Octobers

“I'm so glad I live in a world
 where there are Octobers.” 

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

A Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

 

It's not uncommon for someone who enjoys the experience of afternoon tea to have a buddy to share the experience with. I feel so blessed that my friend and neighbor, Karleen, enjoys sharing tea times with me. When she heard that the traveling teapot was at my house awhile back, she invited us to come by for a luncheon tea party. Her invitation said to just "bring yourself and the tea pot". 

Our style is to enjoy the entire process. When the teapot and I arrived, Karleen set me to work arranging a bouquet of flowers. We walked in her garden, selecting blossoms we thought would look pretty on the tea table.

 

 Karleen lives along the river and there's a beautiful view from her living room. So that's where she moved a table and chairs. A quilt, an heirloom from a grandmother, made a pretty tablecloth. Another grandmother's china was set on the table along with some muslin napkins that Karleen had stitched. The floral bouquet and some vintage postcards set the scene for our tea luncheon. 

 

Karleen had prepared a lovely menu of delicious, fresh foods.

 

A cheese and crackers platter was arranged with springs of tarragon, rosemary, lavender, and purple grapes.

 

A colorful "chopped salad" featured toasted pecans and a light vinaigrette. It was delicious!



Deviled eggs were beautifully presented on a tray with a sprig of lavender from the garden.

Fruit kabobs of strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and pineapple were vibrant! Additionally, Karleen served a bowl of cubed watermelon.

Can you see the teapot shaped cheese? Yummy!

Vintage postcards from Karleen's collection added a personal touch to the table.

Everything was so inviting, beautiful, and delicious!

The teapot was set last and took center stage on the beautiful table.

Our tea choice was Buckingham Palace English Afternoon Tea. It was a gift to me from Karleen after her recent trip to London. How fun it was to sip on tea in Karleen's living room that she had purchased at the Queen of England's palace!

Afterwards, dessert was served in the garden.

Thank you, Karleen, for inviting the traveling teapot and me over for a relaxing luncheon tea. Your warm hospitality and friendship is a treasure and a blessing! 

Quilt Hoppin' with the Traveling Teapot

 

The month is coming to an end. My days as host and blog author for the traveling teapot are nearing the end. The little teapot has kept me very busy! But I've enjoyed the experience and the way that the little plum teapot opens doors for conversation with people along the way.



Recently Karleen took us along on a trip to a quilt shop so she could get her beautiful kaleidoscope quilt machine quilted.

 

We met some lovely tea ladies along the way.

 

You can read about our adventures on the Traveling Teapot blog. Just click the link and we'll see you there!

 

Teapot & Tea Soap

The traveling teapot has been worrying a bit about getting a bubble bath. Stop by the Traveling Teapot blog to learn about its adventures in making tea soap and more! See you there!

Lunch with a Friend

The traveling teapot and I visited a friend and neighbor where we enjoyed a beautiful luncheon tea party and lots of conversation.

 I'm sharing about it today on the Traveling Teapot blog. Please stop by. I think you'll enjoy reading about Karleen's beautiful table decor and tasty menu!

Teapot Visits Tea Room

 

"The daintiness and yet elegance of a china teacup focuses one to be gentle, to think warmly and to feel close." 
Carol & Malcolm Cohen

 

The adventures of the traveling teapot can be read on the Traveling Teapot blog. I'm blogging there this month and would love to have you stop by. Today is a record of her visit to a tea room. Thanks!

Catch Up with the Traveling Teapot

Have you checked into the Traveling Teapot blog today? Catch up with what's going on with the little plum teapot.

Travel Miles!

Keeping up with the Traveling Teapot

I was packin' my teapot along in my pretty pink mini-van, when along came an airliner with USPS delivery. "If you're goin' to Wapakonetta, Priscilla, with me you can fly." And so I handed o'er the teapot and she settled down inside. He asked her if she'd seen the skies with so much tea-dust. And she said, "Listen, I've flown all over in this here land!"

Then she said:

"I've been everywhere, tea ladies. I've been everywhere. I've been to Chester, Niagara Falls, Strongsville, Medina, Lake Couchiching,Washington, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Tonky, Barbourville, Corbin, Stanford, Renfro Valley, Nashville, Bowling Green, St. Charles, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Wapakonetta, Sylvania, Findlay, Waterloo, Des Moines, New Virginia, Frankfort, East Moline, Ann Arbor, Adrian, Defiance, Bryan, Archbold, Pettisville, Altadena, Issy, Burbank, Nevada City, El Cerrito, Markham, Temecula, Berea, Broadview Heights, Portland, Laguna Hills, St. Louis, Massillon, Napoleon, Pensacola."

Find out how many miles the traveling teapot has covered in the past 14 months! I think you'll be surprised! The answer is here.

Woodland Tea Adventures

The little plum teapot has been enjoying some elegant tea events on its travels across America. But, being a versatile little teapot, she adapted quite well to roughing it in the mountains! Clad in her warm cozy, she traveled to an elevation of 4,500 feet to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Sunshine and rain, meadows of flowers with patches of snow, and the warmth of a cozy cabin greeted her. She graciously posed for her picture with a bouquet of alpine shooting stars, Columbia windflowers, and squiggly white lupines. Then, it was time to get ready for tea.

A hollow log sits at the point overlooking beautiful vistas. From this log, many wild animals have been observed. Here live elk, bear, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, snowshoe hares, hummingbirds, squirrels, wild turkeys and more. Much care is taken by the human occupants not to disturb the natural environment of the wildlife. Peaceful cohabitation results.

On this day, the log was spread with a brown linen tablecloth. This covering set the stage for afternoon tea.

Cabin china, napkins, and flatware was set. The wildflowers became a centerpiece. And the tiered tray became the serving stage for tea-for-two.

Teatime at the cabin is a frequent occurrence. It's not a fussy time, as the cabin's hostess believes in making tea a part of a daily routine. This was a tea party from the pantry type-of-meal. An ice chest was brought from home, filled with food preparation staples like vegetables, spreads, and fresh fruit. A box with a loaf of bread, crackers, and store-bought cookies was packed as well. The cabin cupboards contained a variety of canned and packaged foods that would supplement too. When it came time to prepare tea, the menu was planned as the meal was prepared. Effort was made to chop, stir, and combine with tea-time presentation in mind.

Life is not without additional challenges, and the little plum teapot soon learned that this meal had to be completely gluten-free and using plant-based foods. Sigh. But plum teapot quickly stepped up to the plate.

 

 

 

 

The menu:

Seed Bread ~ gluten free from Costco
Rice crackers

Olive spread ~ made from chopped olives, red chili paste, and Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Vegannaise with spring radishes ~ for open-faced sandwiches

Peppery spring greens chiffonade with sea salt, green onion and Vegannaise ~ for finger sandwiches

Celery boats with Tofutti non-dairy cream cheese and soy Baco-bits

Radishes and spring greens

  

Banana circles with cinnamon and a chocolate chip

Cookies from the Asian market ~ made from tapioca flour ~ coconut and cashew

Pirouette cookies ~ from the cupboard and for the hostess; not gluten-free

Oolong tea from the Asian market ~ delicious!


 

 

Tea time was so pleasant. We moved the lawn chairs from around the fire circle to the point where we could sit and view our surroundings. Huge puffy clouds worked their way across the sky at a steady pace. A bear was thought to be seen on a nearby ridge, but once seen through binoculars, it ended up being a stump! Then darkness could be seen off to the left of us. Rain clouds! They worked their way to the point just as we were finishing our afternoon tea. We cleared things up and headed inside the cabin to finish our cookies and tea by the warmth of the wood stove. Rain fell in torrents, streaming off the eves and making patterning sounds on the metal roof. Such meditative sounds.

 

Little plum teapot seemed to enjoy kicking back and relaxing on this day. Such an accommodating little teapot she is!