Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Spring, Easter, Shelley Joys

Hello my friends and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea for the last week in March. Where did the month go????

Although this is an English Robin on a flowering branch, this is the source of the fleeing month for me...pollen allergies cause days to pass or be endured.
But it's still spring, and I love spring with it's new growth, beginnings and burgeoning life and warmth!

Tea in the sunroom is anticipation of Easter Sunday, the highlight of the Christian year, on April 1st this year.

This cross usually lives on the mantle, but I brought it into the sunroom for our tea today. I love the re-phrasing of Colossians 2:7 this time of year...sort of a gardening for the spirit quote:

Let you roots

grow down

into Him

and let your lives

be built on Him.

I was also enjoying looking through some Victoria magazines. I tend to reread them seasonally. These are from 1994 and 1995 March/April and feature England...so of course, are favorites...

For our tea time, I have a tall Shelley Dainty shape pot...originally a coffee pot, but a tall teapot for me.  And lots of folks use them for tea...I'm not the only one! This is the biggest of their coffee pot sizes.

The pattern is un-numbered and un-named as far as I have been able to find out. It looks like a Camellia to me with Forget-Me-Nots. The mark is the simple 1940-1966 mark, and I have never been able to find it in either Shelley guides, the pattern books or online.

I have had it for years....and this happens to china dealers...it was damaged...a chip on the top rim...at our bricks-and-mortar antiques and tea shop years ago...long since closed to go exclusively online in 2002...when a snow plow rumbled by too close to the building and dislodged a picture from the wall and broke or damaged a number of things...this included.
But I loved it, so rather than discard it, I use it!

I have 2 teacups to choose from today for a tea for two...you and me...

This first is an always favorite Dainty shape Rosebud pattern, number 13426.

Dainty is one of the shapes Shelley is famous for, and rightly so. So delicate!

The pattern was first registered in 1896, as shown by the Rd. number...or British Registry number on this teacup. But that was just when the design was first registered, not when this one was made. The Shelley mark here was used 1940-1966, but the Rd. numbers were dropped in the early 1950s on most items do it dates to the earlier period.

My other Shelley teacup is a variation of the Hulme's Rose design on a Ludlow shape. I love the soft blue, and Ludlows aren't seen to often, although I love the lobed shape myself. 

The number os 0321 with the color number after the slash mark. I have had it in pink before, and it was possibly made in other colors as well, although that isn't in the pattern books. It was made between 1962 and 1966 when the pottery closed.

One of the Victoria magazines has the cover title The Luxury Of Little things...and that made me think of the antique ephemera I love. I have been sharing antique Easter postcards daily on my Facebook page...you can find me HERE or on the sidebar of the blog...
So are here are 2 Easter cards from the 1920s. The first above, with a bouquet of spring flowers says:

A Pleasant Easter
May Easter find you
in happy array,And everything
That suits the spring 
Fillup your Easter day!

This metallic gold pink cottage card says

Wishing Easter Joy
Earth it's fresh life renews,
Smiles the sky with warmer hues,
Hearts are glad and may you share
All the joy that's everywhere!

I didn't make our treat for tea this week...but our local grocery store stocks Seattle organic bakery items, and this week had traditional Hot Cross buns, which we love, and with tendonitis can't do kneaded yeast breads, so we always buy them this time of year. 

They are made with raisins, orange peel and a baked indented...or in this case frosted cross, to remind one of the cross of Christ.
Perfect for this time of year.

Thanks so much for joining me for tea! I hope you have a lovely Easter, and see the cross beyond the bunnies and eggs, which I love too. 

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
Colossians 3:15 New Living Translation

I am joining this week:

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage and Garden
Home Sweet Home

Share Your Cup

Here is the Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there!  I am so looking forward to visiting you!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Irish Farewell Around Here, First Day Of Spring

Hi there...it's a shortened Tuesday Cuppa Tea due to...

Life!

We have had plumbing problems, needed to replace the kitchen faucet that revealed problems, had a computer problem and spring allergies have been severe!  So had trouble getting an inspiration/finding time for my post this week....

But...

Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day...I made corned beef and cabbage in my new Crock-Pot Express Pot which turned out very well...even despite beginner errors...

Hope you had a lovely St. Patrick's Day...I made corned beef and cabbage in my new Crock-Pot Express Pot which turned out very well...even despite beginner errors...

And I found a new Shamrock teacup! Always nice!

It's made by Salisbury, England from the 1950s. Lovely shape!

And our last Irish treats for dessert last night...a friend gave us some little cupcakes with green frosting and shamrock sprinkles...so cute...and tasty!
And I know you've seen my Shelley Shamrock teacup before....

So Saint Patrick's Day is past, and Tuesday March 20th is the official meterological first day of spring...at 9:35am...are you ready?

From Victoria magazine...a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...

If spring came but once

in a century, instead of once a year,

or burst forth with the sound

of an earthquake, and not in silence,

what wonder and expectation

would there be in all our hearts

to behold the miraculous change.

I COULD wish it didn't have the accomanying pollen, but....

Thanks so much for joining me today....

I am also joining

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage and Garden
Home Sweet Home

Share Your Cup

Here is the Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there!  I am so looking forward to visiting you!

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday Cuppa Tea With Irish Still Going On!

Welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea....another St. Patrick's Day edition!  It just keeps showing up!

Aye and begarra but everyone is Irish this time of year! I have the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots all ready to go in my new Crock-Pot Express Pot and plans for Irish soda bread or scones with my Irish breakfast tea!

It's been a great excuse for a few festive afternoon teas in the sunroom...in between storms. But...we are supposed to have our first spring weather in the 60s the first of the week...hope so!

I set out tea in the sunroom yesterday afternoon with our Irish petit fours. The china is an Aynsley Shamrocks teacup trio I have had for quite awhile that comes out this time of year.

The petit fours is an annual St. Patrick's week teatime splurge for us...

This wonderful Irish shamrocks design by Aynsley, England dates to 1939 to 1959 and is a very pale greenish white with the green clover shamrocks and gold trim. I love the swirl molded bone china design. It is even prettier than the photos.

Here are a few photos from one of our visits to Ireland...this was a couple of years ago when we took a trans Atlantic repositioning cruise on the Brilliance Of The Seas as our taxi to get to England for our annual month long buying trip for Antiques And Teacups. We took 15 days from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton and stopped at Cobh or Cove so we could visit Dublin as well.  I took this from the ship in Cobh, which was home to the White Star office that was the Titanic's last stop before starting their ill fated journey.

The buses were waiting on the quay to take folks on tours. We headed into Cobh first to spend the early morning seeing the town. This is the Kennedy Park along the sea front.

Later we took a tour into Dublin via Kinsale. 

We had lunch at the Bulmer pub, actually an Irish breakfast. Love the English/Irish bacon and banger sausages, but have never liked Irish blood sausage...didn't eat that... 

And visited Charles Fort, the oldest surviving 17th century star fortification and one of Kinsale's historic treasures.

Ireland was indeed green and lovely, the people warm and friendly and we enjoyed our visits immensley....but I figure that's enough travelogue for one post!

So I hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day! Below is a list of the some of the blog parties I'll be linky to, and my Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky so you can link your tea related post to Tuesday Cuppa Tea! And I love your comments! It's so neat getting to know you all!

I am joining:

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage and Garden
Home Sweet Home

Share Your Cup

An InLinkz Link-up

Don't Forget Clocks Change Tonight!

Just a reminder for my US blogging friends...Daylight Savings time "Spring(s) Forward..."

tonight!

March 10-11th....

A great excuse for another cup of Irish Breakfast tea and some shamrock petit fours!

Tuesday Cuppa Tea Irish Things

Hello and welcome to my Irish tea for St. Patrick's Day tea edition of Tuesday Cuppa Tea!

I hope that Irish Eyes are smiling for you this week! 

It's been fun putting this togethe...and it really started as an Irish breakfast...with a Shelley Shamrock teacup, Irish Breakfast Tea, crumpets and boiled eggs in Guinness eggcups!

I had to grab a quick window of sunlight pretty early in the morning, as rain was expected...no surprise, this is the Pacific Northwest...

Since this is Tuesday Cuppa Tea...meet my Irish teacup! A Shelley Shamrock pattern cup and saucer in the Dainty shape.  I love the little clover chintz pattern!

The pattern number is 8064 ad the color is the /57. The st was also made with various green and gold trim combinations, and the /57 means green handle and trim.  The pattern was made starting in 1908 when it was entered in the pattern books, and was made in Bute, Mocha, New York, Norman and Vincent shapes under older backstamps. Because it was a very popular patter, it ontinued to be made on the Dainty shape from 1940 to 1966 when the pottery closed. One of Shelley's more enduring patterns.

And another Shamrock set by Aynsley, England from the 1930s...that we used for tea a few days ago...

But back to today's Irish Breakfast tea....

You may remember that we had tea at the Tea Room At Port Gamble a few weeks ago, I posted about it HERE and brought home a tin of Irish Breakfast tea for St. Patricks Day. It is a nice loose tea...described as a blend of Chinese and Indian teas with some Golden Tips. It is very nice! 

 A few years ago we had to visit JoAnns Fabrics for something, and I saw this lovely shamrock fabric 

with copper flecks, so I bought some and made a tablecloth for my small tea table in the sunroom...isn't that perfect?!!

And I had to have my boiled eggs in our Guinness eggcups! A few years ago we were on a drive from our week in London up to the family in the midlands and happened to see a church fete going on, with a bit of a jumble sale...and found these. I LOVE them and Guinness was my Honey's favorite drink....until the Parkinson's Disease medications eliminated alcohol from his diet...

I take my tea with Demarara sugar...an Irish product...and here, with my Apostle sugar tongs...surely it's St. Patrick!

This lovelhoto with Daffodils and an Irish Belleek teaset is from Tea Time Magazine...

And my crumpets! Jean, of a Delightful Repast blog has a great recipe HERE which turn out great! I use the rings I got from my English Nana...

in the middle of England where are families are, they are also called Pikelets...

That was breakfast...but for tea time...

I made Irish Scones that I got from a Kerrygold Irish Butter packet I bought at Costco, and they were delicious! I have added the recipe here:

Irish Scones

These delicious baked goodies make a strong case for scones becoming part of a traditional Irish breakfast.  Kerrygold Butter keeps them moist yet light. Topped with jam or preserves they could almost be breakfast all on their own.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups (about 8 ounces) all-purpose flour---I used 1/2 whole wheat
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling over tops
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup whole milk--I used almond milk
1 large egg, plus additional beaten egg for brushing over tops

Directions:
Heat oven to 425° F. Sift together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Using fingertips or pastry blender, rub or cut the Kerrygold Butter into flour mixture to form coarse crumbs. Add raisins. Whisk together milk and 1 egg. Make a well in the flour mixture; pour in milk mixture. Using fork, stir just until soft, moist dough is formed.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; gently knead 1 or 2 times to incorporate loose pieces of dough. (Do not over knead.) Pat dough to 1 1/2-inch thickness. Using well-floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or bottom of a glass, cut out about 6 rounds, recombining scraps as necessary. Place rounds on lightly buttered baking sheet. Brush tops with additional beaten egg; sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 14 to 17 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking for more even browning. Serve warm with Kerrygold Irish Butter and jam.

Makes about 6 servings

Note: These scones are more muffin-like in texture; dough will be moist and wet, which ensures a tender texture.

So thanks for joining me for an Irish Tuesday Cuppa Tea!

I am joining:

 Tea Cup Tuesday 
 Bernideen’s Teatime, Cottage and Garden
Home Sweet Home

Share Your Cup

Here is the Tuesday Cuppa Tea linky for your tea related posts...please remember that it is SSSLLLOOOOOOWWWW but if you are patient...it's there!  I am so looking forward to visiting you!

An InLinkz Link-up