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.

RS- its tough while they ajust, but most do in time... Maybe hold off back yearing till later in the school year, see how she goes. There is always the option of not starting till Yr 1 as well, Assuming your in the UK.

Is this her first term at school nursery, she 3, just?

Mimosas are like bucks fizz. Somehow, I feel bucks fizz says breakfast, and mimosas are more day time.

Sorry Wriggle had another bad day. If there is a choice of schools, could you just abandon nursery, and concentrate on determining which school will suit her best ?

I too have only got time to pop in, grabbing a bowl of Eton mess as I do.

Racing - I'm sorry to hear that day two was so grim but it is early days yet. I'm struggling to work out what's been going on. Has Wriggle been bumped up a year, so that she's now a year ahead of herself and back-yearing would put her back where she ought to be? How so? A friend did get her child back-yeared but it was an almighty struggle and required lots of input from specialists testifying to her child's special needs (which are many and well-documented).

There are some starting school and starting nursery threads at the moment, have you looked at those? There's some hand-holding going on there. But here's a big ((((hug))) anyway.

Wriggle was due to be born in September, but due to overexcitement on my part about the school fete in July, she was born at 32 weeks. I was extremely grumpy on the Friday, preparing for the fete with my class, then poor DH had to attend the fete on his own on the Saturday, as I was in hospital having just given birth, much to my surpise. I have been in the habit of boring everyone with this story and therefore thought you all knew. I suppose that now she is not a baby and is only small for her age, not absolutely minute, it doesn't dome up as much.

She doesn't have any particular special needs but is very young for her age (although not so much if you think of her as really still not quite 3). But by doing this monumental piece of silliness she has bumped herself forward a school year and will have to start school when she is really only 3. She has lost a year of her life and I want it back! I know they say that they catch up by their second birthday, but when I look at Wriggle's friends, she is still much younger. Whatever they do she does about 6 months later.

Would anyone like some? It goes well with beer.

See, I rather like poutine, so will gratefully accept.

Eton mess is what those of us whose meringues always split make instead of strawberry pavlova - whipped cream, meringue pieces and strawberrys all mixed together. I add raspberries to give it a tang

RS - I think I had missed that Wriggle was that prem. I had to ring work from hospital and tell them that my 9am meeting would have to be cancelled on account of having a baby

I'll try some poutine too, please.

Racing - I don't think you've told us the details of Wriggle's birth, although it's possible that as I am senile old and goofy and we have had 9000 posts, I forgot. I know things feel grim at the moment, but I think you have to hang in there for a while. Have you probed why the nursery has so many rigid rules? We will all support you while you kick butt have a calm discussion with the teacher, one professional to another.

Another ((((hug))))

Eton mess for me!!! I love it!!!

Racing, I hope you get wriggle sorted. DS was born a month early, but his birthday is September.

Have just had a phone call from mystery shopping company. I used to do quite a few mystery visits, but these pretty much dried up when I moved. I DID do one to a pub, and they were really rude to me, and I really LOVED giving them a bad review . I wonder if it'll be them? Last time they asked me to go there, I said "I wouldn't go if you paid me" It doesn't pay anything, but it covers expenses - so if you go for a meal they give you enough money to pay for the meal, plus a bit for petrol. Am quite excited at the thought, I fancy a freebie, hope its a meal!

Eek! I'm taking Evensnog on Sunday, just spoke to vicar, and he asked me if I'd do it. At least its more notice than last time (20 mins notice is all I got!)

Would he like me to find him a spare cassock/surplice?

count me in for some cheesy chips wi'gravy. ( aka poutine by our colonial cousins) . we had Fish chips from local pub ( take away) for tea tonight. ENORMOUS bit of fish, nice chips too. I quite like cheesy chips, was never that keen on gravy as well unless I was drunk, at which point I'd eat anything sold by teh late night eatery round corner from our flat in days gone by, it went by the name of " food" known to my circle as "fud".

I did try fishermans brews last time I was in Canada ( Newfie) , that was an odd dish.

I think Mellors has his own Mary, however you may wish to insist he remains faceing teh congregation at all times, as I think it may be backless.

We'll be in the chancel, in the choir stalls, so I'll sit him at the back! Not so much fun, but at least he won't distract me!

MaryBS I'd heard somewhere or other about your Cassock and surplice.... impressive!

I've had to let the surplice out a bit - it was getting a bit tight, with all those rocky road clusters... it now looks more "in keeping" with the occasion. Am a bit concerned about Mellors - our church is large, cold and extremely drafty!

not sure that will deter mellors. I'll send him off with a sheepskin to sit on tho. I bet your church has hard wooden pews.

It does indeed have hard pews. Focuses the mind, I find.

Cocktails anyone, or is it too late?

am I too late for cocktails? I'd like something without tequila please!

I love Eton mess - is there any left? My favourite version was at a Blubecker's Restaurant - they were doing it with raspberries instead of strawberries and icecream as well as cream - so I asked them to switch from vanilla to chocolate ice cream (chocolate goes so well with raspberries!) and it was FAB!

am sniggering about Mary's Evensnog too - and the thought of Mellors in a backless surplice is giving me goosebumps - I do hope he has on some lederhosen or something underneath!

RS - sorry to hear about Wriggle's woes - I hope you work it out satisfactorily.((hugs)) from me too

RS, large cup of tea for you re Wriggle.

Done washing up, glued together the broken castle crockery from the Incident the other day, and have written to explain to the neighbours that the West Wing isn't in fact haunted and what they were seeing was me running about the place with a dress over my head, making alarmed noises. All perfectly NFA* really.

*NFA - 'Normal For Amber'

Nice Full English and newspapers available in bed for those who want them.

Full English breakfast in the sun on the lawn would be lovely, Amber. I'll just drag on of the distressed wrought iron tables over here .... Would anyone like to join me?

We need to make the most of the sun as yesterday while coming back form blackberry picking with Wriggle and DH (blackberries picked = none, trees climbed = many) I saw the most amazing sight - a cloud of thousands of swallows. They were swirling around like a huge cloud of mosquitos, calling and swooping. Quite breathtaking, but I feel a sure sign that they are off to warmer shores.

The blackberry patch at teh end of teh garden is Groaning with berries for you, and its not prickly. thanks to tearoom magic.

Mellors in Lederhosen today MAY not equal mellors in lederhosen under backless cassock tomorrow! he might be back to gold hot pants, NMB style.

In RL I am awaiting a phone call to go and witness a pair of my mates arriving in town( 5 miles away) on a Lands end - J.o.G record attempt. Have located nearest pub with food to their overnight accommodation as well. AND baked them a VERY fine chocolate brownie slab. I made 2 and we have started our one, its great vintage. anybody care to try some? Has chuncks of choc in, lots of coco and very little flour.

Sounds good, I've been at our church fete all day. Have brought home an absolutely scrumptious cake off the cake stall! One of the ladies at church is a professional cake maker and she donated 3 cakes she'd made, one was a raffle prize, and I bought one of the others. I've had one before, and they really ARE good!

Mellors in lederhosen might be a good idea, it will help keep his nether regions warm!

well my mates got through their first day of LEJOG. only 90ish miles, they have 120 planned for tomorrow. I'm NOT getting up to witness them leaving town at 6am...

Still, meeting up with them tonight gave me some exercise. I nipped home for some things they had forgotten ( like shower gel and washing up liquid( this is 3 blokes after all)) so rode about 14 miles myself. Was fun coming home in teh DARK, rather fast as mainly down hill, I like my good front light.

Good morning all. Lovely morning the second time Wriggle decided to wake up, with the sun rising through the mist over the field behind the house (where I could glimpse it through the washing).

The mist over the tea room garden is just as beautiful, sans washing.

Impressed with Uni riding 14 miles, zooming downhill in the dark. Think you might need one of these nice Sunday croissants I found warming in the aga - nice to see that Mellors has got round to getting things in order.

And I see that Mary has left one of her church fete cakes out on the table, under one of those nice net-curtain-dome things for keeping off flies that I always look at at craft fairs but just look to pretty for my house.

DH has taught Wriggle to burb very loudly and she is now demonstrating this talent. Even though she is Bambi this morning and I have assured her that Bambi never burps.