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...........................

Tea on Tuesday

This morning's libation......... (libation to me, because tea brings the intoxicating calmness that wine brings for others- with no hangover!!LOL)
.......... comes in a quirky little mystery cup and saucer, designer unknown.  I just love its off kilter style- which describes most days in my life!!LOL Filled with a red rooibois, I feel like I should be sitting at the table with Alice, for the Mad Hatter's tea!!!! 




Since Easter is almost upon us, with spring definitely in the air, have a look at the treasures brought home from my foray to a local garden shop's opening day.......

         Frost, frost, stay AWAY, so the seeds and I may come out to play........

I did not bring her home, but this killdeer decided to hollow out her nest in the gravel underneath the plant tables at the nursery. Her cries to ward off intruders, did not stop people from shopping, but the store owners will be cordoning off the nest site, so she can brood her eggs in relative peace and safety. Usually, the killdeer's significant other will run around acting out the broken wing ploy, to lure predators away from the nest. I don't know where he was that morning, maybe out getting breakfast- but mom was left to defend her nest with voice only, never rising from the eggs. When her babies are born, fully feathered carbon copy miniatures of herself, they will be off and running (literally) within hours of hatching.

 Old fashioned coleus, cyclamen, and begonia for my grandmother's indoor vintage rattan planter

Future garden residents.......forgive me for not recalling all their names this early in the morning!!!

                                                                 gerbera daisy

                                                    mandevilla vine (I think...)

 

 

                                                      pansies- just love their little faces!!!

 

faux black eyed susan vine

ice,ice, baby......love these little vibrant ice plants to fill in the rock crevices

I may have to wait 'til next week to plant, altho' some friends are telling me to wait until mid May. I CANNOT wait that long!!! Will hold off 'til next week, and then, in the ground they go, with blankies at the ready, if frost shows up for a night or two.

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BTW, check out the workshop that Pat Sloan is going to be teaching at my Quilt Retreat in August-
                                         here's the link!
Plus, she's gets to go  to South Africa to teach this same workshop  - how cool is that!!!

There are still just a few openings for my retreat in August- would love to see you there!!!!
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Drop by Patty and Kim for a list of other tea lovers- see you next Tuesday for tea (and see you during the week for other things!!! Please stop by often!)

Thriftin' and Porch Sittin'

                   I'm in love with vintage silver and silverplate!!! I use          it, alter it, recycle and upcycle it!!

This is a recent score from the thrift store- multiple sizes of Paul Revere repro footed bowls- they will look lovely filled with floating flowers, lined up in size order down the table, or in a group.

The tea kettle is too badly worn on the inside to use for tea - (altho I wish I could use it!), so it will be upcycled with vintage flateware "chimes" and chandelier prisms.

The little measuring scoop above  I am absolutely in love with- I'm guessing it is one and two tablespoons - haven't actually checked the accuracy yet! But, I will use this - it's kind of unique.

Scored two large iron wheels for my garden - rusty farm equipment is too good to pass up when the price is right!!!! I'll show you them both later - when the garden is fully weeded!!LOL

 

Here is my daughter's dog, behaving very well, surveying the property from the front porch.

This was the other day, after I lugged those wagon wheels to the garden, and before the hay was cut.

I joined Luna on the porch, with a glass of iced mint water, and a good book - The Dirty Life- about a city girl who became a farmer - hhhmmmm!! It is a really good and quick read - with some yummy recipes included!!

A view down my porch - the rusty child's wagon leads the parade of vintage watering cans- one can NEVER

 have too many watering cans....................