Tea Shop Serenity

When I need to bring a little serenity into my life, a simple cup of tea is often the answer. The calming ritual of its careful preparation forces you to slow down for a few moments, and if you sit down to sip and contemplate, so much the better.

What could we better than a cup of tea... a selection of three different cups of tea. In this case: Jasmine SilverNeedle, Keemun and hibiscus.


And when the tea is brewed for me at my favourite tea shop, The World of Tea, then I am assured of a pleasure for all of my senses. Tea delicately scents the air, while the artful presentation of the tea accoutrement delights the eye and the taste refreshes the spirits.

Here's to Friday... and the Weekend

Friday is here. Won't you join me for a rejuvenating cup of tea? Shall we use the Japanese teapot for the fresh crisp taste of Sencha, or the gaiwan for something restorative and Chinese?


Here it is, freshly brewed and ready for serving.


Let me just place it here, ready for you to sip as your work week melts away, allowing the space for your anticipation of the weekend ahead to grow.

Tea-tasting Afternoon

In the middle of a winter afternoon, how better to shake off the cold and seasonal doldrums than with cups of tea, and the taste of something a little exotic.


Add some traditional Chinese music playing softly in the background and some friends to share in a tea-tasting. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch... all the senses are engaged.


Teapots, tea cups, strainers and tea leaves set out and at the ready.


Multiple tea cups ready for heating with hot water before receiving multiple infusions of tea. A different set of cups for each type of tea.


What better way to enhance a tea-tasting than with an offering of sweetness: cookies with almond, pistachio, aniseed, ginger and orange blossom water flavourings.


With a Chinese tea cake made with pu-er tea and lotus leaves that measures about 4 inches across, you can see just how small these miniature tea cakes are. Perfect for slipping into a tiny silk purse to give away to your guests so they can make another pot of Chinese tea at home and bring back memories of a winter afternoon spent transported to exotic places for a short time. An afternoon shared with the serenity and relaxing ritual that the serving of tea offers.

Cream Teas

Just about everywhere you go in the South of England... in our case Cornwall, Devon and Somerset... you will come across signs like these inviting you to take time out for a lovely English cream tea. I am happy to say that we hardly ever passed up the chance to consume one, and made it our mission to compare the subtle differences of scones we sampled while considering the relative merits of Cornish versus Devonshire clotted cream. I am not absolutely certain we were able to reach a definitive answer. I think a few more cream teas will be in order!

Around the Bend

With the arrival of my birthday tomorrow it’s only natural to look ahead and wonder what might be around the bend for the coming year. After a challenging summer with family health issues, hopefully life will settle down a little to make space for challenges of the happier variety. It’s always good to allow oneself the room to try new things, as well as to re-acquaint oneself with old passions that have for one reason or another fallen by the wayside. And of course it is human nature to also look back at what has been and reflect on the paths taken and not taken. But if one does take the time to look back, then it better be with the intention of learning what one can from what has been and then look forward once again, to plant oneself firmly in the present and do things differently or at least strive for growth and development. Here’s to a year of new discoveries, treasured memories and lots of joyful creativity.

Chasing Away the Chills

On a cool and dreary rainy day what better time is there to invite someone for afternoon tea? I'm just about to pour us a cup, won't you join me?

The Shortest Day of the Year

It's winter solstice , the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. The Scandinavians burned yule logs in the belief that it would make the sun brighter (the sun's rebirth). Lighting these candles was my way of bringing some light into the darkest day of the year.

Solar Power

I don’t know which I’m more excited about, this lovely piece of vintage fabric or my new clothesline! I’ve wanted a clothesline for a long time but somehow have never managed to install one. It will save so much energy and make the clothes smell so fresh. I haven’t had a clothesline since the one we had when I was a kid. I love the idea of a clothesline. Besides the obvious benefits, I love the simple act of putting the laundry on a line, pegging each item and pushing it along to make room for the next piece. It’s a ritual that has almost become a thing of the past, but which I think, and truly hope, is making a comeback. I can’t wait to use it!

For now, I’ve hung the fabric I picked up at the vintage sale on it to air it out. I think the fabric has already faded to perfection. What will I do with it? It could become a tablecloth, or cut to make cushion covers, or any of many other possibilities.

Earless Bunnies

Since the boys were young I have created an Easter “tree” with home-grown pussy willow branches and Easter-themed ornaments each year. The ornaments were tiny painted plaster bunnies, eggs, wee carrots and all things spring. Over the years more and more of the bunnies have become earless. Oops, I guess they were dropped on the floor too many times! The wooden painted eggs have fared better. I thought about changing the decorations this year to pretty pastel ribbon bows or hand-coloured eggs but I’m not sure I want to deviate from tradition just yet.

Easter Cookies

Easter is coming quickly... and what would Easter be without cookies? Rather than find the answer to that question I will have to start baking. Last year I baked two shapes: Easter eggs and Easter bunnies. The bunnies were made with a vintage cookie cutter I found at a church bazaar. As I started to decorate the cookies, I was inspired to use royal icing in a new way. To begin, I laid down the usual smooth icing base but then, rather than piping on the extra details, I suddenly thought why not paint them using a small paint brush and watered down food colouring? This was the result. Not bad for my first attempt. I will learn how to improve on this technique the more I use it. It certainly increases the possibilities. Using a brush one can render ideas in much greater detail than what you might achieve with only a piping bag and tips.