Mum's Birthday Day Out....

It's our tradition for my Sis and I to take our Mum out for the day on her birthday - we always keep it as a surprise and high points have been West End shows and a punt ride in Oxford and low points a day trip to the Isle of Wight on a Sunday when everything was shut!!

Yesterday we had booked afternoon tea at a Michelin starred hotel in the New Forest and before that we had a pootle around Lymington - the skies threatened as we drove over that way from my sisters house near Southampton but I think the fact we had umbrellas stopped a huge deluge (on the basis if we hadn't had brollies it'd have chucked it down!!)

This year was particularly special as my Mum's sister, our Auntie Betty was able to join us as she and our Uncle Tom are staying with Mum on a long weekend from Yorkshire where they live (and Mum and I originate from - Sis is a Nottingham lass):

Little E; my Sis; Mum and Auntie Betty

When my Mum was born she was adopted - she and Auntie Betty grew up thinking they were cousins. It wasn't until many years later they became close and are now as inseparable as they can be with the distance between Hampshire and Yorkshire.

Lymington was lovely, I took some pics on my phone as I didn't want to take my fancy camera round the shops but Blogger refuses to let them be rotated the correct way!!:

Can't remember what Sis said to make us all giggle!!

There was a market and lots of pretty shabby chic, charity & junk shops - I bought a lovely basket; some hanging hearts and some vintage thread:

Soon it was time to head to The Montagu Arms Hotel in Beaulieu for our afternoon tea, the car park is at the back of the hotel and you have to walk through the pretty cottage gardens, and there was time a few photos:

Looking cool in our shades (not!!)....

We had hoped to sit in the garden, but it was, alas, too chilly and so we had a table in the conservatory:

Our lovely Mum:

PrettyLittle E:

 First came the obligatory pot of tea along with this little beauty:

We didn't catch what the waiter said it was, but it was a palate cleanser and one of the nicest things we've ever tasted - the top was raspberry coulis that was both sweet and tart and underneath was a sabayon type custard that was like velvet. The spoons were too big to get into the very bottom of the glass and so we lowered the tone by upturning our spoons and getting to the last morsels with the narrower handle *blush*....


Next came sandwiches - smoked salmon (bleurgh, Sis had them); egg; roast ham & mustard and of course, cucumber and an assortment of cakes - chocolate éclairs; rhubarb cheesecake (OMG, it was gorg!!) and carrot cake:

Then it was time for warm scones with clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam:

I love, love, love afternoon tea - it really has got to be one of my most favourite things....

It was a lovely leisurely tea, and after a couple of hours it was time to head home - first though one more photo:

Even discounting the fact I am (literally) twice Sis's size, we don't look alike do we?!!

It's been said Sis got the looks and I got the personality which I am not sure is a compliment to either of us, lol!!

So, I lovely day was had by all, we returned home tired, full and happy....

S x

PS Thanks loads for all the lovely comments following my previous post, you girls really do make blogging so worthwhile ((((hugs))))....