The One and Only Tea Room: Tea, muffins and champagne served at all hours

[BoccaDellaNativita]

Well folks, here we are!

We were on the brink of filling the old thread so I thought we'd better start a new one now. There was a rumour that we were going to be evicted from our old premises, but we managed right at the last minute to get an extension on the lease. So it's business as usual. We're still in our charming old tea room, overlooking our beautiful garden complete with ha-ha and duck pond. And Mellors the gardener.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink.

My view is that you need to know what you're eating if you're going to eat it - and ideally be prepared to prepare it from scratch (dh is). So the agreement with dh regarding MJ's diet was that he would be encouraged to eat as wide a variety of food as possible - but aiming for organic in terms of meat in particular (certainly in terms of eg chicken, beef etc!!!). Dh is banned from eating standard veal (the british rose veal would probably be OK though), fois gras and caviar - on the basis of the way its produced - but largely I don't want to impose views on family or others. I have even managed to persuade myself to cook a chicken for ds - the only problem with something like this is that I'm not prepared to eat it so its rather difficult to work out the temperature etc....

Hello milk - I didn't see you there. MJ would say hello too but he has crashed out on the sofa.

Great to see that Milk is getting to grips with literacy and IT skills at such a tender age.

$&ght ^!shds!dlaycvs @hu#ddr9&mmm &?gol4$fsh& to you, too, Milk.

Apple press sounds fab!!!

We have been thinking of getting a pig with friends as well as some chickens for eating. I am a bit worried about how will feel about eating a pig I will know. I know this is totally hypocritical of me!

mmm... milkfortwo's other Granny did that... bought chickens for eggs, meat and scaring snakes, fell in love with them... and found herself completely unable to eat them! I think Pigs are very lovable... careful!!!

I have found myself eating fish since living in France but I do not eat meat. Milk and Beer eat all kinds of meat - basically if it looks like it was killed half an hour ago they will probably be tucking in. My two particular pet hates (sorry for the pun rs) are pigs feet, kidneys, the inside of bones and whole rabbits.

T42 I'm with you on those - I'll add offal in general - espeically anything that looks more at home on a coral reef....

I had hens when I was younger - they were pets and occasionally laid eggs....

Offal .... tripe .... foie gras .... pigs' ears sold in French markets ....

Am I the only one who is drinking tonight?

Hey, before I fall asleep - I want to say a big THANK YOU!!!!

To the tearoom... yesterday I was feeling really low - ill + bad news = blaaah!!! And chatting with you lot kept me on the right side of sane - unlike the effects Mamma bleeeerdy Mia has on me (milkfortwo insisted on watching this film again tonight after nursery and appears to have even taught herself some of the words?!? )

Today I have been busy at work and am feeling my cold going infact I am positive about life!!!!

Champagne for everyone -thanks tea room/tearoom friends (which is right - it really worries me???)!!!!

Tearoom/Tea Room - perhaps the space fell off in the first version? Either that or the Tea lurched leftwards a bit after a night of alchoholic excess!

If my computer is up and running, MJ can now get himself onto the internet and to the ceebeebies website - he likes all the things to do there - and when you need a bit of time doing things without interruption, its something he will do on his own. We don't encourage too much time on computer though, he's lucky if he gets on it once a week - they do have computers in his classroom, but I know that the teachers keep a careful eye on them to ensure that none of the children spend too much time on them! He does have very good mouse skills, although we could do wiht an oldfashioned one-button mouse for him as he occasionally gets mixed up between the buttons or presses the side he doesn't want...

Oh yes, yes, yes... cbeebies has a virtual religious like presents in our household. My Father is a printer and prints the magazines so we call them Grandpa's special magazines! I find one called cbeebies Weeklies particularly good. The parent ideas collumns on each page make me feel like a great Mum. "Well done Milk you have coloured that picture of a squirrel in perfectly - how inventive to use so much blue and black! Here is a sticker for your efforts and now lets have a cuddle and make up a story about him beofore going to the park so you can play at being one!"

The website is fabbytasticy and the cbeebies radio show on radio seven is great! We do not watch cbeebies tv because we don't have British TV in our house though. Are the TV shows good?

We also like this website....

www.kneebouncers.com/index.php

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weekend_breaks/679450-Maybe-planning-a-May-long-weekend-today-would-make-Januar y

By the way - we are busy planning a mini break to look forward to in the Tea household...

If you have any ideas or thoughts on great places to go - please do jot them down in the thread above.

My suggestions to your weekend away thread suggest I'm antisocial and want to get away from people rather a lot don't they! I think its nice to have a quiet weekend sometimes though - and get some fresh air, sea breezes and blow away the cobwebs...

Does anyone fancy a glass of bubbly? I need to celebrate (shhhh!!!! 3 days in a row )

I've also added to the weekend away thread. I rather like cities.

Three days, Mistle?

I will gladly join you in a glass of champagne. Bottoms up!

Eh-up, Mistlejunior. Reckon tha's done well.

Bocca - Prague - done on a shoestring rather - most evening meals were in a bar where there was a buffet - salads, bread, gateau and a lager - about £2...

We were there at Easter - wonderful decorated eggs.

Have just had to buy a bottle of gin in RL because I have acquired a sudden taste for g+t! Having said that, would love a glass of champagne.

Joining in the universal congratulation of Mistlechick and awarding him an Invisible Sticker.

I was doing some work with a local school where the reception teacher told me they had a child with a sticker phobia so that in that class they used invisible stickers. Very popular, apparently. I see lots of milage in the idea - very green and ecological, economical and great classroom management potential. "Darren, I think I've dropped the invisible stickers in the playground. Would you and Kylee go and have a good look for me and let the rest of the class have 10 minutes break from having rubbers flicked at them?"

We do quite a run in invisible plasters in our household - very useful, particularly as you don't have any screaming when you have to take them off....

Ooh. I want to go back to Prague tomorrow.

Great idea, invisible plasters.

... I wonder if Mellors has any ideas about mini breaks? I am sure he has been on plenty in his life! He looks like a "Shall we go on a mini break" kind of guy... what do you think?

I suppose children should be allowed invisible stickers and plasters - it seems only fair if their Mums are busy drinking invisible champagne on tinternet all night!

Until the great regime change, Mellors' life was a string of endless mini-breaks, with the odd holiday thrown in. He is probably having withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps we should off hot chocolate.