Teatime Bliss
“The tea ritual:
such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession
to simple, authentic and refined sensations, a license given to all, at little
cost, to become aristocrats of taste, because tea is the beverage of the
wealthy and the poor; the tea ritual, therefore, has the extraordinary virtue
of introducing into the absurdity of our lives an aperture of serene harmony.
Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness, lost souls mourn beauty,
insignificance surrounds us. Then let us drink a cup of tea. Silence descends,
one hears the wind outside, autumn leaves rustle and take flight, the cat
sleeps in a warm pool of light. And, with each swallow, time is sublimed.”
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of
the Hedgehog
I have been
enjoying the latest copy of Teatime Bliss-a
Victoria Classic issue.
This issue is
filled with beautiful, inspiring photography – tea time tips, seasonal tea
settings as well as a number of tantalizing recipes.
I am
thoroughly enchanted.
Some of the
tips include:
Managing the
menu-‘the heart of any get-together is always the food…’
A warm
welcome – using the ordinary and the extraordinary to set a lovely tablesetting.
Thoughtful
details – ‘plan a seating chart to ensure that everyone has a chair. Place
cards makes a lovely addition to a table setting, and you can prompt easy
dialogue by appropriately placing people who have common interests near each
other’.
Teatime
How-Tos
Quoted from ‘Tea
and Etiquette: Taking Tea for Business and Pleasure’ by Dorothea Johnson
* Do take
small bites of food
* Don’t reach
across the table.
* Do maintain
good posture
* Do listen
to others when they speak
* Do thank
others fore their kindness
* Do write a
thank-you not to show your appreciation
Perhaps if we
practiced the art of taking tea – our society would be more cordial, more
relaxed and more thoughtful.
You will find
this and quite a number of amazing recipes in the latest issue of Teatime Bliss – definitely a Delightsome
teatime read.
The official
first day of spring is just one week away! I have been enjoying my garden – the
weather is supposed to be more like April and May for the next ten days.
I know, I
will be spending a number of hours in the garden.
“Moments like this act as
magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly,
yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time...When tea
becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness
in small things Where is beauty to be found? In
great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things
that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single
moment?”
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of
the HedgehogDorothea Johnson
