James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant

James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant is a very typical English tearoom.

It was lunch time, so rather than having afternoon tea, we chose to have lunch.

The salad and chicken pot pie were just perfect and so good.

Tea was brewed just right.

A lemon tart was the delicious ending to lunch at the James Bay Tea Room.

The James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant is so centrally located,

it is an easy walk to find not far off the bay and The Empress hotel.

You can find it at 332 Menzies Street, Victoria, B.C.

It is open everyday of the week.

Their menu is posted on their website: http://jamesbaytearoomandrestaurant.com/

The first time we visited Victoria many years ago it was recommended that we have

tea here instead of The Empress.  We listened and did just that.  Later we were

sorry we didn't have tea at The Empress and had to go back another time for that tea,

but I will say tea at James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant has it's own delight of

tea time and definitely worth a quintessential English tea experience right in Victoria,B.C.

Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens

The #1 goal of visiting Butchart Gardens last week was just this view.

It is Mrs. Butchart's private gardens as viewed from the restaurant

where we had afternoon tea.

Inside the garden room fully surrounded by windows

with views such as this.  It was a total delight.

Can you believe that teapot was just for me and I couldn't finish it.

I had their 100th Anniversary, "a light black tea blend of Darjeeling,

Black Hunan and gunpowder."

They offered to put the rest in a to-go cup when we left.

The first course was a berry trifle of vanilla sponge cake, chantilly cream,

and mixed berry compote.

The three tiered server for two people, beautiful!

Their signature candied ginger scones were freshly from the oven

served with strawberry jam, whipped vanilla Devon-style cream.

Then there was dessert.  We took this back to our B&B and

had it with our evening meal.

Chocolate brandy Napoleon, Orange poppy seed loaf, French macaron,

Battenberg cake, and Chocolate Irish cream truffle in the box.

Ohhhh, the savories are my favorite.

Locally smoked wild B.C. salmon with whole grain mustard cream cheese,

Egg salad with watercress, Maple glazed smoked ham salad on a cheddar scone,

Cowichan Valley chicken salad with curry and toasted cashews,

English cucumber with fresh ginger cream cheese,

House made sausage roll with German mustard, and

Roasted vegetable quiche.

Can you tell I have the menu right in front of me so I could tell you

exactly what was on the plate.

This, my live-in gardener and I decided had to be at the top of our list

of favorite places to have afternoon tea.

Reservations highly recommended.

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/

Monday's Quotes

 Autumn at Lan Su Chinese Gardens, Portland, Oregon

 Autumn on my porch, Portland, Oregon

Autumn at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C.

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came,—
The Ashes, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet,
And every thing was grand;
Miss Weather led the dancing;
Professor Wind, the band....
The sight was like a rainbow
New-fallen from the sky....
~George Cooper, "October’s Party"

Autumn has arrived
Suddenly, as just over night

The beauty astounds
~m.miller
 

Delight in the Day

When I bought my first "big girl" camera I was asked "what will you take pictures of?".

I said, "I will take pictures of Adirondack chairs beside the water".

Yesterday as my "live-in gardener" and I headed back to the States

we made a stop by this beautiful lake and found Adirondack chairs sitting there 

just waiting for me.

I love sitting in them and photographing them and dreaming.

May your weekend give time to dream

and may all your dreams come true.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Victoria, BC

One of my goals for this adventure was to find the blue chair by the sea once more.

Yes, I found it today in Victoria, BC.

The poor chair has been a bit abused, but still it stands.

Now it also has a red chair to keep it company.

How special for my traveling teacup and me to sit awhile and enjoy the sunshine of the day.

More of the adventure will come tomorrow.

Monday's Quotes

 Photos from a recent adventure to the Lan Su Chinese Gardens.

Security is mostly a superstition. 

It does not exist in nature, 

nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.

 Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.

 Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

~Helen Keller

This week I am on an adventure.

My "live-in house-boy" will be here to care for Joey.

I will try to post along the way,

but if Wifi and my computer don't cooperate

as I wish I will see you soon.

Happy week dear friends!!!

A Woodland Lunch with Tea

 A friend of my "live-in gardener" came for lunch this week with her "live-in artist".

Jokingly on Facebook I said I would wear my tutu and when she realized I was serious,

she found one to wear to our house for lunch also.

My "live-in gardener" didn't think we would do that and bet me $100 that we wouldn't.

Now that was the easiest $100 I every won, well the only $100 I ever won for that matter.

Dancing in our tutu's I just knew we needed a woodland lunch that was the spirit

of dancing through the forest with the fairies.

We had fresh figs and dried plums from the garden.

There were three teas tasted from three different countries.

What a fun time of celebration in friendship and dancing fairies in the woodland.

Happy weekend, dear friends.

May we always remember to dance and delight in the day.

Finding JOY!

Feeling a bit under the weather today I decided to just

review my past week in photos.

These are the things that brought a smile to my face this past week.

Focusing on what makes me happy makes me feel better.

Now if the sore throat would just go away.

Sipping tea and moving along with life in the meantime.

The Tea Cozy

 When traveling in England about 10 years ago I found an antique

sale in a little town square in the Cotswold's. 

All the beautiful tea cozies came home in my bag.

Well after all they didn't take up much room.

 The front and back of this sweet cozy.

 This one is used quite often and I love the embroidery work

on the front and the back.

 A small sprig of flowers on the back of this sweet cozy.

Such attention to details.

 They all are beautiful, but need an insert inside for

actually keeping the tea warm.

I love the way the rosy pink insert shows the detail of this cozy.

The lacy detail on this cozy is just beautiful.

Do you use tea cozies?

When someone asked what a cozy is, my reply is that it is a blanket

for the teapot and keeps the tea warmer for much longer.

linking with Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/

Monday's Quotes

“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, 

the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, 

bitter where it borders on taste, and more 

honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. 

Containing depth within itself, darkness, 
something of the grave almost.”
  ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters on Cézanne

Photos taken at Lan Su Chinese Gardens,
the end of lotus season and the approaching of autumn.

Sun and Rain

Delight in the Sun

The birds sing their song of JOY

Refreshed by the rain

~haiku, m.miller

I love the beauty that surrounds me,

right in my own back yard.

From the doves sitting in the big tree

to the raindrops on roses. 

Notice what you notice each and every day.

Have an extra special weekend, dear friends!

English Garden Tea Cafe

They were practicing folding napkins

and we were the grateful recipients.

Good job!

Of course we start with dessert, doesn't everyone.

Fresh strawberries and cream, yummmm!

Don't worry there was another tiered stand nearby.

We definitely didn't walk away hungry.

On the bottom there were creamy egg salad sandwiches,

very tasty cucumber sandwich, and chicken salad with fresh grapes.

The middle had plain and raisin scones with lemon curd and two jams on the side.

The top had chocolate raspberry brownie and pecan bars.

Oh but we weren't finished yet!

To top the tea time there was a pumpkin bread pudding with caramel sauce.

Everything was delicious!

This was their Rose Tea, which also included a perfect brewed pot

of tea for each of us.

They serve Jasmine Pearl's teas, which delighted me, as I know Jasmine Pearl

has wonderful teas.  There was even a timer set on the table for the

perfect time to remove the T-sac of tea from the pot.

Well done, English Garden Tea Cafe!

 English Garden Tea Cafe

11211 S.E. 82nd, Clackamas, OR.

Phone: 503-342-6497
Website:  http://www.englishgardenteacafe.net/

It had been awhile since I had been to afternoon tea;
so when I heard there was a new tea cafe not to far from home
off I went.  Along came my "live-in gardener" and a friend from college.
All three of us thoroughly enjoyed the time together and sharing tea
at the English Garden Tea Cafe.