Blue Willow for Tea Time

There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello everyone and welcome to another Tea Time!

Do you find it hard to blog this time of year? I'm wanting to be outside as much as possible and the lure of Summer is stronger than the desire to blog these days. It is however always a pleasure to have you join me for Tea Time.

While Hubby and I were away visiting relatives in New Brunswick a couple of weeks ago, I found this Blue Willow tea cup and saucer.

You all know the story of Blue Willow and the star-crossed lovers. 

The pattern was popular in 18th century England, e.g. porcelain designed by Thomas Minton around 1790 and has been in use for over 200 years. The design was inspired by the china England imported from China during the late 18th century. ~ info from the Internet

This set is made by Johnson Bros. and goes well with my Blue Willow tea plates made in England by Churchill. My whimsical birdie teapot joins the party as well.

I am also using my lovely Spode Blue Room teacup today.

A vibrant blue bouquet.

And a porcelain couple in blue and white accompany my tea today.

A slice of banana bread... 
and I'm ready to sit back and relax with my cuppa. 

Would like to join me?

It's always tea-time. ~ Lewis Carroll

Now that we have had our tea would you like to join me for a little walk?

Hubby and I were out and about the other day and we visited the "Experimental Farm" which was one of my haunts when I was a little girl. My brother and I spent many hours there playing on the lawns and visiting the barns filled with animals. 

There are wonderful 'stone horses' standing on each side of the entrance to the Farm which my brother and I used to get up on and pretend they were our horses.

There is a lovely large lily pond behind the barns.

When I was a little girl I used to imagine fairies floating around on those luscious lilies. And of course I was always expecting to see a frog or two.

There are many buildings standing on the grounds. One such house is named Ravenwood, built in 1820, and was home to the Premier of PEI at the time of Confederation. It is one of the oldest houses on the Island. 

In front of this beautiful house is a grove of trees called the "Royal Forest." Most of the trees were planted by members of the Royal family.

Hurricane Arthur damaged some branches on it, but you can see how large this English oak tree is. The Queen planted this tree when she was still a Princess in 1951. It bears the plaque which states when the Princess planted it. It stands just a few feet away from the crown garden. Behind the grove you can just catch a glimpse of Ravenwood.

Also at the Farm, there is a garden in the shape of the Queen's crown. 

I thought all you Royal enthusiasts might enjoy seeing these.

Thank you for your company today. I would love to see your treasures too. A teacup, coffee mug, tablescape, a recipe for tea time, or a visit to a tea shop are all welcome. Have a fabulous day everyone and God bless you!

I am joining the following parties as well~

Mosaic Monday
Blue Monday
A Return to Loveliness
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Tea in the Garden
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home

An InLinkz Link-up

 Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Family Time in the Summertime

I am Summer, come to lure you away from your computer... come dance on my fresh grass, dig your toes into my beaches. ~ Oriana Green


Hello everyone! I was down with a bug at the first of the week and had to cancel my tea party. Thank you to all of you who stopped by to wish me well. I'm recovering and thought this would be a good time to share about my family's visit.

Most of you know that my Summer has been super busy with all the company I've had. My whole family was home in July and it was my little granddaughter's first visit to PEI. 

My oldest son and his family live just five minutes away, but my second son and his family live in Vancouver, BC, and my youngest son lives in Illinois. It was wonderful to have them all home! The little ones from Vancouver wanted to stay here forever. That would be such a blessing!

Having a place to go is Home
Having someone to love is Family
Having both is a Blessing.

The family picture is a bit blurry because my son set his camera on his sandal and then ran back to get in the picture.

So, grab a cup of tea or coffee and join me as I take a stroll down memory lane this past Summer. 

Warning~ Heavy on the pictures!

July was a fabulous month so we spent a good deal of time outdoors and of course, we spent most of our time on the beach. The Island is such a lovely place to holiday.

Being surrounded by water gives us Islanders many beautiful beaches to choose from. Our sand varies from the north shore to the south shore. Some of the sand is red while some is white with a pink tint.

This is our spot at Stanhope Beach.

A few of our back roads are red clay and our cliffs are red sandstone. These make for stunning photos!

The little ones from BC had never seen red clay roads before. 

And some of the cliffs had small caves.

One of the first things we did was introduce my mother to her great-granddaughter. Her little great- grandson, she hadn't seen since he was two so she was thrilled to see him again too. He is five now.

My son meeting his little niece for the first time.

It's quite a novelty having a little girl in the family. I had all boys and my sons had all boys until this little princess came along.

And she hit it off with her Aunt Jo too.

While they were all here, someone lost a tooth and the 'tooth fairy' was very generous to this little guy.

A boy's story is the best that is ever told. ~ Charles Dickens

One day we planned a Family Day and so we headed for the south shore where we enjoyed the scenery and just being together. 

The contrast between the red cliffs and the green grass was beautiful! 

There were lots of puddles for the kids to play in once the tide went out. 

The boys had fun collecting hermit crabs and they got buckets full. Boys will be boys!

A treasure to a little boy does not consist of money, gems, or jewellery. He will find far greater pleasure in the wonder of a rock, pebble, stick, or beetle. ~ Author unknown

This guy sat around with the adults most of the time. He's at that age, you know.

This little guy enjoys exploring.

The girls spent a lot of time in the water.

And had fun going for a swim.

 And my little lambie enjoyed making mud pies.

My Vancouver son and his beautiful wife sure enjoyed themselves! And so did the kids.

Afterwards we went back to my son's home for a barbecue and bonfire. 

While the bonfire was being prepared, some of the boys got rid of some energy on the trampoline.

My little lambie is intrigued by the marshmallow.

Mmm, roasted marshmallows are yummy in the tummy!

This year Charlottetown is celebrating 150 years since the Fathers of Confederation met here to discuss Canada becoming a nation. Islanders and tourists alike have been enjoying all kinds of events, and so did my family.

Down at the waterfront, was this sand sculpture of the Fathers of Confederation.

There were lots of things to see and do. Here on the site Hubby, my son, and the little ones enjoyed some refreshments under a tent.

Meanwhile, my DIL and I enjoyed breakfast out and some shopping together. She bought this cute dress.

Another day we all went to the north shore where we spent another fun-filled day. 

A couple of the boys got buried in the sand. I remember my Dad used to bury my brother and me and it was so much fun! 

Unlike the south shore sand, this sand just falls right off you.

 Life brings simple pleasures to us every day. It is up to us to make them wonderful memories. ~ Cathy Allen

They dug 'holes to China.'

And some of us just sat back and soaked in the salt air and sun. My youngest son had not been on the beach in years and now he remembers why Mom and Dad enjoy it so much. It's just so relaxing.

On another day, Basin Head was the place to go and this beach is rated number one in Canada.

Here we have the 'singing sands' which sing or squeak when you walk on it.

My son claims if your sand doesn't look like this then it isn't really a beach. He's biased, of course!

There were romps in the play park up the street from our home...

....and walks along the boardwalk on the waterfront where Hubby and I drink our coffee in the evenings.
And like a lot of families, when the guys get together there is always a little horsing around. Not in the living room, guys!



Of course there was lots of eating and dining out.

And there were lots of cuddles.

And did everyone have a good time?

Oh yeah!!

These are the days we'll remember forever!

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi