India's Tea Caravan Arrived

 The tea is quite light in the cup, can you see it?

What a special beginning to March when the tea caravan arrived at my door.

Beside a special treat from a friend,

there was a box of tea from www.goldentipstea.com.

It will take me awhile to taste all the delights,

but when I saw the word Nilgiri I just had to try it first.

I have had some wonderful black teas from the Nilgiri region of India

and I assumed this was a black tea similar to those already tried.

In my not quite awake state I made a small pot of

Avaata Supreme Nilgiri.

Well it didn't look quite like a black tea.

The leaves were large whole pieces and more green than I remembered.

After a steep in boiling hot water I was surprised it had a very light color to the tea in the cup.

You would think I would have realized by now it wasn't a black tea,

but no I had to sip and say "what is this?".

Now I was awake and read the package, it was a green tea.

My next pot of tea was made at the correct temperature,

steeped at the right amount of time, and yes it was a delightful green tea.

Oh I am glad I sampled this one first, as the rest will be black teas,

and without any preconceived thoughts I sampled a green tea

and thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks, Golden Tips Tea!

For those of you curious about the cup, it is my nod to March and St. Patrick's Day
coming up.  It is Royal Staffordshire Pottery, AJWilkinson Ltd., Rural Scenes. 

Tea Bar

 Gaba Oolong was in the gaiwan.

An apple hand pie was on the plate.

Reconnecting with a friend was oh so special.

About two months ago a new Tea Bar opened within walking distance of my home.
I knew they were coming.
I had watch through the window their progress.
I was so very excited.
Finally the day came when I could walk there and have tea.
Close to the entry were some magazines and I picked one up to enjoy.

It was Kinfolk Magazine.
Have you read it?
Well you say why did she suddenly change from telling about the Tea Bar
to reading Kinfolk Magazine?

The second time I visited the Tea Bar I met a dear friend.
One I hadn't seen for a long time.
A friend I very much enjoyed catching up with.
I had the same Gaba Oolong and apple hand pie I had the first time.
Both were oh so good.
When I was leaving I snapped the above pictures.
After looking at them on my computer I had the feeling I had stepped
into the Kinfolk Magazine.
The Tea Bar has the same simple, clean lines.
A place where you add your own story
over a good cup of tea.

If you are in Portland, Oregon or come for a visit
I can recommend a stop at the Tea Bar on N.E. Killingsworth Blvd.
I would gladly meet you there.

Tea Time in the Garden

We have had such a mild winter that it was time for tea in the garden.

A time to celebrate the blooms in season.

Plus enjoy the sunshine, tea, and a sweet or two.

The sun was calling me.

The colors just made me smile.

The tea in the cup delighted my soul.

What is in your cup today?

I am enjoying a special gift of oolong with figs from Provence
from Compagnie Coloniale in Paris.
It is quite lovely for a sunny day in winter.

Monday's Quotes

Tea beckons us to enjoy quality time 

with friends and loved ones,

and especially to rediscover 

the art of relaxed conversation.

~Dorothea Johnson

Beauty from a Different Perspective

 When I photographed this flower on the water I felt it just didn't work for me.

It seemed a bit flat and nondescript.
Though I could see the rocks more clearly the perspective just didn't do anything for me.

Moving I looked at the flower from a different perspective and snapped another photo.

The light on the water just sang to my heart.
Yes, this is what I wanted the ebb and flow of the water around the beauty of one pink flower.

This example reminded me that it is sometimes important to look at a situation, maybe a
problem, or just a decision to be made from different angles or perspectives.
In this different angle we see the beauty, see something differently, or see more clearly.

Happy weekend, dear friends!
Take time to look from a new perspective and angle.
Notice what you Notice.

Chinese New Year Tea Time

A tea pet in waiting, ready for tea.

Tea time celebration with friends is a beautiful thing.

There was food to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Shuiwen from Floating Leaves in Seattle

shares tea time with our Wuwo Tea Ceremony group.

She had 8 different new winter oolongs for us to taste.

That's a lot of tea I would say!

Each sniff and sip was better than the last one,

but in the end I brought home some of the first we tasted.

It was a lovely floral Baozhong Farmer's Choice from Taiwan.

You could say the tea was beautiful with each and every sip.

Do you find beauty around you?

Is it in the out of doors, in the cup, on your plate, in the smile of a child?

Beauty Surrounds Us

As a young girl the outdoors pulled at my heart.

It said come play with me.

Breathe my essence.

Feel the wind in my hair.

Smell the scents surrounding me.

 I rarely was found indoors.

The love of the outdoors has remained in my heart.

I notice the beauty of nature wherever I go.

Even from my window my eyes wander outdoors.

In my hearts eye I see fairies dancing among the flowers.

I lay on the sponge of the moss staring up at the trees.

For my delight is on the small and large things in nature

and I reside there to fill my heart with the music of JOY.

Is your heart filled with JOY in the surrounding nature of your life?

Do you see the BEAUTY surrounding you there?

Notice what you notice.