UPDATE: QUEEN ESTHER

At a recent tea party at the Atwood House, in Chillicothe, I was the only participant attired in hat, gloves, "spectator" shoes and a "posh frock". [RE: "posh frock": a term I often use to denote a "fancy dress" which I first heard on the British TV sitcom "Fawlty Towers"] Some people had not heard of "Fawlty Towers" with John Cleese; in the show, the wife, played by Prunella Scales, always wanted a "posh frock". "Fawlty Towers" is considered to be the all-time best British sitcom and was always a joy to watch in the 1970's. We still use several quotes from the show:

"Why don't you have another vat of wine, dear?"

"Coming, my little piranha fish."

"Sounds like somebody machine-gunning a seal."

"If you bother me again, I shall visit you in the small hours of the night and put a bat up your nightdress!"

One table partner at the tea mentioned that Jackie Kennedy popularized hats. I told why Jacqueline Kennedy always wore gloves: she chewed her fingernails and she had nicotine stains on her fingers because she was a chain-smoker.

At the tea, among the items we were served were cucumber sandwiches, scones, marmalades, lemon curd dessert and English Breakfast Tea (it's the same Twining's tea bags I have at home!). When I asked if the contents of a bowl were "clotted cream", I was told it was "Devonshire Cream" (I guess they think Devonshire Cream sounds better than clotted cream, but it's the same thing!)

While there, I told the "Condonium" story and about Queen Esther Brown. Bev Bradley told me that there is a Chillicothe City Councilwoman whose name is also Queen Esther and she married a man whose surname is Lester; yes, she's QUEEN ESTHER LESTER!