Quiet room...

[Huguenot]

sssh

[CrystalClear]

*tiptoes*

[Ant]

*creak*

Sorry. New shoes.

[mockney piers]

*rustles newspaper, fills in 9 down*

[Mark]

parrrrrrp

sorry :-$

[CrystalClear]

*ahem*

zzzzzzzz

[Kathryn]

mmmmm

[Joe likes dinner]

BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

BBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

text message with phone set to vibrate.

* disapproving looks from man with big newspaper *

* others rustle through their satchels to check phones are on silent mode*

[Michael Palaeologus]

*switches phone off*

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

*eases from one buttock to the other*

*turns to John Inmans obit in the Telegraph*

Harrumphh! (quietly)

*notes that DM has walked into the room - gazes in wonderment*

whimper

[Huguenot]

Shuffle

Nod

Odd smell of wee

[chumasterp]

*Slowly tears holiday voucher out of communal paper*

*Steadily opens velcro wallet over ten minutes*

*Drops change all over floor and turns red*

Sorry:-$

[Huguenot]

*Leans over slightly to survey small change gathering exercise*

*slides spectatcles back up nose with index finger*

[Mark]

*glances up at the grandfather clock and decides it's time for lunch*

*puts down papers, gets up and slowly strides across the room towards the door*

*notices Joe's reading the Joy of Sex, catches his eye and gives him an appreciative smile and nod*

*exits stage right*

[mockney piers]

*wakes with a start* [hmmmrph - time for lunch]

*swaps slippers for sturdy shoes, heads off to Franklins*

[Huguenot]

*gurgles like small baby*

"Franklins!! - anyone joining us?"

[Huguenot]

*dismayed to find can't locate shoes*

[Joe likes dinner]

*gesteral farewell to Mark*

*finishes chapter and hides The Joy of Sex inside month-old copy of Spectator, leans over oak table to Mikewbate, hands over Spectator, nods in general direction of DM*

*finds single brown leather brogue on sideboard shelf*

[chumasterp]

*Wakes with a start surprised to see so many empty chairs*

*Walks over to cold meat buffet and constructs rudimentary sandwich from slices of beef between two Ryvitas*

*Crunch*

*Crunch*

Sorry (again)

[Mark]

*arrives back from long boozy lunch with friends, nods to chumasterp, and reclines on chaise lounge to snooze*

*thinks to self "this is mental, I can think out loud in the quiet room and it won't disturb anyone. I wonder if any of them fancy a pint tonight in the real world? Anyway, that's enough talking to myself, time to snooooozzzz..."*

[Ant]

*opens one eye, peers with some malevolence at the loud thinker over in the corner, closes eye, resumes previous supine position and returns to slumbering behind a copy of a newspaper that might rustle, should it move, but that does not move, not even a little bit, no matter how long you sit and stare at it in the conviction that it must, soon, surely, fall to the floor*

[dulwichmum]

.............lounging sans enfants. Closes laptop gently. Corrects seam on the back of silk stocking. Admires red everlasting nail polish from Nails inc. Sighs......... wonders when Mr Batdog will turn up.

Smiles seductively at Mr Mikewbate, stands up for a stretch - knocks over Mr Joe likes dinner's copy of The Spectator....... exposing his copy of 'The Joy of Sex'. Blushes, picks up enormous handbag and leaves.........

[chumasterp]

*Nods sleepily to Mark before discovering a cushion has been stolen while resting eyes*

*Wonders what this 'real world' of which Mark thinks so loudly is*

[Joe likes dinner]

*crunch of ryvita and beef shudders through heart - what! 4 30! i've missed lunch - heart begins to race and breaks into nervous sweat*

*ah, whats this? DM's finally stopped tippy tapping on the bloody laptop only to throw the house copies of the joy of sex and the Spectator at myself and mikewbate and seems to have stolen cushion from young chumasterp mistaking it for her handbag. No surprise, the saucy content of the Spec is enough to put even the most gentile of lady folk in a fluster.*

*looks around the room as many consider the content of DM's forgotten handbag.. odds on, batdog lives in there, not heard from him in a while*

[Michael Palaeologus]

Wozzgoininoneh? *sudden wake up*

*sorry, too loud, but some buggers nicked my cushions and the Joy of Sex and they all went for a boozy lunch without telling me*

*DMs gone, so even less Joy of Sex*

[Michael Palaeologus]

*Sun being nearly passed the yard arm - I will ask the estimable Steward for a tincture*

*Passes Steward a note*

*Bartlett - a G&T with ice and lime please - thank you*