Confession

Among the first customers were three regular visitors who sat in the conservatory and drank americanos.
Among the last customers were the same three people, who sat at the same table, in the same seats and drank tea and ate scones.
In the interim they had been somewhere for lunch.
They told me that they think of the tea rooms as their special place and they love to come. But they were horrified when they came on one of the Bank Holidays this year to find a queue to the door and every table full.
We have had amazing Bank Holidays this season. Sunny, hot and incredibly busy.
They don't make me happy though.
I like people to see us at our best, to have a chat about cake, coffee strength, tea in pots and how lovely the china is, the surprising beauty of the Church and the shocking state of the drive.
On a busy Bank Holiday all this goes out of the window as multiple trays full of food and drink are carried out and multiple trays full of debris and remains are carried in. It's all a bit of a rush and not conducive to pleasant conversation and individual attention.
And it takes us ages to clear up at the end of the day...