Tea at Holland Park Garden Gallery

During a recent visit to the Holland Park Garden Gallery, I was delighted to see various tea-themed items for both the garden and the home.

 

Small teacup planters with flowers for $19.99.

 

I'm stalking these huge teacup planters ($34) until they go on sale.

An impressive collection of For Tea's Sake artisan and wellness teas. 

I'm tempted to go back and sample some of the herbal blends.

These colourful tea sets are perfect for summer.

"Let's have tea" in these fun mugs!

Teabag holder

I was good and didn't bring anything home with me!

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden

A Contemporary Victorian Tea Set

Happy Victoria Day to my Canadian friends!

 

In honour of Queen Victoria's birthday, I'm sharing the "Priscilla" tea set that I received from my relatives a few years ago. This contemporary ceramic set was from Bombay Canada.

The small teapot serves 2-4 cups of tea.

One of my four teacups and saucers.

Left: Tea Caddy

Right: Cream and Sugar Set

Not pictured: 3-Tier Dessert Tray

The elegant medallion labels give the Priscilla pieces a dainty touch.

Victorian tea time never goes out of style!

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden

Come Dance in May!

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a May Tea Dance hosted by Hamilton English Country Dancers (HECD) and Dundas Museum and Archives. The HECD performed at the museum before, but I had been too shy to participate. At the May Tea Dance, I stepped out of my comfort zone (ha!) and joined the English country dancing. So what if I have two left feet and didn't know any of the steps?!?

Source: Internet

FANTASY: I was Elizabeth Bennett dancing gracefully at the Netherfield Ball.

Photo Credit: My Mom

REALITY: This dancing newbie (in the purple top on the left) bungled up some of the steps. 

A caller taught us the moves and prompted the dance figures. There were also a couple of fiddlers who provided live music accompaniment to our dancing. The experienced dancers were very welcoming and forgave my missteps. I really enjoyed English Country Dancing (a great low-impact exercise!), but some of the circular formations made me a little dizzy!

Artsy Tea Table #1

Artsy Tea Table #2

Our artsy tea table.

Dancing worked up my appetite for tea and light refreshments.

Source: Internet

May I have this dance?

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden

Cherry Blossoms

I've always loved how tea can transport us to far-off lands.

Cherry Blossom Organic Green Tea by Lemon Lily

"One sip and you'll be whisked away to Kyoto for the Cherry Blossom festival." 

(From: Lemon Lily)

I sipped the tea from the "Kimono" teacup that Lyn sent me at the 2016 spring teacup exchange.  I'm not usually a fan of floral teas, but I enjoyed this pleasant tea with a hint of cherry flavour.

Since I couldn't physically travel to Japan to enjoy their cherry blossoms, I went to the next best thing: Centennial Park in the Valley.

Taken in April 2017

In 2014, thirty-seven cherry trees were planted at Centennial Park in honour of Hamilton's missionary, Martha Cartnell, who overcame barriers to female education in 19th century Japan and founded Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin--the first school for girls in Japan.

Taken April 2017

The Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin School's generous gift of cherry trees symbolize the students and alumni's gratitude to Martha Cartnell for her legacy's incredible impact on generations of girls and women in Japan.

"Expressing Our Adoration and Appreciation With These Cherry Trees" 

(Toyo Eiwa Jogakuin - 130th Anniversary Year in 2014)

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden

Discovery Walks

If you're reading this, it means that I survived my work's 4-week challenge to "get moving." Since I'm allergic to gym workouts, walking was my main form of exercise. These outdoor strolls led to some fun discoveries...

The bibliophile in me geeked out over this super cute Little Free Library.

Kuma's Candy store specializes in Japanese candy...

...and bubble tea!

Because I'm a purist, I ordered papaya milk tea.
It's important to stay hydrated during a workout, right?!?

I also brought home these tasty (but pricey!) matcha candies with condensed milk inside.

The flags at McMaster University were flown at half-mast to mark:

1) National Mourning Day for the Canadian workers killed or injured at the workplace;

2) the passing of Peter George, the University's longest-serving President. 

Rest in peace, Peter George.

A cross outside St. Paul's Anglican Church.

The physical activity challenge is over, but I hope to continue these walking workouts!

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden