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