Stealing Time

Everyone has a story and yesterday began with a cracker.
An Australian couple, who'd been trying to find the Church, were disappointed to find it closed for repair of the roof (due to reopen in a couple of weeks).
I asked if they were on holiday?
"Yes," she answered, "we're staying in Stratford. We came here because my great, great, great grandmother had a son christened in the church before she was transported to Australia."
I was fascinated, two ladies who had come in a few minutes before were fascinated. One of them knew of someone who'd written about those transported from Worcester and swapped email addresses.
Amelia Jones, the "convict" in question had been sentenced in 1831 for the theft of two shirts.
Also in the tearooms early doors was Geoff, a stalwart of the village who managed to get them inside the church where they had a proper tour, apparently, from one of the guys working there.
They came back for lattes and toffee cake with smiles on their faces and a donation to the restoration fund.

Animal magic

We now sell flapjacks. Gorgeous fruity ones.
I didn't have a sign to put in the cake display at first but it's pretty obvious they're flapjacks and lots of people chose them. Lots.
Then Lizzi made a little sign: "Fruity Flapjacks" it said, and then beneath it she'd written, "vegan". We didn't sell another one all day.
We changed the sign. It no longer speaks of vegan-ness and normal service has been resumed.

Pillaged

We opened early to be the starting point for the Gay Classic Car Group's "West Midlands Drive It Day".

About 15 men and one woman kicked off their day with bacon & tomato panini, teacakes and coffee while I sneaked outside to photograph the cars which had somehow made it up the potholed farm track to us. 

Once they'd left we had another day of jacket potatoes and hot chocolates. Then it all went quiet so several of the team went home. 

Of course this meant we had a late onslaught of people including a group of nine Norwegians. 

"We are Vikings and hungry," said a lovely woman in her thirties, "which is your best cake?"

She said they liked chocolate so I suggested the praline cluster.

"We'll take nine of them," she said, "and six pieces of chocolate cake."

I tentatively offered sandwiches since she said they hadn't eaten since breakfast and it was, by now, four o'clock. She beamed. And ordered eight sandwiches, four green teas and three glasses of milk. 

The Vikings left smiling.

Four letter word

Sunny.
Cold.
Busy.
We sold out of soup and jacket potatoes (yes, that cold) and lost count of the panini. Hot chocolates went out one after the next - 6 on one order alone (yes, that cold).
We have one member of staff who is a proper lady.
We pretend that she swears all the time and any new, young members of staff are jokingly warned not to take any notice of her effing and blinding.
So I was rather taken aback this morning when I was telling her about a customer who spoke about the roof works at the church rather negatively yesterday.
"Who was he?" she asked.
In reply I told her he was a bit of a.....and was about to say "know-it-all" when she said, "tw*t?"
I paused, shocked, and then just nodded, not entirely sure I'd really heard it.

thingummyjig

Summer has arrived. Briefly.
It has been hot and sunny all day. The regulation cardigan didn't even make it up to the tearooms today such was my confidence in the forecast.
We've been wonderfully busy with lovely people and the day started with some familiar faces.
Jim (nearly 92) came with his newly retired daughter, Lesley and her husband. Lesley said it was great to watch other people working. Yes, thanks, Lesley.
While we were chatting about the dreadful state of the farm track (the one which leads to the tearooms) in came Barry.
Barry comes regularly for a walk, a ham sandwich and a pot of tea.
I delivered a tray outside and knew most people by name which, I have to say, is quite unusual.
I'm terrible with names and have to write them down in the back of a notebook along with descriptions, dog breeds, usual orders etc to prompt me.
Today, though, the book was unnecessary.
After I'd greeted all those I knew (Morning, Bob. Hi Janet. Coffee, Peter?) a young man at one of the outside tables said: "How about a hello to Jack and Chris?".
Naturally I obliged.
I hope they don't expect me to remember them next time though.

Crowded House

Well that was a surprise.
I woke up to snow. Proper snow. Fat flakes falling at 7 in the morning.
By 8am it was raining.
I went in to make lemon drizzle cake and when we opened at 11 the sun was shining. Within half an hour we were busy with coffees and cakes and early lunches.

It was big groups day.
A local family met their Australian relatives and extended family for lunch. There were at least 12 of them.
Another set of 9 came shortly afterwards and then several groups of friends and families.
Some hardy souls even sat outside. It was bright and sunny but cold.

And almost everyone talked about the snow.
Four seasons in one day? You betcha.

Not Out.

It's a giveaway that we're not busy when I post regularly.
When we're run off our feet and there's no time to talk to people I don't pick up many stories.
And then there's the fatigue which stops my brain crafting a line (for crafted they are believe it or not).
Today it rained all day. Again.
I thought we'd be horribly quiet but instead we were just quiet.
So that's not bad.
We had a few regular visitors and a lovely family from Liverpool. The children are still in their Easter holidays as because Easter was so early this year schools in their area chose to have a long bank Holiday weekend, then go back to school, then have a two week holiday later.
The first action of the little girl (aged about 10?) was to ask her mum if they could put something in our tips jar? I suggested she wait to see how we did...

In the middle of the afternoon Madge was brought for high tea to celebrate her 101st birthday:

The man who brought her is Nigel Montandon whose artwork happens to be on display at the tearooms until mid-May.
There's some of it on the walls behind him.
Look, there.

Sewing B

Look what Bev has made for us:

Bev joined our staff last year and is a wonderful addition. She cooks, she washes up, she smiles (a lot) and she has revolutionised our burns unit (we burn ourselves a lot) by bringing in a tube of aloe vera stuff.
We have had some quieter days recently. Bev took a look around and decided we needed new curtains for the conservatory entrance.
So she made them.
Everyone needs a Bev in their life.

A cross to bear.

It's wet.
It reminds me a little too much of 2012.
That word "unsettled" keeps making an appearance in the weather forecast.
Even on the bright days we feel we're never too far away from the next shower.
And so it hasn't been the best of season starts for us - I can't get the milk order right, I can't get the staffing right, I order too much bread or too few teacakes.
That said I am enjoying myself immensely. I have time to talk to customers. I play around with the gift displays, I make red onion marmalade in the middle of the day and drink way too much tea.

Today a Canadian man ordered coffee and cake and asked if we would charge his phone for him as he was out of juice. Of course. We took phone, charger and plug adaptor into the kitchen and Sara asked loudly if anyone needed to make any long-distance phone calls. He laughed.

My favourite interaction came with a couple who arrived mid afternoon for tea and cake.
"I'd like something chocolatey," said he.
I suggested the chocolate and praline cluster. A personal favourite.
"Has it got nuts in it?" he asked, and then when I told him it had, "I can't eat nuts. I do like them but they get under my plate."
"She doesn't want to know that," his wife said sharply.
He had a nut-less brownie.

In touch

It rained all day.
The forecast was absolutely right.
And so, apart from at lunchtime, we had a quiet day.
I say "we" though in reality I wasn't there. After opening up I spent the day with the ironing board and got a call to say the tearooms would be closing early due to a distinct lack of customers.
I do want to minute one thing (for my older self):
There were 11 card payments today, 8 of which were contactless.
We have clearly taken well to the new machine.

The art of persuasion

"Two cappuccinos and a tea please," ordered a man accompanied by two ladies.
I asked if I could tempt them to cake or scones and the two ladies shook their heads. The man looked disappointed but let it be.
They went to sit in the conservatory to await their hot drinks.
He was back at the counter two minutes later to order three scones with jam and cream.
"You talked them into it, then?" I asked.
"Oh yes," he answered, beaming.

He should have a job here. He's clearly better than I am at sales.

Progress

It is astonishing how things change culturally even in the tearooms world. We are alerted to the shifts when we are asked by more and more people for certain things.
In my first year we were asked perhaps every couple of weeks whether we had anything gluten-free. Now it's at least twice a day.
In my second year a few people began asking whether we had anything dairy-free. Before that I think I was asked only once in the entire season. Now our dairy-free cakes are always available.

This year the shock came early. Over the Easter weekend we were asked time and time again, "Do you do contactless"?
I had no choice but to act.
So today we feel we've entered the 21st Century. After a fashion.
Contactless is all very well but the terminal is still on a 'phone line so it only speeds the process up by a few seconds.
We have a few more steps before it hits the really impressive mark.

Lock in

We don't have many celebrities in our neck of the woods so we get a little excited if we spot one.
Ann Widdecombe turned up in my first season. She drank tea in the garden.
Roger Cook came with friends for lunch in the conservatory a couple of years back.
Matt Baker did a Countryfile episode two years ago in the Church and Court but it was out of tearooms season so we didn't even get to make him a coffee.
Today we had real excitement when this man came with his family:

I can tell you very little except they all sat in the garden and ate sandwiches. Sean Lock himself had our homecooked ham & tomato. I may have to change the menu: "as sampled by...".
Since he was kind enough to patronise our place we thought we'd return the favour and this evening have attempted to buy tickets for his forthcoming tour, Keep it Light.
No joy. Only single seats left.

Ours is not to reason why

Favourite order of the day:
"Skinny cappuccino please with chocolate, a regular one with no chocolate and two chocolate brownies."

Thank you.

Not a particularly busy day except in one respect.
The first man in this morning (latte and toasted tea cake) was carrying a crash helmet. He asked if he could bring 10 or so motorcyclists for a coffee break en route to Cosford in June.
Then at 11 o'clock a couple came to see me about a tea party in early May for their daughter's 21st birthday (22 people).
Just after they'd left a couple with a young baby arrived to ask if we could host their daughter's Christening party (30+ people) in July.
And then this afternoon Joy from a gardening group in Gloucestershire asked me about lunch for 20-40 in early July.

We've also had an extraordinarily large number of REALLY nice people in today.
The kind of people who go out of their way to let us know that they've enjoyed their visit.
The kind of people who keep us smiling broadly.
The kind of people who write this sort of thing:

It is to them that I raise my first glass of wine this evening. Oh alright then, and the second.

On Wednesdays he goes shopping...*

Friday was sunny but cold and we had a lot of cold hands needing to be warmed by hot drinks. Among the first were a couple of mums and their children.

Who were all boys.

The girls, they told me, had just been dropped at a "pony pamper day". Which obviously prompted a few questions.

Apparently the girls would first ride the ponies and then pamper them - would brush them and put clips in their hair. Then they'd paint their nails. The nails of the ponies that is. 

Who knew?

Towards the end of the afternoon a man ordered a cream tea. 

The lady with him said to me , "Make that two," and then to him "and I'm paying". 

"That's nice," he said, "but why?" 

"Well you chopped that tree down for me," she answered, "and then made that gorgeous curry."

A friend indeed. 

*...and has buttered scones for tea.