TEA TIME!

 There is nothing like a hot cup of tea to make you feel better.

Whether you have a solitary cup in the afternoon or share it with a friend, everything seems better after a cup of tea.

Growing up with a British grandmother and great grandmother, I learned the art of high tea at an early age.

My great great grandmother was born in England at a time when everything stopped for tea.  Class did not matter everyone had tea in some form.  There were always sandwiches and cakes involved.  I still make cucumber sandwiches like my great grandmother and scones with clotted cream.  Life must have been so lovely then to be able to stop in the midday to enjoy the amber liquid and a hot scone.

I cannot think of a nicer way to start the day than with a hot cup of tea with my husband.  And to spend the afternoon with friends over tea an a nice selection of treats.  My favourite tea time though is just me on a rainy afternoon with a got cup of tea and a good book.

  

 

Coffee is fine but it is a more high voltage drink.  Little girls never offer you a cup of coffee from their teapot, even at the young age of 20 months, my little granddaughter offers us a cup of tea.

 I look forward to making tea and cucumber sandwiches for her.  We will have them in her playhouse with scones and clotted cream and tea cakes for dessert.

I found some lovely recipes for a selection of tea sandwiches at GREAT PARTY RECIPES.  This delicious Coconut Tea Cake can be found at CRUMBS AND COOKIES.  I even found a homemade Clotted Cream and Scone recipe at A LITTLE ZAFTIG.  You must check them out and have a Tea Party of you own.

 I hope you go and have a cup of tea and enjoy a lovely afternoon whether with someone or alone it is a delightful way to enjoy a day.

Images from PINTEREST.http://pinterest.com/

HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU!

I noticed that several bloggers are posting again after taking some time off. I just want to welcome you all back and I am so happy to hear from you again. I miss the posting of my regular bloggers so let's all have a great year of good news, crafting and lots of great giveaways.

 I am off to visit my little darling today so her mommy and daddy can have the afternoon out. See you all tomorrow have a fabulous day!

COMTEMPLATING LIFE!

LOVE IS ALL AROUND US!

Images from PINTEREST.

DREAMING..................

The holiday rush is over but I still have so much to do. It takes a while to undecorate and fill the Christmas Cupboard again waiting until Christmas returns. I use this time to move out furniture, dust, clean behind everything so it takes a while.

It does not help that I find myself dreaming of France. Walking in the snow on a clear night in Paris.

Staying in a quaint little French apartment with a balcony looking over the long narrow streets.

Going to the Bakery in the morning for hot bread or croissant.

Coming back to sit on the balcony, sip my latte and have fresh buttered bread or perhaps something sweet.

Having a glass of wine in a cafe in the afternoon.

Riding a bike through the long steets to the park.

Sitting on a bench watching people while Eiffel Tower stands magestically in the background.

Stopping for a bouquet of flowers from the little shop around the corner.

And then the perfect end to a perfect day. Some day I hope my dream comes true.

I LIKE PAPER.......I'M OLD FASHIONED THAT WAY!

Throughout my life, I have had two constants, art and books.

As a very young child I would get lost in books. My grandfather read me Treasure Island and Black Beauty I don't know how many times.

When I was in school I would take out as many books as I was allowed. I loved the look of the library card and seeing who had read the book before me. I especially liked to be the first to sign my name on a new card. In High School I spend most of my lunch hour in the library I loved the quiet and being surrounded by my favourites, Bram Stoker, George Orwell, C.S. Lewis, Harper Lee ( To Kill A Mockingbird is my favourite book.)

I have the same feeling about books now as when I was given my first book to read. To touch the cover and binding of a book and open the pages to the wonder held within. The magic of the journey you are about to take and the characters you will meet, some you will love and some you may despise. The tears shed and the smile brought to your face with each chapter. The longing for the adventure to be just a little longer as you reach the end.

There is nothing like spending hours in a bookstore. The thousands of possibilities. Finding just the right one and taking it home. I love to spend a rainy afternoon engrossed in a book, turning each page and feeling the paper touch my finger tips making sure to never bend the back. I sip my tea and get lost in a good book.

This is not a book. There is no way you will ever convince me that these are as good as books.

Recently a friend of mine who is also a book groupie, told me he had one of these and he loved it. I was shocked. "How can you say that is as good as a book, it has no pages." " Yes that is true" he said " but, I can take it on vacation and it does not take up as much space as a paper book and I can make the letters as big as I want." I asked how much it cost to buy a book for this and he told me it was around the same for a new release in hard cover as a regular book. "But you don't have the book later." was my response.

And what about the bookmarks. I love bookmarks. I have quite a collection of them.

I fear for the day that there are no longer paper books. That a child will not know the joy of touching the pages.

And what about our libraries? And book stores? Are we coming to an age when there will no longer be rows of books lining shelves in libraries and little old books shops. I cannot bear the thought of not going into a shop and seeing the shelves sagging under the weight of all of the knowledge and adventures waiting to be had.

This is how I feel.

I will forever get lost in the pages of a book. I will hold them, smell them, and love them like old friends. I will sit in the library for hours in the quiet enjoying every moment of my book not rolling my finger across a screen to turn a page.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May all of your Dreams & Wishes come true in 2013.

My only resolution is to bring more awarness about homeless dogs and cats and do all I can to make a small dent in the problem of rehoming these beautiful, loving creatures.