Winter Nesting

 

Cocooned in a blanket of ice and snow, our days are not much different from the isolating COVID days.
Days seem to run into weeks and weeks into months.
Many businesses are shuttered closed, employees unable to navigate the treacherous roads, especially the more rural ones that are left untreated.
I'm extremely grateful for a refrigerator and pantry full of food, and a house that is warm and cozy.
Others are not so lucky.

Done And Dusted.

I made the mistake of venturing amongst the market crowds today.
At least people were in a festive mood, many decked out in their Christmas red sweaters and twinkling necklaces hung around their necks.
I'm finally finished with my shopping, and couldn't wait to return home, indulge in a shortbread biscuit or two and a nice pot of tea.
Hope everyone has a little relaxing time, before the big day.

"Where There's Tea, There's Hope"

When I found myself recovering in a Rehab Facility a few months ago, awaiting my broken ankle to heal, the doctors and nurses were very diligent in making sure I had access to hot tea.
The dietary menu offered coffee galore, but hot tea was not an option.

Word got around that there's an English lady on the skilled nursing ward, and within a few days, the nurses, dietary staff,  therapy staff, and recreational staff all came bearing shopping bags, filled with boxes of tea, any and all varieties.
It was like Christmas.

They were convinced an Englishman without tea, is not a happy patient.
*giggle*
Their kindness will always be remembered.

Of Cottages And Tea

 

Some of my most prized possessions are gifts my parents have bought for me throughout the years.

They always put a lot of thought into choosing them, something usually that would remind me of England, and would be a worthy antique to pass along to my daughter.

On one occasion we were enjoying a day out at Beeston Castle ; http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/beeston_castle.htm where they often hold flea-markets and antiques sales.

One of the stalls sold Cottage Ware, and I immediately fell in love with the look of the quaint little country gardens and shapes of cottage teapots with their thatched roofs.

My parents surprised me with the tall coffee/water pot, milk and sugar, and a butter or cheese dish, I have since added the teapot to the collection.

 

 

 

 

 

It is mostly displayed in the kitchens of English homes, to inspire culinary glory, with the herbal gardens and flowers surrounding the thatched cottages.

If you are not familiar with Cottage Ware it is the name given to a class of ceramics formed in the shape of, or decorated with English country cottages.

These delightful designs came into their own in the early part of the twentieth century, after WWII there was a building boom, and the style and decoration reflected the pride and joy of young Britons buying their first homes after tenement living.

Price Brothers Pottery of Staffordshire were the most popular in production of the whimsical pieces, but later merged with Kensington, another well-known cottage ware producer.

Sadly the manufacturer closed it's doors in 2003.

Tea Time

 

A Cup of Tea

When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance,
There is solace in its' taste;
And then laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There's beauty as you'll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.

(J. Jonker, Amsterdam, c.1670

 

 

Tea Time

 

 

A Cup of Tea

When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance,
There is solace in its' taste;
And then laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There's beauty as you'll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.

(J. Jonker, Amsterdam, c.1670)

Tea Time

A Cup of Tea

When the world is all at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance,
There is solace in its' taste;
And then laden moments vanish
Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!
There's beauty as you'll see;
All because you briefly stopped
To brew a cup of tea.

(J. Jonker, Amsterdam, c.1670)

Afternoon Repose

No need to knock, the door's open...

" Come along inside...

We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place."

~The Wind in the Willows~