Monday, July 19, 2010

Tea Time Tuesday!

It's Tea Time Tuesday again over at Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations and Tea Cup Tuesday at Marthas Favorites.  Thanks once again to these lovely ladies for hostessing such delightful tea parties!

Where my dear "Mr. Magnolia" and I live in the Niagara Region, we are surrounded with lovely vineyards and quaint little villages, with only a half-hour drive to Niagara Falls or a one hour drive to Toronto.  As you can imagine, tourism is a big part of our local economy and as a result, we are very lucky to live within an easy drive of a number of really special tea rooms that cater to tourists and locals alike.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited one of those tea rooms with two very dear friends.  Located in Ridgeville, Ontario the Berry Patch is the sweetest little tea room you can imagine!  It's situated in a converted barn, with a little gift shop inside, and all the seating for the tea room is on the lovely deep verandah!


There are many teas to select from and each person is served their tea in an individual china tea pot with a unique china tea cup and saucer.  I chose a delicious Earl Grey Cream and found it to be an extremely smooth version of Earl Grey.  I had a lovely pink tea cup to drink it from.  Each tea drinker is also given their own little sieve to keep out the loose leaf tea.


They really do grow their own berries at The Berry Patch and my delicious scones came garnished with lovely plump fresh raspberries straight from the garden!


The gift shop has many lovely things to choose from and it was fun to browse.  Of course there were lots of tea related items, but also some lovely hand-made jewelry and other "girly" things that were lots of fun to check out!


My friends and I had a wonderful "tea date," enjoying the atmosphere and pretending for a moment that we were back in a more civilized time, with no troubles too great that a "spot of tea" couldn't cure them!  But we also had a true time of sharing and caring, something that is often done much more easily over a hot cup of tea or coffee.  It reminded me once again of just how valuable real friendships are - in this case, our friendships have endured well over twenty years, through incredible life changes, difficulties and joys.  I hope we're still drinking tea together when twenty more years have passed.




"Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; 
so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel 
that comes from the heart."
Proverbs 27:9

And just a little update on my dear "Tiger" - she is getting better every day!  It will be a long recovery time for her but we think she is doing quite well.  Thank-you to all for your prayers and positive thoughts!  She sends purrs back in your direction, and we send our many, many thanks for your kindness.

20 comments:

  1. I love tea. We American's don't do tea right at all. I've enjoyed tea time in Canada, though. I also have a tea set from the Empress Hotel in Victoria. Thanks for this little tea party!
    Have a lovely week.
    xoRobyn

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  2. This is just my cup of tea! I love it! Sounds idyllic! Which one of the friends in the photo are you?

    Sending good vibes to Tiger.

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  3. Purple Cow, I'm the brunette wearing the light tan coloured top. :)

    Robyn, I dream of someday having tea at the Empress in Victoria!

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  4. Oh...I want to have a tea party now. :-( What fun!

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  5. What a lovely place for tea! Scones and fresh berries-- divine! Purrs to Tiger and wishing her well....

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  6. That is wonderful, what a fun place to visit with friends.
    Sweet Blessings,
    Virginia

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  7. Looks like a fun place to visit with friends. Glad you had the chance to get together and have fun. Love your header - it's simply stunning!
    Blessings, Beth

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  8. Hi. Thanks for visiting and inviting me to your tea party ~ A lovely place for tea! I'm glad you found my blog. It appears you started blogging in April?,
    I am a new blogger and started in May, and I'm enjoying it so much! Love your cat Tiger!
    ~ Julie

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  9. Thank you for inviting me to your wonderful Tea Party.
    My hubby sure would not approve of me hitting the gift shop if I was really there - but what was a girl to do but shop. Right?

    Glad to hear Tiger is recovering - hope you are managing with all your nursely chores.
    Hugs,
    Penny

    Purrs,
    Genghis Khat

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  10. Hello!! I'm so excited to find your blog! Your post looks so fun! Blessings, Doni

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  11. Tea, tea, tea has made the world a better place!! :)

    I have nominated you for the 'Lovely Blog Award' for your inspirational blog...
    If you are happy to participate then please go to my blog and copy the widget and rules for yours.
    take care, Judith

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  12. What a relaxing venture after all of the chaos of the last week. Surely that made it twice as sweet!

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  13. Unfortunately Robin, this was the week before the chaos - since then I have been house-bound taking care of Miss Princess Kitty Cat who waves her little paw around like a golden scepter and orders me to do her bidding! :)

    Judith, how very lovely of you to give me an award! I will go over and check it out right away. You are very sweet.

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  14. It is a special day to meet friends for lunch or just a cup of tea and catch up. Looks like a great place for just that.

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  15. What a treat to visit that tea house! Your pink cup is very pretty, I love pedestle cups. It was fun looking at all the tea things for sale too.
    Thank you for sharing in Tea Cup Tuesday.
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  16. Sounds like a totally lovely day!! I love to visit little tea cottages. They are all so unique.

    Earl Grey is my favorite tea, so your Earl Grey cream really intrigues me. I will have to try that sometime.

    Hope you have a lovely day,
    Patti

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  17. Hello my Canadian friend,
    Just wondering is your name Robin? Your tea time with your friends sounds like such fun! What a lovely place to meet and enjoy 'the finer things in life.' Someday perhaps I'll have a chance to visit there. My son is in Toronto attending the University {finishing up his PhD in Math} and someday we hope to go up and visit him. He wants to take us to see Niagara Falls. So, you never know!
    I'm so happy to hear Tiger is on the mend. Have a lovely evening.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  18. It looks like you had a lovely time!

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  19. looks like a comfortable place to have tea with friends.

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  20. I love tea! I've never been to a tea party! How wonderful for you to do this with your friends!!

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