Sunday, September 11, 2011

Tea for the wee...and thoughts of 911.

When I was a little girl I had a miniature porcelain tea set which had been given to me by my grandparents. I cannot remember if it was a birthday or Christmas gift.
It was white with a dainty pink rose pattern on it and consisted of a teapot, cream and sugar bowl, small plates and cups and saucers.
Mother would help me by boiling the kettle and making mini cucumber sandwiches and cutting the crusts cut off.
These tea parties were small and spontaneous and a few dolls were usually invited as well as my much younger sister. Mother would sit down on the child's size table and chairs and we would enjoy a wee tea together sipping thimble full cups of tea.

I had forgotten these memories until we were cleaning out our basement and we came upon this charming tea set.
We completely forgot that we had this stored away.


This sweet porcelain set was from Mr. HB's grandmother.
It is in remarkably great shape and I wonder how many teas were served for it to have survived all these years.

It has been carefully washed and now has a place of honour on the bottom shelf of the china cabinet.


Tea has been such a major part of my life from toddlerhood to date.
I cannot imagine not sitting down and partaking in this luxurious brew.

What memories stand out from your childhood?

My thoughts go out to all of those who have lost a loved one 
in the September 11th attack on The World Trade Center.

The 10th anniversary of this event today brings with it the memories of where we were on that fateful day
when we found out about this tragic event.
The eerie images that have graced the pages of the newspapers
and the TV documentaries
 are a grim reminder of man's inhumanity to man.

We may not be able to help influence global change
but we can help in small ways by giving to our own community.
There are opportunities to make a difference at every turn.

I challenge you to make a difference 
even the smallest kind gesture can brighten someone's day.


9 comments:

Jeanne Henriques said...

Very well put Leslie and a nice thought to make a difference and brighten someone's day. You just did that for me :)

Best wishes for a wonderful week Leslie...

Jeanne xx

Susan B said...

Your tea set is so lovely. It's those special little moments and memories that bring so much meaning to our lives.

Anonymous said...

A thimble thank you. :) A tea set too was mine, tan with blue flowers. How I loved their jangling sound together. That and the sound of the train whistle as Mom and I counted passing cars in the distant view, learning about "heap" lightening over the sound... OM

Annie ~ Red Roses and Crystal said...

What a delightful find Hostess.
You and I are birds of a feather when it comes to tea drinking!
I remember many happy occasions from my childhood, notably the entertaining my parents did in our home. Special times!
xx

Pondside said...

My childhood tea set was passed on to my daughter, and there were many happy tea parties - a great way for her to get to know new friends on our many moves. The little tea set was bought for me in Germany - in Bavaria - and is painted with charming scenes that include children.

Judith said...

What a sweet surprise for Mr H will you use it on his 'Special' days? Ida

fashion and frank said...

The fact that you can always make a difference with your day to day actions is a mantra i always try to live by - if we all did what a different world - just a smile can make all the difference before we even get into all the choices we make and the ramifications of those - let us hope a decade on that awful days like that become fewer and fewer - so much suffering xx

http://fashionandfrank.blogspot.com/

Duchesse said...

Might the tea set belong to your granddaughter one day? We no longer invite friends for tea as our mothers or grandmothers did; instead, we meet at a coffee shop. While that is convenient (and so many options are available), a certain ease and graciousness has been lost.

I found so many things like that, [packed away when I moved. Some have been repacked and moved, while others went to antique stores.

L'age moyen said...

As a girl I had a full blue cornflower corningware set of absolutely every sized teapot, coffee pot, cup, saucer, casserole, fry pan and so on. I have spent the last 10 years in every thrift shop rebuilding that awe-inspiring collection. Nothing gives me more pleasure than serving tea in one of my three (yes, 3) corningware teapots. Oh the joys of teatime. That's what I look forward to in retirement - if it ever happens!

I'm absolutely addicted to the romance of the tea set. Yours is so lovely and delicate. Perfect for a not-so-humble bungalow.