We went on telly every morning for a week. People in the street recognised us. We had a huge cooked breakfast each day and VIP treatment at Madame Tussaud’s, the Planetarium, Planet Hollywood, the London Eye (bumped to the top of the long queue and given a semi-private capsule – just one other couple in it) and somewhere else which I can’t now remember.
We met famous British people and the World’s Smallest Dog (they bumped our green segment for that one). We met a man who did something interesting with Lego (so interesting, I can’t remember what it was) (they bumped our green segment again for that one).
The production staff were lovely. They told us that our boys were the best-behaved children they’d ever had on the show. Stuff was always coming in to the office, to be featured on TV. One morning, a member of the production team who I don’t think we had met, came up to us with two expensive remote-controlled cars and told me they were for the boys; she had received them and thought, ‘I know just who I want to give these to.’ Wasn’t that kind?
We had a fantastic week, though the Hub was looking rather lyard in hair and face by the time we were dropped at Euston Station. His M.E. wasn’t as bad then but it had been a hard five days for him and the kids were propping him up at that point. Our train was in and we were about to board when we were suddenly stopped by a station guard. She politely asked us to wait a moment, and then led us into First Class. Apparently, the train was standing room only and she turfed four people out of their seats and gave them to us.
Nothing to do with The Big Breakfast – we were a family with two young children, looking exhausted (the boys and I) or about to collapse (Hub), and the four people were all young and travelling alone and only allowed those seats because there was no space in steerage. We still had the bulk of our cash wad but we discovered you don’t pay for snacks in First Class, even if you haven’t paid for a First Class seat.
All in all, a fabulous week.
Now, the teabags:
When Tory Boy was eleven, he didn’t like a strong cup of tea and he liked half milk-half water. I made two cups of tea from one tea bag, leaving the bag ready in another cup after making the first brew. Lots of people do it; there’s nothing peculiar about it – but for some reason, it was all the council, Bella, the Newspaper Which Must Not Be Named and The Big Breakfast could fixate on.
I made two cups of tea from one tea bag and as a result there is a photograph floating around the ether of me hanging used tea bags on a washing line; and I and my family got to be in a magazine, a newspaper, a local council event and on telly for a week. We were given free gifts and food and money and treated like we were something special. We met kind people and nice people and friendly people and a couple of jerks (not discussed in these posts because if you can’t say anything nice about someone then don’t blog about them). We lived a charmed and somewhat pampered existence for a week and came out normal at the end of it.
Ain’t life weird?
*
I hope you’ve enjoyed my saga. It was supposed to be one post; two at the most. It stirred so many memories, however, it stretched to a week. With all the fun things that happened to us, it’s no wonder we felt kef on the train home, or in a state of drowsy contentment.
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- 13 Surprising Green Ways to Reuse Tea Bags (greenprophet.com)
You are simply amazing. When Are you going to write a book? I will review it!
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You would never catch me up that high on a ride. Just call me Big Chicken!!
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I’ve really enjoyed your ‘saga’ and glad it all ended so well. I shall never buy Bella again (not that I buy it, but if I did I would stop now!) and if I knew which newspaper it was I would boybott it too.
Just two cups of tea per tea bag? Lightweights – I can get three! 😉
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I thoroughly enjoyed your posts about your week of fame, and I’m smiling and satisfied as though I just closed a good book that was very entertaining. So glad you shared. 🙂
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This was one of the best journeys I ever been on – fantastic .. to be remembered by the teabags … isn’t the worst thing that could happen. Thanks for joyful reading, Linda …
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I have been a bad Granny and haven’t been blogging or reading posts.
That was so interesting I shall have to and read the rest of the saga.
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I love your saga… but I still want more. I want to see the photo of you hanging out the teabags and a piece of the video. More! More!
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I often use just 1 tea bag to make a whole pot of tea, so it was quite common for me to leave a tea bag on a saucer for re-use when I was only making cups of tea one at a time. So you’re not weird – I think there are lots of us out here who are economical (read not mean).
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I’m glad I didn’t miss the end of the saga. You deserved all the nice things that happened to you.
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I can’t believe it’s all over
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Yes, life can be very weird at times, Tilly, and you proved it. 😀 What a week to remember. Now I have a song blossoming in my head. It goes like this “Ten brown teabags, hanging on the line………….etc. etc. ” 😆
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What a great adventure! I put coffee grounds around my garden plants. not sure how newsworthy that is. and I forget what bug it is supposed to keep away, but you know…..coffee anywhere I figure is a good thing.
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The coffee grounds are supposed to keep slugs away from the plants.
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This has been such an entertaining series of posts, and I am so glad you shared! You enjoyed a bit of celebrity and I can imagine it to be much fun, but yes, exhausting. Time to move on at some point! Photos of our lives do circulate forever. I had a photo included in a LIFE magazine when Jane Fonda came to my college campus. I recently discovered that the photo is sold as a poster! It’s all over the Internet…and it was 40 years ago! Obviously Jane is the focal point, but there I am as my 19-year old college self. That’s my moment of celebrity. LOL! This has been fun!
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Ooo, you must find the link and share!
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A nice adventure, Tilly!
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Loved the saga. It certainly was an event, wasn’t it?
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How awesome is it that you were able to travel first class when you were so exhausted!
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So with the suggestion about the book…it maybe that the Hub will be proven right…this time. 🙂
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First Class tale and a nice way to finish the week!
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This series was a most enjoyable read, Tilly.
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Thanks, BB 🙂
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I thoroughly enjoyed your series. Fantastic!
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Thanks! You don’t have to read each and every post, you know 🙂
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