Life Observed

The tea shop*. Oh, what a wonderful creation, far from the madding crowd, we hope. But now we reach that critical moment. The future lies before us and the choice depends on the answer to a simple critical question. "Is there any more tea in the pot?" *To my many American robot readers:  You cannot replace "tea" with "coffee" and expect to understand this concept.

The old Police Station in Midhurst is now a restaurant. "Enjoyed your tea and crumpets? Well, pay up or face a night in the cells"

This is not just a cafe, this is a Marks and Spencer cafe.. As part of the new local shopping centre development our M+S has been extended and, joy of joys, there is now a small but perfectly formed restaurant complete with a view of the shoppers below. It is an excellent thing. In fact anywhere you can get a cup of tea and a toasted tea cake and not shop is an Excellent Thing.

Today I return to the Tea Shop . Actually, returning to Tea Shops is a favourite pastime for me. I'm certain we could cure all of the world's ills if only there were enough tea shops. Here we are in Bath, quite near Bath Abbey. And this image has the full treatment to give a nostalgic look. It was converted to monochrome, with selective focus and vignetting applied, then sepia tinting. Lovely.

A post in praise of the humble Tea Shop, and the most excellent coffee break. Surely there is no day out that cannot be improved by a nice cup of tea or an Americano and a Danish Pastry. Here we are in Le Cafe Journal in Warminster High Street, enjoying the latter. Later that same day we had a nice cup of tea in a WI tent at a churchyard fair and on both occasions we watched the world go by. Now that would be an achievement : To be able to write "Occupation: Watching the World Go By"