Flowers Share in Teatime Delights

For me it is about treating myself well with teatime and enjoying the outdoors.

It is the experience of delight that touches my heart.

This week it was tea time between raindrops outdoors in the garden.

If you have been following me awhile, you know this about me.

I adore incorporating flowers into my teatime;

so I picked a bouquet from the garden.

Mostly it was one bloom from the tree peony.

There were 10 of these amazing blooms this year.

Then tucked to the side for fragrance were purple lilac.

Just the bouquet would make me happy, 

but tea food and a good cup of tea just made the day.

 There were sandwiches with cream cheese and a strawberry/kiwi flower,

rounds of toast with a trout* filling and violet,

then for the sweet was linzer cookies with ground up lemon herbal/tea in the dough

and apricot jam.

 Harney & Sons Darjeeling tea was the choice to sip.

*The trout was a tin from World Market that had been in the cupboard

awhile. Now why hadn't I eaten that sooner, it was delicious.

So glad I had two tins, now I can do this again.

 It was the perfect way to celebrate an ordinary day made special

with tea in the garden under the arbor of roses beginning to bloom.

Word for the Day - 2020

Whisper (Whispering)

Whisper is a hard word to picture with out people speaking closely.
But whisper is in the sound of a soft breeze blowing through the flowers and the trees.
It touches my face with the softness of butterfly wings.
It sings in my ear of the sounds of nature all around.

From Wikipedia: Whispering is generally used quietly, to limit the hearing of speech to listeners who are nearby; for example, to convey secret information without being overheard or to avoid disturbing others in a quiet place such as a library or place of worship.

I am the whisper in the wind,
in between meaning and the lines of understanding.
I am the shadow that stalks your dreams,
lost in between fantasy and reality.
I am the song, the heart that aches;
I am the tears that fill oceans,
the waves that break.
I am the nine of swords over lifetimes,
but I must trade each blade for a coin,
or so they say.
But you are my love, my breath, 
the light that soothes the darkness.
You are the beauty of the woods,
cool water in the scorching heat,
the life that runs through my veins.
You have always been.
And I will always wait.

by Raine D. on Poet's Unlimited 

Brush of something unseen against my cheek,
an angel touches me in a whisper of love.
I see the glimmer in the twilight hour
and know that you are near.
What whispers in your heart these days?
What sings to you of songs of hearts delights?
Come, my friend, walk with me
and listen to the whispers of the air.
Tell me, what do you hear?

~m.miller 

I have often said a whisper, a touch, a glimmer in the eye
is my guardian angel walking nearby. 

All pictures taken one year ago in this very week.

Tea Time to Cheer Us

"I shouldn't think even a millionaire could eat

anything nicer than new bread and real butter

and honey for tea."

~Dodie Smith, from I Capture the Castle

Teatime recently felt so special with a gift of tea
from my daughter, a special teacup that had belonged to my
grandpa, and a fruit/nut bar made by my own hands.
We have had some lovely weather,
so outdoors I went.
Now dreaming of more outdoors teatimes,
but the rain has returned.
Each day is a guessing game here,
as I have a feeling it is there.
Springtime is sort of like that, 
but with world conditions it becomes even more so.
Take pleasure in the small things.
Savor and Delight!

Happy weekend, dear friends!
Sending love your way!

Earth Day 2020

When I took these pictures last week I didn't realize I would be sharing on

the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

It just seems appropriate to share the beauty of our earth with you on this day.

Our sunset (bewitching hour) adventure to Sauvie Island just took my breathe away.

As you drive over the bridge and see this majestic mountain I say "yes, I am home".

This is Mt. Hood, the most visible volcano and closest to Portland.

After stopping for tea at the apple orchard we drove along the empty road

to view the birds. There were egrets and herons in this marshy area.

Sauvie Island is a bird sanctuary, especially in winter.

But something else was in my view.

Mt. St. Helens was just glowing in the setting sun.

This mountain is a bit further from Portland,

but the most active of the volcanos in our area.

Turning away from the mountain I saw cows grazing in the dusk.

This island is a protected area and kept rural, so close to the city.

It is a little oasis of nature and a place to celebrate our beautiful earth.

Along the river are pilings where birds nest.

Usually because of the narrow road it is hard to stop for pictures,

but with no on around I loved being able to stop in the middle of the road

and capture nesting birds.

Oh for the beauty of this earth. This song sings in my soul today.

I will be walking in my neighborhood today, just noticing what I can notice nearby.

The sun was setting on this little adventure in nature.

Being isolated at home more these days with the pandemic about,

I appreciate and love the nature around me and the nature in my heart.

First let's notice what is around us, then embrace it and care for it.

Celebrate Earth Day by just noticing and embracing it.

Word for the Day - 2020

Kindness

From Wikipedia: Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern and consideration for others. It is considered a virtue, and is recognized as a value in many cultures and religions.

Kindness is a people word.
Not taking many pictures of people it was difficult to find pictures of kindness.
How do you show an act of kindness.
Is it in the gentle touch of a child greeting a puppy
or the hands that serve you tea?
How does it feel when you receive the gift of kindness?

When the pandemic first started I was touched by the kindness
of others asking to shop for myself and my "live-in gardener".
Surely that was an act of kindness that brought tears to my eyes.

It brings joy to my heart to serve others tea
or to be served by another.

Mark Twain once said, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

Making tea for others, serving kindness! 

How do you picture kindness?
 

Apple Blossoms, My Heart Sings!

On Monday I talked about taking an adventure.

That evening my "live-in gardener" and I took a drive to Sauvie Island

for a view of the apple blossoms.

We figured no one would be around and they weren't.

It was just before sunset.

We took some tea and cranberry bread and had a little picnic under the blossoms.

Even with the varieties of apples there is a variety of blossoms.

This is an old orchard with heirloom apples.

The trees are not marked, but I am guessing this is a crab apple.

It doesn't have the pink tint to the blossom of a regular apple.

Now here is the pink tint on another tree full of blossoms.

This is what sings to my heart.

These old trees full of lichens and moss with crooked branches

just make me smile.

I wonder if they know they are much loved?

The sun was low in the sky and we couldn't stay long,

but it did my heart good to see them.

One last glimpse of that gorgeous blush on the blossoms yet to open

and we were on our way.

What is singing to your heart this week?

Are you noticing what you notice in the small things?

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Does one day melt into another?

Yep! It is Friday all day today!

Enjoy!

Teatime for Easter

 The weather couldn't have been more perfect on Easter Sunday.

A most delightful day to share afternoon tea in the garden house.

Now the garden house is sometimes called the tea house

as often we love to take a cup of tea there.

Often we invite friends to join us, but with the situation as it is

it was the three members that live in our house -

my "live-in gardener" husband and our son.

Lovejoy's is 12 blocks from our home and they were delivering tea time for Easter.

At the appointed time the owner of the shop pulled up on his bicycle and delivered a

wonderful bag of goodies. I had him ride his bicycle around and down the alley so he

could see where we would have tea.

Now why didn't I take a picture of his cute bicycle delivery service?

We each choose two sandwich flavors.

There was chicken walnut (2 chose this one), chutney and cheddar cheese,

salmon with cream cheese, ham and cheese, roast beef with horseradish,

coleslaw, lettuce salad,

then a delicious scone with jam and clotted cream,

small lavender shortbread cookies

and one sweet for each of us.  

Each of us chose a different tea.

There was a rooibos with vanilla, a puerh with chocolate nibs, and black currant teas.

My choice was the black currant, but a sip of the puerh was quite good.

I would order that one the next time.

Though our Easter day wasn't the tradition of gathering friends and family

together it was a special day.

There was zoom church in the morning where many of us wore our Easter bonnets.

Teatime in the garden house.

Zoom gathering of tea friends to sip and chat for awhile.

Then skype with our daughter and grandson too.

It was a busy day, but many missed hugs.

Hoping you each had a wonderful Easter.

Word for the Day - 2020

Adventure

Adventure is one of my favorite words.
It creates glorious images in my mind.
I love, love, love adventures both small and large.
If I don't have an adventure rather often
or am not planning an adventure, I am sad.

Each spring I take my camera to Sauvie Island, which is about 30-40 minute drive.
I usually go alone.
It is my day to savor the apple blossoms in this historic orchard.
I have shared before this wonderful little orchard.
Now it is apple blossom time and I am wondering do I go with mask on?
Or do I skip it this year?
It is an internal struggle in my heart right now.
I am telling myself there won't be people there,
usually I see class rooms of children running about.
They won't be there.
I do love this adventure and for me it is indeed an adventure of my heart.
I grew up with a family of apple growers and seeing the pink blush
of these blossoms just sings to me.

from Wikipedia: An adventure is an exciting experience that is typically a bold, sometimes risky, undertaking.^[1] Adventures may be activities with some potential for physical danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting or participating in extreme sports. Adventures are often undertaken to create psychological arousal or in order to achieve a greater goal such as the pursuit of knowledge that can only be obtained in a risky manner. 

Well adventuring right now is a risky undertaking for sure.

Do you feel these days it is an adventure to go to the market?

 To just wake up in the morning and face another day?

To walk in your neighborhood trying to avoid those runners coming straight for you? 

From Barnes and Noble ad this morning:  "Explore Adventures without Leaving the House".
I think they must know how important adventure is to us.
Yes, reading a book can be an adventure.
Watching something special on Netflix or Amazon can be an escape from
the every day, it becomes an adventure.

What adventures are you taking right now?

Easter is for Teatime and Flowers

Welcome to Good Friday and Easter weekend!

I am sure, like myself, this weekend will have a new feel to it.

 The three of us in my household will remain at home and we will miss our regular family gathering.

 I did manage to get a basket delivered to my grandson and we will try to do skype

sometime during the day.

My pictures are remembrances from past tea times for Easter.

I hope you enjoy.

In the picture above you will see my tea dyed eggs.

I loved the natural feel of them.

I loved doing the Easter teas until there were so many dietary requirements

it became easier to do a regular meal.

 That is a vintage French flower pot stand found years ago at an antique shop.

I loved placing it right in the middle of the table.

Now it resides in the gardenhouse.

It was fun one year to take a chicken feeding trough and place grass and

chicks for the centerpiece.

Do you see the little plastic brown animals around the table?

I got the animals at the dollar store and spray painted them a chocolate color,

then tied a place card to each animal.

One thing I love so much at this time of year is the spring flowers.

It is so fun to decorate with them and even sometimes place in the food.

This particular Easter there was a row of daffodils down the middle of the table.

Vintage dishes and tablecloth come out too.

The tea cozy was found in the Cotswolds a few years ago.

Yes, there were sweets with each tea time and more flowers too.

This particular year there were individual little bouquets from the garden in egg cups.

Oh I see the little chocolate farm animals made another appearance.

The chicken feeding trough made another appearance too.

This time it was decorated with moss, spring flowers, eggs, and a chocolate bunny.

My small collection of vintage salt dishes also made an appearance.

This was the year we turned away from little sandwiches and had

a lamb dinner.

Still there was tea and Easter sweets for those that wanted to partake.

What is your family tradition for Easter?

What will  you do different this year?

However you celebrate springtime and Easter

may it be a blessed day.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Time to Blossom

 Yesterday I walked in my neighborhood searching for blossoms to share with you.

I didn't have far to go for this first blossom was in front of my house, on the parking strip.

There are three dogwood there, one white and two pink. 

The pink are just starting to get blossoms.

The white takes it's time.

 Because apple blossoms make my heart flutter with love

I strolled down the street to find the beginning of apple blossoms.

A neighbor has an apple tree out in their parking strip.

 And just next door to the apple tree I found a row of blueberry blossoms.

 Two blocks from my house there is this divided road with trees down the middle.

The city calls it an arboretum of trees.

Many of them are just beginning to wake up and you would see a soft yellow green.

In this particular block one of the neighbors has planted daffodils around the trees.

Sometimes the neighbors do that and it makes my heart happy.

The daffodils are almost finished, but in another block someone has planted tulips.

 Then walking along I found a beautiful star magnolia hanging over the side walk.

 Oh there are still some daffodils.

This is the home of the person that planted them around the trees.

Political signs are beginning to pop up now and it reminds me that life still goes on.

I particularly like this one, Love Wins and All Lives Matter.

 Yes, there were some gorgeous tulips along the way.

 Now sure, but I am guess flowering cherry in someone's parking strip.

 This is a flowering red currant.

 Now maybe you know this one, I don't know the name.

One whole wall had them growing along the sidewalk.

The green just was beautiful in the sunshine.

 More blossoms if you look to the sky.

 Another apple tree just down the street from me and again in the parking strip.

 Just behind my house I could walk under two trees beginning to shine.

The one on the right is actually in my yard, the silver maple.

 Down the alley behind my house the Japanese quince has escaped the fence and is blooming for me.

 Now this was a weed in full flower in the alley.

I was tempted to pull them, but they were just too pretty.

 I peeked over the fence into the back of my yard.

Rose buds beginning to form on the arbor at the back fence.

One more stop. Across the street from me they have planted an almond tree in their parking strip.

It is blossoming too. Now I will be watching for almonds, which are a bit unusual for Oregon.

That neighbor also planted olive trees in his yard, another unusual tree for Oregon.

I live in an old part of Portland where the homes have been here awhile,

unless they have been torn down and a new one built.

This is happening too.

My house was built in 1950.

I think there must have originally been orchards here,

since there are many very old fruit trees.

I love walking in my neighborhood.

This is my travel adventure these days.

Until we can travel again, let's savor our surroundings.

Blossom where we are this very moment.