The One and Only TEA Room: Everyone Welcome (bring champagne and muffins please!)

[Jacksmama]

Wow, we're on our third thread!!!
Previous (second) incarnation of the tea room.

A warm welcome to everyone, whether you have one child, none, or ten. This is a tea-and-muffin or booze-and-sofasorcanapees sanctuary for all. But certain standards of behaviour continue to apply - anyone engaging in fisticuffs will be ejected by George Clooney, ably assisted by Mellors the Gardener.

Cheers all!

MJ blames 'Baby Jack' who I am glad to say seems to have been redeemed from having died. Mysteriously, Baby Jack arrived just when we might have had a 2nd if things hadn't gone wrong... and MJ said to me 'you've got a baby in your tummy' the following year - I tested and he was right - unfortunately only for a week - but he hasn't said it since which is a bit spooky....

oh, Mistle, how very odd. I once had that with my sister, in that I suddenly said DaisySister, you're having a baby! and she didn't even know... she went on to have 3 and that was my only moment

Bocca, Monty Python has done me no good on the philosophy front, as when anyone mentions any of the great philosophers my brain launches into the relevant bit of the song, e.g.

Intellectual person: Well, I think you'll find that in the works of Kant ...
DCMBBrain: Emmanual Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable ...

The annoying peasant scene linked, however, was used in a seminar at university (Middle English lit); I enjoyed that one.

My favourite MP earworm is 'Sit on my face and tell me that you love me', which I occasionally find myself humming out loud.

Thumb, I had the Black Knight sketch down for 'ways to find like-minded parents', ie how other parents react if you shout 'come back, I'll bite your legs' after your offspring. Horror; donning of judgeypants = not likeminded parent. Mild amusement = probably okay, needs further investigation. References to 'it's only a flesh wound' = friend for life.

DCMB - Yes, it can all backfire. I quoted Kant a lot in my thesis and had to proof-read very carefully in case any subliminal Pythonisms crept in.

My other method for finding like-minded people is to slip a few of Molesworth's bons mots into conversation. If they respond positively to news that I have won the Mrs Grabber prize for raffia work, they are obviously a good sort.

now, sadly, I don't really like much of the MEaning of Life. Although I do like the babies sketch. But not the organ donor with the teflon-haired gameshow host angel thing.

To be honest, thumbburns, I'm feeling underwhelmed by it, perhaps because we only found it halfway through as a result of SignorBocca's ceaseless channel-hopping. I think I'd rather listen to the records.

Chiz, chiz.

am loving the fact that you use Monty Python and Molesworth to "sort" people - I used to do that sort of thing but have fallen out of the habit since being with DH - him being Australian and somewhat junior to me means he gets NONE of it.

I do still use Fotherington-Tomas's "Hello clouds hello sky" sometimes...

Do you mean you have your very own Bruce ?

Truth be told, SignorBocca would fail the Monty Python sift test, as he doesn't get it either - further evidence that it wasn't true that every teenage boy knew the parrot sketch off by heart. He is sounder on Molesworth, though.

my very own Bruce, yep!

Oh dear, I feel another crude national stereotype coming on .....

crude steriotypes? surely not!

Not watching ITV4 but by the wonders of the internet I have just caught up on ER

I would dismally fail the Molesworth sift test, but I quite agree with sifting in general terms!

Ermmmmm.... my head is spinning. Why am I suddenly the one-handed plaid-wearing gimp of Canada?

And... I own more leather? More than who? I own exactly two leather jackets, one is brown in the style of a blazer and one is a lovely bright red with knitted cuffs. I have one leather hand bag. And shoes, I suppose... that's it for my leather accessories.

I'm so lost!!!

K, I'm back.

By the way, could we have a merino sheep?

Entirely personal opinion? Guide Dogs for the Blind? Well, in their last accounts they earned about £70 million, and trained up just under 700 dogs. So that's around £100,000 per guide dog.

Clue: It doesn't take £100,000 to buy and train a guide dog. It costs about £30-35k. With sat nav thingies you can put in your pocket that tell you exactly where you are, guide dogs are losing a main purpose, too.

In fairness, they do other good work for people who have visual disabilities, but the time I spent working for them was the most jaw-dropping experience ever. At the time they had a huge country HQ, staff cars aplenty, staff accommodation (because there was no need for it to be used for the people being trained up as demand was so low, they said). I'm not saying they actively waste it, just that it's become SO difficult for them to spend it. People may think they're paying for a guide dog, but now they are quite open about most of their money going into research and other assistances, plus campaigning. So people should give, but they're not really buying guide dogs very often.

Dogs for the Disabled get an income of only £2 million a year. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People get only £5 million a year. I don't think they can match the marketing campaigns of Guide Dogs for the Blind, alas, but they try.

All the accounts are available in a really easy friendly way to read through the online Charity Commission website (just put those words into a good search engine).

JM, please could you introduce us to the sheep. Or is it a self adjustable coffee table/poof?

I like the name change!

I like the sound of the red jacket particularly - although I don't think that it is quite what people were imagining when they mentioned leather....

Couldn't the guide dogs share with the other dogs? And become a 'dogs for people' charity?

I must say that I had heard the guide dogs get more money than they know what to do with, so I would never give to them. I would be giving money to support the lifestyle of employees of the charity who earn more than I do!

I have heard charity defined as 'the poor in the West giving to the rich in the developing world'. While I am sure that is not generally true, there should be a lot more information and regulation so that charitable giving has a better reputation.

Interesting, Amber, thanks. I will look at the accounts (could do with some practice, especially if they're nice easy ones!) I must admit my direct debit stems from being completely mugged by a woman who came and sat in my garden for ages when DD was tiny - she was very persuasive, and I thought it was a good cause with added bonus of sending me pictures of puppies. Plus we have two guide dogs (and associated owners) at work, and they're rather nice to have around. Didn't think about Dogs for the Deaf though, oddly given we have one of those at work. Hm, mostly cos they didn't come and mug me in my back garden I guess!

I would fail on the Molesworth test - except for chiz, as any fule kno, and hello clouds hello sky, courtesy of various people at work.

I would fail on Molesworth and MP probably - but dh would fit right in. He can quote long lengths of various scripts. And books.

Interesting about Guide Dogs. I am now very resistant to chuggers. I often wonder whether it's better to give to large or to small charities. Large charities seem to spend so much on staff and campaigning that I wonder how much actually reaches the people in need (although I can see that the campaigning is important, especially if it generates more income down the line). Hmmm.

Well, really I set the bar pretty low with MP and Molesworth tests. Anyone who doesn't actually correct my spelling of any fule kno or who looks as if they know what a Norwegian blue is will pass. Any references to my grate frend Peason or nobody expecting the Spanish Inquisition just gain more bonus points.

Am feeling a bit bleeurghh today and need some frivolity. Anyone want to join me in a muffin-eating contest? Thought I might then work off the calories by raking up leaves in the garden and generally getting ready for spring.

Hello trees, hello flowers!

Having just spent a merry hour in the Tea Room garden completing the RSPB birdwatching thing that they're trying to get everyone in the country to do, yes please for a muffin!

I've brought along some fruity tea bags, so do say if you'd like one?

Oh! Is that RSPB thing this weekend? We ought to be doing it - we're members!

Fruit teas don't really do it for me but I'll join you in having a cuppa.

I'll certainly join in with the muffin eating

Suggest we rendez-vous later for warming hot chocolate and a restorative muffin or two!