeze could be part of one's five a day. In fact, that insight is going to change my approach to cocktails; it's our positive duty to consume (say) a strawberry daquiri a day as a health promotion measure.

Poinsettia - Oh dear, was I lecturing and boring you? I'm afraid, too, that I didn't name the cocktail. It's in the divine Nigella's Christmas book (and I suspect even that's not original as the recipe is on the interweb too).

I'm sorry I've not been very communicative today but on Thursdays real life tends to get in the way of Mumsnetting. But I have (I hope) done one good thing, as I have embroidered and appliqued - after all, we do have some crafty moments here - a new banner for the tea room.

Please come and have a drink under the new banner.

Bocca- due to relocating to a much cheaper part of the country, and needing two offices as we are both home based workers, we do have 5 bedrooms [gulp] - one of which is DH's office. Thus he has spent most of today tidying it, so now you can actually see the floor, instead of the usual layer of files.

A friend of mine has a theory that Pimms accounts in itself for your 5 a day (apple, orange, cucumber, apple and strawberries). She also says that Bombay Sapphire gin is positively healthy as it has herbs in

I have been perusing Nigella Christmas tonight in between writing Christmas cards (I note that DS had by far the most people on the list, which is depressing). I feel much fatter without actually consuming anything.

Sshh! Signor Bocca is getting the Nigella book for Christmas in one of those buying things that you really want for yourself arrangements. Don't tell him ....

I am up to H on my Christmas cards. I can see why people do labels on the computer and just do a squiggle inside the card, but is that cheating?

I think you should hang the closed sign up to this music Bocca... it will seem a bit cheesy in real life but in the movie it will definately win Judy Dench and oscar...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8ljNobUys

Thank'ee kindly! I was here at the beginning before we had all the funny one child families threads, and I was a bit spooked to come back!

I do love a bit of George Clooney it's true , well actually quite a few bits

I think my fav tipple with my mince pie is a Cosmopolitan - especially seasonal now with the cranberry hic hic lovely to meet you all again [ftipsy]

Oh yes... sorry zazen I didn't recognise you in those new Mary Janes!!!! Of course, great to see you, so how is your little girl??? I think, being a cute four year old, she would make a perfect Gabriel in our nativity/panto!!!

Christmastea - Do you have a photographic memory? Your recall is amazing (or am I just losing it?)

Now that we have the new tearoom premises I am going to fill up the rest of this thread all by myself

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And JCFM dances out of the tearoom, thoughtfully remembering to douse the fire, the candles, turn off the lights, the music and the Christmas decorations.
See you all in the new tearoom!

And at the last possible second Cuddly storms in to pip JacksMama at the post and steal the glory!