Posts filed under 'The Tea Party'
Friends, it is hot-really, really hot in Northern California. And it is also incredibly smoky. Imagine what it feels like when the campfire blows your way; how your eyes burn. Now imagine living in it for three weeks with no end in sight. Now you know Northern California’s current plight.
I can’t even imagine the level of work it takes to battle these fires. I can’t even find the brain cells to Google interesting stats for you all to help you imagine the situation. I can’t wrap my mind around fighting the fires with the heat, weight of clothing, smoke exposure, etc.
It has been too hot to even drink tea. And I normally drink hot tea all year long. Inspiration for the tea party seems to currently be escaping me, much less the energy to write about it.
So instead, here’s a quick list of current tea party highlights:
- Yesterday’s mail brought Coronation Blend, a new black tea with chamomile that mildly smells of honey. I did have two cups this morning early. Yum.
- Tomorrow I will take four boys to experience chado for the first time at our local college in an invitation-only ceremony. I hope the serenity will balance out the time in traffic with these four boys.
- Mom loaned me the latest issue of Victorian Homes
which featured a photo-rich and multi-page spread on Paris in a Cup, my favorite tearoom experience of the year so far. The article transported me again to the beauty of that day and helped remind me of my wish for everyone to experience the tea party in this way.
How’s the weather where you are? Are you still drinking hot tea in July?
July 10th, 2008
I write a tea party-related blog, while tea and books tend to go together. It’s been argued that in our digital/information age, the days of hardback books and the traditional publishing industry will become a thing of the past. Have you heard about/ordered an Amazon Kindle? What do you think? Do you read more books or blogs? Can you ever imagine a time when traditional books become a thing of the past?
Tea Party Girl is almost one-year old and in that time I’ve sold more books based on my recommendations than anything else (even tea!). It’s fun because I used to dream of opening a brick-and-mortar bookstore, a dream which has become obsolete for many in the age of Amazon and the big box bookstores.
I like to think that books will never become obsolete because they will continue to be passed from one generation to the next.
So just for fun, here’s the number one best seller at the Tea Party Girl bookstore since July 1, 2007:
More readers inquired (clicked) on these two book links over any other:
And the single book that’s generated the most discussion through comments:
Please leave a comment and share with us some of your thoughts about the questions posed above.
June 11th, 2008
In a few hours, that is.
With so much to share with you, including photos, I have been battling a poor Internet connection in this Santa Clara hotel room long enough! It will have to wait. Monday I plan to return to my normal posting schedule. In the meantime:
- Thanks for all of your emails and comments over the last weeks. If I haven’t gotten back to you yet, I will! If you haven’t yet contributed to our “guys” discussion, please do! Even my son weighed in with a comment (can you pick it out?). I didn’t even know he read Tea Party Girl.
- It’s World Tea Expo time! Many fellow tea enthusiasts and entrepreneurs are gathering in Las Vegas this weekend. I’m not there because my finite resources of time and money still go first to the Wellspring offspring. But I would love to hear all about it! I know some of my readers are there. Do share with us a highlight or two.
- I received an enthusiastic email from a reader admitting she checks my blog way too often. Just wanted to remind my regular readers to be sure and SUBSCRIBE to Tea Party Girl so you don’t have to check. The updates come to you! Just enter your email address or learn about feeds by pressing the purple icon in the upper right-hand corner of this page. And Jan (no url), your sweet email made my day, thank you!
That’s all I can take of a lousy connection. Off to put my feet up one last time before the car ride home. See you Monday with decent brewed tea and Scarlett in hand.
May 30th, 2008
I shared this poem in May 2007 and wanted to repost it. This is still the most common misunderstanding about afternoon tea. Google sends me a daily email alert of all tea-related news stories. Community groups announce “High Tea” often. And those of you from the search engines, please take note!
High Tea vs Afternoon Tea
High Tea (essentially It’s Supper)
Beans on toast and leftover roast,
the last meal of the day.
Jeans and shirts, or comfy old skirts,
Slippers are quite okay.
Tea that’s black, the pot with a crack,
placemats for everyday.
Neighbors, mates, or long-standing dates:
Pets won’t be in the way.
Low Tea (Indubitably a Party)
aka: Afternoon Tea
Cakes and tart and scones shaped like hearts,
an afternoon affair.
Frocks and pearls topped with hats and curls,
Perfume applied with a flair.
Fine Earl Grey, a fresh bouquet,
The table set with care.
Invited guests (some dear, some pests).
Manners? Beyond compare!
Poems by J. Camille Korsmo. First appeared in Tea a Magazine Autumn 2005.
Reprinted with permission from the poet.
Did you ever call afternoon tea high tea? Please post a comment and let us know how you learned differently. Was it here?
May 21st, 2008
This guest post was written by Amy Puetz. A homeschool graduate, she loves history, sewing, and working as a computer graphic artist for her company A to Z Designs. In her spare time she enjoys traveling to different historical eras via books and movies! A columnist for Homeschool Enrichment Magazine, she also writes for her series of e-books, Heroines of the Past. Visit her website at www.AmyPuetz.com.
“You can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here.”
“Oh, Marilla!” Anne clasped her hands. “How perfectly lovely! You ARE able to imagine things after all or else you’d never have understood how I’ve longed for that very thing. It will seem so nice and grown-uppish. No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?”
“No, indeed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use that except for the minister or the Aids. You’ll put down the old brown tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. It’s time it was being used anyhow-I believe it’s beginning to work. And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps.”
“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 just as if I didn’t know. And then pressing her to take another piece of fruit cake and another helping of preserves. Oh, Marilla, it’s a wonderful sensation just to think of it.”
This scene from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery is a good example of the importance of Victorian Tea Time. Tea time in Victorian society was usually a light meal eaten between breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening. The typical hour was four o’clock. Drinking tea was not limited to one meal a day. It was also consumed at breakfast and dinner. During afternoon tea ladies would have cold meat, bread (such as rusk, crumpets, biscuits, etc.) and some kind of fruit (either preserves, stewed apples, or jellys). Traditionally either green or black tea was served. It was common to offer both if the preferred beverage was not known. Victorian ladies also enjoyed afternoon tea parties. Friends would be invited and tea time would be shared with a group.
Tea would be served with sugar and milk. For many families tea was the final meal of the day. Breakfast was eaten early, dinner was consumed at noon and then tea was in the late afternoon. There was great variety among individuals when lunch, dinner, supper, and tea were taken depending on a person’s wealth and work schedule. Although tea was a popular beverage before the Victorian era we get many of our traditions from them, such as the practice of having afternoon tea! Here are some good cookbooks about Victorian food.
To end I must tell you about Anne Shirley’s tea party. Before the actual tea Anne served Diana some raspberry cordial and Diana soon became very sick. Apparently it was currant wine and not raspberry cordial that Anne gave her guest. Perhaps she should have supplied tea, instead!
Tea Party Girl’s note: At what age did you first read Anne of Green Gables? Did you have a bosom friend in junior high? My kindred spirit was also red-haired and now makes movies for a living, having married an Italian filmmaker. She was definitely the Anne Shirley to my Diana Barry, with her rich imagination. Tell us about yours in the comments below.
May 16th, 2008
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