Tea on a Rainy Tuesday

I am going to take a hint from Patty's post of last week, and have a floral theme.

Our wild violets are blooming now, and they are a favorite of mine.

When we lived in the suburbs, in our first house, I would walk to the park, and bring home wild violets and transplant them in a heart shaped garden on my front lawn.


Seemed like a good idea, at the time. But as prolific as these little flowers are, each year, they would spread and spread, growing outside the confines of the little stone heart.

The lawn was my husband's pride and joy, and anything that was NOT a blade of grass, was strictly forbidden to grown in his lawn. I must say, that has been a battle, that he has consistently lost over the years!!!

Now that we live in the country, within wide expanses of green- it just gets his goat, to see little wildflowers popping up between the blades of grass, but that's life in the country!!!

He does get his jollies tho, from eradicating unwanted flowers and "non grass" from the hay fields- and that is necessary- wild things will take over a hay field, crowding out what you need to grow.

But, I digress.......back to the violets.

As tiny as they are, their resilience is admirable. Bugs, feet, tires, or flooding will not stop these little purple and white warriors from prevailing!!


Since violets are a favorite, I was thrilled to find a violet theme tea pot and cup in the thrift shop trash. Actually, its shape looks more like a chocolate pot.....but who cares!!

The finial was broken off, and the teacup was an orphan, with no saucer. Found a matching saucer (thanks, Nathalie), and glued the knob back on, and as a pair,  they are good to go!

My tea this morning is one of the French ones (thanks, Teresa!) The Vert a la Menthe- green mint, made by Dammann Freres. I make mint tea with fresh mints from my garden, this French tea is as good! Those French....!!!LOL

 

I have another violet cup and saucer. Altho the thrift shop pair are run of the mill, made in Japan, this cup and saucer below are Royal Tuscan fine bone china, made in England, Woodland Violet pattern. Despite the other's lack of "pedigree",I love them both equally !!

woodland white violets

                                      


                                            unknown woodland whites

                          Mayapple season is also a sure sign of spring............

While my husband may be unable to discern the differences in the "sea" of green, you can spot the white violets (upper right in photo), and the purple dead nettle (upper left), above the mayapple.

I am going to keep an eye out for the flowers on the mayapple, I always seem to miss that!!
The dead nettle makes a beautiful photo op in open fields, altho the flowers are tiny, when in profusion, they form a beautiful layer of purple over the green field.

The dead nettle (also called red henbit, I think) and the mayapple, are medicinal, but not ones I would attempt, or recommend, to use. Dead nettle can be used as a tea. Both have laxative properties, but the mayapple for the most part is poisonous. So, look but don't touch!!!LOL


Thanks for joining us for tea - please drop by Kimmie and Patty for a list of tea drinkers.