August Country Diary And Poppies!

August

I have been remiss the last months not starting out the month with my favorite Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady, but...life happens! I had a birthday last week...so I am definitely vintage +++! But here it is...

The reason I try to share the book, is that I get it out at the first of every month...and urge you to find a copy! It is such a window into a bygone era, and I love seeing familiar places...albeit changed...because aout families did and still do live in this area of Warwickshire, England, at the top of the Cotswolds. What an amazing observer and artist Edith Holden was!

The book is full of poems, mottos, quotes, Bible verses and folk wisdom...a joy to revisit often...

And this page is my focus this week, because it features Poppies, and they are the chosen flower of the August Flower Of The Month series teacup from Royal Albert, England...

Pretty ponk poppies and blut cornflowers which are also called batchelor buttons, which I love because they are blue...

I always love finding a Flower of the Month teacups! So fun!

Poppies in the lavender fields at one of our local lavender farms we visited last year... didn't visit this year with all the isolating....

Not especially for a month, but there are lots of poppy themed china... here are a few we have...

Ambleside teacup by Roslyn, England from the 1950s... with pink poppies, daisies and lavender flowers...

a matching cake serving plate....

And poppies in red or orange...

1880s Antique Staffordshire teacup...

Circa 1900 artist painted Haviland. Limoges poppies serving plate...

or even blue poppues... although this plate by Shelley from 1900 in a pattern called Sprays Of Poppies is almost turquoise blue...

And as a blue lover, this is a variety I found which is amazing! Called a Himalayan Blue poppy... I need some for my garden!

I hope you have enjoyed a lovely week and that the poppies bring a bit of cheer to your eyes.
The hot weather is difficult for my husband's disease, and our county is spiking with covid-19 at the moment with new cases so have been unable to spend time with our kids.
But we are content, cocooned and grateful for everything we do have!

Ending with the joy of a lovely poppy collage from Collages My Passion on Facebook

Pink Saturday - Limoges Butter Pats, Interviewed For Postmedia News, Fairmont Empress Celebrates the Royal Wedding

For Pink Saturday with How Sweet The Sound, I want to share these butter pats. I am absolutely in love with this Haviland, Limoges France butter pat. I found a set of six and have sold one, so have 5 left at Antiques And Teacups.  The pink flowers and blue ribbons are like a spring bridal wreath. Wonder what Kate is going to wear...probably a tiara. Anyway, what doesn't show up well in the photos is the center flower shape ring is made up of tiny green and gold daisies. This is one of the nicest quality butter pats I have had for awhile. I use them for teabag caddies, or pretty places to rest spoons at the tea table. They are a very affordable collectible. For more info, click on the photos.


Since Friday was April Fool's Day, I got a lot of folks emailing me about yesterday's post about my invite from ITV in England to be part of some TV shows the day before and after William & Kate's wedding...but it wasn't an April Fool's joke. I am still emailing back & forth to the UK on various things. But it was certainly the invitation of a lifetime. But too late to come up with affordable housing and a decent plane fare so I just gave up the idea and suggested a friend. Read yesterday's post for more info. I hope to have updates about things closer to.


I was also interviewed by the Canadian National newspaper chain POSTMEDIA/ News which includes the Vancouver Sun, Canada.com, The Post and more.
I was interviewed and should be in an article about Royal Wedding gifts in the week before the wedding. Shannon, the National Reporter, demographics and social trends with the paper will email me to let me know when the story will be published.  This is sort of cool!  Her editor wanted someone at the Royal Wedding in London and she just HAPPENED to be coming back through London 5 days before the wedding on her way back from her 3 week honeymoon in Turkey so they gave her the job! How cool is that!!!  All because of some blog posts about the wedding gifts Charles & Diana got in 1981,  which I have published on my other blog Time Was Antiques.

In honor of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton the Fairmont Empress and Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in British Columbia, B. C. have special packages for viewing the wedding. Victoria is our back yard, so I took note. 

The Package is called Rise & Shine with the Royals" and starts with breakfast at 3am pacific time in your pjs or Fairmont robe in the Tea Lobby (really an elegant dining room where the afternoon tea is usually served) while watching the wedding on big screens. The cost of this (does not include the room rate) is $39.00 CAD. 

Later in the day there is the "Royal Subjects Picnic & Tea" on the lawn in front of the hotel. For $20.00 you get an afternoon tea basket to go which includes a cup of tea, scone with cream and jam, mini sandwiches, pastries and a flag to wave. A celebration will follow in Victoria including a Best-dressed-dog for the Wedding" contest.

The "Royal Empress Room Dinner" will be offered for 3 nights through May 1, and will be served on the Queen's china which has not been used since the Royal visit of Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI and later the Queen Mum and mother of Queen Elizabeth II to Victoria in 1939. Menu items will be inspired by the menu of that visit but no details have been given. The cost for the dinner is $150.00. 

Well, it sounds nice, anyway! BUT we can promise our 5 foot by 8 foot Union Jack flag will be flying here at home!

Port Townsend Victorian Heritage Tea, Haviland Limoges Teacup

This is actually not my Pink Saturday post...it's the next post down. I just had a chance to do this, but it's not my Pink Saturday Post!


Last weekend we attended events at Port Townsend, Washington during their Port Townsend Heritage Days. The town, about 30 miles from us on a peninsula with harbor on the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Hood Canal and Puget Sound that calls itself the Victorian Seaport Village. The town has more than it's share of Victorian buildings, many that are B&Bs.


We attended a Victorian Afternoon Tea, as it was billed at one of the B&Bs. You were assigned to one of several that participated in the tea event when you purchased your ticket. We were assigned to The Old Consulate Inn and had 12 at the dining room table and had a 4 course meal with tea.


Some of the ladies came in costume from different eras. We had sisters in 1850s bustle outfits, a woman in an 1890s outfit and 2 ladies in 1910 dress. I had a long dress with a lace collar/jabot and antique painted brooch...not exactly period, but...


So here are some of the photos from the tea.

The menu did not scan really big enough to read, so the jist is

Baked Apple with Brandied Raisins and Pecans

Sandwiches

Seafood Salad in Puff Pastry

Cream Cheese & Olive on White Bread

Cucumber, Sprouts & Dill Spread On Wheat

Scones

Plain Sugar Crusted Scones with

Homemade Strawberry Jam & Double Cream 

Sweets

Toffee Crackers

Lemon Glazed Cupcakes

Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate

Heritage Red Tea

We had a wonderful time and left stuffed!!!!  My DH didn't mind that he was the only male with 11 ladies...and he is certainly capable of holding his own. And as soon as he opens his mouth and the British accent is evident...well!


The place settings were a lovely antique floral pattern from Haviland, Limoges France. I don't have the exact pattern at Antiques And Teacups, but do have a Haviland, Limoges with the same shape as the set we used at the tea:

Haviland made so many lovely designs. I have difficulty keeping them in stock! To see more of this Haviland antique teacup, click on the photo.


Have a wonderful day! Visit the Pink Saturday folks, have a cup of tea with a friend and enjoy spring. We are sunny but windy here in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula, but the trees are budding so everyone is smiling!

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.  ~Bernard-Paul Heroux