Nice quiet cup of tea, or so I thought !

[Teresa]

Ineke,
If the mods get hold of this I don't know what section it will fit in with !

OK Making a decent cup of tea, cups not mugs, a tea pot ,jug of milk and in some nice tea shops a second pot of hot water to top the tea pot up with. You must warm the teapot first and pour the hot water over the tea ( some prefer tea leaves to teabags , they say it makes better tasting tea, ) let it brew again some like it different strengths, then pour it into the tea cup. There is a difference of opinion whether you put the milk in first or after, some say it cools the tea too quickly and spoils the taste , some countries also frown on milk at all and say it's more correct to drink it without.

If I'm in a hot country sometimes Earl Grey is very refreshing taken with lemon and not milk, and a large slice of coffee and walnut cake .

The way you described it being served is the greasy spoon variety , worse still is a tea bag dumped in a mug of hot water usually with no means of dragging it out before the tea is stewed .

One detail I forgot was don't forget to stick your little finger out when drinking from your fine bone china cup !!!

Shelly,
The first time I saw a CDer was in a small grocery store in Hawkeshead in the Lake District, she was smartly dressed in a tea dress and heeled wedges, yes she did stand out but more so for looking agitated and nervous.
As you say a confident smile goes a long way even if you are in panic mode inside !

Nikki,
I did think you might make a humorous comment about hot crumpets but you didn't take the bait !!

As matter of interest , do they make crumpets in the US ? Obviously they don't in France .

[AngelaYVR]

There is absolute and relative overdressed. Looking smart and elegant while everyone else is in denim is relative and is perfectly acceptable, I call it flying the flag. Absolute is wearing a style suitable for a more formal occasion, I'm quite certain everyone here knows the difference.

During the day I wear skirts and tops, almost always with a belt and often with a small scarf for colour/contrast/finishing touch. Always heels (heels and scarves are my top vices!) It's leagues beyond what most are wearing but is appropriate. As my mum would say, I always look "finished" and I wouldn't have it any other way. I did meet a woman yesterday who also dressed in a similar classic retro way (we laughed as we caught each other scanning our outfits), we exchanged info and will meet up for [properly made] tea at some point.

[Helen_Highwater]

Sherry,
Sad to say that too many in the UK will now reluctantly dump a tea bag in a mug of hot water, and point you towards the area where the UHT milk is available .

UHT = Ultra Horrible Taste.

[docrobbysherry]

U nearly described a Devonshire Tea, Teresa. I first experienced one in London back in the day. Since then I've enjoyed many more in Australia, where they r quite common. Love the clotted, unsweetened cream and prefer mine with Earl Grey. Which I have every Sunday morning at home. (Yes, already had mine today). Makes my Sundays just a little bit special!

[Stephanie47]

I have noticed the unfortunate tendency for men and women NOT to "dress up" for social events. There are different levels of "dressing up." Rather than jeans and a tee shirt and man may wear a shirt with a collar and slacks and shined shoes. Maybe there's no need for a three piece suit. A woman may wear a day dress rather than an evening gown. Maybe, it's just a sign of the times. As a man who enjoys wearing women's clothing my preference is to always wear a dress. No pants for me at all.

If others do not dress up, so be it. Teresa should wear what she feels comfortable wearing. If I wasn't a cross dresser I'd prefer seeing a cross dresser who was seriously acting the part.

As a side bar the best place and time for me to see woman dressed nicely is at Costco right after Sunday church services. The place is loaded with families. Still in my area women who attend certain church denominations still ALWAYS wear a dress and heels.

[Teresa]

Sherry,
I knew there was a little Anglo Saxon in you, too many Devon cream teas and you'd need some larger outfits !

Next month I will be doing the same thing all being well, my outfit will be a Jaeger cream skirt with a short sleeved cream blouse in a lightweight voile material and a cream jacket with beige heels, OK I promise a picture if all goes to plan, yes Stephanie they are lovely to wear and I feel comfortable in them.

[Helena]

Hi Teresa,

It was lovely to see you and the other ladies again, and like you I had to use the Ladies because my normal compromise, the Disabled, wasn't available.

On the lid question, i would plump for one of our members not bothering?

Confidence does go along way, and as you say with your life change coming everything will have to normalise. I know a couple of years ago, having to negotiate a crowded bar would have made me very anxious. Still have small wobbles but having been out and about in pubs, restaurants, cinema, theatres, shopping have that it is ok.

Having not seen the other bar customers i can't comment about being overdressed, but thought your outfit was just right, and as always very well put together. We should have offered to take your picture.

Nikki - Your quotation instantly made me think of the Peter Sellars piece "Balham, gateway to the south", which uses the line.

[Ineke Vashon]

Ineke,

One detail I forgot was don't forget to stick your little finger out when drinking from your fine bone china cup !!!

I'll have to remember to do that again. After all, we strive to emulate the sophisticated ladies. Pinky out while in pink fog.

Ineke

[Becky Blue]

Thanks for sharing that nice story Teresa, another person having an underwhelming brush with the the general population... next time you may well walk up to some of the people and start chatting. Also great to hear about another happy ladies room story!! Sighhh those GG's they ALWAYS leave the seat up lol

[Teresa]

Helena,
Many thanks for those comments it was nice to meet up again and chat to you and your lovely partner . As you know I'm on a limited budget which is one promise I made to my wife and intended to keep so my outfits don't cost very much. The fact is I wondered if the skirt and blouse would look good enough compared with the outfits other members were wearing .

Next time I may ask if I can have tea served in the library area , if you can make it maybe you'd like to join me .