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.

Is Julian of Norwich the 'all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well' hermit ?

Am ashamed of my lack of good housekeepingness this week. In my defence it is one of those weeks in the household, where we rack up the business miles - last night we were phoning car to car to check that someone would be on time to pick up DS

Yes, Cmot. That's why I read her, as I wanted to understand where that comes from. Still not sure that I do. Maybe Mary can enlighten us?

No need to feel shame. Someone has to keep the economy afloat and domesticity (my version of it anyway) is vastly over-rated. Do I detect that you're in the UK now?

Yes, that's one of Julian of Norwich's sayings. She had a number of visions where she talked to God, and which she wrote down. I'm a bit rusty, but she asks God why there is so much suffering in the world, and he won't tell her, but tells her "all shall be well.... etc". Her theology was that of a compassionate, merciful God. She also referred to God being a mother as well as a father, so revolutionary thoughts, and very much akin to today's thinking. Seems incredible that a woman hermit who wrote in the 14th century could seem so "modern" in her thinking!

After all that, I could do with a piece of chocolate cake - thinking makes me hungry!

Our parent who art... etc, she'd go down a storm at greenbelt.

PHEW, weekend over at last. We have had guests since saturday morning, 1st my parents then BiL & SiL. not difficult guests, but just extra people in and having to cook for 5 rather than 3.

I've just remebered that I have friend popping over tomorrow with her kids to play, so not quite sure WHEN I will go and read a HIP for a house I am considering ( it only has a paper hip not an on line one).

Air sourse Heat pumps, any of you lovelys got one? Its something we are considering , the house in question has no distributed heating system, just elec rads. It needs something to keep it warmer than it is now, and I'm inclined to go for as cheap to run as possible.

Uni have asked DH about air source heat pumps (he's an engineer and a keeny greeny)and he says they are a good idea and the good ones you can reverse to be air con in the summer time (apparently, I can't vouch for the accuracy)!!

Am in the UK (we are just spreading round it this week), and by the miracles of the tearoom, and the duty free shops at Vienna airport, have a large Sachertorte.

v odd shops there btw - obv the cake shops, and the giant book/magazine shop (haven't been there for a while, but remembered they sold an american feminist magazine I like, and they still did !), and v bizarrely an adult shop. Slightly disturbing somehow.

Orange - you deserve the bolly after a playbarn trip. We are going to a party at one on Sunday, and I fully expect it to be hell

Would a glass of Bolly help anyone to recover from the hell experience of a play barn trip or to prepare for the next one? Or to recover from the exertions of mass catering?

heck I'll have one anyway. I'm recovering from it being tuesday.

Sorry for the delay.

To fortify ourselves for it being Wednesday.

My inauguration into the PTA has left me feeling rather overwhelmed. I should so be 8 stone given the pace of our life at the mo. Might have a little browse in the itunes store to reward myself for getting everything done today.

Orange, well done for surviving the play barn

Oooh. What are you going to buy, Gymbunny?

Anyone for more Bolly?

Oh I haven't a clue about wha the top hit parade smashers are, far too old.

So I ended up buying the soundtrack to the 90s film 'Singles' (lots of grungy guitars),Come Dancing by the Kinks , don't stop believing by Journey , The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead by XTC and The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani.
I'm feeling rather eclectic tonight.

I also was tempted by Sliping Through My Fingers (ABBA) but listened to the 15 sec sample and got a big lump in my throat so thought I'd not torture myself and passed on that one .

Have heard of The Kinks. And XTC.

Ah Bolly and Chums. What heaven. And do I spy some lemon drizzle wat nots all warm from teh oven? Gym you are a wonder - I'm sure your hubby won't miss one or two

at Racing's spirit level

I am a bit more Heat than Julian. It is a sad rather hysterical swine flu fact that at our GP all mags have been removed. I shall not go again I think

DaisyBoy decided to jump down the stairs into Daisyblokes arms. Sadly Daisybloke had no inkling. Cue large thump as Daisyboy hits dad's chest then crunch as he fell and smacked his head on the bannisters . It was one of those awful 10 second silences before the yells. He has a large lump on his head and feels a bit betrayed. His Dad just wasn't there I have tried to explain he needs a little warning but sadly it was one of those moments when you realise your parent isn't omniscient

Poor little bunny he was so upset he was still doing those awful wracking sobs when asleep

I need Bolly

I was going to bed but will pause to share a Bolly with you, Daisy. Have the sobs subsided now?

I've just escaped from a minor ruck on the subject of favourite films. I was drawn in because of our recent discussion here. I was amused/perplexed/agog that some posters were very sneery about some of the films suggested as favourites (the word crap was mentioned) and yet their own nominations were scarcely less crappy. I have decided not to weigh in. I must learn to stay away from such threads - they always start amicably and then descend into 'my taste is so much better than yours'. Far better to stay in the tea room.

Look! By tea room magic, the lemon drizzle cakes have replaced themselves. Gymbunny will never know your guilty little secret, Daisy.

Oh MadBad did the ignorant film people not know that you are always right? Come sit by me, since I know it is a truth

My DH quite often quotes a bit of Withnail too - but usually his line is "I need Booze" which could be a tea room motto....

IT is better than "I shall have you, dear boy, by burglary, dear boy, burglary" or some such line from Uncle Monty

Poor wee Daisyboy. What a nasty shock for him, as much the realising his Dad is not omnipotent (-or do I mean omnisicient?-) as much as the hurting himself. I hope he slept a bit better later.

Poor Daisyboy - and a nasty shock for you all.

I think the whole point of favourite films or books, is that taste need not ever come into it - it's what it means to you that matters

But, Daisy, my point (to the extent that I had one, that late at night ) is that when discussing favourite films there is no such thing as good or bad, right or wrong. Everybody's view is equally valid. It therefore seems a bit to decry other people's films as a bit rubbish, and even more to then suggest something which is probably equally rubbish.

Oops. Cmot just made that very point.

Just had morning-long meeting and thinking about a trip to Brantano at lunchtime as need work shoes. And waiting for the clock to get to 12 so I can feel justified in starting my sandwich .

Poor daisyboy

I have hardly looked at other threads sine discovering the tera room, might take a meander over some of my old faves while eating my sandwich (at 12 on the dot)

Oh poor DaisyBoy! Poor DaisyBloke too.

And why no magazines? In case they carry swinflu???????????? The word 'bollocks' leaps to mind, although I don't know why, because such a word has never been known to pass my lips.

All flowers were banned from our local hospital, luckily after Wriggle's stay, apparently on H&S grounds. When I informed Aged Parent (many years a nurse) she replied she wasn't suprised as nurses have always complained about having to tidy/throw away flowers. So look for a receptionist too lazy to tidy magazines.

Daisy Boy and Bloke are, I am pleased to announce, on fine form!

Ha Ha Racing you are probably right. I think the old ones were tatty and nobody has bothered to change them. The timing is probably just coincidental

MadBad you are right on the film/ book front. IT is what it is to you. I don't suppose many people will hold the Aristocats in as high regard as I do. But then I doubt many of them spent years being Marie and that their first crush was Thomas O'Malley!

You know, Daisy, I've never seen the Aristocats.

I had a friend who would not read library books in case they had been taken into a hospital and read by sick people. Mind you, some of the magazines at our GP's have been there so long you could probably catch the dropsy or black death from them, if you caught anything at all.

What news of Gymhubby's birthday? Dancing until dawn? Flypast by the Red Devils? And can we have a show and tell of your new shoes, Gymbunny?

There are a couple of new threads on this topic if anyone does want to stray from the tea room. Leave a trail of cake crumbs do that you can find your way back ....

Meanwhile, here's an orange drizzle cake.

Does anyone have a moan they need to let out? There's a very cathartic thread here.

Meanwhile, there's Bolly.