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.

I don't know if I'm a Colonial or a Dominican... errmm, I mean Dominion-oan...???
But I think you have mistaken the Canadian currency found in the Honesty Box, it's not a 10 cent piece, it's a Toonie (Canadian Two-Dollar coin.).
Must say adieu for a few days, DH, DS and I are off to Seattle for five days. Will check into the cafe whenever I have an internet connection. Be good!! Or, if you can't be good, be careful!!

As I am 104 years old, I remember the days when the sun never set on the British Empire and Canada was a dominion. But now I am just so excited that our little tea room attracts customers from so far afield. And how lovely to have an example of Canadian coinage.

I do hope you have a lovely time in Seattle, jacksmama, but don't let yourself be lured away by their new-fangled coffee bars. We are a traditional little tea shop and cannot compete with their modern chrome-plated charms!

Quiet in here tonight.

.

Hi all, I've brought you a treat from Seattle. Can't stay, we will be out shortly exploring... if the coffee appeals I will bring some beans back. Missed you all last night although did get into a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. Not quite up to the standard of the one lottien posted me from France, but not bad.
Anything new and exciting? What have I missed?
TTFN!! Will hopefully pop in later.

Phew! Glad to see the cafe's open on a Saturday night.

I had a bad experience in Starbucks yesterday - and it was nothing to do with the coffee! Was waiting for my change when I looked down and DD had disappeared. Scanned the store and couldn't see her, looked at the tables round the corner, not there . A nice couple noticed my distress and went to look for her in the loos whilst I carried on looking in the store. After what seemed like an age - but was probably just a couple of minutes - I found her sitting round the corner WHERE I HAD ALREADY LOOKED!!! I sat down next to her and just burst into tears .

I'm so glad MadBad's cafe has got nice soft play area manned by Mary Poppins style nannies in Norland uniforms.

I'll just settle down with my book and my new name til the storm in the teacup subsides.

Hello again! Hic!

Terrible confession for the manager of a tea room but I never drink coffee (then again this is a tea room so maybe not so terible).

Things have been quiet here today - I guess that's to be expected at weekends - but it's great, jacksmum and rebeccamulan, that you have dropped by.

jacksmum - Seattle is on my mythical itinerary around the USA, so tell me more about it, as my current knowledge is limited to Frasier.

rebeccamulan - don't fret too much, we've all had experiences like that mother emoticon. My most memorable one was when my beloved child, aged about 3 at the time, hid under the rails at Marks & Spencer and two bored and immobile shop assistants watched languidly as I ran around the shop looking for her. I was angrier at them for their non-intervention than I was with my daughter.

As for that other business, all I can say is that MadBad left strict instructions that no more of the crockery was to get smashed - the breakages on the first day, during pagwatch's salsa/muffin/massage clinic were appalling - so we'll have no more storms in here. As well as the Mary Poppins soft play annex, the tea room has a chill out room and anyone who gets argumentative will be locked in there with a cup of camomile tea until they calm down.

Well, it's a busy day tomorrow - we're expecting a party of ramblers on their way back from the cathedral - so I need my beauty sleep.

Night all.

That should have been a

And who is that still under the sofa? This is a cafe, not a hostel.

Hi all... went to a college football game in Seattle this afternoon and would like to report that everyone caught me breastfeeding on the giant TV screen in the stadium - hurrah for me!!! We are now ordering room service at our lovely hotel and trying to settle Ds who is completely overwrought. Missing you all!
More later... love, JM

So now we hAve a TV star in our midst!

Hi JM, I am so proud of you and your DS, I think you must be giving Angelina and W a run for their money!!

Make sure you nick all the lovely smelly freebies in the hotel bathroom, MadBad's loo and bathroom need a bit of cheering up

Well, Bocca, you and your dominions, I think you might be getting a bit excited as you get confused with domination

I think the legs under the sofa are a body left over from That Other Thread - as and when the smell gets too bad....

I will wave my hand in the air for coffee, yessir, love it love it love it, and too much mention of tea might make Those Colonials hark back to giddy days in Boston

By the way Jacksmama, I was pretty sure you only put a Loon in the honesty box

Now, if you left any wine in that Aussie Red Bocca, pass it over

Good morning, Daisy! Thank you so much for the loo roll holder - can you make some more for the Christmas craft fair?

I am most definitely not thinking about domination. After a slightly wild start, this is a very respectable tea room and does not cater for that sort of thing. At all. Ever.

The legs under the sofa, though, are very definitely moving and there is also the occasional groan. When will the identity of the comatose figure be revealed?

Must go now and bake a fresh batch of muffins ....

Can I have a quadruple shot latte and a muffin to go please ? Am trying to wind up to doing some technical manual writing, but am not v enthusiastic about this, and had DS in the bed with me from 2.30. He wriggles. And witters at me about Fireman Sam in his sleep. And wakes up in the morning, rolls over, kisses me and says 'Good morning darling'. And all is forgiven...But I'm still tired

My best memory of Seattle (don't go there very often) is eating fab fish in a restaurant out on a pier, so theres water all around.

cmot - how lovely to see you again!

One latte as you like it and a muffin coming up - be careful as they're straight out of the oven! Hope you get a better night's sleep tonight, even though the early morning greeting sounds charming beyond words.

What are you writing about (or would that be too revealing)? The pier is Seattle sounds beautiful - you're making me even more determined to go there...

Bocca !

It is a medical software manual, and this one is very technical with lots of tricky to explain bits. Someone else (who actually lives just outside Seattle) has written the very techy bits, so I have to write all the bits that go around those to make them understandable. Then a proper technical writer will deal with the formatting etc.

I'm planning to be in Seattle in the early part of next year, which of course is not the best time, but fits in with this project. My work life is like this - its Finland in the winter, UAE in the summer sort of thing..

Crikey! Sounds very erudite stuff.

When I used to travel on business it was always within the UK and eventually I got tired of it. Now I never have to travel more than a mile or two and (almost) miss it ....

I used to travel a lot - like 3 weeks a month or so, but when we decided to have a child, I got a new role that means that I'm away about a week a month, but even that is split up. It can be a bit up and down, and I do more UK days out now. It's quite a good balance, and I would really miss it if I stopped.

Anyway, thanks for the latte, feel much more awake now. Will be back later for more, and if there was a chance of soup and a sandwich for lunch (organic natch) that would be great. Rain is lashing down outside and its freezing in my office.

The organic soup (carrot and orange or minestrone for the carnivores) and rolls are now being served. I've got to pop out for a bit, but please make yourselves comfortable, help yourselves to wht you need and leave the cash in the honesty box.

Back later ....

Oh, no, carrot soup always reminds me of sick (says Bucharest, immediately, as usual, lowering the tone)
Mulan- scary situation for you- glad it all worked out OK! When dd was 3 my Mum went up in the lift in a Very Big Debenhams leaving her behind! Dd calmly turned round to 2 nice old ladies (thank goodness it was Debs!) and said "oh dear, my nanny seems to have forgotten me, can you help me?"
It's warm and sunny here.....just to make you all feel better......I have the doors and windows open......tra-la-la.......and am booking my Lyingair flights for Christmas! Hurrah!

Have left some coins (of variable countries and validity) in the honestly box. Will now try and remove carrot soup stains from self.

A big Pah to you Bucharest. Have just ordered 100 denier wool tights. Maybe a bunting cupcake type could knit me some bedsocks too ?

Ahhh, but the sun is now over the yardarm (or horizon at least) and t'is feckin nippy and damp.....Have just been and put fleece on and I always sleep in socks. (am just a sex goddess really)

Oh Bucharest, how charming to see you curled up in socks and the multi national tone of the cafe means the sun is always over the yardarm in some corner of the cafe, so I might put a dollop of grin in my latte!

So with you cmot re the freezing lashing rain - got in from work about lunchtime and DS kindly helped me undress, peeling off the soaked layers, I managed to stop him when in my shirt and stockings .... hope the neighbours weren't looking

Rightio Booca, will get my macrame and crotchet fingers going for the craft stall

re Seattle, nearest I have got to travel is watching Stephen Fry on the tele....

to all in cafe, feeling frankly alarmed re the person under the sofa - 4 days and counting.... get ready with the aspidetra in case they come out armed and dangerous....

Mulan - sorry re lost DC and Bucharest, lol at your Debenhams story - I fee one should only leave a DC in a classy department store - clearly Debs beats M&S on this front!!!

perhaps we could experiment in the run up to Christmas

Hello all!! Did everyone have a good weekend?
Hmmm.... has someone tried to dash cold water over our "guest"?
Just wanted to pop in and rave about our hotel. We were in Seattle this weekend (and LOL re the "star-struck emoticon"... I'd be much prouder of myself if they'd actually known I was breast-feeding while caught on the giant TV, but we were so bundled up I doubt anyone could tell), and drove north to Bellingham yesterday afternoon. DH has to take a continung education class and it's being held here, at the Chrysalis Resort & Spa in GORGEOUS Fairhaven, right on the ocean (Pacific). The view is incredible!!! There is a snug padded window seat in our room that overlooks the ocean and a park with ocean-side walk, and historic Fairhaven is completely adorable, chockablock with cafes, shops, antique stores... I will have to keep a serious grip on my wallet when I take DS out for a walk in a bit. Our hotel room has a super-king-sized bed and a HUGE whirlpool tub that DS and I took a splash-bath in last night (will post pics as soon as we get home, DH piled suds on his head and they stayed there for ages, LOL!!) DH and I will definitely come back here for a romantic getaway (would have loved to have splash-bath with DH instead but DS was wide awake and needed to be tired out!!)
Must go out and explore soon. Will check in later and bring some local goodies (as well as American coinage for the Honesty Box)... right now must run after DS as my heathen child has crawled over to the nightstand and is mangling the hotel's Bible....

Oh... hello... what is this??? A café... mmmm... OK....???

T42 sheepishly enters. "Oh! WOW!" She grins "Hello you lot!!! Nice to see you all!"

T42 double kisses and shakes hands with all her friends.

Next she adjusts the jasmine behind her ear and heads towards a low bench with a straw mat loosly attached. She lounges here and starts nodding to the Tunisian classical music coming from the musicians in the corner of the room and eventually she orders a thé au pignon, a few Tunisian cakes, and then a hubbly-bubbly!

There is a pause in the music. T42 calls aross to Jacksmama - "Hey - Fairhaven sounds really really gorgous! By the way Tunisia was pretty great too!"!!! She then pops a few Tunisian Dinar in the honesty box.

T42 looks up to notice a few frowns ... Is it because she has only one child????

Ahhhh... no... it is somethingelse. She realises, smiles and begins a mutter that becomes a speech... "Oh sorry - I forgot to mention - there is thé au pignon, hubbly bubblies, jasmine and little Tunisian cakes for everyone - enjoy my dear friends, enjoy!!!!!!" xxxxxx Ha ha ha!!!

Well I too got soaked on my little errand
and spent the afternoon in wet clothes. Fortunately for innocent bystanders, it wasn't the sort of venue at which it would have been appropriate or acceptable to strip down to one's stockings black opaque tights (very dull, but Jasper Conran dahling, mwah mwah).

Just so we're clear. In no way does the cafe's carrot and orange soup (made from fresh ingredients delivered today from the local organic farm) resemble vomit. No way at all. However, in a perhaps vain attempt to satisfy all our customers, I will try to devise some different soup recipes for tomorrow. Any suggestions?

Yes, it has been four days. We really do need to establish the slumbering person's identity. Who is brave enough to look under the sofa?