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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Mother's Day, How I started Collecting Tea Ware




Hello! It's time for Teacup Tuesday for Mother's Day here in the US!



This is my grandmother, Emma Bridgewater...who is always on my sidebar...who began and fostered my love of antiques and Victoriana. Yep...her name really was Emma Bridgewater and she was born in Leicester, England in 1881. She was born Emma Rice (unlike the potter Emma Bridgewater who was born Bridgewater and married a Rice!) and remembers going in a carriage in 1897 when she was 16 to watch the village roasting oxen on the green to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. She couldn't attend because she was just recovering from scarlet fever.



The photo above is Emma participating in a play at age 18 as part of a dramatic society she belonged to.  I inherited her curly hair...and a few health problems as well, by that's by the by. ANYWAY, it was growing up listening to her memories of Victorian England that formed my love of the period. Then, when I was 16 she gave me her teapot and teacups. I have an older sister who was offered them first, but she was into Danish modern so I got all the family Victoriana. Yippee!!!






This is one of the teacups I received from my grandmother. The design is an ethereal watercolor of swans and was made in Germany in the 1880s. It has a crack and a chip, but I treasure it!



This is another of my grandmother's teacups that I treasure. This is a Haviland, Limoges from the 1880s that is just beautiful. We had afternoon tea every afternoon we were together...and she lived with us on and off while I was growing up...and I always got to pick my teacup to drink from...


You can see what fueled my life long love of antiques and collectibles, and why I have been in the antiques, collectibles and tea items business for over 30 years! Obsessed!!! And all Nana's fault!


In the next photo, you can see the hair locket I inherited from my grandmother as well that is hand made and hand engraved and originally had a lock of hair in the back covered with an isenglass window. 


After marrying George Bridgewater, another Englishman from Leicester, England, Emma became a nurse and decided that the hair was unsanitary and removed it. It is one of my favorite momentos of  her and I wear it often.




And I just wanted to remember the new month of May with some pages from another treasure from my Nana...the Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden that she gifted me as well that I dearly love. It reminded her of her upbringing in Victorian and Edwardian England....





A poem about May by William Wordsworth

Ode

While earth herself is adorning
This sweet May morning
And the children are culling
On every side
In a thousand valleys far and wide,
Fresh flowers; while the sun shines warm
And the Babe leaps up on it's mother's arm - 

Then sing ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song
And let the young lambs bound as to the tabor's sound
We in thought will join your throng
Ye that pipe and ye that play
Ye that through your hearts today
Feel the gladness of the May


Red Campion (Lychnis diurnia)
Wild Hyacinth (Agraphis Nutans)
Wild Beaked Parsley (Anthrisicus Sylvestris)




page 60



I guess I should really have really used this for my Birds tea last Tuesday Cuppa Tea...oh well. This is a book I come back to often. 


Thanks so much for joining me for tea today! I hope you have enjoyed learning more about my story...I guess that's what blogs are for....why I love visiting yours too! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day...whether because you are one of know one...

I will be joining...


Here is the linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there! And I love to read your comments, and I do read every one, and can find you to visit! Thanks so much for joining me for tea!


12 comments:

  1. I loved reading about your Nana, and the wonderful impact she had on your life! Such treasures she left you, as well. Beautiful story, about a beautiful woman.

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  2. Heartwarming to read how your Grandmother influenced your love for tea and you do have some pretty teacups of hers.
    Happy Mother's Day.

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  3. Happy Mother's Day, Ruth! Thank goodness that your sister was into the Danish modern style so that your grandmother's Victoriana got passed to you. Thank you for hosting and have a wonderful week!

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  4. What a delight to be here, you always put a smile on my face and lift up my spirits, I'm so very grateful to you for this, dearest one ... I'm so very glad to read that your grandmother also was so inspiring to you, as much as mine was to me, how many passions I have inherited !

    Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, my lovely Ruth, I wish you a most wonderful new week ahead, sending much love and blessings of Joy to you

    Dany

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  5. What a lovely post, Ruth. I enjoy so much hearing stories of how we came to collect china and teacups. Your teacups are precious! Thank you for sharing with us and I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  6. Your teacups are just beautiful and the history behind your collection is heartwarming. I hope that someday maybe I'll be of influence to one of my granddaughters, too. Thanks for hosting and enjoy your week.
    Did you make the chocolate cinnamon scones? If you did, were they delish?

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  7. Dear Ruth, I love the sentiments and history about your beloved Grandmother and her pretty china, and hair locket, etc.

    I always enjoy visiting you. Thank you so much for hosting the party.

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  8. H Ruth,
    I am so sorry I am late to link up again. With visiting my 95 year old mother and helping my son and daughter who are both moving this week and next I am just overwhelmed. Hopefully things will settle down. Teatime with Grandmas are so special. Yours sounds like a real lady. My grandma used to read our tea leaves in our teacups. Such happy memories! Belated Happy Mother's Day! Karen

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  9. Ruth, I love learning more about your lovely grandmother. It was my English grandmother who instilled in me the love of tea (the drink AND the ritual) and all things English.

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  10. Ruth, I love learning more about your lovely grandmother. It was my English grandmother who instilled in me the love of tea (the drink AND the ritual) and all things English.

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  11. How beautiful! Thank you for this beautiful story. The only momento of my grandmother is her crochet poncho/shawl she made herself in the 20s. In my possession & rescued by family members who wanted to throw it away! I understand the love, I had my grandmother till I was 10. Always in my heart. Blessings!

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  12. How beautiful! Thank you for this beautiful story. The only momento of my grandmother is her crochet poncho/shawl she made herself in the 20s. In my possession & rescued by family members who wanted to throw it away! I understand the love, I had my grandmother till I was 10. Always in my heart. Blessings!

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Thanks for visiting and we love to hear from you! We read every comment. If my husband's health permits, I love to visit andreply. Have a wonderful day and a cuppa tea always at hand! :)