Official First Day Of Autumn, Imari Sunroom Tea, Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Today is officially the first day of autumn, although it has been autumn here for the last week or so... morning fog, cooler nights, some rain and leaves in wonderful colors beginning to litter the ground as we walk daily.

It was also the release of the Downton Abbey movie, but haven't seen it you. I do a collage of Imari china in honor of the movie from my Antiques And Teacups shop. And the colors are so perfect for fall!

You might remember my computer woes... I had gotten it back after a week at a tech's after a Windows update caused it to crash just before we were due to leave on our annual break. And it still was not working... no access to photos, camera or files, and generally still a mess.

So a week ago I called someone else...and they came TO me... we had to take the hard drive to the previous, not good with my tendonitis and my husband's Parkinson's Disease...spent time to see what the problem was, took the hard drive, had it overnight and brought it back the next day.

They had to remove everything the last guy had done, reinstall and update everything.

BUT, everything now is working again! I have to learn the new Windows 10, but it works!!!!

But have not had time to a post for today, so this is old and new!

I had forgotten about this 1970s Arthur Wood, England fruit pattern teapot, so brought it out for tea...

The large 40 ounce teapot has different fruits on each side... apples on one side and a pear and grapes on the other.,,, very autumn!

The pattern is signed, but I can't quite make out the designer... George something...

Arthur Wood started in 1904 from a branch of the prolific Wood pottery family in the Stoke-on-Trent area.

They went into administration in 2003, and were sold to Rayware Ltd., producing kitchenware and household goods.

They have continued to use the Arthur Wood (and Price Kensington as well) but many are no longer made in the UK but are made in China or Indonesia.

The number on this pattern dates it to the late 1970s.

I am looking at fall magazines I have from past years... this is a UK Country Life from 1998 that features autumn gardens.

I found some Pumpkin Scones...my first dive into the plethora of pumpkin treats this time of year...except, of course for the pumpkin spice teas I have been enjoying...

And my autumn teacup is a Victorian era Sutherland Imari teacup trio in an unusual colorway.

The term Imari was taken from the colors of the Imari region of Japan and adopted by English potters early in the Victorian era.

This is unusual because the lime green is dominant with the sepia or reddish brown transfreware with deep cobalt blue and lots of gold.

I love Imari, and Violet, Dowager Duchess of Grantham had several different sets of it through the Downton Abbey series...I'll be looking out for it in the movie, which I have heard has lots of tea scenes.
Imari was popular until the 1940s in one form or another, but was not considered "modern" enough following World War II.

These autumn cookies I made recently are an old recipe I got when we were first married 42+ years ago from a can of Libby's Pumpkin Puree...although I now use an organic brand from our local organic market....They are a perfect fall treat! here is the recipe which I stumbled across online...just the same as my can label!

Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Glaze (recipe follows)

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.  Makes 36.

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

FOR GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

How cool is that!?!  And we just finished off our half of a batch I made...froze the other half. How long they will stay frozen, is another question...lovely with a cup of tea, Chai or not!

I'll leave you with this photo I took this week outside our organic farm market, Sunny Farms. So much joyful color!

And this wonderful autumn window view.
I found it on Pinterest, but no source was given.

Love it!

Have a lovely week and enjoy autumn in it's glory!

Autumn arrives! Shelley Fruit Center and Computer Ills, Apple-Cinnamon-Walnut Scones

Welcome friends... I have been off the computer A LOT this last month... first with computer problems...still ongoing... and also our annual 2 week break for me as a caregiver for my husband with Parkinson's Disease.

It began August 19th with a Windows update that crashed my computer. To the techs the next day, but didn't get it back until a week later, the day we were to leave on our 2 week cruise which is a break for me from a lot of care issues of being the caregiver for my husband.

We got back, and I have found much is still not right on the computer, and yesterday realized the computer no longer recognizes or will communicate with my camera, so now I have to figure out what to do about that. Sigh...

I had photographed an autumn tea, but... still on the camera and can't get it off!

So... a partial repeat post from 2015.

This week's teacup is a Shelley China Fruit Center tea cup in the Boston shape...

I guess I have fruit on the brain, because we have had THE BEST peaches, nectarines and plums this year...absolutely succulent! And as we have been wandering around the last 2 weeks with family and friends to various places we have brought home a lot of small organic farms, which this area has in abundance.

Doesn't the fruit look luscious? Love it! The teacup was made between 1963 and 1966 when the pottery closed. There were lots of Fruit Center versions made by Shelley in different shapes, colors and fruit. They are all wonderful!

For more info on the Shelley Fruit Center fall teacup at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

I wanted to share some of my favorite fall photos from the September/October 2008 issue of Victoria Magazine, my most favorite subscription.

I have pumpkins on the brain...because I am planning some pumpkin cashew coconut curry from a recipe in Sunset magazine!

Love this because it is so like our Tinker who we lost 3 years ago and still miss!!!

I wanted to share a recipe I have made several times since it's appearance in Tea Time Magazine in Sept-Oct 2012...

Apple-Cinnamon-Walnut Scones

Ingredients

1. 2 cups self-rising flour*
2. 3 tablespoons sugar
3. ¼ cup cold salted butter
4. 1 cup diced, peeled green apple
5. ¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
6. ⅓ cup cinnamon baking chips†
7. ⅔ cup cold heavy whipping cream
8. 1 large egg
9. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
10. 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour and sugar, whisking well. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add apple, walnuts, and cinnamon chips, stirring to combine. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, combine cream, egg, and vanilla extract, whisking well. Add to flour mixture, stirring until mixture comes together and forms a soft dough. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until uniformly moist.)
5. Using a levered 3-tablespoon scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle tops of scones with turbinado sugar.
6. Bake until light golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Notes

1. *For testing purposes, we used White Lily Enriched Bleached Self-Rising Flour, available in grocery stores throughout the Southeastern region of the United States and online at whitelily.com.
2. †For testing purposes, we used Hershey’s Cinnamon Baking Chips.
3. When making scones for a crowd, prepare a few batches at a time, but do not bake. Freeze the raw scones on parchment-lined baking sheets, transfer scones to airtight containers, and keep frozen for up to three months. An hour or two before the event, bake frozen scones according to recipe directions until golden brown.

And they are delicious!

Well, I hope I have my computer and camera back working soon!

Will keep you posted!