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.

ooo, I never turn down bolly!

How's your day been?

Quite busy really, I met with my Spiritual Director (ooo listen to HER!), which was good, then had church service and lunch at the church, followed by coffee with a friend. Hubby is watching footie, so am chilling on the PC.

Spiritual Director? Now that must knock having a personal trainer into a cocked hat!

Not a good night for telly, is it?

No sneaking necessary, Cmot.

How's things?

Wriggle agrees about the Aristocats, although she is generally Toulouse. I love any old Disney; there is nothing as comforting to watch.

Good thanks - t'will be a long day tomorrow, but looking forward to a number of hours uninterrupted listening to R4 and audiobooks while driving.

On Friday we are going out for dinner for my birthday - and DH has arranged it all inc babysitter which is lovely.

How are you ?

Me? I'm fine.

Racing - Will you join us in a glass of Bolly?

Maybe we should have a tea room film night. I remember that, a very long time ago, Mellors put up some shelves and we filled them with DVDs, but did we ever actually watch any of them?

Oh and how lovely of Cmotman to arrange such a fabulous evening. Happy birthday!

Gymbunny reporting in from gymhubby's birthday. All good here, we had our BigNightOut on Friday, tonight we had a nice dinner (big slowcooked piece of gammon and spuds in garlic, cheese and cream, broccolli) and a big chocolate cake. We've had a couiple of glasses of wine and that's it. Goiing to Chessington on Saturday -gymbaby chooses a FamilyDayOut for eaach of us and this was her choice for gymhubby.

And new shoes: went a bit mad but was cheap so justified.
I resisted the urge for more scruffy ballet pumps and concentrated on 'heels' for work (suit trousers always seem to long for me as although tall, I am spectacularly short of leg). Got black wedges in Mary Jane style(£20), brown square toed ones in a bit of a 40s style (£10) and a camel slightly higher slightly funkier shoe, prob will wear with jeans or light coloured trouseers in summer for £10 . All leather too so would have been mad not to buy, right?

Mmmm. A little glass of something would be most agreeable. Yes, let's pick a film. Any preferences?

In our house the films of the moment have been Monsters Inc and Princess Diaries. TBH makes a nice change from Horrid Henry. But if I were choosing right now it might have to be The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, as it is rude, camp, touching and funny. Either that or The Shawshank Redemption. Or When Harry Met Sally (in homage to ThatOtherThread that MadBad was on last night )

I am agog at what you paid for those shoes, Gymbunny! I am especially loving the sound of the 40s stylee ones - will you be staining your legs with Bisto and pencilling a line down the back of them for that authentic jitterbugging look? Of course you needed them. It's bad for the feet to wear the same shoes every day.

I am quite happy to watch When H Met S. As I've said before, it pretty much describes the start of my relationship with TMTWIAMM. But I shall still be if anyone insinuates that it's a great film. And I love Priscilla. Or how about a great Hollywood musical, such as Guys and Dolls? Or a Road movie? With her new shoes, Gymbunny could be Dorothy Lamour.

Shoes are important. Especially ones at that price .

Why am I still at this computer at home in my nightie when I should be at work? Is it because I'm having a very lazy start?

Am sitting at the PC too, in my nightie and a dressing gown (cos its not that warm), eating a slice of toast...

Have you noticed that Mellors is now singing Phantom, and is sweeping around now, in a black cape and mask? Scarily alluring at this time in the morning... perhaps the male equivalent of the Sirens?

I'm dressed but then I am in the office so just as well really. Black wedges v comfy this morning.

I quite fancy watching WHMS now, haven't seen it in years. MadBad, have you been to see Priscilla on stage yet? I went in Aug with two girlfriends and it was Fab! Gymhubby is out tonight so I have control of the TV, might did out an old DVD.

Phanton of the Opera??

It's the terrible damp in the castle basement, y'know. He's been canoeing around the wine cellar for the last few days...

Took Wriggle to lovely real-wood-and-garden nursery this morning. She cried solidly from the moment she knew she was going. "I want with yoooooo mummy, pleeeeese." By the time we got to the door I was ready to cry too. (Actually had a nice peaceful time sitting in the car sewing up my knitting - wrongly. Will have to undo.) When I went to pick her up she was literally rocking on her feet with her eyes half closed, fell asleep in the car, fell asleep the second we got home and is now asleep on my lap. DaisyBoy bug, possibly?

Would like to join all those drinking hot drinks in their dressing gowns, please, as it is freezing here.

Sounds like you need a hot choc with cream and marshmallows, RacingSnake...

As the tea room is now part of a smart country hotel and spa, are we wearing dressing gowns or silk negligees? I like to think that we all look as if we might be about to star in Private Lives.

I see that Mellors is wearing his dinner jacket again. Such a pity that the canoeing in the wine cellar has left him rather damp, although the transparency of his shirt does have some compensations.

racing - Do you think Wriggle is ill or has she just been overwhelmed by the experience of the nursery? Either way, I hope she reverts to form very soon.

Anyone for another elegant hot chocolate and sophisticated slice of cake?

Hot chocolate would be perfect. Considering the temperature I am experiencing, I'm afraid I think we should be in plaid wool dressing gowns,fluffy socks, slippers, mufflers, warm vests, leg warmers .... Obviously the Home Counties are in another temperature zone.

Much sympathy for those of you suffering from the cold. I won't tell you that we are still at 35+ degrees because it will just upset you.
(It's not much fun being 36 weeks pregnant with that kind of heat, and also 80% humidity just for fun; I have developed fungus behind my ears from sweating so much)

I quite like WHMS too. Although my fave all time film for a long time was Shadowlands. It has me weeping everytime.

Mum still hasn't got her results. But she has got an appointment with the consultant on Wednesday. So perhaps by then things will be known.

Fingers crossed for Catita's mum. Actually, I am more sympathetic about heat than cold; cold can be dealt with with fires (DH is tearing up cardboard boxes as I speak ), and wrapping up warm, but you are stuck with the heat. How is Kitenito?

OMG!!!

We went shopping this morning. Milk laydown on the pavement claiming to be too tired to walk... and I was panicking about getting to school on time afterwards and keeping her clean because she had her school photo today.

I made a terrible decision to as well as carry a basket of shopping to give her a shoulder carry (I can't carry her in my arms for very long and have fairly broad shoulders so this is the tried and tested way of getting from A to B in a rush). She wriggled I told her to stop. She wriggled again and flew from my shoulders. I threw the shopping on the floor (it fell everywhere) and caught her by the arm. She was unhurt but like me VERY shaken.

A woman ran over... I thought to help me pick up my shopping and check we were ok... but no... she started shouting at me for being so dangerous in an unasked for YABU rant!!! I very nearly cried!

Actually it has really made me feel completely terrible. So tonight it is definately a red wine and seventy percent chocolate night...

Anyone wish to join me?