Tea Room the Tenth: Tea and cake and rock and roll

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Welcome back to the tea room.

In the search for the perfect venue, we have now decamped to a rambling country estate. The once-decaying castle, now restored, is a boutique hotel, popular with rock and roll gentry and visiting bishops, and the tea room (which never closes) is located in a tastefully converted barn. The charming garden contains a duck pond and ends in a haha. We need the haha, of course, to stop the bison trampling the herbaceous borders. Mellors the gardener is, as ever, in charge of the grounds.

Please come and join us for a celebratory drink.

JM, that sounds fantastic. We honeymooned on the west coast of Canada and stayed in Vancouver for 3 days.

Went shopping this pm (bad Mary, on a Sunday too!), to buy DD's birthday presents. Not from us, but from DS and my mum and MIL, as they hadn't bought her anything and were leaving us to sort out (OK, DS can be excused...). Bought some things, plus a few things more for Christmas, as I discovered that the Sad Shop (aka Disney) had some club penguin merchandise in their sale.

Sun is streaming through the window here... anyone fancy a martini, shaken not stirred? I've mixed up a big jug and put it and glasses out on the trestle table, together with a selection of hors d'oeuvres, prior to dinner (in the formal dining room, at 8pm)

Afternoon all. Been having a lovely busy weekend and haven't been able to got on. Felt much better by about teatime yesterday, we went and picked out gymhubbys bike (bday is 14th but wanted to be organised), then into town to get me a hangover burger and do a few jobs. Home for a bit then off for a curry en famille (gymgirlie partial to chicken korma and chips ). We have a young kiwi couple who are family of gymhubby who bounce to and from ours while they travel Europe, they arrived at about 9pm so we sat up late and watched x factor and strictly, so it was a late night. Gymgirlie woke me at 8.30 this morning then we went to mass, then off to drop gymhubby at the bike shop so he could cycle birthday bike home. Then did big food shop and came home to my traditional Sunday afternoon cooking to Radio 2 . Have just polished off spectacularly good roast beef and trimmings, choc brownies are cooling and madiera cake is next on my to do list. Love Sundays. What's to come is getting gymgirlie to do homework and tidy her room. Much less fun.

Gymhubby and I met in a pub. I got a job in said pub as a kick up the bum to stop me moping after a breakup and to speed up my saving for travelling which I had planned. G-hubby was a customer and for about 6 months we were friendly, then he invited the bar staff to his 30th and I went along with a friend, the rest was history. He decided to get a sabbatical from work and came travelling with me, we had only been together 9 months at that stage so was a bit of a risk, but thankfully it all went well.

Some lovely stories so far....

Hee! I agree Madbad, perhaps not the best attire for babyrella, give her a few years..

I'm loving all of your romantic meeting stories! I'm afraid my story of how i got together with manrella is rather mundane. We were introduced by a mutual friend (borrrrrrriing!!) in a night club, it WAS a cool club that played v good music (sigh, distant memory of going out) and he was also playing in the live band that night (which also impressed me - easily impressed!) Naww, he's a v talented jazz / funk drummer but since the (unexpected) arrival of babyrella his passion for playing music has had to fit around sensible(ish) job.

Madbad it was me that reminisced over my dad playing Hotel California but it has to be said he was significantly older than a yoof so you needn't feel old. It was the coolest album he had, the rest being various jazz and Jean Michel Jarre!!!

I would suggest Lisa Kudrow play me in the film though i'm really not as extreme as "Phoebe" but it has been said (groan)...

Orangehaze! another art grad! hello, check out the rice link from Madbad i like your dual charactors, definately flip sides of the same coin!

Catita, love your story! and Mexico, how amazing! (well apart from the 1950s NHS - I take that on board).

THUMB!!!!!!!!!
Did you see the "what happened?" thread in Chat about "DM"?????
I am in .

gym, sounds like you've had a lovely weekend and Sunday enjoy the rest. Lovely meeting story too!

JM - have only just twigged what you are on about!

Mary - If it's any consolation I went shopping this afternoon too. And another session online just now too. But maybe going to the Disney Shore is a different level of sin?

So many amazing stories, they confirm me in my belief that I have led a very dull life!

Thank you for the offer of a cocktail. I would love to share a Martini with Mellors A formal dinner sounds marvellous. Should we dress up?

I met MonsieurSerpent while working in Germany. I was sharing a flat with a mad (in the most negative way) Spaniard, and all the foreigners tend to bump into each other eventually. My first sight of him was sitting in a bar. Then I can't remember how it happened - we ended up going to a couple of meetings of the Antistrausskommittee (rather to the left of the communist party) where I remember the Internationale being sung but nothing of the meetings, then we went out one very icy night with MS in his pointy non-grip cowboy boots and had to hold each other up ..... I spoke only very limited school girl French and he no Engish at all, so the first years of our relationship were conducted in German. We didn't get married for about ten years.

I met MonsieurSerpent while working in Germany. I was sharing a flat with a mad (in the most negative way) Spaniard, and all the foreigners tend to bump into each other eventually. My first sight of him was sitting in a bar. Then I can't remember how it happened - we ended up going to a couple of meetings of the Antistrausskommittee (rather to the left of the communist party) where I remember the Internationale being sung but nothing of the meetings, then we went out one very icy night with MS in his pointy non-grip cowboy boots and had to hold each other up ..... I spoke only very limited school girl French and he no Engish at all, so the first years of our relationship were conducted in German. We didn't get married for about ten years.

Goodness me, a week away (no phone on or PC taken with us all week), and so many new people.

We had a lovely holdiday, and rode everyday. I have a bruise half the length of my thigh which is highly attractive. DS had to be peeled off the horses.

I might mention the smug dad of three who had to get a dig in, and wound DH and I up..

DH and I met at university. At the time we met, and for a further 3 years he was my best friends boyfriend, and we shared a flat for a year. She and I graduated, she moved back home, she dumped him. We kept seeing each other as friends, then went to a beer festival in a group and he was meant to be walking me home. We never got any further than his house, and the rest is history

gosh, what an international bunch of partner meetings you lot had. UniBloke and I met as impoverished studenty types in the student union building at Bristol Uni. At a meeting of Circus Soc. one on stilts, one on a unicycle, both wearing T-shirts for teh same band who happened to be playing Bristol the following week. A meeting up at the gig was pencilled in, happened, and I bounced all the way home on my bike wanting to see that bloke again. 3 weeks and a few "dates" at the union bar later I managed to get him to snog me following a trip to see Rocky horror show.

18 years later here we are with a 3 yr old, and a 13th wedding anniversary approaching. We don't rush into things.

Hello lovely people! I hope I am not too late for Formal Dining - how lovely!

Welcome OrangeHaze I thought you might be named after the Dust of New South Wales - shows I am no rocker

I am Daisy and I have one DaisyBoy who is 3 and obviously utterly wonderful and possibly talented. He played 10 orchestral instruments at 2 and self taught reading in Mandarin by 3. I have a DaisyBloke husband who Explores. I work, apparently. Not as much as my colleagues may hope or believe. I may be the Queen, but refer to travel incognito.

Oh, and JM you will like this. I met DaisyBloke because at the time he was in the same field as you. I had a bad neck. I made an appointment. This great man walked in and said "take your clothes off" that was it for me. He may have taken a little longer to persuade, and undress

Racing I think it sounds good re school - at least it is not in the hands of bullying head and you have some time to think and adjust = I think either way is going to work well for you and Wriggle

Catita don't worry about the potty training, as you say if that is what is done and it's done to all, I don't think Kittenio will even think twice about it, I just reckon the nursery staff are giving themselve more washing and work than necessay - DaisyBoy never did potties. He cracked it once he could stand and wee- he loves that, I mean, what's not to love

MadBad I am to be played by Kristen Scott Thomas I think, and no, I didn't eat all the twiglets, there's one for you here

Sorry, lovely ladies. I popped across the road to see my friend and then something detained me. A rather palatable white wine, actually. What was the dinner? Was there a grace said in Latin? Was Mellors acting as Butler?

Am both moved and amused by all these romantic encounters.

Cmot - We've missed you. Good to have you back. Tell us more about SDOT. Has anyone seen Mistle recently? Is she one of the multitude who, so I've heard, left once the DM started plundering our words of wisdom?

Daisy - Are you, rather, Barbara Cartland? That story of your first meeting with DaisyBloke has a whiff of Mills and Boon about it. (I am because our early relationship was more like a script from The Office.)

I have to go to bed now and do my book group homework (400 pages in 48 hours? Honestly, it ain't gonna happen). So I leave you with this home movie of me and Mellors practising our moves in the potting shed.

JM - I was reading the "what happened" thread last night, but only got as far as page 3 when miniThumb woke up and insisted I went back to bed so i never got to the bottom of who the deleted thread was about. Because I still have DM's thread up in my Threads I'm On, I assumed it wasn't her - was it then? God that's awful if it was. I mean awful awful.

Sorry everyone else - will get around to finishing catching up here in a bit...

BAggsy Cate Blanchett for my role, btw.

oh pants, now the "what happened" thread's gone as well.
Bloody hell. I can't believe DM is not real, there are still people posting on her thread, it can't have been her.

Thumb I think it was concerns about DM which may or may not be right...

Mistle - I was wondering about where she had got to - I get back from hols and she has disparu

Eeerm. We are being plundered? Truly by the Daily Mail? Crikey

MadBad. It wasn't that romantic, more like seige warfare

Daisy, didn't you know that supposedly the Daily Mail was going to/ is doing a "what's new on Mumsnet this week" type column?

Wow - I's a furriner and even I knew that

Here's an [out of the loop] emoticon for you.

And I love how you met your DH!!!

More Bolly for the late night crowd?

Thumb - the DM thing is just horrible, if it was a troll, and it does now seem that way. I sobbed over the keyboard several times thinking about her. She must be a very mentally unwell individual.

RS, pleased to see that the CoG is sympathetic to your situation, whether or not that works in your favour in the long run is another thing of course but fingers crossed for you.

No doubt if you do end up leaving, the Head will be wringing her hands and wondering why

Daisy - pmsl at "siege warfare" scenario re. you and Daisyman - I'm not surprised, that's HIGHLY unethical, that - shaggin' ones patients is Not On.

Right - back to the grindstone again...

Morning, everyone.

Here it is grey, dark and very wet. Comfort food is needed, I think, so here is a selection of pastries and a steaming jug of hot chocolate.

Tuck in!

MadBad, it's grey and gloomy here too, with a misty hair-frizzing rain. My hair couldn't frizz if it tried but that's what I'm told by curly haired mums at school.

Was late getting to work this morning as we walked out of school to see a swan walking down the middle of the road,happy as larry, miles from the nearest lake in suburban London . Had to stand about for a bit and make sure it didn't get run over.

RS, I can't find in the older posts, but what are they trying to make to do at work?
Hope it works out soon.

daisy, I like your meeting story too

thumb, I can't believe the DM saga either, all the sadness that thread generated

Afternoon everyone.
I've made a load of hot cross buns if you'd like one? I know, wrong time of year but I love them!
((I have actually just made some as DD is at Pre-school, bliss!))

I'm loving everyone's lovely stories of how they met their other halves. I met mine at Uni, 11 years ago, me art, him engineering. He fancied me from across a smokey pub (remember that girls, a SMOKEY pub!?) and eventually bought me enough beer so I'd go out with him.

Linserella/Madbad, (I love Barbarella too!) I'm a bit new to posting, so where would I find the rice link from Madbad?

Also, I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused, I've tried to follow the DM thread (I indeed had a cry as sounded so sad) was it a lie?
Sorry, dumb brunette moment.

xx

Oh yummy! There's a pot of vegetable soup on the aga for anyone who hasn't yet had lunch.

This is the free rice link. But beware, it's addictive!

Oh my word! That IS addictive! Fantastic, thanks for that!

((Desperately trying to remember all my art history lessons from years ago!))

I survived the bishop!!!

The joy of it, I think, is that you don't have to get it right first time, so if like me you're less than 100% sure of your Goyas and Velasquezes, you can just keep going until you get it right! In fact, I think I'll have a little session now ....