Happy Cream Tea Day

 Today in England and in my house

I am celebrating Cream Tea Day!

 You say, "what is cream tea"? 

Do you know?

 It is a scone or two or three

and

a nice cup of tea.

That's it!

But oh so good!

Did you think it meant it was cream in your tea?

Nope! Just a scone and a cup of tea for me.

So let's lift a cup and celebrate!

And sip away and nibble too.

In my cup is Harney & Sons Rooibos Chai.

I don't often drink herbal teas, but I must say this one is very good.

Thanks, Harney & Sons!

The scones were made by my own hands!

The plate and cup/saucer is Haviland Violets and Daisies.

And the lady holding the flowers, recently found

at the antique mall.

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Now go out and have a cream tea time.

Barns down Country Roads

Country roads delight my heart;

but a barn along the way says stop for a moment.

Let me savor the sight.

Remember my childhood.

What secrets would we find here?

Are there animals inside?

Farm machinery?

Piles of hay to climb on?

Rafters to swing from?

Not the prettiest of barns, but there was a wild turkey standing

next to it with about a dozen babies hiding in the grass.

Not so much of a barn, but the animals live here.

Isn't it a beautiful place to live?

Wondering why barns are often painted red.

Do  you know? I don't!

As a child my uncle had a barn with a roof so low

we could climb on it and then turn and slide down to the ground.

I loved the old rusty tools inside,

climbing on the bales of hay,

or watching him milk the cow with a cat nearby for a taste

and country music playing.

I know there are barns in other countries,

but the barns I see along the country roads speaks Americana to me.

Something I love seeing in the country I love.

A Tea Party Coming

Does it look like a tea party?

A tea party is coming!

Preparing for the 2nd annual TeaFestPDX!

July 21st is the date.

I can't wait!

My part in the festival is to organize and host the British Tea Tent.

This year in the tent there will be presentations on

History and Etiquette of the British Afternoon Tea

Dressing the Regency Lady for Tea

Scone Baking Demonstration by Newberg Bakery

Simple Tips for Hosting a Tea Party

Morning Cream Tea with Celtic Harpist

Afternoon Cream Tea with Poetry Reading

Harney & Sons has graciously donated tea for the British Tea Tent.

Tea Time Magazine has wonderfully donated magazines.

There will be other surprises too.

If you live nearby or traveling through come on by.

You can register online at TeaFestPDX.com.

Registration is open now.

There are only 25 seats per session in the British Tea Tent.

The festival will be at the Western Forestry Center

in Washington Park.

Come by the British Tea Tent and say hello!

It will be a celebration of tea, 

a party indeed!!!

Monday's Tea Quote

The pot in which I brew my tea

Is dented and more than a bit tarnished,

But I still enjoy the tea.

The house I live in

Needs a coat of paint and several shingles,

But I sleep well at night.

The body I use to live my life

Is wrinkled and slowing down,

But I am alive and I rejoice.

I am not the body in which I live,

I am the life itself.

~Mark Otter

Down a Country Lane

This picture was taken just a few days ago.

It is behind my house, down the alley.

Each block in my neighborhood has a hidden alley separating

the house backs.

For some reason the pink roses on our pergola love

facing west; so I must walk down the alley to enjoy them.

What beauties they are right now.

When walking down the alley, which is indeed in the city,

it feels for a few moments like I am down a country lane.

I love walking the alleys of my neighborhood.

With a Hedgerow or a Fence

Inclose a garden if you will

With a fence or hedgerow-still

Roses' vagrant scents go roaming;

Dandelion seeds come homing;

Creeping in and under, tansy

Greets a sly out-faring pansy.

Shut the gate, bar it, lock it-

Thistles laugh, cornflowers mock it;

Honeysuckle vines climb over;

Through the interstices, clover.

And no berries ever grew

Robins didn't steal a few.

Some troubles end and some commence

With a hedgerow or a fence. 

~A Kitchen Sonnet, by Ethel Romig Fuller

I am so happy I found A Kitchen Sonnet at an antique mall

some years ago. I do quote from her from time and this

out of print book delights me.  Hope you enjoy it too.

I thought this particular poem describes what I see when I walk our alleys.

There are indeed vagrant roses, dandelions, and escaping vines of many kinds.

Even our fig tree hangs into the alley.

Happy Weekend, dear friends! 

Bonsai Museum

Do you like little bonsai trees?

My "live-in gardener" does!

He has been taking classes for a few years

and gradually our garden house is becoming full of little trees.

He had been wanting to visit the Weyerhauser Bonsai Museum

for awhile; so on the road trip we recently took we stopped by there

on the last day of our adventure. It is just south of Seattle.

Some of the little trees were in bloom.

Some were trained to hang in new ways.

Some just stood up straight and well I was going to say

tall, but tall for a bonsai I guess.

The exhibit was done quite nicely outdoors.

Oh I had to include this just for fun.

It was a full blown tree that I could stand under.

It was so full of blooms it took my breathe away.

Well those little trees were fun to see, but this delighted me.

OK, back to the little trees.

I loved the way they were displayed.

Oh the patience and attention to detail one little tree can take.

This group had about 50 little trees gathered together,

wondering if they were having a party.

Some the trees had little friends sitting nearby.

All in all it was a fun exhibit to see.

My "live-in gardener" loved it immensely.

I think what fascinated me was in amongst the forest of big trees

there was this beautifully curated museum of little trees.

Now I didn't hug any tree, but I do love both big trees and small ones too.

Tea Time in Bed

 No special afternoon teas right now,

but tea time in bed or just the idea of tea time in bed

does capture my thinking.

 Do you ever have tea time in the early morning hour in bed?

 What tea would you put in the teapot and sip with delight?

My final find at The Farm Chicks show was the cotton

crochet tablecloth. There were mounds of quilts, tablecloths,

and all sorts of linens and fabric things and you just had to dive in.

I was not going to do it, but it looked so fun I couldn't resist looking a bit.

And before you knew it I had a purpose.

I was going to find a crochet tablecloth,

but something that would fit on top of my bed.

I am in love with what I found.

Do you see it on my bed?

It was a bit dingy and stained, but I tossed it into

a delicate wash then spread it out on my lawn to dry.

I am a happy girl with this find.
So just the beauty of my bed beckons me this morning.
A good cup of tea tucked up in bed would be a delight.

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

Monday's Tea Quotes

"Tea is the gateway to biscuits"  

~found on Pinterest

Not sure who said it, but I liked it.

 The other day I said I brought home two things from

The Farm Chick show; actually there were three things.

Here I am showing you two of them.

A new teacup.

I can't resist chintz cups.

And one rusty ceiling tin.

I thought it would make a nice backdrop for pictures,

but also hoping I find the right place in my cottage to display it too.

So why are there no biscuits in these pictures?

I need a biscuit with my tea, please!

Another Day on the Road

Road trips are so much fun!

Just seeing the country side as you drive by delights me.

You probably can't see them, but there were ripe cherries in these trees.

I couldn't wait to find a farm stand and finally did enjoy freshly picked

fruit! Oh my, but the cherries were amazing and even had one delicious apricot too.
 I think if I had to choose one food group to eat it would

be fresh fruit from the tree.

Finally making it to Cashmere, Washington

we stopped at the Aplet's and Cotlet's factory for a tour.

Do you know them?

I love these Turkish Delights.

There were slabs of this delightful candy.

Then they were covered in baking powder, so they didn't stick together.

Cut into bite sized candies and the powder shook off,

then sprinkled with sugar.

Then sorted and packaged up.

Yes, there were samples too.

It is hard to tell, but the main street of Cashmere was lined with flags.

It was a sweet downtown and we were glad we stopped for awhile.

Small town America, how it touches my heart.

Then along the road one of our planned stops was Leavenworth, Wa.

It is like an alpine village from Switzerland.

Tucked among the mountains.

A sweet oasis of food and delights.

The town square on a beautiful, sunny day.

A lunch which involved German food and a stroll through shops

was the plan. It didn't disappoint.

We picked up sausages, cheese, bread for a later picnic down the road.

Now isn't that what a road trip is all about?

Seeing the sights, being surprised by new things,

and enjoying the local food.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Hope you find opportunity to get out there and explore.

Spokane, All in a Day on the Road

Old historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington.

The first full day of the little road trip was to get acquainted with Spokane.

That included walking through this old hotel in downtown.

Would this be a wonderful place to have afternoon tea?

Then upon winding through Spokane we searched high and low 

and finally found Manito Park.

It was quite beautiful with a botanical garden,

rose garden, Japanese garden, and conservatory.

School children were out in droves enjoying a beautiful day in the garden.

An end of the school adventure with notebooks and inquisitive minds

were present. The boy in the picture was rolling down the hill.

Have you ever done that? I loved doing that as a child.

I had never heard of a lollipop plant,

have you?

My "live-in gardener" and I were quite impressed

with the collection of plants in the conservatory.

Then a brief walk in the Japanese Gardens

before we headed to tea time at Brambleberry Cottage.

After tea we were amazed that we could drive in one hour

to Priest River, Idaho, for a little visit with friends in the evening.

It might seem rather packed, but really was a day of delight;

which also included a morning walk by the river and falls in Spokane.

There again our day was framed by rivers rushing by.

Springtime and melting snow seems to do that as it 

rushes by and delights us.

Then again tea flowed in the afternoon in the tearoom too.

How wonderful to have the opportunity for a short get-away.