"Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush - bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn." ~
Michelle L. Thieme - August's Crown
Welcome dear friends to another Tea Time! This is, believe it or not, my last tea party for the month of August! Alas, Autumn looms before us once again....
When I was visiting my relatives in New Brunswick a couple of weeks ago, I took some pictures of my Aunt Judy's china. Aunt Judy is my aunt by marriage and has just walked the Camino Trail in Spain with my uncle. You can read about it here if you like.
If you had joined me for tea last week, you may remember that one of the teacup patterns I am hoping to acquire is Royal Albert Blossom Time.
My aunt has a whole set of it which she inherited from her mother. I hope you enjoy having a peek at it!
Her beautiful china cabinet is filled with it.
We set a few pieces out on her lovely dining room table so I could get some shots. The pictures were taken at night so the colour is a bit off.
The teapot has such graceful lines and has its own trivet....Swoon!
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." ~ Maya Angelou
How gorgeous!
Some interesting history about this pattern which I gleaned from the Internet:
"On a spring morning in 1933, G. R. Palmeter left
a meeting of the Apple Blossom Committee at the Cornwallis Inn to purchase china
from a representative of the Royal Albert China of England. While there, he
asked the salesman about creating a pattern called "Blossom Time", to tie in
with the Apple Blossom Festival. A design was submitted and the factory got to
work on it.
The design is an actual picture of the Ralph Eaton
farm, in the Annapolis Valley - the apple trees were at the height of bloom, and
this worked out ideally, from the factory standpoint.
The result was "BLOSSOM TIME
CHINA", which is still in great demand all over the world, even as far as
Japan – this over a period of sixty years.
The original shape of the plate was square and the
factory later tried a round one but it was not well received. The mugs have
changed shape and the bowl and milk pitcher have been discontinued. Other pieces
i.e. a trivet have recently been added."
I was rather surprised to find out that this pattern was actually created from pictures of apple blossoms in our own Annapolis Valley here in the Maritimes where I live!
My aunt has these pretty place mats which enhance the china. Isn't it lovely? I love the square plates!
My aunt will be passing her lovely dishes down to her daughter who also loves china.
While visiting my aunt and uncle, my aunt brought out an exquisite bedspread which my grandmother had crocheted. It is probably over sixty years old and very intricate. My uncle will pass this on to his daughter some day.
My grandmother was a very gifted lady; a beautiful seamstress and quilter among other things. This is just one of the fabulous treasures she had made by hand.
Can you imagine the hours she spent working on this? My Auntie P remembers when she made it and she says it took Granny about a year to crochet. It would make a pretty tablecloth too.
"Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume." ~ Jean De Boufflers
A priceless heirloom. Both this and the china took my breath away! I felt like I was being treated to a wonderful glimpse from the past. Beautiful china and heirloom quality lace, what could be better? Maybe a lovely cup of tea!
Tea Time Tidbit~ Did you know that King George IV was one of the first English collectors of teapots? {The Twelve Teas of Friendship by Emilie Barnes}
I thought that was interesting! I have been enamoured by teapots for years and I have several as well as many lovely teacups. One of these days I am going to count my teacups.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing my aunt's beautiful china and my Granny's crocheted treasure.
"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." ~ Proverbs 15:30
I have been thrifting/junking again and I have some pieces which I will share with you next week.
I am happy to see all your tea things, whether you have shared them before or not. This tea party is all about sharing your joy of tea time and any thoughts you might have on the subject. And for the summer months, I would love to see your teacups and teapots indoors as well as out in the garden, at the beach, on a park bench, etc...
Also I would enjoy seeing your teacup and teapot crafts as well as recipes and any stories you might have to share about tea time. So, let's have fun this summer with our teas. Get out there and be as creative, fancy, or as laid back as you wish!
I am delighted you have stopped by for a visit today. Your presence always make my tea party that much more special! Do you have a favourite teacup/teapot or mug that you would like to share with us today? I would love to see it and I'm sure others would too!
If you wish, you may do coffee instead of tea or the following is acceptable too:
Hot apple cider
Hot chocolate
Lemonade
Iced tea or coffee
Punch in a pretty bowl
No alcoholic beverages please.
The Tea Time Tuesday 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!
To be sure everyone has a visit, it would be nice if you visited the participant before and after your name.
Inlinkz is available below for you to sign up for my tea party.
As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.
I am joining the following parties as well~
Heart and Home ~ http://angelwingsandapronstrings.blogspot.com/
A Return to Loveliness ~ http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Table Top Tuesday~ http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday~ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
Tea in the Garden~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Thursday~ http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/
Sharing from my heart~ Sandi
