QUEEN VICTORIA'S 203rd BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

 

Today marks what would have been

the 203rd birthday celebration of Queen Victoria.  1819-1901

I decided to have a little celebration

in my garden which I hope you will

enjoy.  Queen Victoria and Prince 

Albert have been my favorites in the

long line of English Royalty.  Queen

Elizabeth has now far exceeded the

years Queen Victoria served.

Today I am using my Queen Victoria tea

cozy with the Queen on the front and Prince 

Albert on the back along with 2 of my

commemorative 6oth anniversary cups

and saucers.  We are set up out back

in front of the arbor.

I have set us up a little tea table where

we can enjoy the views of the garden

today and the lovely weather. Much to

our surprise we are having much 

cooler weather in the 60's now after

 last week when we had 3 days in the 90's.

You probably watched the PBS series "Victoria".  We have watched it several

times and I have the music CD and

really enjoy the theme song.  What a

different day that was during her reign.

Actually I have several different DVD's

about the life of queen Victoria and

enjoy them all.

I was impressed with the 

accomplishment of Prince Albert

with his oversight in the building of

the Great Exhibition Glass building.

It was however, so sad that he died

so young and left Victoria so early.

 I made these napkins

below:

This summer might be a fun time to rewatch

the Victoria series.  Since I have several

versions I can tell you the most charming

Lord Melbourne is definitely the newer PBS version.

Click here to see

the succession from Victoria

to Queen Elizabeth

LEARNING TO BE CONTENT for "Sunday Celebration"

 

"I am on to another antique mall in search 

of something I don’t really need.  I can’t 

seem to stop myself.  I must go and search for that one thing that will finally make me happy!"  The truth is that this fever can be caught by any person and if not reeled in – this will never end.

 My husband and I love a day out for lunch and antiquing.  The search can be thrilling

and especially if it is a place you have never been before.  However, when you find 

yourself arriving at the place where you always must be on the go shopping - then,  you know that you are in trouble! 

Contentment is a surrender to a disciplining our flesh.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers “Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as yet have…..” Hebrew 13:5  This might

be an opportunity to look at what is happening in your life and evaluate.  

"Lord, as we draw close to you, you

show us the areas of our life that need

adjustment and change and we know

you will help us do just that.  Amen."

UNDER THE UMBRELLA BEFORE THE RAIN for "Tea In The Garden"

 So today I went out and set up my

vintage folding table which is quite

a production.  It is very strange

how it works.  The umbrella goes

in the middle and there is a lace

tablecloth over the frame above.

I hope you will pour yourself

a cup of tea and enjoy one of

these tarts I filled with cherry pie

filling.  Even as I take my photos there

 are a few raindrops here and there

 so I am in a bit of a hurry today. I got

this old table at an antique mall years

ago in Colorado and it is a bit of a 

task to take apart quickly.  I imagine

it is from the 1950's.

We are enjoying some lower temperatures

now after three days of over 90 degrees

 so this is wonderful.

I love when I can use my own flowers

and the peonies are starting to open

and the Japanese beetles haven't

 ravished the roses yet either.  I

know they are coming but I am

glad that they are not here yet.

I kept these English bone china

plates and cups and saucers that came

 out many years ago.  I did not keep the

teapot but think about it sometimes. 

 I think I have enough.

 

I don't have as many foxgloves this

year but am thankful for

the ones I do have.

This Crown Dorset

English Teapot is beloved.

The irises are at the tail end of their

blooming and we sure have enjoyed

them this year.    A friend gave me this

yellow and purple one which was

her mother's.

Foxglove tips:  They are mostly biennials

which means a seed grows into a 

small plant the first year and then the blooming and reseeding in the second

year and over with.  There are some

 perennial ones and they are usually smaller

 in size. When you purchase that big 

blooming plant you better enjoy it because

 it probably is already in it's second year.  (Sorry to say) 

I hope you enjoyed your visit.

OUT IN THE GARDEN

 

I took a few photos of my garden

after my tea was over yesterday.

Our weather went from cooler to

over 90 degrees three days in

a row.

We have lots of birds in

our birdhouses this year.

 

Hope you have a lovely week.

LADIES FOR TEA

May 14th I had a tea for 5 of the ladies

in Columbia, Missouri plus myself

who are in the my "Christian Tea

 Time & Hospitality" FB group.

I love Afternoon Tea and this was

a wonderful time we could get

to know one another. 

So here was our menu:

We had Chicken Salad Mini Croissants

 using the idea in the new Tea Time 

of strawberries  and Mandarin Oranges,

Egg Salad Finger Sandwiches and a 

Ham and Swiss Cheese with mustard 

Puff.  For the Scones we had 

Strawberry Buttermilk and the sweets

 were: 

 Chocolate Peppermint Brownies,

 Caramel Walnut Graham Cracker

Cookies and Lemon Madeleines. 

 We had

Wild Blueberry, Ginger Peach

 and Decaf

Apricot teas.

The shelves here have different themes:

Anne of Green Gables, Jane Austen,

Downton Abbey, Titanic, Queens and

Kings of England, Beatrix Potter, etc.

Friends: Natasha, Stacey,

 Nancy, Judy

and Jennifer

Of course, I wanted to share my garden

with the irises in bloom and the 

foxgloves getting started now.

We took a lot of photos but I

am sharing just a few.  It was

very hot outside.

This is a Christian group so we

had special prayer for America

and for the needs of the ladies

 in our group.  We had wonderful

fellowship encouraging one

another.

Natasha who was born in the

Ukraine took a selfie

with the mirror:

Hope you enjoyed seeing our tea!

WHEN IRISES BLOOM for "Tea In The Garden"

 I wanted to get out and take some photos

of the Irises before they are gone.  It

happens so quickly when it gets hot.

  Last year I did buy 2 unusual new kinds

 of Irises to plant but I don't see blooms yet.

  I think it may take another year for those

to develop.

We have just enough time

for a cup of tea before it

gets too hot.  Today it is

supposed to be in the 90's.

I brought out a picnic basket I

decoupaged years back.  I love

the artwork of Edith Holden

who lived from 1871-1920.

She wrote The Country Diary of 

an Edwardian Lady.

I decided I best not waste this opportunity

to set up another tea in the garden.

I am so happy and blessed to see warm

weather.  For some reason, I was cold

all winter.  I wore many layers to keep

warm.  Today it was fun to make a big

bouquet to display.

I heard a familiar sound out of the

window today and knew it was a

beloved House Wren.  I have been

anxiously hoping one would show 

up soon singing his beautiful tune.

I looked out and saw he is building

a nest in that little birdhouse on top

of the arbor over the gate.

A fun owl in the garden:

 We will enjoy every stage of the

garden this year.  

Toile is so pretty in all colors

 but this

purple is thrilling:

I hope you enjoyed this visit

to my garden.