Monday, 11 April 2011

Tea Time Tuesday ~ A Cottage Tea

Springtime ~ A beautiful time of year. ~

Hello friends and Welcome to my cottage and another Tea Time Tuesday!

I'm so happy you have stopped by! We had the most lovely weekend here on the Island! I hope you did as well. Spring has finally sprung forth here and her magical wonders are beginning to be seen and felt everywhere. The green tips of our tulips are peeking out from the soil and in our garden out back, I can see bits of green. Such a welcome sight!
I have a wonderful tea to share with you today! My tea is one which my hubby and I shared with two of our favourite people; my Auntie P and Uncle Doug.


Auntie and Uncle Doug had come over to the Island one day last week to visit with my mother and me. After visiting my mother, they arrived at my home for tea. They also came bearing gifts. I will share about one gift later in my post.

Happiness is sharing tea with a friend. ~

This is the table all set before they arrived. As you can see by the photo I have not placed the refreshments on the table yet. I used a set of dishes which had come from Eatons before they closed. I had purchased a few pieces and my mother had bought the rest of them for me for Christmas one year. They go well with my Rose Chintz too.... Oh, I must get my chairs painted!



The flowers.
The napkins.
The teacup and silver.
The tea plate.

The water goblet is from a set of eight which I got at Winners years ago.

Just before we sat down to enjoy our tea, I replaced the tall vase of tulips with a smaller one; white carnations and three tulips. A smaller vase of flowers makes conversation easier.

If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden. ~ Claudia Ghandi



Everyone loves an English accent~ Auntie P is my mother's youngest sister and we are very close. It was at her home where I first fell in love with the Rose Chintz pattern. Uncle Doug is totally charming and he hails from England. We just love his accent and stories! He has seen much of the world so he has many stories to tell. They are such a delightful couple and we love them both very much! We hadn't seen them in a year but it's always like we had seen them just yesterday. We had a lovely visit.


So what was on the menu, you may wonder.
A nice orange pekoe tea steeps in my Skye McGhie Cream Lace teapot. I love this teapot because it holds a lot of tea and it's very pretty with its lacey cut-outs around the top. It also goes well with the china I am using.



There were two plates of finger sandwiches. One plate held cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches on white bread, the other had double-decker egg salad sandwiches on whole wheat.

The cucumber sandwiches went over very well! These are a real English tea sandwich!

Spread one slice of bread with butter and another with cream cheese. I find whipped cream cheese is easier to spread. Cut up an English cucumber into paper thin slices and place neatly over your cream cheese base. Then place the buttered slice over the cukes. Cut off the crusts and cut into triangles, squares, or fingers and enjoy. They are delicious and lovely with a tea!

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. ~



For dessert, I had made a Cottage Pudding.

This was a pudding my mother used to make when I was growing up. It is a white cake, made from scratch, with a lovely brown sugar sauce poured over it! Oftentimes, my mother would put sliced apples with cinnamon on the bottom of the cake to make upside down cake. Other times, she would put pineapple rings with a cherry in the center of each, on the bottom. Which ever way it was served, it was a delicious treat! I love the pool of sauce that surrounds the cake! Mmm!

So, do you want to see what they brought me?


This darling little teapot. Look at that elegant handle!

...and a matching teacup. There is no stamp, but no matter. It is a very sweet set, don't you think?

I love the pretty garland of flowers, gold trim, and scalloped shape! The teacup resembles a flower when you look into it. A gorgeous tea for one!

They brought this set back from their trip to Vancouver Island last Fall. They had kept it a surprise for me until they arrived last week. My auntie and uncle are precious and they know me well! Thank you, Loves!

Next week I will be sharing my Easter Tea and I hope you will join me then.

"Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you." ~ Psalm 37:5

Thank you so much for joining me for tea today. I love having you stop by! Should you wish to participate in my tea party, please use the inlinkz below. Please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit all my lovely participants.

I am also joining the many other parties taking place this week:

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

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

Donna - http://thehomemakingarts.blogspot.com/ - Tuesday Tea

Lady Katherine - http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/ - Teatime Tuesday

Donna and Miss Spenser - http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/ - Teacup Thursday

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

You will find all of these gracious ladies with their links on my sidebar also.



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi