75th Tea Time Tuesday

Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends.~

And Welcome tea friends to my 75th Tea Time Tuesday! I have been watching live coverage of Prince William and Kate on TV. As some of you know, they are visiting here on Prince Edward Island right now. Our Island, and the city of Charlottetown, the Cradle of Confederation here in Canada, is very happy to have them!

We Canadians, as well as my American friends, have been celebrating our countries' birthdays over the weekend. We celebrated our Canada Day on Friday and since my American friends are celebrating their nations' birthday today, I have made them a red, white, and blue dessert; a berry shortcake with lots of luscious blueberries and strawberries on angel food cake with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

It has been a lovely weekend of barbeques, trips to the beach, and fireworks. A delightful way to spend the long holiday weekend! I am so thankful to God for our nations; especially the peace and freedom we enjoy here.

While out at Dalvay beach yesterday, we watched this helicopter fly overhead; the same helicopter that Prince William will be flying himself some time today! I thought those of you who are interested would enjoy seeing it. It caused a great deal of excitement.

There were TV cameras, reporters, and security everywhere while we were there. The pity of it all is that the prince and his new bride have a wet and windy day today to stroll the beach and meet Royal fans.
Yesterday would have been a perfect sunny day!

Personally, I enjoyed getting away from all the excitement and enjoying the peace and quiet of the shore a little further down. We took a picnic with us but I didn't get any pictures. I will do that another day.

Now on to our tea....My Teresa Bugnet roses are blooming and the bushes are heavy with their fragrant and fluffy blooms.

Sometimes the blooms are so big, they resemble peonies. I so love them! It gives me a great deal of pleasure to bring them indoors for bouquets as they fill my home with a heavenly scent.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful. It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I thought we would have a Cream Tea today and I chose a more cottagey setting rather than a more formal one. My roses are displayed in a simple canning jar and I chose a medley of different china patterns. 

Yum! My homemade Strawberry jam...

My own homemade rhubarb preserves and peach jam are on the table as well as raspberry preserves from our Prince Edward Island Preserve Co. here on the Island. Can you see the label, it reads Avonlea Preserves. Please help yourself to any one of them. They are delicious! ....

...along with heavy cream and scones. I opted for whipped cream today as I did not have any cream cheese or sour cream with which to make the mock clotted cream.

Actually, my 'scones' are simply plain tea biscuits. I generally add fruit to the biscuit dough and sprinkle sugar on top when I bake scones. I also score the scones into triangles when I make them. 

A dollop of cream on the biscuit, then some jam. I believe this is what the English call a Devonshire tea. A Cornish tea is when you spread the jam first then the cream on top.

"The cream tea is such an English tradition: lovely light scones, thick cream {preferably clotted} and strawberry jam, all served with a generous pot of tea. The way a cream tea is served is practically as important as the food itself. It should be very traditional, either at a refined tea table with a silver or bone china tea pot and delicate cups and saucers or cottagey and countrified with pretty, mismatched china and a jug of garden flowers on the table, all jostling for space with the little glass dishes of cream and jam. And if the weather is nice, what could be more perfect on a summer's day than a cream tea served outside in a {wasp-free} country garden? " ~ Excerpt from 'Tea with Miss Simkins.' {Thank you Beth!}. 

Skye McGhie's Garden Whispers is the teacup I'm using today.

I chose it because of its whimsical pattern of bees and dragon flies;

a perfect little teacup for a Summer day! 

Tea is ready in my little country cottage teapot.

Oh, look, a little birdie has joined us!

Breena decided to join us too at the last minuet! She has settled herself into the little swan under the bouquet of roses.

Doesn't she look at home? What a life she leads, flitting from blossom to blossom and indoors as well!

Now, I hope you will forgive me as these have nothing really to do with tea, but I found these little darlings over the weekend and I simply could not resist them! Do you ever see something that just makes you squeal with delight? Well, these little bowls did it for me!
They are little ice cream bowls, made of stoneware, but one could serve berries or a simple pudding in them. They come in ice cream colours too; mint, {I prefer to call it pistachio}, strawberry, vanilla, {I prefer to call it coffee}, and chocolate. The wee bowls themselves look good enough to eat, don't they?

So, I am serving up fresh berries in the pistachio one. What do you think? Isn't it the the cutest thing!

The pistachio green is a perfect match to the Maxwell and Williams Butterfly Garden china. Simply charming and I am pleased that I found them!

I hope you have enjoyed my cream tea today, I know I have enjoyed having you! Take some time today to enjoy the quiet moments; to savour the loveliness of a rose and a cup of tea. God bless you.

"How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!" ~ Psalm 139:17

Thank you for stopping by today. I would love for you to join me for Tea Time Tuesday! All you have to do is share a favourite tea cup or teapot, a coffee mug, or something tea related. Or perhaps, like me, you found something that you just had to have and you want to share it with us.
If you wish, you may do coffee instead of tea or the following is acceptable too: apple cider, iced tea or iced coffee, hot chocolate, lemonade, or a lovely punch.
The TTT button on my sidebar is available for you to use in your post or place on your sidebar if you wish. A poem, tea quote, or scripture verse would be more than welcome!
Please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

I am happy to join the following parties as well~

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

 Marty~  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Table Top Tuesday

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

Trish~  http://angelwingsandapronstrings.blogspot.com/
L.A.C.E.

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





Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi