Tea on Tuesday

Boy, Tuesday rolls around fast, and sadly, it seems that is the only time I post lately.
Sad commentary on things, when I don't find time to write, when there is always sooo much to talk about!!!!

I don't even have a photo of my teacup or tea today..........it is a lovely bone china mug- my mom found a pair of them in the thrift store for $2- not old, floral, dated 1996. Even tho' I have a pantry full of teas, it seems I always fall back on Lady Grey in the a.m., drowned in local honey..........

This morning, I thought, since I have already bored everyone on FB with my pictures and videos of my new baby donkey- that why not spread the wealth and bore everyone in blogland with the same?????

This past Saturday morning was the day - the day that Finnegan, (formerly known as Li'l Stevie) came to live with us!

Finn was born in January- I met him a few hours after he arrived  into this world.

Just born 1-20-12

a little pinto donkey

He has been living with his parents for 8 months. Altho' his big brother Yoshi, was over a year old when he left his mom and moved here- River and Ocean's owner, Jean, decided it was time for (Li'l Stevie) Finnegan to move in with his brother!

Mom, Ocean, with Li'l Stevie in the backround- getting ready to load him up this Saturday

The first few days of his life, Finnegan was thought to be a Fiona.......then it became quite obvious that HE was not a SHE!

As soon as his tiny hooves hit the ground, Finnegan was feisty and fierce, or as Katie calls him - FEROCIOUS ! He was not afraid of anything and would nibble and bite, and drive his parents crazy! Yoshi, on the other hand, was very quiet, retiring, and so laid back. I was hoping for similar personalities!

Saturday morning, Mr. Green Jeans drove the trailer over to pick up Finn, who needed a little convincing and some pushing from the rear, to get him on the trailer. AS we all know, donkeys won't move, if they don't want to - no matter what their size!!!

He rode very nicely, with Jean in back with him.

Altho' not lead trained, he walked off the trailer like a little gentleman, and into the paddock. We kept him separate for a while, so the horses and Yoshi could get acquainted thru the fence.

first meeting thru' the fence

at 8 mos old, Finn still has his baby fuzz

By lunchtime, I let Yoshi in with his little brother. For a few minutes they played it cool, then Yoshi decided to show Finn who was boss around here and chased him around the paddock for a solid 3 minutes. They were both worn out- it was a bit hot out. They took turns following each other, with Finnegan nipping at Yoshi's neck and face, and Yoshi letting loose with a few well placed kicks, to put this little whippersnapper in his place!!

                    Video


                                             The first day, Finn stuck to Yoshi like glue.

Yoshi's expression reminded me of a well loved Robert Louis Stevenson poem, from A Child's Garden of Verses, circa 1913

 :

I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

By day 3, they act like they have been together forever, altho' Finn still sadly tries to nurse, and looks very depressed, and occasionally brays in response to the donkeys who live a few fields away. It seems like he is asking, are you my mother? I am probably anthropomorphising, but weaning has to be hard on these little guys.

Video

Finnegan being a bratty little brother!

Playtime

The horses were mildly interested in this new arrival. They are kind to him, and I hope he does not start chewing on their tails!! We got Yoshi over that bad habit, and the tails are starting to look good again!!! Time to get out the NoChew spray again!!!

Now, I have a goal to outlive these little donkeys, who can live for 35+ years, but most likely they will be left in the will to my daughter, so they are assured of a forever home together!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please drop by for tea every Tuesday, and visit Patty and Kim for a list of other tea lovers

Tea on Tuesday- Flower Power!

I am showing up for  late afternoon tea today.....this morning, I put my Lady Grey tea with Beekman 1802 creamed lemon honey in a "new" thrifted mug, only to pick it up from the counter, and have the handle part company with the mug! Hot tea, a dollar's worth of honey (it's good and worth every penny!) and the mug hit the floor!

In this before photo, it almost looks like you can spot a section where this handle might have been mended- but I looked it over, felt the handle, and had not see anything.What might appear  to be  a repaired seam in the photo was just glue from the masking tape price tag.  Where it came apart was not where you would have thought looking at the pic. Who knows- now handle-less, the mug may end up as a pencil holder, or broken up for a mosaic, or just dumped in the trash.

After having a restless night's sleep, and having early morning tea on the floor, instead of in my stomach, the day was off to a very rocky start.............

Anyway, since flowers are in bloom, (June is bustin' out all o-o-o-over.....all over the meadows and the hills....!) I thought I would share a few of my teacups that portray some of my favorite flowers- pansies,  violets, and thistle.

I was hoping to have a challenge photo that might be used for some artsy  endeavor, like was beautifully done in last week's Tea on Tuesday post.
I'm not sure any of these are worthy of any form of artistic rendering - but feel free to use one, if the mood strikes you !!!

                                               

                                                    ..........blooming teacups...........

                                
                                    ( below may be a chocolate pot, but works for tea also)
                            Orphan pieces come together to celebrate the violet

I will leave you with a definition of "afternoon tea"  from:

 Everyman's Encyclopaedia of Etiquette

What to Do

What to Say

What to Write What to Wear

A Book of Manners for Everyday Use

          by Emily Holt, 1920

"The afternoon tea, or ceremonious "at home", has for some years enjoyed a popularity that shows no sign of waning. Indeed, it has almost done away with the once almost universal evening reception. Such teas are given throughout the winter season to introduce young ladies to society, to honor special guests, to give a young married couple an opportunity to meet their friends, and to enable a hostess in a single afternoon successfully to entertain the whole list of her visiting acquaintances. They are the least expensive and the least exacting functions in the list of social diversions and, considering the many good purposes they serve, the most useful and satisfactory."

I am off to enjoy my afternoon tea...........................

Late Afternoon Tea on Tuesday

As the day escapes me, with gardening, horse care, errands, etc, taking away my free time, I am finally here for tea  !!!

As the wind is roaring past my windows, carrying with it the promise of yet another thunderstorm, I will post quickly, in case the power flickers, and I lose it all!!

I did get a pic of my tea this morning- and what I had after lunch!!!

Below is my favorite Lady Grey tea, with local honey, in a thrift store pottery mug, with strawberries and homemade whipped cream, over my special "feather weight" pound cake, in a thrift store pottery bowl.

 

Had to use up all those strawberries - so here is my afternoon snack!!

The purple lilacs are winding down, the whites are still bursting forth, so I picked a quick bouquet.

Among my things to do today (and every day) is to exercise the dogs.  Here is Sunny, relaxing after his day out, on his (er, MY) bed!!! Gotta love the Sun-man!!! This is why you will NEVER see one of my handmade quilts on my bed...........................

 

Please drop by every Tuesday for tea, and visit Patty and Kimmie for a list of other Tuesday tea lovers!

Tea on Tuesday

Here is what I am drinking, on this totally frigid Tuesday- Earl Grey's Lady Grey, with dark honey, in this lovely oversized thrift store cup and saucer. The cup is English Royal Castle bone china - heavy- not  vintage, but I like it for the size.My daughter was thinking it would make a great coffee or hot chocolate cup for her!!

Today I am sharing pix of  this past Saturday afternoon's teacup exchange at Julieanna's. This would be their first annual holiday tea and exchange (well, actually the 2nd - they had one on Thursday night also). Both were well attended and beautifully set up!!

Julieanna's is a great little gift shop in Broadway, Va, that I've mentioned before, owned by Julie Wilkins,with monthly tea tastings served by her friend Susan Teter.

The ladies outdid themselves! They hope to open a tea room within the shop sometime next year, and if Saturday was any indication of the quality, their  tearoom will always be full!!

This first picture is of my gift bag, with a tag I made for the occasion. Next to the bag are a couple of my thrift store teacups.

Here's the party:

I got so involved in talking, I forgot to take pictures before we sat down!

The pastries and desserts were scrumptious - didn't write down what they were!!! I suggested a need for a Julieanna's Tearoom Recipe Book, in the future!

Susan had a giveaway- winners had to be able to answer tea related questions! They were difficult!!!

That's Susan in the forefront, Julie in back.

Here are some of the cups that were exchanged- sorry- again, didn't take notes, so I can't tell you the origins- but they were all wonderful!

Last but not least, was the one I received - the lady that brought this one ended up with mine!!! I have always wanted a Shelley cup - and this is what I got!!! Delicate vintage English fine bone china - Shelley, in the Rose, Pansy, Forget-Me-Not pattern. I LOVE it!!!I had given a vintage white swirl English Ironstone, stuffed with goodies and a linen napkin. The set  was plain in comparison to the others - but the recipient loved it - turns out she has all white dinnerware.

Thanks for joining us for Tea on Tuesday- please drop by anytime, and be sure to visit Kimmie and Patty, for links to the other tea partiers!!!!