8th Anniversary William And Catherine, New English Tea Company

Today, April 29th, is the 8th anniversary of the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011.

It was a great spectacle indeed...

so yesterday I had a small tea in honor of the date with a couple of fun new finds...

I found a pretty Forget-Me-Not teacup... appropriate for remembering an anniversary...

The teacup was made in the 1950-1960s by Regency, England. Regency was a 20th century pottery that came into being in 1953, changed and managed to survive indepently until 2005 when it closed.

And this was just a fun find... a costume ring of crystals and a Sapphire glass gem, that I think was supposed to mirror Catherine's engagement ring that had origianally belonged to Princess Diana, William's mother...

And of course, tea.  This was a very fun find for us, as it is a new tea company, the New English Tea Company. This is a tin of English Breakfast for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge...

No big deal, you say... but the address is... on Spitfire Close which is by Spitfire Island in Coentry (Castle Bromwich actually) which is where my father-in-law worked for years as head electrician at the Austin Motor Works.

This area of Coventry, where planes and other important world war II armaments was heavily bombed during the war. My husban, as a small child during the war, lived just a few miles away and remembers the bombing, lights of the fires and the dog fights of the Spitfires trying to stop the German bombers, and being rushed to the family air raid shelter in the garden.

It is near Junction 5 of the M6 motorway and the present day Jaguar Cars plant (the former Castle Bromwich aircraft factory). 

And in the industrial park nearby, the tea is being processed.

Cool!

The top image is mine, the bottom is from ImagesOfBirmingham

So a bit of Royal and family interest for us.

Still a few tea towels available at Antiques And Teacups...

click on the photo...

Happy anniversary to the royal couple!

Birthdays and Special Days Shakespeare

Please join me in wishing William Shakespeare Happy 455th Birthday on April 23!  Amazing! The most read, memorized, published and produced playwright in history! Now that's someone to celebrate! 

Stratford-on-Avon is filled with Shakespeare related sites...

The Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried and his sweetheart Anne Hathaway's cottage which is just a bit along the river Avon in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

And there have been a lot of souvenirs made of the area and it's famous residents...

Beow is a tea caddy spoon for Anne Hathaway's cottage from the Victorian or Edwardian eras....

We know Stratford quite well... my husband was born quite near, in a small village...now swallowed up by Stratford... that used to be called Lady Wood. We have to pass through Stratford each time we go to the various family homes in the Midlands. Stratford is at the top of the Cotswolds. We could go the motorway route, but it is too stressy  for us as well as missing all the gorgeous villages on the way up from London. Yes...it takes a lot longer, but we usually make the trip in 2-3 days using only A and B roads and avoiding the motorways, stopping at favorite places, like Lower Slaughter. 

The one thing that we don't like, is the A422, I think, has to go through the center of Stratford and crosses a humpback bridge that is a real bottleneck. We try to avoid going through on weekends when Stratford is packed.

Some views of Stratford from various visits or pass throughs with a lunch or afternoon tea stop...

This is the Queen's Head pub in Stratford where we have stopped for lunch.

This is the Royal Shakespeare Theater in Stratford which is a wonderful year round venue. We have seen Judi Dench and other famous actors at work here. The tour is fun too!

I thought this sign was fun, and certainly shows you the options. All the major Shakespeare sites are quite walkable.

Above is a favorite...Harvard House, the founder of Harvard University who emigrated to escape religious prosecution.

Just outside Stratford is the Bancroft Boat Basin on The Avon River where several canals cross the river. We love canals, and often stop here with a picnic lunch before heading through Stratford.

Here is Shakespeare's grave and monument in Holy Trinity Church.

This is from the archives of Antiques and Teacups... a fun teapot by Leonardo in the shape of The Bard...

Isn't that fun?

We are also enjoying a PBS mystery series set in Stratford... Shakespeare and Hathaway...of course! Have you seen it? I guess the locale is our favorite character....

Hope you have a lovely week... I am hoping the pollen subsides!

Easter Sunday...National Tea Day and Queen Elizabeth's 93rd Actual Birthday

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Wishing you a wondrous Easter Sunday!

And also today, April 21st...

April 21st is National Tea Day in England...I know what you are thinking, isn't every day???

Well, yes, but this is the official one.

And today I am drinking Twining's Darjeeling... a repeat buy here at my home.

And I hope you have a cup to raise to toast a birthday!

Because April 21, 1926 is Queen Elizabeth II's actual birthday...

So here is a Shelley coronation teacup from 1953 with my favorite sepia photograph taken by the Queens then brother-in-law Anthony Armstrong-Jones who was married to Princess Margaret....

 I found these patriotic biscuits at Tetley tea...

April 21st is the actual birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, although it is officially celebrated in June as the weather's more predictable. 

So Happy Birthday Ma'am!

Happy Easter! Pot Pourri Of Easter Things

Hi and thanks for visiting for a few Easter related things...

Interesting Easter related information from a Victorian Delineator magazine from 1894. The article was called Fortune Eggs. 

The Delineator was a Victorian combination of Good Housekeeping, Vogue and Crafts and was a trend and style setter of the late Victorian period.

The article said:

The one who gets an egg of white
In life shall find supreme delight

A striped egg bodes care & strife
A sullen man or scolding wife

The one who gets a golden egg
Will plenty have and never beg

The one who floral egg obrains
Will go through life by country lanes

A Silver egg will bring much joy
And happiness without alloy

The one who gets an egg of brown
Will have establishment in town

A lucky one - the egg of pink
The owner ne'er sees danger's brink

The one who gets an egg of purple shade
Will die a bachelor or old maid

The one who gets an egg of blue
Will find a sweetheart fond & true

The one who gets an egg of green
Will jealous be and not serene

Well...that should give everyone something fun to think about if you have any Easter egg hunts in your future. 

And what to do with those hard boiled eggs????

Tarragon and Shallot Deviled Eggs
Yield: 2 dozen eggs

1. Mash 1 dozen hard-boiled egg yolks, and add 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. 
2. Spoon egg-yolk mixture into egg whites.
3. Garnish with fresh tarragon sprigs.

Hard-Boiled Eggs
1. Place 1 dozen large eggs in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover. 
2. Cook over high heat until water begins to boil. 
3. Reduce heat to medium. 
4. Let eggs simmer for 10 minutes. 
5. Remove eggs from heat. 
6. Drain eggs, and rinse with cold water. 
7. Peel eggs, discarding shells. 
8. Halve eggs lengthwise. 
9. Remove yolks, and place in a small bowl; set whites aside. 

from: https://www.framedcooks.com/2011/04/deviled-eggs-with-tarragon-and-shallots.html

What I especially liked about the recipe...besides the fact that deviled or stuffed eggs always make me think of spring tea parties and left over Easter eggs, is the photo showed an innovative serving method. The eggs are cut across rather than horizontally and served in eggcups. I am an eggcup lover!

And for dessert...

Candy Cottontail Cookies

from Good Housekeeping magazine

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/dessert/a43228/candy-cottontail-cookies-recipe/

Allergies and sinus headaches are still plaguing me this week, so things are a bit curtailed until we get enough rain to really clean the air.

 But wishing you all a wonderful Passover, which begins April 19th, 

or Easter Sunday on April 21st.

Titanic Anniversary... lost April 15, 1912

April 15th, 1912 is the date the Titanic tragically sunk...

the ship was the most famous in the world... and probably still is...

and was supposed to be unsinkable...

it has been a romantic touchpoint in history since then...

The above photo is the last taken of the Titanic as she sailed from Cobh or Queenstown, Ireland in 1912 by Father S. M. Browne.

White Star Line Titanic poster... PBS

Poto representation of the contrast of the size of Titanic versus a modern cruise ship...

fascinating! Pinterest, don't know source

And we have cruised a few cruise ships, even across the Altanic several times...

Onboard the Celebrity Millennium several years ago, we loved the Olympic specialty restaurant onboard, which is named Olympic after the sister ship of the Titanic. The Olympic was also a White Star Line ocean liner built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland in 1910. White Star ultimately became Cunard. The dining room has the original paneling and murals from the Olympic. 

We were invited to a tea in the Olympic restaurant, and I share here a few photos of that. We were so busy talking to friends I forgot until the end to take photos. Also, some of the original Olympic artifacts were in glass cases and did not photograph well. Sigh...

I can just imagine what the Titanic decor was like...seeing the beauty, elegance and workmanship of this sister ship's decor.

So sad....

In 2012, for the Titanic centennial, Harney and Sons Tea debuted a tea blend in honor of the ship...

A press release at the time said that Harney &Sons Tea has just launched (yep...their pun) a RMS Titanic Blend Tea for the centennial of the of it's sinking. Here is the tea description on their website:

Titanic Tea is our latest endeavor, created as a tribute to the tragedy and heroism of “A Night to Remember”. PH Nargeolet, one of the divers with the French exploratory group at Woods Hole in Massachusetts when the Titanic was found, encouraged John Harney to create a commemorative tea to honor the 100th Anniversary of those who perished when the Titanic sank. John has created a tea blend which reflects the quality of tea that was served on the Titanic.

There is Chinese Keemun, one of the last teas British still consumed in 1912. The British had mostly switched to black teas from Assam, India and Ceylon. Also there is Formosa Oolong, which was popularized in both the UK and the US by an enterprising Brit. So this blend would have been recognizable to tea lovers a hundred years ago.

A portion of the sales of our RMS Titanic Tea will go to The Ocean Conservancy, the dedicated organization committed to preserving one of the Earth's most valuable resources, our Oceans. We hope you will enjoy this tea, and “Remember".

Here is the link to the tea on the Harney and Sons Website, as it is still one of their best selling teas. And is quite nice... I have had several tins over the years:

RMS Titanic Tea Blend

Photo of an actual 1st Class menu on Titanic... Getty images

Remembering all those who lost their lives, and all the brave folks who helped in the rescue effots...like the Carpathia...