Tiny Tim's Tearoom

Houston, there is no problem

Tiny Tim — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:08:02 +0000

Texas postcard

Hi all at Tim’s,
I had a great time staying with Dianne and John and their faithful friend Gidget. Gidget and I had a great time and ate loads at a BBQ. We got to go to Hermann Park and played chase. It was great fun being down in the south of America. I’m leaving here soon, but my hosts are going to send you a postcard for me.
Lots of love, Flat Bentley xxx

Texas postcard back

Steampunk Wedding in Virginia

Tiny Tim — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:21:37 +0000

Me with Bob and Serena at steampunk wedding

Hi again, just a quick one this time.

Me and Sam at the wedding ceremony

The day after we visited Antietam, Bob and Serena surprised me with an invitation to a Steampunk wedding in Leesburg, Virginia. Settlement began in Leesburg in the 1730s and many of the First Families of Virginia lived there, including the Lees, Masons and Carters. It’s now a suburb of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. A Civil War battle was also fought near there.

Dancing with the bride

Steampunk is a fanciful take on things if history had been slightly different. Imagine if the world had been driven by steam energy much like it was during the Victorian era. We all dressed in costumes that partly honored Queen Victoria with a bit of science-fiction flare. It was great fun! I was lucky enough to dance with the bride.
I had such a wonderful time that I lost Bob and Serena, but the bride was kind enough to find me a ride on a hat to return to my hosts!
Bob and Serena tell me that they have ambitious plans to take me to see some lovely wildlife, show me parts of the Underground Railroad, and take me to a baseball game!
That’s all for now, I’m quite worn out and need to go for a dog-nap!
Miss you loads, woofs and licks, Flat Bentley xx

Hitching a lift home on a hat

Maryland, USA and a bit of history

Tiny Tim — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:58:13 +0000

Reading the marker at Burnside's Bridge

Hi all,
I’ve been busy jet-setting across the Atlantic!
I was invited by friends of mine to visit some of our former American colonies this spring. Bob and Serena live in Caroline County, Maryland, along the lovely Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It’s a wonderful place, full of ducks, hawks and eagles, with quite a bit of hidden history.
Caroline County was formed in 1773 and is named for Lady Caroline Eden, the wife of the last colonial governor before the rebels signed the Declaration of Independence. Their lovely little country home is not far from the first English colony in Maryland and one of the first English settlements in America. I do hope to visit that first settlement soon.

Looking at Burnside's Bridge - See the cannon in the distance.

My gracious hosts told me that both Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman lived in Caroline County. They said that they were both prominent figures in the fight to end slavery – a fight that led to the Civil War between the North and the South in the United States.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave. No one knows where, exactly, but he may have been born in Caroline County. Harriet Tubman was known to slaves as Mother Moses. She led slaves in the South to freedom in the North and Canada along the “Underground Railroad.” The railroad was not indeed a railroad, but a network of paths that slaves secretly took at great danger to their lives. One of these paths followed the Nanticoke River through Caroline County. John Smith, founder of the first American colony at Jamestown, travelled the Nanticoke River in 1608 as part of his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. Smith mapped the Bay, its tributaries and was searching for a western passage to the Pacific. My hosts say they’ll soon take me to the Nanticoke and I might get to see some ducks and bald eagles.
But for now, I wanted to learn more about the Civil War. So, I travelled to Antietam Battlefield. The battle was fought September 17, 1862, and was the single bloodiest day in American history. Roughly 3,600 men were killed that day in a fight of “brother against brother.” In all, nearly 23,000 were killed, wounded or missing – all in one day.

Me crossing Burnside's Bridge

Here I am at Burnside’s Bridge, a pivotal site of the day’s fighting. The bridge is named after Union General Ambrose Burnside who led the soldiers who tried to take the bridge. (Sideburns are also named after Burnside. He had quite a silly beard!) Union soldiers in blue threatened to surround the Confederate army in gray if they could get across the bridge. If the Union troops succeeded, they could have ended the war. However, about 450 Confederates from Georgia held off 12,500 Yankees for hours and helped the rebels force a stalemate. There was no clear victor at the end of the day and the war lasted three more years.

Firing the Cannon

I decided to take a moment to fire a cannon at where those confounded rebels once stood. How dare they support slavery! HUZZAH!
My lovely hostess, Serena, grew up just minutes from Antietam. Every year, she and her family celebrate Independence Day, July 4th, by enjoying a concert and watching fireworks at the battlefield.

Apparently tomorrow we are off to a steampunk wedding! Will send you a card!
Wish you were here, love Flat Bentley xx

At the Royal Wedding- (sort of!)

Tiny Tim — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:28:51 +0000

Me at Legoland in Windsor, England

Dear All at Tiny Tim’s,

I really wanted to see the Royal wedding but I was due to be in America on that date, so I flew back to see some friends in England the week before. On Easter Saturday the wonderful Wilsher family took me to Legoland in Windsor and they had a replica Royal Wedding!! It was amazing. I got to pretend I was queued up outside Buckingham Palace.

Outside Buckingham Palace at Legoland

Me with Sarah, Charlotte and their friends

The whole place is amazing, so lifelike, considering everything is made of lego. anyway, tomorrow we are headed for the real Westminster Abbey- can’t wait.

Hope you are all well at Tim’s and not missing me too much, love Flat Bentley xx

Not too windy in the windy city

Tiny Tim — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 10:05:14 +0000

Trump tower in Chicago

Hello everyone at Tiny Tim’s. I am currently staying at the hard rock hotel in Chicago. I have been for a walk along the lake front &checked out all the lamp posts and fire hydrants. Water too cold to paddle my paws in. Watch to see where I go next. Live from Flat Bentley.

Sent from Chicago

Made it to California

Tiny Tim — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:25:52 +0000

Oil on canvas at Getty museum

Woof woof,,, I arrived in sunny southern California at the home of Teri and Ted Cantor. I was lovingly greeted by their two dogs Lucy and Riley. We had great adventures in their garden and at the local park. A few days later Teri took me to the Getty museum in Los Angeles where I saw this painting which is on thus postcard. I think it’s one of my relatives. Love and licks to you all, Flat Bentley xx

Postcard from California

Snow in Aspen

Tiny Tim — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:53:03 +0000

This is me and Nate Muhl. Nate and his family came to visit me while I was staying with his Aunty Lori and Uncle Josh in Colorado. We all went on a holiday to Aspen and I did lots of sightseeing. There is still a lot of snow around and I fancy trying skiing… I bet it’s easier with four legs than two! Anyway, weather is sunny and we have spent a lot of time outside. Wish you were here.. it’s great in Aspen. Miss you lots, love Flat Bentley. xx

Me and Nate in Aspen

Bonjour from York and France

Tiny Tim — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:28:11 +0000

Castle in France

Hi all, having a lovely time with my old very special friend Claire. She showed me the sights of York around the old Roman city. It’s very much like a big version of Canterbury. I miss you all, but it’s really great to see all these new places. The following day we travelled to France, (sorry we didn’t pop in to say hi.. but we were on a schedule!), and I got to see the wonderful landscape. Weather has been good, bit chilly but not raining. Who knows where I’ll be tomorrow? See you soon, love Flat Bentley. xx

France landscape

Hi from Colchester

Tiny Tim — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:30:06 +0000

Hello all. Stayed with Heidi in Colchester where I visited the Grammar school. Also met a lovely westie just like me called Bonnie. Then I attended an aerobics class but they didn’t have any cake there! After that I relaxed and watched England play rugby in the final of the six nations. It’s been really good fun here. Miss you all, love Flat Bentley x

Flat Bentley Introduction

Tiny Tim — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 13:34:08 +0000

Bentley the Tea Room Dog was a very talented West Highland White Terrier.

He was always lending a hand at Tiny Tim’s Tearoom where he often helped with the washing up, tea tasting, and even serving customers.

Bentley baking scones

One day Bentley went into the kitchen to help make the freshly baked goodies that Tiny Tim’s is renowned for.

By misfortune Bentley fell into a bag of flour.
Before he knew it one of the bakers had scooped him up and accidentally put him into his batch of scones!

Unable to bark and warn the baker Bentley found himself being rolled flat by a great big rolling pin!

Since then Bentley, or rather Flat Bentley, discovered his usefulness around Tiny Tim’s was limited and he seemed to spend most of his time being used as a bookmark.

Bored with his fate Flat Bentley decided one day to creep into an envelope and post himself off to somewhere new and exciting.

Follow this blog to see where he ends up, with whom and what adventures he may encounter or sights he will see along the way.

If you have been lucky enough to have Flat Bentley stay with you, perhaps you would post a little excerpt of what you got up to together for everyone to follow. We will add posts to the blog as and when we hear back from his travels.