The Painted lady
May. 21st, 2005 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stitchwhichI went to a baby shower today at a place I'd never heard of - The Painted Lady Tearoom. It's an old victorian house in Ghent that's been remodeled as a restaurant. It was a lovely place. A little too "yuppy" for me but you could tell that the owners had put a lot of thought into the decoration and theme. We had a tasty tea... it's been a while since I was served cucumber sandwiches and finger sandwiches. Yum! And the scones were right nice, too. I chose to try their rose tea. It was a type I'd not had before and I'm very glad I tried it. Each of the guests was brought a piping hot teapot with their blend in it. We had our own strainers - it looks like they cornered the local market on antique strainers. The sugar was hand cubed, I think, served in a bowl with a blend of raw and refined cubes. It was little touches like that - simple contrasts - that made viewing the dining table a delight.
There was one guest who didn't come and wouldn't you know it, she was the only person other than the celebrant who I knew. And, of course, the person who volunteered to bring the cake. I finally went outside to call her and see if she was in trouble but all I got was her answering machine. How does it happen that *I* ended up feeling responsible for her failure? I guess because I knew her and the hostess didn't (the cake delivery arrangements were made by phone)... as it happens, she was able to call just before the party broke up and it turns out that she was in the hospital helping her mom's friend have a baby. The lady was delivering early, her husband was out to sea, and so our no-show person had been up all night holding hands, rubbing a back, and filming the delivery for the father. That certainly made her excuse a timely one! I hope that she gets to rest soon. And the mother sooner. :)
I made part of my gift. There was a tradition in my family that with the first baby part of each gift (if not the whole thing) had to be hand made. The hours you spent labouring over it would be deducted from the hours that the mother-to-be would be in labour. Or at least that was the story... I don't know why it was only for the first child but the tradition did ensure that a new mother was given gifts that showed all the love and hope of her family and friends - no quicky store-bought stuff!
Time to get back to the sewing of garb to sell for Marinus Bazaar. Boy, will it be a relief when this project is over! I have other things I am just itching to work on but duty calls more than obligation to my friends. When next any of my friends see me (unless you happen to be attending the pavilion washing/bar-b-que tomorrow), I'll be working on either Viking garb for Ric or (goody, goody, goody!) needlepointing a cushion. Man, I'd better get the pattern whomped up so I can take the project to Sapphire. Oh, that'd be so nice.
There was one guest who didn't come and wouldn't you know it, she was the only person other than the celebrant who I knew. And, of course, the person who volunteered to bring the cake. I finally went outside to call her and see if she was in trouble but all I got was her answering machine. How does it happen that *I* ended up feeling responsible for her failure? I guess because I knew her and the hostess didn't (the cake delivery arrangements were made by phone)... as it happens, she was able to call just before the party broke up and it turns out that she was in the hospital helping her mom's friend have a baby. The lady was delivering early, her husband was out to sea, and so our no-show person had been up all night holding hands, rubbing a back, and filming the delivery for the father. That certainly made her excuse a timely one! I hope that she gets to rest soon. And the mother sooner. :)
I made part of my gift. There was a tradition in my family that with the first baby part of each gift (if not the whole thing) had to be hand made. The hours you spent labouring over it would be deducted from the hours that the mother-to-be would be in labour. Or at least that was the story... I don't know why it was only for the first child but the tradition did ensure that a new mother was given gifts that showed all the love and hope of her family and friends - no quicky store-bought stuff!
Time to get back to the sewing of garb to sell for Marinus Bazaar. Boy, will it be a relief when this project is over! I have other things I am just itching to work on but duty calls more than obligation to my friends. When next any of my friends see me (unless you happen to be attending the pavilion washing/bar-b-que tomorrow), I'll be working on either Viking garb for Ric or (goody, goody, goody!) needlepointing a cushion. Man, I'd better get the pattern whomped up so I can take the project to Sapphire. Oh, that'd be so nice.
