Tea Quote, Shelley Primrose Teacup and My Current Fav Tea Blend

 Spring is here indeed! As my allergies attest... but spring is always a hopeful season.

The above is a Shelley, England teacup in the unusual Atholl shape in the Primrose pattern. The shape is not often seen, although the pattern was used for many years on many shapes. I just speaks of the cheerful thought induced by the burgeoning blooms of spring.

I came across a quote about tea that I especially liked while reading a book on my Kindle. The book is called Listen To Your Heart from a collection of books bundles under the title Darcy And... by Leenie Brown...

"Anne cradled her teacup in her hands, warming them. She inhaled deeply of the fragrance. To her, there was more comfort to be found in a simple cup of tea than the mere drinking of it. It was an experience to be savoured, and the first cup in the morning served as a source of pleasure and a time of reflection."

That is so very true for me as well. It struck me this morning, as I sat with my first cup... of my current favorite Victorian London Fog by Harney & Sons tea...

that the quote certainly put into words my own experience. The first cup, after devotions, then waking my husband for his first major medications, was indeed the essence of peace and reflection I need each day to begin. 

I am very grateful for peace and joy found in such a small thing in the midst of the fact that each day is a new challenge and totally unpredictable.

But...that, too can be a source of pleasure.

:)

Happy Mother's Day USA... and again remembering a past one at Harrods in London

 Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day on Sunday May 8th.....for everyone who is a mother or who has "mothered". ie nurtured and mentored someone!

and this weekend is also the Kentucky Derby on May 7th... 

I have not been blogging because life is a bit complicated with my dear husband's Parkinson's disease, but I will try to begin doing so again because I miss the focus on the joys in my life!

 I remembered that a few years ago this week we were in London for our week at the start of our then annual month long buying for Antiques And Teacups and Time Was Antiques and visiting trip in England, and wanted to share one of our favorite venues for tea...both posh and pleb....Harrod's super department store in the Knightsbridge section of London....warning: photo heavy post!!! 

Harrods is a must if you visit London, although we didn't often buy anything among the designer goods upstairs...one year brought back signature Harrods carrier bags as Christmas gifts for everyone....

Most things were beyond our budget....except the Food Hall in the basement!

  There are lots of tea items in this post...but only one teacup...and here it is....

From the posh Georgian Restaurant on the second floor...to the plebian...if you can call it that...Food Halls...an amazing place! These photos are from several different annual visits....and I hope you can get a feel for the place...you will find everything for a meal, a picnic tea or eat in the various eateries and cafe's scattered around....

The scope of the place is amazing...a cavern of gastronomic treats....and so many trained staff with specialties in their areas whether tea, coffee, pastries, meats or any type of delicacy....

All surrounded by marble, mosaics and a fabulous art nouveau vaulted ceiling!   And the wonderful choices! Get ready to drool...you are spoilt for choice, and a quick decision is difficult to find here....

Are you hungry yet???

 There is always a trained staff of tea sommeliers on hand to help you choose the right blend as well....we always plan at least an hour wandering around in the Food Hall, then choose our items and find a table and enjoyed. The place is an experience I hope each and every one of you gets to experience some day. It's one of things that we miss now we can no longer make the trip to England, even though for the last 10 years we had been taking a ship across. But my husband's Parkinson's Disease makes the airplane flight to the east coast from here in Washington state undoable. So our visits home are at an end. But we were blessed to have gone so many times. We are very blessed and very grateful!

And of course... always tine of tea to bring home as gifts. 

Lovely!

Hopefully you can have a lovely tea time with someone you appreciate this weekend!

Our good news is that our daughter, her husband and youngest grandson... if you think young is 30 !... will be permanently moved here from out of state in the next 2 months and we are so excited!

So... lots of good things to look forward to!

And my prayer is for your lives to be as blessed!

Remembering the Titanic

I am remembering Titanic...the unsinkable ocean liner that sunk after hitting an iceberg on the night of April 14th thru 15th, 1912.

The famous White Star ocean liner Titanic sailed with custom designed china for first class passengers from the Royal Crown Derby pottery in England which were reissued for the centennial in 2012, so I am sharing a teacup and teapot from the Titanic china for 1st Class passengers...

I think the design is lovely...so elegant and classic. The cup and saucer is if I remember correctly 42 pounds, or about $60.

Click on the teacup or teapot to go to the Royal Crown Derby website to see what is available, or click this link: Royal Crown Derby Titanic China

Actual Titanic 1st Class dinner/supper menu...Getty

Cobh, pronounced Cove,  is now a part of Cork, Ireland the main part of which is about 20 miles away, is part of the Titanic story, because it was the last port Titanic touched before heading out and ultimately colliding with the iceberg. The ship had left her birthplace, Belfast just a few days earlier.  Many of the 3rd class immigrant passengers had gotten on here. We were fascinated by the remnants of those days still found in thew picturesque little town when we have been there for the day during several transatlantic cruises to England.

This is the White Star Line headquarters in Cobh about 4 blocks from where our ship was docked during our days here. The building is now a pub...notably named The Titanic...with some cases of memorabilia which was fascinating.

The little town hasn't changed much since Titanic left in 1912.

This is the Kennedy Park near the White Star offices, where many would have waited to board.

The tickets to the museum resemble passenger tickets... and there were tags with an actual passenger name attached, but I couldn't find that part of the tickets...

Cobh was called Queenstown when Titanic sailed from here in 1912, and the town has put together an interpretive and interactive exhibit called The Queenstown Experience that was wonderful. Thousands of Irish immigrants passed out of this port to try to find new lives during the potato famines and clearances. The exhibit, which is full of artifacts, life size recreations of onboard ship experiences and videos, newsreels and personal photo and memorabilia collections was a wonderful and poignant experience about how hard life was for many of the people passing through here.

The room where passengers waited to board is now an area of shops and a tea shop you enter after exiting the exhibit, one of the displays is seen here, and a link to there website is at the bottom of the post.

For some fabulous further interesting websites related to the Titanic disaster, here are:

The Titanic Trail – Guided Walking Tour of Cobh

The Queenstown Story

On March 23, 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a visit to Northern Ireland, and while there visited the Titanic Mueum in Belfast.

The museum is on the site of the builders yard where Titanic was built...Harland & Wolff...and includes original spaces as well as an hotel.

The building  was  designed to reflect  the Titanic, and is the same height as the ship...

The couple was presented with a Titanic model by a costumed docent...

Harney & Sons RMS Titanic Tea blend

And lifting a cup of this lovely tea today in memory...

 

Welcoming Christmas with Red Transferware And Cheer!

Welcome to you indeed! 

December continues, and what a different Christmas season this is!

I have pulled our my seasonal cross stitches and this Welcome board I painted in the 1990s...

My grandfather was a professional painter, and I had a minor in art at university, but I basically only dabbled. But this turned out well, and is nice and seasonal, so it is still around.

What isn't, is the 200 pound cast torso of a nude woman I did for a sculpture class final! That was destroyed long ago... Lol!

I wanted to share with you one of the antique sterling silver teapot spout tea strainer baskets I have periodically. I had a Gorham one last week that was purchased for a Christmas present. 

This one is US made, by Whiting Manufacturing, USA and has a pattern number date of 1887.

It is used to strain the tea leaves from the teapot as the stream of tea pours though the pivoting tea strainer into the teacup.

There is quite a debate as to who and when these fun tea gadgets were contrived, and I know of some that date to the 1780s from England at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, but others think France, and they were certainly made in England, Ireland, France and Belgium as well as the USA before and after it was independent.

But... so fun! They never stay in my shop long!

Some people are not found of white china, but I always think it is so versatile, as it goes with everything. This is the Patrician pattern from Wedgwood, England from the 1960s of cream ware or Queen's Ware with a lovely embossed pattern.

Elegant! I always love finding this pattern!

The mark dates it easily to the 1960s. This was quite a popular pattern, with several version, some which include transfer printed floral borders or centers with the pattern, some with different names with the shape referred to as Patrician.

And how can I not include red transferware during the season!

This is the Johnson Brothers, England pattern called Castle On The Lake in a romantic landscape pattern with the noted castle, lake and beautiful gardens in what is called variously red or pink transferware.

The pattern itself was registered in 1890s, but not used until 1939 and discontinued in 1970. I love the sort of rope edging.

This is indeed an historic and divergent season indeed! But I pray you are able to still enjoy the season, it's meaning and it's joys.

I want to also say Happy Hanukhah!