Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Tuesday 19 September 2017

Last of My Summer Roses Tea

In my garden is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~ Abram L. Urban

Hello my lovely friends!

My rose bushes were full of fragrant pink blooms this year and they lasted longer than usual. I spied this last remaining bloom and had to take a picture of it. Her mates are long gone and she is surrounded by fading leaves. Soon the rose hips will appear. But this one little rose I found so inspiring; like a promise.




Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her companions
Are faded and gone. 
~ The Last Rose of summer- 1805 by Thomas Moore

I am not really a gardener but in my heart I am. Flowers of all varieties give me such pleasure and always have. I do have my favourites; carnations, daffodils, hydrangeas, lilacs, but especially roses. Had I been born with a strong back perhaps I would have become an avid gardener. Such as it is, my flowers are potted and set in special places around our property, except for my roses which grow on bushes.

This begonia is doing very well even now.



It seems my talents lie more within my home rather than outside of it. Any of you out there feel the same way?

I love being a home maker and when my children were growing up, it gave me the greatest pleasure to cook and bake for them. I loved seeing their sweet faces light up when they got home from school to the smell of fresh baked treats from the oven. Even now when they come home they hope Mom has a stash of cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other treats waiting for them. I always have to have potato salad and spaghetti sauce made or I'm in trouble! 

When they were all home this summer, I made certain I had some fruit cake for them because I hadn't been able to do any other baking. I did however manage to get spaghetti sauce and potato salad made for them. I was still healing from my surgeries, you see. The good thing about fruit cake is that it keeps for quite a while if you store it properly. My dark fruit cake in particular is so moist that I can use it as a pudding with a warm sauce over it and the kids love it.

Because I had been on a special diet earlier in the year I could not indulge in rhubarb when it was in season, so I froze some. Any guesses what I'm having today with my tea?



Rhubarb crisp is actually the first dessert I have made in months. A bowl of this luscious fruit with a crunchy topping and a scoop of good vanilla ice cream; yum!




To savour a splendid treat, one has to also indulge in a special tea. I went into David's Tea and brought home this lovely dessert tea; Creme Caramel Rooibos. Mmm!


It has miniature caramels in it.




Teatime is, by its very nature,
a combination of small luxuries
arranged in social symmetry.
And although tea for one
is certainly a fine thing,
the addition of a circle of dear
friends to share it with
ensures the whole is larger 
than its parts. ~ unknown author



On the table are hydrangeas which are one of my favourites. 



My teapot is red transferware called Valencia. I'm not sure who the maker is. I found this teapot at the gift shop in our local hospital several years ago. I was also delighted to get the cream and sugar because red transferware is very scarce around here.




The cup and saucer are Johnson Bros. Old Britain Castles.



So, would you like to join me? I do enjoy your company and thank you for visiting today.




God opens millions of flowers without forcing the buds. It reminds us to not force anything, for things happen in the right time. ~ unknown 



 I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea



 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

17 comments :

  1. That tea sounds so wonderful. I will have to check it out, I love caramels.

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  2. What a lovely post, Sandi. I love Red Transfer pieces,also. I would love a cup of Tea in one. I love Roses but at my new place I only have potted plants. I do miss my roses from my home of two years ago.
    Have a nice afternoon.

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  3. I'd love to join you for your lovely red transfeware tea time. I also visited David's Tea recently and couldn't resist purchasing samples of their new fall teas: s'mores chai pu-erh and honeyscrip apple green tea.

    I'm not much of a gardener either, but my plants and flowers manage to survive despite my neglect. Enjoy the last few days of summer.

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  4. It is always a pleasure visiting you...Wonderful flowers and gorgeous porcelain...and sweet words of good memories!Hugs.

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  5. Your rhubarb crisp looks so delicious. You were lucky to find that beautiful red transferware teapot. It is so pretty. They are scarce to find here also.
    I also visited David's Tea last week in Sherbrooke. I bought a new Fall collection of 4 cute stackable tins. White chocolate, smores, pumpkin and cinnamon. I also bought some their Blackberry tea which I haven't tried yet.
    Have a good Fall.

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  6. A beautiful shade of pink for your last rose of summer. My son has a red climbing rose that is quite neglected. This year it did amazingly well with all the rain I guess. I'm not to knowledgeable about roses, and have far too many flower beds in my yard now that get more neglect than proper care. I'm thinking of paring things down each year.
    Love the red transferware. What a lovely teapot! I have some blue pieces, but only in plates.
    Enjoy the last warm days before fall fully arrives!
    Wendy

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  7. What a beautiful post to read this morning with my cup of tea! How I wish I had some of that yummy rhubarb crisp. I looks delicious! Your teapot is so pretty. I love red transferware. I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed day!!!

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  8. Oh I would love a cuppa tea and would love to share it with you dear lady. Hope you are feeling good as new these days. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  9. Lovely Sandi. Congratulations on being able to enjoy a dessert...I remember that moment too! A blessing indeed! I love your Rose...that magenta shade is my favorite. I, also would love to garden more but can't with allergy issues. But I do love to see a beautiful garden. Love the red transferware. Always perfect! Thanks so much for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea
    Ruth

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  10. I love that you're a gardener at heart, Sandi! You always surround yourself with such pretty bouquets and such lovely quotes. Your potted begonia looks so healthy. Your transferware tea is so pretty and you certainly deserve a big serving of that rhubarb crisp. You were so sweet to fix your family their favorite dishes this summer. Blessings, dear lady!

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  11. All your photos are lovely, but I got stuck on your red ware. I love the pattern and color.

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  12. What a lovely post, Sandi. Your red transferware is so pretty. Tea with a friend or two is always a treat as that last quote says. I hope you continue to heal and grow stronger after your surgeries. It always seems to take longer than one wants. I love making a home, too, and delight in preparing the favourite dishes for my children. Have a good week.

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  13. Sandi, I would love to join you. I did not get my fill of rhubarb during its short season and did not think to freeze it. I picked up some organic blackberries at a ridiculously low price this week and froze them as I had no time for any extra cooking and baking. I wonder why red transferware is so scarce in your area?

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  14. Delightful. Love your "last rose of summer". So poignant. Love the red transferware tea things...really special. Your fruit cake sounds really good...and the rhubarb crisp, well...I am not a huge fan of rhubarb, but I know it is good to those who love that sweet tart taste. It certainly looks good. Thank you for continuing to post your tea times. It is so refreshing to me. God bless you my friend.

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  15. What a lovely begonia all laden with heavy blooms! Your red transfer ware is very pretty and your
    Rhubarb Crisp Dessert looks wonderful. I am so glad you are better and so glad you linked your posting.

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  16. Happy times now that you can enjoy a homemade treat. Rhubarb crisp sounds delicious. And yes, I'm like you regarding gardening. Love the flowers, but the work not so much. We are looking at different ways to landscape our backyard since we've cleared out so many trees and brush. Love the look of a beautiful English garden with all the flowers, but I have to be realistic about how much gardening I'll actually do. And yes, that last rose of summer is so poignant. xo Deborah

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  17. Sandi, Thanks for sharing this post. Lovely to spend time here. Sylvia D.

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I am delighted to have you visit me and I read every comment. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you all as there are so many of you lovely bloggy friends now. I will visit as much as possible. I wish you a day filled with JOY!

Also, due to the amount of spam I've been getting, I have had to set Comment Moderation. ~ Sandi

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