Tea with Anne and Me

Happiness is often the only thing 

you can give without having it,

and it is by giving it 

that you acquire it. ~ Voltaire

Good morning and a Happy Spring to you all, dear friends! 

Spring brings with it a promise of lovely things to come...

We throw off our heavy coats and boots and relish the bare ground beneath our feet.

It's the season of renewal and there is a sense of expectancy in the air. Folks wear a smile and there is a noticeable spring in their step.

When springtime arrives, I oftentimes do think of childhood days and Anne of Green Gables. I have all the books! Have you ever read them? If you haven't, then I suggest you do because you will love them. They are delightful! And if you are fortunate enough to own a copy of Kevin Sullivan's 1985 Anne of Green Gables TV series, then watch it again for a trip down Memory Lane of days gone by. It is by far the most accurate story telling from the book. The more recent versions stray too far from the original writings and many conversations and subjects are not a part of the book. It bothers me a great deal to see the innocent story that LM Montgomery penned, distorted in the way it has been. 

It has actually been quite some time since I have set a tea table with Anne of Green Gables in mind and I decided it would be fun to do one again. I must give Pamela a shout out because it was reading of one of her comments that I decided to do this post. I hope you enjoy!

Tucked away on the east coast of Canada, is a little island called Prince Edward Island, and on this island is a charming place called Green Gables.

It is not a figment of her imagination, but a real place, which our famous author Lucy Maud Montgomery brought to life in her stories, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, among others. 

LM Montgomery's redheaded heroine, although she is a fictional character, is famous the world over and she brings to Prince Edward Island thousands of tourists every year. It is thought that Montgomery's heroine was based upon her own life as a girl; a young girl in the late 1800s who grows up on PEI and experiences life through her vivid imagination and extraordinary vocabulary which sometimes gets her into trouble. It is a story that will warm your heart and make you laugh. 

When I was a girl, my family had moved from New Brunswick to PEI and I was very lonely for the extended family we left behind. I was shy and I was an "outsider" because there weren't many families from "away" moving to the Island at that time. I didn't quite know where I fit in you see.

I had quite the imagination as well and I took solace in reading the Anne books and fairy tales, anything that would whisk me away from my lonely life.

 

My father used to play golf at Green Gables and he would always take my brother and me along with him. My brother and I had the run of the place and each time Daddy went golfing, we had the most fun. It was while walking through the Haunted Wood and Lover's Lane, as well as touring the Green Gables house that I felt a real kinship with Anne.

So, here is my Anne. Her hair is indeed very red or titian, although it doesn't look like it here. The light was playing havoc with the colours.

She is here just long enough to bid you, "Hello!" and then she will go back to her special place. She was the last Christmas present from my father, so she holds a very special spot. 

This is an earlier image of her from another post. You can see her braids are quite red and she has green eyes like me.

On the tea table is one of my favourite table cloths. It is one of a kind which I have named Bernideen. I brought out some pieces in different china patterns in a pink theme because of course, Anne loved pink although she couldn't wear it very well because of her red hair. 

Please join me for some tea sandwiches and Anne's favourite, ice cream.

"I can just imagine myself sitting down at the head of the table and pouring out the tea," said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically. "And asking Diana if she takes sugar! I know she doesn't but of course I'll ask her as if I didn't know." ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

The teapot I found at our Anne of Green Gables Store a few years ago. Isn't she lovely, decorated with those beautiful pink roses?

I set out three of my LM Montgomery books. The wee birdie is there, just because...Spring is here!

I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea

My other little Anne doll, is also from my father. Her arms and legs are filled with Island sand. The tulips are just starting to open and are the most delicate shade of pink.

The tea sandwiches are egg salad on white bread and cucumber with cream cheese on whole wheat.

"Dear old world. You are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you." - LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

Anne's favourite; ice cream, and some homemade strawberry preserves on top will be our sweet today. 

"The ice cream was delicious, Marilla, and it was so lovely and dissipated to be sitting there eating it at eleven o'clock at night." ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

The tulips have finally opened! You can barely tell from the picture that they are of palest pink.

A lot of people prefer their tulips standing straight and tall, like soldiers. I prefer them dancing a bit like they are here, but that is only my preference.

This concludes my tea for today. Although things are not as they should be in this world at the moment, I will end my post with the last line in Anne of Green Gables. It is comforting to know that He is still in control. 

" ' God's in his heaven, all's right with the world,' " whispered Anne softly. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

I hope I brought a little pleasure into your day. Thank you for joining me and God bless you!

Some of the pieces used in this post are:

Hampstead teapot

Lavender Rose 

Serena

Aynsley

Anne China doll and an Anne sand doll 

Anne books

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Happy Spring!

That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea

Spring is finally here and I am so happy to have the winter over with! 

On the little cabinet are some lovely daffodils. I love these flowers, don't you? They are so dainty and golden yellow that one can't help but smile to see them.

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

~ William Wordsworth

We are seeing more songbirds everyday and it is truly a delight to watch them out our back windows. This time of year, although we may still receive some cold and nasty weather, we know it is not going to last long. 

I don't know about where you live, but here on PEI, we see a definite change in everyone's mood now that Spring is here.

Robin Williams once said, "Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" 

I think that is how most of us feel here on the Canadian east coast once the winter comes to an end.

Since I have some pretty daffodils, I decided to bring out my Sadler teapot for a cup of tea. This one is called Spring Crocus.

My teacup is a Paragon.

Hubby has been helping me with the spring cleaning. My silver tea set was in dire need of polishing and he did such a super job. 

He actually enjoys polishing the silver so I just let him go to it. He did the silver tray today and all my little tea spoons are done. He is such a great help to me.

I am working on another post and when I have it ready, I will post it.

Have a lovely rest of the week, dear friends! I hope you are all excited with this new season here. God watch over you all and bless you!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

A Little Bit of This and A Little That

Love seems to be something that keeps filling up within us. The more we give away, the more we have to give. ~ Mr. Rogers

Hello dear friends! Sorry I have been absent for a while. I have just had a lot going on.

Although we celebrated Valentine's Day in February and hopefully spread a little love around, who else is happy March is here? Just a few more weeks of snow here on little old PEI, and it will start warming up a bit. Already the few goldfinches we have had all winter are showing some bright yellow on their darling heads. I can't wait till they are all back!

I brought some of my cranberry glass collection out and set it on the mantel for a little pink in celebration of Valentine's Day. It has since been removed and put back in the family room where I usually have it displayed. The elegant pitcher on the far right is my oldest piece; a wedding gift from my aunt and uncle. The wreath has joined the rest of my Christmas decor until next November.

February was a busy month. Hubby and I had a lot of appointments and our New Brunswick family came over for a visit on the long weekend.

I baked a chocolate cake for Valentine's Day and we enjoyed it when our son and his family were over. I cannot tell you how happy we are to be able to see them so often!

My little granddaughter helped cut up the strawberries for the cake and helped decorate it.

I always try to have some treats made when they are over so the cake went over well. I also made more fudge and they took some home with them.

My son had not had "gunk" in a very long time so I made that for one of our meals. It is really goulash but when I was growing up, my brother always called it gunk, so here in our home, we still call it gunk. Sprinkle on some cheddar cheese and you're ready to go. I miss my brother! He will be gone two years this month but the "gunk" always brings a smile when I serve it.

The kids loved it because I had not made it before when they were here.

I also made some Potato Dogs which I knew the kids, including the big ones, would enjoy. These are just split beef wieners with creamy mashed potatoes and cheese on top baked in the oven.  

On the table is a pretty bouquet of yellow tulips from my hubby. What a welcome sight they are during these cold winter months! They just lend a lovely touch of springtime to one's home. I don't know about you, but fresh flowers especially this time of year just give you a little lift.

A little tea using my Royal Albert Tea Rose cup and saucer.

My sister-in-law, Norma, dropped in a couple of days ago with a sweet treat for me. She was cleaning out her cupboard and found this red transferware plate. She had noticed that I have a collection of it so she brought it over to me. I love it of course! The chocolate peanut butter balls she also brought, which was very thoughtful of her.

This is the stamp on the back of the plate and it was made in England. 

My hubby got his shingles vaccine on Wednesday and he had been laying low for a couple of days. I had to cancel mine because I had a bug and had to reschedule for the end of the month. It was a good thing that both of us weren't down. Come the end of the month, he may have to look after me.

As I was doing my devotions this past week, I came across a well known verse from 1 Peter 4:10.

 

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others."

This has given me a little more clarity concerning some of the decisions I have to make. One of which, I am still trying to decide where to go from here with my blog.

Before I close, I want to share my sunflowers for the Ukraine people. God bless and protect them!

Till next time, take care, and remember a smile is the best facelift!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi