The Happy Place Café is open 2026

[sashh]

Morning and welcome.
To anyone new this is the Happy Place Café, all food and drink served here is calorie free. Everyone is welcome.
There are some people who have been here for literally years and others are newer.
The staff are me, obviously, Florence a French pastry chef who is married to Fernando the cocktail waiter (no one knows where Fernando is from so we suspect the marriage was about visas).
In a previous incarnation one of the regulars was Tilly (RIP) who brought a sparkling light in to the café along with a lemur named Leo.
Leo runs a dog wash (Tilly had a golden retriever and her family agreed to the dog wash as a tribute) but as there are rarely and dogs around he will wash anything, his other interests are goats and eggs. He spends every morning cooking eggs.
Outside the café is seating and a water feature, the water feature becomes a swimming pool in summer and an ice rink in winter. There is also a petting zoo.
Other residents are the kittenbees who are kittens the size of a bee with wings, they are very gentle but like to nibble anything sweet. Please do not give them alcohol.
Outside is where their larger cousins the bumblecats live, they are about the size of a fist and a lot more feisty than the kittenbees.
There is normally a daily special for breakfast and sometimes there is a pack up / bait / packed lunch.

Good morning all.

@sashh hope you're ok.

I'm just going to have apricot jam on toast and a cup of Earl Grey tea. I don't want to trouble the staff today.

@sashh
I want to ask for your permission to spend some extra time in the café during my next visit to do some sketches of the kittenbees. Xx

Morning.

Sketches would be lovely, maybe frame some for the wall?

Well as you can see I am home. Some tensions but on the whole a good send off and an opportunity to catch up with family.

I didn't sleep much in the hotel so I'm leaving you to do your own thing this morning.

Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow.

Just one thing. My brother took o the task of arranging things, including the buffet.

Now the funeral was an RC requiem mass, the buffet was in 'the house' which used to be the presbytery. Fr Gerard who officiated the mass was invited and came.

It was Friday.
It is Lent.

A day when Catholics abstain from eating meat but are allowed to eat fish.

The buffet had pork pies, sausage rolls, ham sandwiches, you get the idea. The few tuna sandwiches went quickly.

Then someone came up with the idea that the sausage rolls were actually duck (duck counts as fish for RC purposes as does beaver of all things). I found this hilarious, my brother has kept me out of so much of the planning. He actually took part in the mass, I just sat in my wheelchair.

Oh @sashhthat sounds hard. Glad you are back home.
Now time to rest as much as you can

Breakfast isnt the same without you

Hugs

Hi @sashh
I have been to different churches, but not many follow traditions.
I wonder what was going through your brother's mind to keep you out of the planning...

I hope to see you soon back to this happy and cosy place. Make sure to take some time to relax. I know how tiring it can be.

I have done some rough sketches, but they are not ready to be displayed. I will practice more and present something more pleasing to the eyes for you to put on the wall.

Your kindness and effort in keeping this café open make us feel at home.

Hello all,
This is my first time here and it seems perfect for me. Who could fail to love kittenbees and bumblecats? Perhaps in time I could introduce them to my Wilf, a wee ginger boy. Lovely but a bit dim.
I have been reading through the thread and realise that I have never tried kedgeree. I have just had a significant birthday and decided that this year I will do/try new things. Kedgeree is now on my list.
i hope you all have a good day, and that you, @sashhare able to rest and recover.

It’s not super early but I thought I’d sit quietly for a while as been awake ages. I have surgery tomorrow and am putting a brave face on but am quite scared ! It’s only a standard op (gallbladder removal) but I’m scared of anaesthesia. @sashh that buffet sounds like every buffet I go to as non meat eater. There’s never any duck left 😅

Morning.

Well I am still recovering so breakfasts might be later this week.

Well I think there are some left overs, so I think potato pancakes with bacon and obviously Leo is making eggs.

Florence is making madeleines and Fernando is serving a mix of coffee and hot chocolate.

@Lolaslashes I LOVE anaesthesia, your eyes close and the next thing you know you are in a different room having had a really deep sleep.

@Annie202 Welcome, I hope you enjoy the food.

They did something I have never seen before. all the 'special request' meals (vegan, vegi, lactose free etc) were on an individual platters with a lid, so everyone got a decent amount of food before the main buffet was decimated.

@sashh that’s a great idea and as someone with a son with coeliac is a thing I think about a lot now as well as my meat free needs. I have had anaesthetic once and did feel exactly like that. I also stroked the nurse’s arm and told him he had lovely tattoos…so….yes. Cautious !! Can I have a pack up egg roll for when I’m allowed to eat again ? Thank you ☺️

Me again. Just allowed plain water IRL but at the cafe I guess I can still have a tea ?

Morning.

Leo is on the egg roll request.

Things are slowly getting back to normal.

So breakfast, I think something light so 'things on toast'.

Florence is making sourdough and soft white bread rolls.

Options for what to put n the toast, well beans of course, bacon, cheese, avocado, 'milk cheese', cheese and ham toastie filling, Welsh rarebit. Egg of course, Leo is recommending eggs, fried, poached and scrambled on a slice of toast, I think that's a little over the top.

Fernando has hot chocolate, coffee and tea.

I have been awake a while. Made myself a cup of disappointing tea. Why is it that when you need a good cuppa it isn’t? Never mind.

@Annie202 Sit yourself down by the fire I'll bring you a whole pot of tea. Do you have any preference? I like English Breakfast on a morning, but I also like Earl Grey.

Surgery done. Feel like I’ve been run over and my throat is so sore. In a novice to GA. Please may I have a tea? Thank you 🙏

One tea for @Lolaslashes I'll add a drop of honey to help with your throat.

Honey sounds like an idea. Florence can make honey and lemon cakes.

I'll cook some honey roast bacon for sandwiches.

Leo wants to experiment with honey eggs, I don't recommend them.

Fernando has some Meade.

I love that I’ve got a honey menu. Thanks darling xx

Morning.

Well I don't think we have ever been to Tonga so lets head to the islands. Florence is making various pastries.

For the main breakfast, sausage, bacon, taro hash, beans, cheese and toast.

A selection of eggs cooked by Leo. Including Royal eggs, that's poached eggs, sliced snapper and tomato salsa on toast.

There are plates of tropical fruits.

Fernando is only serving tea and coffee this morning.

Oooh breakfast sounds yummy this morning thank you

Some fruit and another tea sounds perfect. Still not mega hungry

Morning.

I had a take away yesterday, from a Turkish place and it was fab so I think we should stay in Türkiye for breakfast.

Serpme kahvaltı is a sort of taps style breakfast. Leo is quite excited about Menemen, a slightly spicy scrambled eggs.

Florence is making Simit and pogaca. I'm making cherry jam and there are plates of cucumber chunks, olives, yoghurt, slices of orange, feta cheese and a shepherd's salad.

Fernando has tea and coffee (including Turkish) and Raki.

I was really nauseous in the night but this all sounds delicious especially cucumber and fruit. Lush. Maybe a bit of bread too and mint tea and I’ll be right as rain soon. Glad your take out was nice 😊

Help again - is it ok if I sit quietly and turn the coffee machine on for a decaf ? I just need to sit and hold a nicely made pottery mug in my hands and feel the warm and smell the beans and then try to sleep again. I’ll be fine for food right now but can make toast if anyone else pops by. Maybe toasted teacakes

Hello not help! I’m ok! Just flipping about like an ungainly sore fish !

Morning.

How are you today @Lolaslashes ?

I think we need something fairly simple today, I'll get Florence to make crumpets and drop scones and I'll pop things in the toaster, so toast obviously, potato cakes, bagels maybe even potato waffles.

Leo will obviously try to pot eggs on everything, let him at the bagels and toast.

Help yourselves, to cream cheese, jams, honey, butter, Bovril, please ask if you want something else.

Fernando has tea, coffees (try the hazelnut syrup in an Americano) hot chocolate and a selection of whiskies.