I want to be alone

"At our church we're known as the ladies on sticks," they said, "and Gordon."
Gordon also used a stick and swayed back and forth in the chair to get up the momentum to propel himself upright. One of the nice ladies on sticks asked if she could smoke and was very pleasant when I said I'd prefer it if she didn't.
Not as busy a day as I'd expected though the scones were again a favourite. A sprinkling of teachers making the most of their last couple of days of freedom, one of whom said she couldn't wait to go back to school. Her own kids were driving her mad.
I called Anna to order more of her amazing fruit cake. Her 7 year old son answered the 'phone. Could I speak to Mummy? "No, sorry," he said, "Mummy's having some private time."
What does that mean, I wonder?

Record Breakers

It all began with a coach party from Loughborough. En route to Ludlow. They had coffee and were wowed by the Church. Two of them took bags of scones away with them - frozen ones, so that they could have them on the coach later.
Then all those people who didn't come yesterday came today. And so did their sisters and their cousins and their aunts. Some of them took scones away with them too. We reckon we must have got through 60-70 scones. Our jacket potato record (16) was smashed (18. And it would have been more but we ran out of spuds). My teacake ordering was woeful. They ran out half way through the day.
At the end of it all the coach party felt like a week ago.

Don't bank on it.

We were prepared on all fronts. The display fridge groaned under the weight of cakes; two soups were ready; staff were primed and pinnied (lots of us).
But it was certainly not the busiest Sunday we've ever had. Dreadful rain and bright sunshine meant people didn't know what to do with themselves. We sold more plants than lemon drizzle cake which I've taken as a personal slight.
A couple have made us their regular stopping point for their journey from North Wales to Southampton.
I am wary of tomorrow. It's Bank Holiday but the weather forecast has not yet made up its mind.

Food For Thought

A very busy day which has my knees knocking. Tomorrow and Monday could be even better (worse). We couldn't fill the cake display quickly enough.
This morning a lady who'd brought a group for lunch in July rang to ask if we're doing Christmas lunches. The plan is to close our doors at the end of October and reopen in March. Turkey does not figure this year in our plans although we do have the fantastic Goodman's Geese in the village. Perhaps we should do a Michaelmas Goose lunch at the end of September?

Dessert Storm

A much better day. The sun came out and I managed to make a lemon drizzle for the first time in months. Today we had more of those watching-what-they-eat folks.
Couple #1: 2 cappuccinos (no chocolate), 2 quiches (no potatoes) and a chocolate brownie with double cream.
Couple #2: 1 tea, 1 hot water, an egg sandwich to share and TWO pieces of lemon drizzle cake. Then they came back for a third piece of lemon drizzle to take away "for my niece" (?).
Courgette and watercress soup is a magical combo.
I'm now drafting in family to fill the Bank Holiday staff gaps.

So long, farewell.

Rain. Rain. Rain.
A few damp people braved the weather, but not many. Was it worth opening? Only because Ita cleaned the place from top to bottom.
190 people came to the Church for a funeral, retiring to a pub afterwards. The man in question was brought in to church to Jim Reeves "Distant Drums". The middle "hymn" was Edelweiss. He left the church to Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain".
Best song to play at a funeral: "If You Don't Know Me By Now"?

What a Carry On

Home again, facing a serious amount of rain and the last Bank Holiday of the tea room season. Hats off to the Bewdley Civic Society members who came for their tour of the Court despite the downpours and came to us for tea afterwards. The scone to fruit cake ratio changes in the damp. Hardly anyone wants scones with cream (a pity as we have SO much cream) but plenty want a big hearty slice of Anna's best.
Bank Holiday Monday looms and each new day brings a different member of staff who can't work. One will be in Dublin celebrating her GCSEs.Two are on holiday. One more is babysitting while parents and their friends go out to lunch. Today I asked Ita what was keeping her from joining us on Monday and was, well, surprised by the response. "I'm going to Hay on Wye," she told me, "to climb Lord Hereford's Knob".
It does exist. I've just looked it up.