Tea Room the Ninth: I love rock and roll, put another dime in the juke box baby

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Welome to the ninth incarnation of the tea room. It's been a long and eventful road, from a tea room overlooking a cathedral garden to a beachside cafe, with a diversion via a yurt. Now - voila - we are in a music lounge. We cater for all tastes and, as this is a tea room of requirement, it manages simultaneously to be many things at once. For some, it is a 70s glam rock disco with a cool boho edge - glitter balls, smoke machine and much wearing of platform shoes and eyeliner. For others, a jazz bar where mellow music is played as cocktails are served. For still others, it's a concert performance of Spem In Allium. We still have a garden, with shady parasols for the summer, and a menagerie of pets. Our membership is international.

The tea room has few rules. Everyone is welcome. But anyone visiting with the sole intention of causing hurt or shouting abuse will be ejected by Mellors, the multi-talented gardener-handyman who (it turns out) is also a guitar wizard and rock god.

Please come in.

If we're going to have a ha ha, maybe we could make this tearoom a National Trust type castle/posh place? We could have a moat and drawbridge as well, and Justa could have her very own chapel with inclusive priesthole; we could have succession houses for lots of fresh and exotic fruits and flowers, and our own "home farm" type place with dairy and small bakery, to say nothing of fields for the various animals who got lost along the way...
whaddya think?

JM -

Oh no no no no no you weren't standing on my toes at all at all, at all, at all!!!

It just crossed my mind that, being of the Canadian kind, there might be a chance we weren't talking about the same dog. American Spaniels are really very much not my cup of tea either (to be said in a very strong English accent!)!!!!

Oh, most definitely, American cockers are vastly different from English ones .

So, I really paid for that quiet night. Most toddlers will not sleep for 14-15 hours straight, unless they're ill, and Jackbaby is in splendid health, thank God... but after having fallen asleep at 5 pm, of course he woke up at 4:45 am. I don't know how I could have been hoping he'd sleep until his usual 7-8 am. [dimbo emoticon]

His mother, on the other hand, had been sat up in bed reading Agatha Christie and drinking bubbly until nearly midnight. So was understandably comatose unimpressed when he rolled over and started saying "hi!" "hi!" "hi!!" "HI!!! in his extremely adorable cheerful toddler voice.

We eventually got up and I made him breakfast/ snacks and put the Toon Channel on the telly and laid down on the couch. Fortunately he's now at an age (and we're toddler-proofed enough) that he can't injure himself too badly can't get into too much trouble in the living room, so I snoozed the next few hours while he watched Bugs Bunny and Tweety and occasionally crawled on the couch with me and amused himself. How's that for shit parenting... .

Aaaargh. Guess who just fell asleep in my lap. And I've had my coffee so going back to bed isn't an option, I wouldn't sleep now.

[brought it on myself emoticon]

Ah JM - I always get very anxious when miniT falls asleep after 6pm and wake him up (his bedtime is inconceivably late, however ) so that he will sleep better at night.

Well, I've learned my lesson. Grrr. I think I was just so desperate for some down-time that I just let him sleep. In future he can have a half hour nap at 5 pm and then I'll wake him up.

However - I recall that I tried that recently: he fell asleep at 6 pm so I tried to wake him and his eyelids barely fluttered, so I turned on the music and plopped him on his little sofa, and he crawled into my lap five minutes later and was out again. For the night, on that occasion.
So - how do you know???

Am extremely tired, so forgive the lack of chit-chat (sick child, up all night). However, I've found time to jet round the world looking at castles. Having narrowly rejected one in Florida (nice place, but not where one would expect to find a castle, I've found a lovely castle in South Africa (castles in the UK for sale seem to be few and far between). Here it is, what do you think?

Stratford Castle

That castle is quite bizarre isn't it. I think its the scale, seen next to those mock tudor half timber houses you suddenly realise that it is not half as big as the photo across the lake would have you think. NO mention of how many bedrooms either...

JM-there are JUST a few toddlers who will sleep 13-14 hours... I have one of them. I've packed him off to bed early tonight -B4 6.30 as we have to get him up early (7.15am) tomorrow. That IS early for him, normally he wakes about 8ish. I may have been the only MNer ever to post on teh sleep thread asking for info on 3 yr old who sleep lots.

DS will sleep a good 12 hours at night, plus a 2 hour nap. The downside is that when he is awake, he is energy a go go.

Busy weekend - folk dance festival (watched morris, irish, inexplicably belly dancing, listened to some great music, and did a horse and carriage ride), then on to wedding of colleague. Only invited to evening, so DS got to stay up v v late. He adored the dancing, and eventually begged to 'go back to our hotel' at 9.30. At 6.32am, he rolled over, turned on the light and told me he was ready to dance again.. Went to the zoo on the way home, and I'm now waiting for DH and friend to return from watching the cricket.

I could really do with a drink now, so how about some nice sauvignon blanc ?

Did someone mention sauvignon blanc? Yes, please!

That castle is indeed surreal, especially as it is on a development called Camelot! I do like the idea that we should have our own stately pile for the next tea room (although we might need to be careful about calling it a stately home because the stately home threads have their own place on MN). Perhaps we could then donate it to the National Trust as that, as far as I can tell, means that we and our heirs get to live in it in perpetuity while the NT pays all the bills.

We've also had a great weekend. Back to school tomorrow.

The castle is indeed mad. First photo - quite impressive. Second photo - Legoland.

We ought to be a National Trust tea room in the next thread, although that would involve us all being Ladies of a Certain Age, I think, rather than the cool rock goddesses/disco divas we are in this thread.

You know, I often wish I could make that 'hmm' emoticon appear above my head in real life?

DD has been to a girl guiding event today (she is a Rainbow-in-waiting, having been on the waiting list for AGES). It wasn't quite as organised as I'd hoped - apparently they were supposed to be in groups of six with two Rainbows, two Brownies and two Guides, but instead ended up in groups of six of the same age. So six five-year-olds were told to go off and work their way round the stalls, getting a stamp for each activity ... fortunately one of the mums (who I only realised afterwards wasn't an official helper) stayed to help DD's little group. She enjoyed the chocolate fountain (despite, according to her entirely blasé description, nearly suffocating to death on a marshmallow), and making me a keyring. Aw.

Aw, DCMB. MadBadBaby is a very keen Brownie - she has to be as I'm Brown Owl - and is very miffed that she wasn't a Rainbow because there are none for miles around.

I think we could be a subversive sort of NT tea room, not conforming to all the (entrely unfounded, I'm sure) stereotypes. Despite being, ahem, a lady of a certain age myself, I still consider myself to be quite rock and roll.

Would you like some sauvignon blanc? Cmot has very generously brought some in.

have just tried and failed to find a free download of the "Fat and Frantic" track " I want to be the Chairman of the National Trust" however here is another of their tracks for you to enjoy .Back in teh late 80s Were Any of you ladies FaF fans on the QT?

Personally I am completely shocked at the Girl Guide association for allowing someone as rock and roll as madbad to be a 'Brown Owl'!!!!

at CMOT's DS sleeping 12 hours a night and having a 2 hour nap.

I am absolutely done in. I doubt wine could make me much sleepier. So hand over that Sauvignon and a straw - thanks!

I have never heard of Fat and Frantic.

Then again, perhaps I have just forgotten about them. After all, it took DCMB's arrival here to jog my memory about the Voice of the Beehive. Do you think I might enjoy their oeuvre, UniS? If so, I'll raid iTunes (no sound on this 'pooter so can't listen to the clip). I'm currently fixated on listening to the Ukulele Orchestra of GB and will look for the other ukulele player you mention, too.

Tea - There are some very rock and roll guiders. But as this is now our centenary year - check out the Woman's Hour special last Monday - we are being reminded that we should wear uniform when on duty, so I've had to mothball the Vivienne Westwood bustier and corset. And the leather trousers.

I deliberately avoided the use of "stately home" for exactly that reason, MadBad - but am still keen on the general castellated option if others like it too? That SA one is funny - I did smile at the second photo, that demonstrated it's bijou-ness.

Well if it means being able to house the bison and the pigs and Mellors having to strip off work more, then that can't be a bad thing, can it? And there's no reason why there couldn't be a younger and funkier group of NT ladeez - look at the new and improved Young Branches of the WI!

I have never knowingly heard of FaF either (hangs rock head in shame)

So, a castle that's been taken over by badly behaved rock 'n rollers? Sounds good to me.

Or there's Devizes Castle

Ladies. I remain, as ever, at your service.

Tousled, this early?

Or if a stately home is more everyone's cup of tea , then this place may suit:

Updown Court

Well, since you ask, there's a nice new set of shelving to put up in the far corner?

Amber - what did Mellors do?

But doesn't Mellors always look tousled? It's the effects of all the wood-chopping and speeding around on a ride-on lawnmower. Hard to keep one's coiffure in immaculate condition in those circumstances, I guess.

I'm sure Mellors did nothing objectionable. That is, he may have done, but somebody would have to object .

I had the crappiest sleep ever. Jackbaby didn't go to sleep until 9:45 pm - and believe me, I was trying!! And he was restless and cranky all night. Gah. I think his body clock was well and truly thrown off by the previous night.
[learned my lesson emoticon]

I need a double dose of coffee this morning.

Thank you for the shoulder rub MadBad, and it isn't coals to Newcastle at all, it's more a case of the shoemaker's children... I really never get worked on myself [mild self-pity].

Ahhh... there's a spot, right there, by my shoulder blade... I think I need Thumbwitch!!

I'm sure Mellors did nothing objectionable. That is, he may have done, but somebody would have to object .

I had the crappiest sleep ever. Jackbaby didn't go to sleep until 9:45 pm - and believe me, I was trying!! And he was restless and cranky all night. Gah. I think his body clock was well and truly thrown off by the previous night.
[learned my lesson emoticon]

I need a double dose of coffee this morning.

Thank you for the shoulder rub MadBad, and it isn't coals to Newcastle at all, it's more a case of the shoemaker's children... I really never get worked on myself [mild self-pity].

Ahhh... there's a spot, right there, by my shoulder blade... I think I need Thumbwitch!!