Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Hello Teapot, Cornishware Teacup, Christmas At Sandringham

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed your Boxing Day. We watched all of the season 1 episodes of Downton Abbey on PBS last night back to back and are looking forward to season 2. A bit disappointed as the UK saw a Christmas special from the cast...but not here in the colonies!

 My teacup for Tuesday Cuppa Tea with Antiques And Teacups is a T G Green blue and white Cornishware cup and saucer that was made in the 1980s. Cornishware has been an English kitchen staple for years. This particular design was by Judith Onions and is a bit of a different shape from the traditional cylinder. Kinda different! I love Cornishware!

And staying on the blue theme, this is such a cute teapot! Price Kensington, more famous for their Cottageware, made this funny little teapot in the 1970s. I think it's really funny! I love the hands and nose with the bug eyes peeking over the teapot rim! To see more of the teapot or teacup at Time Was Antiques, click on the photos.

I have taken a bit of time off the last few days when all the holiday prep and shipping of purchases slowed down to read a bit. There are several books with holiday themes I reread...some of which I have talked about in previous posts. This is one that seems to be in the must read swasonal pile:

 
I love so called Village Cosy mysteries, and if you do but haven't read this series by a Canadian from Prince Edward Island, CC Benison...(maybe that's Sandi of Rose Chintz in disguise???) you might want to find them. The heroine is a Canadian housemaid at Buckingham Palace who stumbles on...sometimes quite literally...a murder and with the help of Queen Elizabeth II, they solve the mystery. 

Death At Sandringham House, where the Royal family always spends the Christmas holidays in Norfolk is the setting for this one and involves the Queen solving, with the help of housemaid Jane Bee, the murder of an actress in a local pantomime dresser up as her majesty...with the addition of the Duchess Of Windsor's missing tiara on her Hermes scarf.  The fun of these mysteries is they are all set at one or the other of the royal palaces. Having been to the ones in question, the descriptions are dead on...of the public rooms at least, the only ones I have toured...including Buck House during the Queen's absence in summer. They are also very funny books.

I was especially interested in Sandringham House this year because of the heart problems of Prince Philip which caused him to have to miss the festivities. It was also  Kate's first Christmas with Prince William at Sandgringham with the royal family, and she looked wonderful!

photo Mailonline.com

Have a wonderful time visiting the tea related blogs, some of which are listed below. If you missed my Boxing Day blog post with a Boxing Day Hunt video of with the Queen's annual message, they can be found in the 2 older posts below.

Cheers!

Ruth ~ http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday

Wanda Lee~  http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/ 
Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday 
Pam~  http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com/ 
Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday 
Wanda Lee~  http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/ 
Tea For Two and Wednesday Tea For Me and Thee

Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday

Lady Katherine~  http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/ 
Teatime Tuesday

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Bernideen’s ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com

Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday 

Prince Charles Tries Pottery At Middleport, Kate Fills In For Charles

It's been a busy few days for the Royal family. As reported a few days ago, Prince Charles visited Stoke-on-Trent to view Middleport Pottery that was saved by his Prince's Regeneration Trust. He took time out during the dedication and festivities to try his hand at applying transfer printed decoration to a jug....

And didn't look exactly thrilled with the results.....

For more from the BBC about the visit, click on the photo to go to the article.

Elsewhere, his mother, Queen Elizabeth II continued her Australian tour which has been a great success...aside from someone "mooning" the queen in Brisbane on Monday. Sheer Cheek!!! (sorry...couldn't resist!)

In another bit of royal news, Kate or Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge filled in for Prince Charles on Oct. 26th for a gala private charity dinner for  In Kind Direct, on of Prince Charles' charities at Clarence House. The prince had to call on Kate because he had to fly to Saudi Arabia to offer the Queen's condolences on the loss of the crown prince. Apparently Kate filled in admirably.

For more on the Duchess of Cambridge's stepping into the breach, click on the photo to go to the Daily Telegraph article.

Have a great day! We have shopping to do and a big order to pack and ship to a serviceman. Just got off the phone with him and was thrilled to be able to tell him how much we appreciate his service to our country. Never met him, but he is overseas doing his job for the American people.

I'm Back. Duchess Of Cambridge and Queen Elizabeth II View Royal Wedding Dress Exhibit

It's been awhile since I've blogged here...have been dealing with my Honey's heart problem and my other blog at http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/. I am going to try to keep both going...sometimes it's like juggling...trying to keep all the balls in the air!


But just saw something I wanted to share. The British Monarchy just posted a link to a Flikr photo album of Queen Elizabeth II and Catherine or Kate, Duchess of Cambridge touring an exhibit of Royal Wedding dresses that was quite fun.

The exhibit is part of the summer opening of Buckingham Palace which takes place when the Queen goes to Balmoral. I have toured the Palace during that time and it is incredible...especially if you are a china lover like me. WOW! 


Every year there are special exhibits during the opening and this year the exhibit is of Royal Wedding gowns and it includes Catherine's as well...of course!

The cake is included as well. There are lots of close ups of the gown. To see the entire slideshow, visit
The British Monarchy Wedding Gown Slideshow at Flickr


And for more info visit The Royal Collection

Royal Wedding Timing Released, Middletons at Goring Night Before, Royal Wedding mugs at Time Was Antiques

The Royal Wedding website has released the timing for some of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton which is less than 2 weeks away. 


The night before the wedding, the Middleton family will be staying at the Goring Hotel in Belgravia.

The details of some of the schedule for the wedding day are :

Ceremonial Timings

The following timings have been confirmed for the Wedding Day: 

• Between 8.15am and 9.45am:  The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.

• From 9.50am:  Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries,the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.

• 10.10am The Bridegroom and Prince Henry of Wales leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.15am.

• 10.20am Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace.

• 10.20am Mrs. Michael (Carole) Middleton and Mr. James Middleton leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27am.

• 10.25am Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.

• 10.35am The following Members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am:

                 - The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
                 - The Duke of York
                 - Princess Eugenie of York
                 - Princess Beatrice of York
                 - The Earl and Countess of Wessex

• 10.38am The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42am.

• 10.40am The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.45am.

•  10.48am The Bridesmaids and Pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55am.

• 10.51am The Bride, accompanied by Mr. Michael Middleton, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

•  11.00am The Marriage Service begins.  The Marriage Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route.

• 12.15pm The Carriage Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom with a Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen’s Procession with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.

• 12.30pm The Bride’s Carriage Procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.

• 12.40pm Members of the Royal Family and Members of Foreign Royal Families arrive at Buckingham Palace.

• From 12.40pm: Other guests for the Reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.

• 1.25pm  The Queen and the Bride and Bridegroom, together with their Families, appear on the Balcony.

• 1.30pm  Fly Past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. 

Notes

Miss Catherine Middleton, accompanied by her immediate family, will spend the night before the Wedding at the Goring Hotel.  This was the Middleton family’s personal choice.

All arrivals at Westminster Abbey are at the Great West Door unless otherwise indicated. 

All routes to and from Westminster Abbey are as already announced: The Mall, Horse Guards Road, Horse Guards Parade, through Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Square (south side), Broad Sanctuary.  The additional route from the Goring Hotel to The Mall is yet to be confirmed. 

The Wedding Service will be relayed by audio speakers along the Route.  This is in addition to the screens already announced at Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square.  More information for members of the public wishing to watch the Wedding Service in central London is available atwww.direct.gov.uk/royalwedding

For more information on our Royal Wedding collection mugs at Time Was Antiques, click on the photos.

Royal Updates: Kate Lunches With Camilla; Prince William & Kate at St. Andrews; George VI tea tin

Kate had lunch with Camilla, her soon to be mother-in-law at the Berkeley Hotel. Read the Mail Online article by clicking the photo. 


Kate and Camilla didn't have tea, but the Berkeley is famous for it's different style teas. A fellow member, Martha, of the ATAA or Afternoon Tea Across America group at Yahoo reported on the Berkeley's Pret a PorTea on a blog post she did at Pret A PorTea at The Berkeley with some fab photos of the fare. Well worth a visit!


Kate & Will also visited St. Andrew's on April 25th where they met. The visit was in honor of the school's 600 anniversary celebration and Kate looked lovely in red. The visit is more fully explained on the Prince Of Wale's website:

Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton revisit their university town of St. Andrews

And lastly, I want to honor the Academy Awards tonight because 

The King's Speech  

is up for 12 awards. I loved the film and they thought they portrayed the royal family very well. 

This is a lithographed tin that was made for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth that we have at Time Was Antiques. For more info, click on the photos.

 

For more info on the King George VI coronation tin, click the photos.

Let's hope it wins!!! Have a great evening.

New details of Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate, QEII coronation teaset

Just to keep everyone up to speed about the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate on April 29, 2011, the Prince of Wales released the latest details of the plans for the wedding.
The story can be seen at:
Prince of Wales website update Prince William and Kate wedding


As Time Was Antiques features mostly English antiques and collectibles, and we are Brits it is something we are interested in and would like to share with everyone.

We feature British Royal commemoratives, and here is a Queen Elizabeth II teaset we recently added from an English buying trip. That's a bit of class for the tea table!
For more information, visit:
Queen Elizabeth II coronation teaset

William & Kate First Official Appearance Since Engagement

The Prince Of Wales website announced that Prince William and Kate had attended their first function since their engagement on Dec. 18th for the Teenage Cancer Trust in Norfolk. They also added several official photos of the event, so I thought I'd pass this one along.

And related to the cold & snowy weather that has been plaguing the UK...there was a fire in the roof of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, the home of Sir Winston Churchill caused be attempts to warm up frozen exterior pipes. England has had many similar problems during the recent deep freeze weather. Glad we aren't there for a buying trip at the moment!

I want to take this opportunity before things get TOO hectic to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. 


Happy Boxing Day as well...my sweetie is looking forward to a marathon of English football games from the the Premier league including one with HIS team, Aston Villa playing. So...let's hope they win!!


Then back to work at Time Was Antiques adding quality antiques and collectibles...most with a British accent!

Prince William and Kate Official Engagement photos & QEII Coronation teaset

The official engagement photos of Prince William and Kate have been released. The photos were taken my Mario Testino, who was Princess Diana's favorite phtographer. We visited an exhibit of his photos of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace the year after her death and they were truly wonderful.

The photos and more about the session and other news about the couple and wedding can be seen at the Prince of Wales' website on the Prince William page


I also want to share 2 photos of the snow in England from the Cotswolds where we love to visit. These are from Stow-in-the-Wold and Winchcombe. We often stay near Stow and Winchcombe is quite close. Lovely places, especially so in the snow.

   As we have the run up to Christmas it is so fun to see all the decorated homes and businesses. We just attended a Christmas party...brought Costco's Chocolate Peppermint Bark which is absolutely delicious and addictive! A great hit at the party and sales should soar!!!


  We have just added at Time Was Antiques a fabulous 3 piece teaset consisting of large teapot, cream and sugar commemorating the coronation in 1953 of Queen Elizabeth II. The teaset is a great collectible set. Queen Elizabeth II is the grandmother of Prince William. For more info on the teaset, visit:

Teaset Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Sudlow 3 Piece

   Have a great evening and hopefully there will be something seasonal on TV tonight...otherwise we'll get out the musical Scrooge from the 1970s and watch that again, which we LOVE!

Engagement Announced Prince William & Kate Middleton

Prince William and Kate Middleton have officially announced their engagement today, Nov. 16, 2010. Will gave his long time girlfriend the sapphire and diamond engagement that his father Prince Charles gave his mother Princess Diana. You can see the announcement at The Royal Channel at YouTube at this link: Will & Kate

The engagement has been long expected. The wedding is planned for spring or summer of 2011 and the couple will live in Northern Wales where the Prince is serving with the Royal Air Force.  Congratulations!!!