Let's sit and have a cup of tea

Hello again, how nice to see you, do come in and close the gate behind you.

I can't believe another month has flown by and you are with me again for our monthly catch up. It was so good of you to stop by. If you were with me now I would greet you at the gate with a tray of mugs, the big blue teapot and those cakes I shared a sneak peek of on Thursday.

You would pull up one of the creaking chairs and I would position myself under the umbrella. As has become a tradition I would mention the weather as we poured the first cup. It's overcast but muggy today. After several weeks of the most glorious hot weather, the news is that we are soon to return to form with more rain and more grey days. Still, we can't complain. It's not often that Britain has a heatwave.

If you were sitting with me now I would point out the different things in our garden. The passion flower which has grown at a phenomenal rate, the fig tree that is threatening to overtake the wall and the beautiful roses along our border. I am not a gardener I would tell you but I have enjoyed watching my mum in her first year of tending this beautiful walled garden. I enjoy seeing her in her element pottering about pruning and in her words "titivating".

I would offer you the tin of cakes and laugh because since they were baked they seem to be going rather quickly. You can't beat vanilla and chocolate chip muffins. I would tell you that I am settling into holiday mode. That I am establishing a nice pattern for my days. I would tell you though that I really miss university. I miss having my friends down my corridor and going for long evening strolls and laughing till the early hours over a cup of tea. With a smile though I would recite that Pooh Bear quote which reminds me "how lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
I would sit back, mug in hand and listen to your wise words on friendship and family and nod that yes, this time in all its guises needs to be savoured.

I would lean forward and confide, trying not to laugh, that as of next month I am going to be a "national trust lady". If you weren't British you would probably look at me quizzically. The National trust is a huge organisation that works with restoring land and preserving stately homes across the country. I am going to be working at an old abbey with the children. Organising activities for their families. It is volunteer work but I need to be kept busy. Looking deep into my tea I would quietly mention that the job hunt was and still is unsuccessful. I would tell you how disheartening it is to receive not a "no thank you" but no response at all from everywhere I applied. Still, I am one of the lucky ones. Volunteer work will be fun and always looks good on the old cv.

Gosh, I can waffle on. How rude of me to not ask about how you are getting on with your summer. Are you working, holidaying, relaxing? I would tell you as I bit into my second muffin that I am heading off tomorrow with the boy to France. I cannot wait for some time away with him and his family. I have him to myself for ten days and I am so excited.

The door is open to our house and out of it comes the cacophony of sounds that greet the hour. The grandfather clock chiming, the cuckoo cock calling and the clock in the lounge dinging away. You smile at all this noise and it reminds me that soon the lunch needs to be started. We drain the dregs from our mugs and I finish up our chat by telling you the big news here that my Granny has come to stay. That she has made the brave move to relocating next door to my parents. I would tell you that she is such a character and is in turn exhausting and hilarious. "next time" I tell you, "next time" you can hear all the Granny stories.

On that note you pick up your bag and I walk you to the gate. We embrace and I thank you for spending the time with me today, for reading my blog and for being a genuine friend.

If you were meeting with me now, what would you tell me? 

If you would like to write a "tea" post please add it to the linky at the bottom so we can all sit and share with you! The linky will be open for a week so you have plenty of time!