Homeward Bound

The light is what guides you home, 

the warmth is what keeps you there. 

Ellie Rodriguez

A pleasant Spring day outdoors-

perfect for some gardening 

and a cup of tea. I just discovered

straw bale gardening on Pinterest, and stepped out onto our patio to look for a good spot to place a bale. 

Brambly Hedge by Royal Doulton


There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.
Jane Austen

For charm and whimsy you can't beat Royal Doulton's Brambly Hedge beakers and teacups! I sipped a bit of Assam while dead-heading Pansies and drawing up gardening plans.

Assam is located on both sides of the Bramaputra River in India.

I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world. 

George Washington

Home, the spot of earth supremely blessed,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
~Robert Montgomery

See the mouse in the basket?

Where thou art – that – is Home.
Emily Dickinson

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Tea Time Brings Longevity

Ever since tea was discovered, it's been thought to have many health benefits and it's interesting that modern research is proving many of these claims are true!  For afternoon tea today, I made a pot of Harney & Son's Oolong and served it in my special wicker basket teapot.  Have you ever seen one of these?

 The basket acts as a natural cozy to keep the tea piping hot - perfect for an autumn picnic or summer patio tea.

 When I purchased this colorful teapot and basket, it came with matching cups. Lucky me! It's fun to sip from these delicate cups without handles. Remember, no pinkies in the air -  that is an etiquette faux pas.
Click here for a handy teatime temperature and steeping chart.

 

oolong is a semi fermented tea principally produced in China and Taiwan

Do you recognize any of the Chinese characters on the cups or teapot? This one represents longevity

 

This symbol - for Shou- is near the spout.

I looked through some of my tea books and learned that tea bushes were planted in Taiwan, previously called Formosa, around 300 years ago.

I snacked on grapes as I watched 'our' little cottontail drop by for his daily carrot. Remember when he climbed into my parsley pot? He doesn't mind sharing the backyard with me, so I finished my tea. 

Do you see the kimono clad cat?

 

 It was a gift from a friend when I was studying Urusenke, Japanese Tea Ceremony, with my sensei Mrs. Koizumi. 

If you have only had black tea and want to try going 'green', you can start with a quality oolong before moving to a typical green tea. All tea comes from the same plant, but it is the processing (fermenting, rolling, drying, cutting) that gives it it's characteristics. It is a big adjustment for some palates to go from drinking black to drinking green teas. Ha ha!

I found bamboo place mats at Michael's craft store in the dollar section, of all places! I think it looks perfect with this tea set. 

Do you like greens and oolongs? Have you tried them iced? I enjoy all tea and have even baked shortbread with matcha - a powdered green tea.  

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Her Little Hands

Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  Elizabeth Stone

 

Her little hands stole my heart,

Her little feet ran away with it.

photo source wenderly dot com

This afternoon College Girl and I decided to relax and do 'nothing' (the 'lull before the storm' because finals are next week!) - so we enjoyed a televised baseball game, got out our 64 count Crayons to color in our Marvel Avengers and Disney Alice In Wonderland coloring books and baked Oat Scones for tea time. I just love coloring! It's so relaxing and it takes me back to the times I used to lie on my stomach on the floor as a child filling coloring pages with carnation pink, indigo, or yellow green.


Oat Current Scones

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup currants & chopped nuts

preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Distribute butter in pieces over flour mixture, then cut in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In small bowl combine wet ingredients, then add to flour mixture. Stir in currants and nuts. With floured hands, pat dough into 8 inch diameter circle on ungreased baking sheet. With serrated knive, cut into 8 wedges. Bake 15 minuted until top is light brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack, store in airtight container. 

 

 

Recipe from SIMPLY SCONES by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright 

   

 Our 'tea' of choice today is a lovely blended tisane by Harney & Sons called  Mother's Bouquet.  

 

 At the Harney website the tisane is described as "a blend created in honor of all Mothers. A great gift for Mom, or the perfect choice if you are hosting a Mother’s Day Tea. This is a beautiful, refreshing caffeine-free cup; chamomile flowers blended with rosebuds, cornflowers, and orange peel, infused with citrus flavor."

tisane - infusion of  dried or fresh flowers or leaves, a tea-like drink made with herbs

 Her hands and feet are not tiny any more, but she still has possession of my heart and always will.

Lifting a cuppa and wishing each of you  a lovely weekend. Chamomile bouquets and Devonshire Cream Hugs!

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Sugar Plum Friends

Ah, the time for stories about sugar plums, spices, candy and tea has arrived! By the way, do you know what a sugar plum is? Try looking it up online and you get a variety of answers. But I prefer to go by what Dingy Sharp had to say on the matter. She is the great-great granddaughter of Clement Clarke Moore who wrote 'The Night Before Christmas'.

Nowadays these sweet treats are a thing of the past, but when we rolled fruit in sugar it preserved them to last. We'd take a fresh plum which we'd generously glaze, then wrap it in fabric and let it dry many days. Months later this fresh-coated fruit would become the delicious jeweled candy we called 'sugar-plum.'

The teapot is full and there are cups to spare.  Won't you join me? 

A package arrived today from a beloved friend in Texas. Let's see what's inside.

Please forgive me while I get up and do a happy dance! Eeek! Isn't he whimsical? Isn't he nice perfect for my collection?  He looks ready to give a tea party and let the other Nutcrackers and Toy Soldiers on our mantle do guard duty! Ha ha!

He has glittery saucers on his head, striped mint candies on his jacket, and tall green boots on his feet. This festive fellow remembered to bring a pot of sugar for our tea - how thoughtful! I wonder what kind of tea is in his pink trimmed pot? Russian Caravan?

 With a hairdo like his I wouldn't mind going out in the rain and wind - no worries!

What a sweet way to celebrate Advent! Thank you, Texas Star, for this jaunty Nutcracker. You are a Sugar Plum!

 

 Here is a modern version of sugarplum candy:

Recipe and photo from Saveur

  1⁄4 cup honey
2 tsp. grated orange zest
1 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1 cup finely chopped pitted dates
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, then finely chop.
2. Meanwhile, combine honey, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Add almonds, apricots, and dates and mix well.
3. Pinch off rounded teaspoon-size pieces of the mixture and roll into balls. (Rinse your hands often, as mixture is very sticky.) Roll balls in sugar, then refrigerate in single layers between sheets of waxed paper in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Their flavor improves after ripening for several days.



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Sunshine, Bunnies & Bees~

We had a couple days of much needed rain and I especially enjoyed listening to the downpour while tucked beneath the covers...I love to hear rain on the rooftop~ This morning we awoke to sunshine and clear skies. Out on the back lawn enjoying the warmth were a couple of the wild desert cottontails. We leave a carrot or two out there for them from time to time.

College Girl made the bunny jumping into the pot (above) a few years ago. I get it out every Spring and it makes me smile...that fluffy bunny bottom is so cute! And it is easy to make. You need:

• small pot
• large puff ball
• small puff ball
• Easter 'grass'
• pink and white Fun Foam for feet

                                     

Place green styrofoam or tissue paper ball into the pot bottom. Glue grass upright along inside-back edge. Glue small puff ball to large puff ball. Glue large puff ball into pot. Cut feet and toes from foam and adhere to large puff ball. It looks like a white bunny is making a quick getaway into Farmer McGregor's pot! This is a fun and easy craft if you have children attending an Easter brunch. You could even have markers available for them to decorate the pots.

I had a bunny on my teapot today too~ There is no makers mark, so I don't know the manufacturer.



Le Lapin



He looks like he is chasing the blue butterfly...not too far fetched, either! We watched one of our visiting bunnies chase a bird around our lawn.

         The teapot handle is a yellow blossom~



I admit...I bought this tea just for the box!

I made multigrain pancakes today. As time has gone by, I find I prefer healthier~heartier grains as opposed to fluffy white-flour 'buttermilk' style flapjacks. I like the nuttiness and wholesomeness of added flax seed, buckwheat or oats.



my fleur de lis napkin ring adds a bit of panache



I added chopped pecans to the batter before cooking..yum! I also stewed some frozen cranberries in orange juice and grilled a veggie sausage patty.



I enjoyed a pot of Harney & Son's Earl Grey Supreme



The cheery bone china cup I used is by Crown Trent. I love the gardening theme on it. My favorite thing pictured is...

the bee skep!

A little information about skeps;

Before the 1800`s, most bee hives in North America

and Europe were simple shelters for the bees.

Bee Skeps were common types of hives in this period.

Bees attached their wax combs to the hive`s roof and walls,

just like they do in wild hives. Skeps were made from coiled

 grass straw (wheat or sometime rye),

and often had sticks inside to provide support for the honey combs.



nothing like hot tea and real maple syrup~



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This Weeks' Pink~

My favorite time of year~ Fall!

I spotted these leaves which are deep pink with yellow veining. So pretty.

Whooo wouldn't love a couple of fine feathered friends to cuddle with at naptime?

How about sipping a lovely tea and contributing toward a great cause?

Harney & Sons Tea offers Jane's Garden Tea. The website states;

"Gardens are inspiring in the way they show continual growth, renewal, and vitality. Love, tenderness, and care help to nurture a garden. It is in Jane's memory, a lifelong friend and gardener, that Jane's Garden Tea was blended to show love, care and tenderness during her battle against breast cancer.

This year we are happy to offer Jane's Garden Blend in a beautiful pink and green tin with 20 sachets inside. One dollar ($1) of the proceeds from the sale of these tins will be shared by the Jane Lloyd Fund, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The Jane Lloyd Fund helps cancer patients in our town with their day to day expenses while battling cancer."


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