Thursday Tea Things And Talk, Shelley Rose And Red Daisy, Tea Delectables For All Seasons Book

Good morning and welcome to my meme Thursday Tea Things And Talk. I am joining the other lovely blog parties listed at the bottom of the post.

I dearly love this Shelley, England pattern called Rose And Red Daisy. It is so evocative of lazy days in the garden with tea in hand and a book. The shape is called Dainty. Shelley made about 50 different shapes, but this has has the longest appeal to people with it's feminine and elegant ruffle effect. So pretty! The pattern was made from the 1907, but this teacup was made between 1940 and 1966 when the pottery closed. Shelley china, which is bone china...yes, actually with a content of bones...is extremely light, delicate and yet strong. Lovely! Available at Time Was Antiques. Just click on the photos.

I like to bring out this vintage tea book on a seasonal basis because it is so clever! The book is by artist and tea enthusiast Maryjo Koch, published in 1995, and is called Delectables For All Seasons.  The book is a compendium of delightful and fanciful drawings, tea lore and recipes all illustrated with her wonderful drawings! There is a companion book for coffee, but...not for me!

"Tea, Heav'ns delight, and Nature's truest wealth, 

that pleasing physic, and pledge of health:

The stateman's councellor, the virgin's love, 

the Muse's nectar, the drink of love."

A Poem Upon Tea, Peter Antoine Motteux 1712

 Tea is actually in the Camellia family and in China is believed to have a mystical, and royal heritage that was pronounced by the first emperor to taste it as a Golden Elixir, Divine in origin. Who am I to argue????

 Chinese proverb: "Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one"

As always, each season has a fanciful teapot. The one for spring is made up of violets and primroses with a twig handle a tea leaf spout  and is surrounded by a blue ribbon that says: 

"To see a hillside white with dogwood bloom is to know a particular ecstasy of beauty,

But to walk the gray winter woods and find the buds which will ressurrect that beauty in another spring is to partake of continuity."

Hal Borland, The New York Times Nov. 28, 1948

Have a wonderful day! We are mostly sunny and actually feeling like spring! We are driving to our neighboring town Port Angeles, WA to see the Holland America ship Oosterdam come to town on it's way to the Alaska season. It has come from Hawaii. We only get about 2 of the big cruise ships a year, so this is always fun.

Enjoy the blog parties listed below, and I'd be honored if you would like to join the meme for Thursday Tea Things And Talk!

Miss Spenser ~ http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/

Teacup Thursday

Coloradolady  ~ http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

Vintage Thingie Thursday

 

Pink Saturday, Bunnies, Shelley Eggs and Kate and Will in Wax

This is rather a mixed Pink Saturday with How Sweet The Sound. The post is for Easter and seasonal themes. The first thing that comes to mind...after the real foundation of the season of the Easter resurrection of Jesus which is central to every Christian, or the Passover or Pesach deliverance to every Jew...is bunnies and eggs!

The only bunnies I seem to have left at the moment are these Wedgwood, England Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit dishes...a plate and a mug. I love the wonderful drawings. I didn't like the books when I was very small. I was so frightened for Peter in Mr. McGregor's garden, but fascinated by the drawings which I still love! So cute! Perfect for an Easter tea!

On an egg theme, I have a Shelley, England unusual plate in the Naples pattern that, frankly, I have always thought looked like Easter eggs to me. I can't figure out why it was named Naples. I've been there, and can see NO resemblance!!!

 Aren't they perfect Easter egg designs?????

In royal news, Madame Tussaud's unveiled the wax works images of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday as an early tribute in celebration of the couple's upcomoing 1st anniversary to huge crowds in London, New York and Amsterdam.

In London, the couple were depicted in their engagement announcement attire. I think they are really very good!

 
In Amsterdam, the couple are depicted in the attire they wore to a the London premier of the movie War Horse.

  
In New York, the couple are depicted in the attire they wore to a state dinner in Los Angeles.

So you can visit them the next time you are in any of those cities.
Here are links to 2 articles for more on Madame Tussauds and the Royal couple joining the galleries there.

The photos came from this article:
 Kate and William wax figures unveiled at Madame Tussauds

also:
 Happy anniversary, Kate and Wills! Madame Tussauds unveil waxworks of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to celebrate one year of marriage

Have a wonderful holiday weekend enjoying the season of hope, joy, deliverance and new life!

 
 

Thursday Tea Things And Talk, Shelley Teacup, Queen Elizabeth In York, Maundy Thursday

Welcome to Thursday Tea Things and Talk. I am joining Teacup Thursday with Miss Spenser and Vintage Thingie Thursday with Coloradolady. Today I want to share several things. It is Maundy Thursday, the day in the Christian calendar that commemorates the Last Supper.

 In honor of the color of Queen Elizabeth's hat in the photo below, I have a Shelley teacup with an aqua feather design. 

The pattern is called Serenity and was made by Shelley between 1940-1966 when the pottery closed and has platinum trim. The shape is Gainsborough, which is a favorite shape. So elegant!

Maundy Thursday has been traditionally celebrated in the UK by royalty giving our Maundy Money to deserving poor. This year Queen Elizabeth II was in York with Prince Philip and Princess Beatrice (she of the pretzel hat at her cousin Prince William's royal wedding to Kate Middleton almost a year ago) for the ceremony. The visit was also part of Queen Elizabeth;s Diamond Jubilee trips around the UK.

Beatrice, who is the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is 5th in line for the throne.

In the royal Maundy money tradition dates to medieval times and originally had the monarch or a representative washing the feet of the poor. King George V changed the custom to the current one of the reigning monarch presenting red leather bags (or cases) of money to worthy elderly recipients...one male and female for every year of the monarch's life, so this year there were 86 men and 86 women. Normally the ceremony is done in London, but as Queen Elizabeth was in York on her Diamond Jubilee visit it was done there.

York minster from a 2005 visit

Below is a link to a video of giving the Maundy money and other photos of the York visit from the Daily Mail. Click on the Daily Mail name to go to the article and video or click this link to the video:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2125538/The-Queen-Bea-Royals-hand-money-pensioners-York-mark-Maundy-Thursday.html

I hope your preparations for Easter are going well. I want to also wish our Jewish friends a Pesach Shalom.

Tuesday Cuppa Tea Shelley Daffodil Time, 3 Royal Ladies Out For Tea on St. David's Day

Hi there. I am joining Tuesday Cuppa Tea with Antiques And Teacups and we are sharing a meme at the bottom of the post at least I hope it will work!

My teacup is a Shelley, England cup and saucer in the pattern Daffodil Time. That really speaks spring, doesn't it? The shape is the late Cambridge and it was made from 1940-1966. I just love their landscape designs!   For more info on the teacup at Time Was Antiques, click on the photos.

I chose the daffodil design because last Thursday was St. David's Day which is the national day in Wales with their symbol of daffodils. On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge went to one of my favorite places in London for tea and to dedicate a new tea room at Fortnum and Mason's on Picadilly.  Because of the day they were presented with bouquets of daffodils, jonquils and narcissus.

This was the first public engagement of the 3 ladies together. The occasion was the unveiling of a plaque that will hang on Fortnum and Mason's commemorating the revitalization of the area of Picadilly and the renaming of the Fortnum, & Mason tea salon as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.

Fortnum & Mason for tea is always a must do for us. We stocked their wonderful tea blends when we had our actual antique shop and tea items business before going exclusively online. The company has been owned by the Weston family for over 300 years. My husband is a Weston, but pretty distant relatives of the tea part of the family. Sigh...

Fortnum & Masons has also always been famous for 200 years for thei fabulous hampers that can be stocked to order with wonderful treats and were de rigeur for any type of a picnic, outing or travel. The royal ladies were each given a hamper with individually chosen goodies for the visit, many drawn form the new line of Diamond Jubilee limited edition food items  F&M created for the Queen's special year.

Catherine sampled tea and of course, the chocolates! She admitted to the tea sommelier that she needs to improve when dealing with tea leaves instead of tea bags.
 

Fortnum & Mason's is one of the several fab food halls in London that we go to every visit. Not only to pick up treats and have tea or find take away if we are staying in a flat, but just to marvel at the artistry of retailing like art and just to see what's there. The others are Harrods, and on a lesser scale the Marks and Sparks (Marks and Spencer's) as well. The photos here are from various visits.

 This was a display of Emma Bridgewater ironstone...a contemporary English potter I love!

 This is Burleigh Asiatic Pheasants, a famous English made pattern of transferware.

And of course, we always have tea. The tower was from a trad tea and the other is a smoked salmon plate with scones and clotted cream my husband had on one visit and I forgot to photo my Coronation Chicken with scones and clotted cream for dessert!

So have a wonderful day visiting the fab blog parties and have a cuppa! Darjeeling, please....The Tuesday Cuppa Tea meme sign up is at the 
bottom.

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

Monday Marketplace

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

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

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

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

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

Ruth  ~ http://timewasantiquesfamily.blogspot.com

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

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

Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

Angela  http://teawithfriends.blogspot.com/

Tea With Friends

Miss Kathy http://thewritersreverie.blogspot.com

Celia ~ http://www.attitudeivlife.blogspot.com/p/afternoon-tea.html   Afternoon Tea

Ivy And Elephants ~ http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

What’s It Wednesday