EDWARDIAN PICNIC WITH THE TEA SOCIETY
(Natalie Ferguson standing-Polly Singer seated in middle-Paula Porter with parasol)

(Natalie in a nostaligic shot dressed for a formal afternoon outing....)

(Darleen Chamberlain, drawing influence from the Titanic era- standing underneath the rose arbors.)

(Paula, also tipping her hat to the Titanic era of fashion and keeping cool in the sun...)

(Natalie strolling in the garden...)

( Here I am paying homage to Beatrix Potter with my trailing walking skirt, made by the very talented Natalie Ferguson.)

( With Natalie on the grounds- English country cottage meets the elegance of the "Gilded age"..)
(...with Polly in her lovely blue and white striped walking skirt... She defined seaside Edwardian with her soft breezy look and wonderful veiled hat...)

EDWARDIAN PICNIC WITH THE TEA SOCIETY

On Saturday, June 6, 5 members of the LHTS ventured to Richmond, KY and the historic home of famous Kentuckian and Abolitionist, Cassius Clay. Some ladies arrived in Edwardian inspired dress and others in reproduction clothing to spend an afternoon sipping iced pomegranite tea and nibbling on tea sandwiches, honey bbq chicken nibblets, tea cookies, scones with lemon curd, fruit salad, and a delectable tart with fruit and mint. After eating, we strolled through the outdoor antique faire which was set up on the grounds of the manor, and spent a few quiet moments in the rose garden before touring the wonderful home known as White Hall.

The weather could not have been more perfect and the company was especially lovely. We certainly missed the members who were unable to attend, but you were with us in spirit. We must do this again. Perhaps we shall make an annual event of our Edwardian Picnic!

For more information on one of the most eccentric and colorful Kentuckians, please read the following biography on Cassius Marcellus Clay.

TAKING A BREAK


Hello all! Is it just me or is life incredibly hectic for everyone at the moment? It seems that each week holds something even more demanding than the last, dictating where time and energy must be spent. With that said, I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from this blog throughout the summer and posting primarily only tea-related events and occasional recipes. The summer months look to be quite challenging for me with my artwork and a huge writing project that will require little time for the tea blog. However, I will still be visiting my favorite blogs and posting whenever I can. I look forward to returning to more regular blogging at the end of the summer.


Most Teafully,
Rebecca

FRANKLIN, TN ONCE MORE



It's that time of year again.....I'm leaving for an annual Franklin, TN antique hunting excursion. I hope to have some new tea recommendations once I return.

Have a lovely weekend!

HAPPY EASTER


Wishing everyone a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday...

TIME TO STOP AND SIP SOME TEA


Busy..Busy...Busy....These past few weeks have been quite hectic around here. Posts have been far and few between and look to be sporadic until April has passed. I've had no time to visit my favorite blogs and miss doing so, terribly. With family, school assignments, gardening, writing, tea business, AnTEAquity, and life in general, it's all a bit of a blur these days. I don't even have time to finish a drawing!

Alas, tomorrow brings lunch with the society members and an antiquing excursion. It's so nice to be with friends, doing what you love. I think this will be a perfect remedy for all of us.

Have a Happy weekend my cyber friends!

THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN THAT MAKES THE GARDEN GROW

We've been seeing two days of this...... I wont complain because it leads to.......


donning these......

..in order to lend a helping hand to Mother Nature, to be blessed with results like this.

The Glory of the Garden

Our England is a garden that is full of stately views,
Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues,
With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by;
But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye.

For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall,
You will find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all ;
The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dungpits and the tanks:
The rollers, carts and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks.

And there you'll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys
Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise;
For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds,
The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words.

And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose,
And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows;
But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam,
For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come.

Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing:--"Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade,
While better men than we go out and start their working lives
At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives

There's not a pair of legs so thin, there's not a head so thick,
There's not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick.
But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done,
For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one.

Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders,
If it's only netting strawberries or killing slugs on borders;
And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden,
You will find yourself a partner in the Glory of the Garden.

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees
That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees,
So when your work is finished, you can wash your hand and pray
For the Glory of the Garden, that it may not pass away!
And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away!

Rudyard Kipling.....

I raise a cuppa Earl Grey to all the fellow gardeners who frequent the tea society!

REST IN PEACE NATASHA RICHARDSON 11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009

God bless the family and and friends of such a talented lady. The world is mourning with you.

Remember
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land:
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Christina Rossetti
1830-1894

BACK TO THE SECRET GARDEN


Lately, so many posts throughout the blogosphere have dealt with spring and gardening. Since my mind has been dwelling on the same topics, I thought it fitting yesterday to watch a charming little film called "Back to the Secret Garden." My son just read Frances Hodgson Burnett's original novel, which has inspired me to do the same. However, I discovered that Netflix offered this sequel to "The Secret Garden", and upon further discovery that the lovely Joan Plowright had a starring role in the film, I knew it would be worth a watch.

The film was certainly enchanting, though it could never compare with the original story of Mary, Colin, and Dickon. My 11 year old son really enjoyed this movie sequel, and I must say that there were some lovely moments in the film. It is a great film for the entire family, especially if you love gardening:-)...Oh, to be at Misselthwaite!

Below is a review of the film:

Although Frances Hodgson Burnett did not feel the need to write a sequel to her classic fantasy novel The Secret Garden, this did not prevent producer Norman Rosemont from commissioning just such a sequel. Set in 1946, Back to the Secret Garden finds Mary Lennox, the youthful heroine of the original novel, all grown up and far removed from her beloved enchanted garden in Yorkshire's Missletwaite Manor. Now living in New York, Mary comes in contact with Lizzie (Camilla Belle), a feisty Brooklyn-born orphan. It is Lizzie who tries to save the day by heading off to England and endeavoring to save Mary's secret garden, which has been literally dying in its caregiver's absence. Joan Plowright, George Baker, Cherie Lunghi, and Leigh Lawson co-star in this German-British co-production, which was originally intended for theatrical release. The American premiere of Back to the Secret Garden appeared on the Showtime Cable Network on September 2, 2001 -- nearly two years after the film's completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide