The children have an earlier supper. E, a budding artist takes to my studio and paints five paintings quite rapidly. The menu:-
Dirk Bogarde's Chicken Clermont
We love this recipe and have served it numerous times and special thanks go to my dear and very special blogging friend for providing. His writing touches my heart. Stop in and tell him hi from from me http://asuperdilettante.blogspot.ca/
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| "E" at easel in my studio creating one of his five masterpieces |
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| "O" tells me she is tired and in seconds is sound asleep in our bed |
Our guests depart. I am enjoying lingering over my coffee as the dishwasher is loaded and remnants of the evening's conversation come to mind.
Suddenly I hear a cry "Please don't push me". I rush to the balcony but cannot see very clearly, the teenagers are still on the roof, as the lights from the phones flicker and flash. I hear "stop it".
What to do?
a) Call the Police and spoil the party and risk one of the teenagers getting arrested?
b) Do nothing, mind my own business?
Can I live with my conscious should one of the teens get injured in a fall?
Oh my goodness, what happened Helen??? You have me on pins and needles!
ReplyDeleteHello Helen,
ReplyDeleteYou left us in much suspense! I completely understand your concern and questions; this is a tough one. I'm almost too afraid to ask what the conclusion was. Hope all is calm again, like your little guests, fast asleep, dreaming about their eventful night.
xo
Poppy
Oh, boy. Could you have called do them? "Do you need help?"
ReplyDeleteLove seeing E at the easel.
Oh my, Helen. I can imagine how you felt - your post made me feel the happy afterglow of a great party, which would make the disturbance across the street even more jarring. I hope everything turned out OK! What did you do? XO
ReplyDeleteI would have called police... How did it end?
ReplyDeleteIf you can hear 'stop it' they can hear "What's going on up there, I'm watching you!". :)
ReplyDeleteNow you have us all wondering. I wouldn't know what to do but it bothers me. Your party looks lovely...hope the other one turned out alright, too. Sweet hugs!
ReplyDeleteYou're going to have to tell us! I hope that the voices weren't coming from the roof, but from the sidewalk!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, what did you do next? Did you call the police?
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for that, it sounds like you had a wonderful summer evening with friends. Hope all is well and that you are enjoying the lovely weather we are getting in TO.
You must tell us what you did Helen.
ReplyDeleteI myself, would have probably have told them to get down off the roof.. or call the police.. someone could have fallen.!
An interruption to a lovely dinner evening. It all looks so perfect.
xxx val
Oh, they are just kids horsing around. Most of the time if an adult lets them know of your presence they get really quiet.
ReplyDeleteMy dear Helen,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I must thank you for your kind and beautiful words about my blog and introducing me to your wonderfully artistic and vivacious readers. You've always been the most thoughtful and supportive reader and I cherish your friendship over the years. We have so much in common. I love that recipe by Dirk Bogarde too. It's tried and tested and people love that dish whenever I cooked and they always ask me for a recipe. I tell them all where I found it.
Oh my dear, the sound of teenagers on the roof is too nail-biting for me. I would like to know what you decide to do. It is a hard one to decide though. Either one has to step in as a good Samaritan or call the police. I remember once going around to my neighbours house in the middle of the night in my dressing gown to ask them politely to be quiet. The next day, they dropped a card in my letter-box to say how contrite they were about the previous night. Apparently, they were celebrating their victory at the rugby match!! I'm most impressed with "E's" artworks and your dinner table setting looks so elegant. The plates are absolutely gorgeous!
Best wishes, ASD
My dear Helen,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I must thank you for your kind and beautiful words about my blog and introducing me to your wonderfully artistic and vivacious readers. You've always been the most thoughtful and supportive reader and I cherish your friendship over the years. We have so much in common. I love that recipe by Dirk Bogarde too. It's tried and tested and people love that dish whenever I cooked and they always ask me for a recipe. I tell them all where I found it.
Oh my dear, the sound of teenagers on the roof is too nail-biting for me. I would like to know what you decide to do. It is a hard one to decide though. Either one has to step in as a good Samaritan or call the police. I remember once going around to my neighbours house in the middle of the night in my dressing gown to ask them politely to be quiet. The next day, they dropped a card in my letter-box to say how contrite they were about the previous night. Apparently, they were celebrating their victory at the rugby match!! I'm most impressed with "E's" artworks and your dinner table setting looks so elegant. The plates are absolutely gorgeous!
Best wishes, ASD
What an ending to a lovely evening. You must tell us what happened. This could be the beginning of a movie script. Bonnie
ReplyDeleteHelen,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a lovely and lively evening! Your table looks so gracious and inviting.
I'm dying to know: what happened next? Hope all ended well there.
x Loi
Oh dear Helen - first you are having to be a traffic warden for a large lorry, and now you are being a warden for your road.
ReplyDeleteI think that I would have been like Sarah and let them know that I was watching closely.
What a lovely setting for your dinner party; everything is just lovely. What a talented little fella your guest is! Like you, I wouldn't have known what to do about the teenagers on the roof. I just hope they weren't drinking while on the roof. We're all interested in finding out the outcome.
ReplyDeleteHello Helen,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the teenagers are ok! I was a resiliant roof climber in my day. We all used to pile out onto the top of the jutting out window from the floor below- I dread to think of the danger now!
Your dinner party looks wonderful and I love the sight of the sleeping child, she must feel so safe and comfy in your home to drop off like that. Jane xx
The Dirk Bogarde chicken recipe looks outstanding - I would love to try it. Your dinner party looks so inviting, especially with those attractive plates. What a shock you gave us with the ending, people in a dangerous situation on the roof. Please tell, what happened?
ReplyDeleteI like Jane the Booklady's comment. My heart was racing by the end of your post and then reading her words shifted my perspective. We do live in a very alarmist time, don't we?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely lovely pictures throughout, Helen.
Gasp!! What happened, what happened??
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny... this is so wonderfully written... and what I mean is....I was in awe of the budding artist popping out five paintings rapidly!! ;)
It sounds like a lovely evening but I never liked those kind of bully pranks - even when I was a teen. Things happen because of stupidity!! But, I think that I would have just yelled over, "cut it out or I'm calling the cops!!" ;) I hope it's your time spent with friends and family that is lingering the most in your mind! =)
xo
There I was enjoying your descriptions of the party and your photo's and going 'Ah!' at the one of your little 'O' sound asleep in your comfy bed. Then picturing those Batmen teenagers perched like birds along the roof...until I saw the photo of...the roof!! What! That roof apex is like Everest it's SO high! What on earth did you do? As a Mum, I think I would have gone out there with a strong torch and the phone in the other hand and shining it up..up to that apex threatened 'em with a phone call to the boys in blue should there be any more shenanigans.
ReplyDeleteJane
Such a dilemma...I would be the same as you...having doubts about what to do.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of your evening sounds lovely!
Madelief x
I was so engrossed in your wonderful weaving of the parties' details, Helen, that I had already framed the comment to this post in my mind till I reached the end of it. I hope nothing crazy happened and that it was just bits of some dumb-charade the teenagers were playing which you happened to hear.
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures; so very warm and homey.
You have a beautiful home,Helen. So, what did you do? I would have probably taken it as the usual carrying-ons of teenagers - but I would have been vigilant for a little while longer just to make sure nothing sinister was going on.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I do believe you missed your calling as a suspense writer! I have to admit I was nervous as you described them being on the roof, now I am waiting for the climax! xo J.
ReplyDeleteI am eagerly awaiting the resolution of this...tell us what happened!! No pressure :)
ReplyDeleteYou've left us hanging! I agree with the above comments, reading this was like a suspense novel.
ReplyDeleteI am love in love with your surroundings .... I hope that nothing happened to those teenagers but gosh, they are infuriating sometimes. I would have gone to tell them I would call the police if they didn't come down; maybe .....XO
ReplyDeleteDinner at your place looks like a supreme pleasure. Food, surroundings and of course, company, will all deserve exclamations of delight.
ReplyDeleteYour neighbours might also deserve some commendation. But making excessive noises at night is not neighbourly. In fact the noises you heard were downright worrying.
A good neighbour such as yourself should call out and ask for a response. What you call out, I leave up to you to decide because you are there and know how you feel.
The response to your call will help you decide what further steps to take.
I believe some sort of response is always justified when there is any doubt about another's safety.
Am I being to serious here? Is there something in your story I have missed?
Cheers anyway, Gillian
Did you call? I would have called, we've had two young people fall to their deaths this year while partying at their frat houses, so sad.
ReplyDeleteOn a sweeter note, *love* seeing E. creating away at your easel, what fun he must have had!!!
Off to check out the recipe...
xo J~
Go and ask the teens what is going on? Thats what I would do.
ReplyDeleteI read this when you first published it, but didn't leave a comment at the time. I wanted to see what the responses were. My first thought would have been to call and worry about what others thought later. They always say go with your gut, but sometimes that isn't the right answer. I'm dying to know how the story ended.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely weekend Helen.
Sam
What a wonderful evening you had at home, the food and company sounds perfect. I would have like to have seen the masterpieces.
ReplyDeleteI'm still hanging in suspense for the outcome of the party too!
ReplyDeleteHelen, it sounds like a wonderful party. I too would love to see the masterpieces as well as learn the outcome of the party.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I am glad you had a wonderful party. Your home looks lovely.
So what happened to to the teenagers? I hope no one got hurt. Please tell us what happened.
Jessie
www.mixandchic.com