I was asked to write my first feature for IOM; oooohh about five hours ago and I have to confess that I had absolutely no idea of what I could possibly have to say that would take up more than two or three sentences. Then I thought back to my duties in the Tea Rooms earlier...

I had served Stefan Breel two or three glasses of Carlsberg earlier in the day and I have to admit that he's a very messy gentleman at the best of times and he kept leaning a little too keenly over and spilling his beer. Anyway he wanders off to talk to a group of gentlemen dressed as football (soccer) holligans and a while later he comes staggering over when I'm at my busiest! Now.. I am trying to understand what he's saying over a rather loud presentation of Tales From An Australian Landscape by Paul Nery featuring the wonderfully talented Ed Drury. Well with the spiralling sounds of Ed's didgeridoo in one ear and Mr Breel muttering on something about a handfull of Tea Room members in the other, I managed to lead him over to the 'Quiet Area' where the new acoustically treated interiors allowed us to discuss the current state of affairs. I said 'Mr Breel... Stefan.. if people want to come in for a cup of tea and a chat and maybe read IOM while the lovely Rhonda Rosalee plays the Grand Piano, then of course they're always welcome. But.. if they want to do what they do best in creating music than that's a much better option cos then they'll come in with something fascinating to talk about!'

At this point, Mr Breel tried to put his arm around me and of course I would have none of it! I then added.. 'On the other hand.. if visitors get a little too drunk I usally have a quite word with Karen and they are promptly told in no uncertain terms that there are other places for them to go where drinking excessively and causing a disturbance is the order of the day.' Diego B and Priscilla Hernandez arrived at that point and Diego had a bottle of Jack Daniels tucked promiscuously into the front of his trousers (at least it looked like the shape of a bottle of Jack Daniels) and I pointed him out to Mr Breel and said rather engagingly 'see there's another one of your mates there!.... auf wiedersehen!  

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