Cashew Cream for Scones

Those with an affection for afternoon tea delight in the creamy flavor and texture of clotted cream. This is a special, thick cream that's made by processing full-cream cows milk in a steam or water bath and then placing it into small pans where it forms clots as it cools slowly. It is served with scones, much to the delight of the the taster. Aunt Marcella enthusiastically comments on the subject whenever we share afternoon tea together. For nearly 30 years she would take an annual two-week summer holiday to the United Kingdom, planning the journey and schedule to include afternoon tea in Bed & Breakfast hostels across the countryside. Descriptions of puffy scones and large jars of clotted cream, so thick that a spoon stood straight up when set in it, delighted all of us in America as we marveled at such a creamy delight and wished to try something that seemed such perfection. Eventually, small jars of clotted cream have been found available in tea rooms and specialty shops. But for a premium price! Although this is near and dear to Aunt Marcella's memory, the jarred creams still don't meet the standard of her seasoned tongue. But something close is better than none.

For those who cannot easily obtain jarred clotted cream, vegans (or those intolerant to dairy), or the health minded, other options are welcome. Although most alternatives are not equivalent substitutions, they can be just as delicious by their own right. Dairy cream is known for its high fat content and for the role it plays in raising cholesterol. Weight gain and heart disease can result from liberal use of high fat dairy products. Alternatively, non-dairy toppings can be free of saturated fats and can actually assist in healthy body weight and reduced risk of heart disease. A study reported in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that women who ate one to two tablespoons of nuts or nut butter daily (peanuts, almonds, or cashews) weighed four pounds less and had waistlines an inch smaller than those who did not eat them. Nuts activate the metabolism. They also add protein and fiber to one's diet, making them feel full and satisfied for longer periods of time. So, what does this have to do with cream? Nuts and nut butters make delicious creamy topping! Here's my family's favorite cashew cream recipe (below):

Cashew Cream

14 oz. soft tofu, organic

1 cup raw cashews, washed

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. stevia

1 tsp. vanilla

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbs. agave syrup, organic

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Whiz until smooth and creamy. Pour immediately into a small pitcher or serving container. For a varied flavor, add a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

This makes a creamy, thick topping can can be poured over fruit or scones for tea. For a thicker topping, stir in some instant sure jel. This recipe will thicken over time as well.

The Tea Ladies

The Tea Ladies

A Slavic Sunday Morning: Friendly Village

By Aunt Cella
Origionally written 1969

It seemed the roar of Saturday night's revelry (noisy, drunken brawlers in the streets that expanded into our quaint hotel) only barely exceeded the roar of Sunday morning's market carts, and the latter took up just about where the former left off.  Those rubber-tire-less wagons came wheeling into town loaded with produce and people, with a rumbling calculated to wake the dead, hurrying to nab a prime spot on the market place on which to sell their home grown goods. Peeking out the grimy window, we nervously accessed the risks in this new invasion.  Wearily, we gave ourselves up to it, got dressed and hit the street with the marketers about 6 am, or just in time for a good frost bite. Enter here a gnarled little old lady-hen, who took me under her kindly wing and together we clucked about the booths, watching the market grow from an early dawn trickle to a rushing river by 9 a.m.  She introduced me to her sister-in-law, who was presiding over her large basin of juicy, homemade sauerkraut.  I also met lots of other farmer ladies dressed in long skirts, aprons, and head scarves.  Clothes seemed to come in two colors; dark and darker, and life in 2 speeds; slow, and as the English say, dead slow.  We finally found a man who was willing to take our picture together near the sauerkraut.  No easy task, since the men here knew nothing about cameras and simply backed off in panic when approached.  Mike, who exercises every day, come riots or wagons, even when traveling, left the market to me, and started south on a 20 mile jogging workout, headed for Sarajevo.This was to take him about 2 and a half hours, and after settling on route, time, and meeting place, I had spare time enough to kick up some excitement among the wagons.  Good grief, hadn't I had enough of that all through the long night? No trouble this time, actually, just lots of fun, as I helped myself to liberal servings of that local market.  Mike gobbled the unique cultural scene with his eyes, while jogging slowly south to the rendezvous spot.  Later as I started down the Sarajevo road to catch that runner, I also wolfed large and nearly indigestible portions of that same 19th century scenery.  My excitement had reached a fever pitch by the time I caught him and I think his had too.  "Sheep, oxen, wells, mosques, geese, drying  red paprika's, Turks, thatched roofs..........."  It all came tumbling out at once.  What a country, such villages, what farmyards, what rustic landscapes with old ladies minding the geese by a pond with staff in hand.  Having less than two years in these heady foreign climes, we were pop-eyed, excited and excitable "babes in toy land", or perhaps children in Mother Goose land. We couldn't have known it then, but much was yet to come.  In succeeding revisits, Yugoslavia unfolded its magnificent entirety to us, converting that early scepticism into a robust pro Yugoslavian friendship. She quietly wove her lovely silken web around us with snow-capped mountains, superb Adriatic coastline, green fields, blue lakes, Renaissance bell towers, fields of storks, forgotten mountain valleys sauntering along in the 17th century, and a warm and lovely people. Yep, we're captured and this Slavic Sunday was a startling, and implausible opening to a very long lasting love affair.

My Favorite Tea Story

by Aunt Cella, posted by permission
Originally written October, 1969
A true story

I left my heart in England this time.  And have left pieces of it in nearly every country we've visited.  But with England it went deep.  It's simply my kind of quaintness, countryside, people...and my language.  We were actually passing through England on our way to Ireland, having "done" England "last" summer, or so we thought.  But it's a big mistake.  One should not ignore present joys in the hopes of greater, later.  Neither is a country ever really "done" --- most of us just scratch the surface.  We were blessed for nine days with classically beautiful weather, a little nicety not often enjoyed in the British Isles.  Loved rugged Wales, but the southern counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall stretching to the very tip of Land's End, are dearest to the heart of every Briton, and were sheer joy, joy, to us.  We loved the high hedges, the hidden "smuggler's cove" beaches, the cottage rambled with roses, old inns with low oaken beams, cozy fireplaces, hanging copperware and pewter, peaceful villages, and always decency, charm, refinement.  It's such a "civilized" country!  As travelers, we felt a graciousness here not encountered since leaving Japan.  One is never a customer, but a guest to be treated with grave respect.  I discovered early how enchanting their old homes and tea houses were, so having a passion for this sort of thing, devised a system for getting into at least three a day.  Morning beverage, lunch at noon, and afternoon tea, which is promptly at 4:00.  All England pivots on the "Tea at 4:00" schedule. . .even if the house is burning, you must not rush out without having tea first!  We had Devon shire clotted cream with fresh strawberries, rhubarb pudding, deep-dish English apple pie, high tea, low tea, cream tea, country tea, lunch in a 12th century manor house, and scones, scones, scones. We are talking of another trip.

The strangest tea I will ever have in my life occurred in Ireland, which, by the way, is green, friendly, progressive, and lots of fun.  In the wild, rugged, southern Killarney Lake country, Mike and I took an all day trek, making a complete circle, first by pony cart, then by horseback, and later by boat, which circled us back to the starting point again in the evening.  Not being so lucky weather-wise in Ireland (where are all those green shamrocks?), we had rain most of the six days we were there.  This memorable day was no exception, but we wanted to take this trip badly enough to do it in the pouring rain.  We had another lady and a foolhardy couple from California with us and a little sort-of-girl-guide.  We set off in high spirits, which sank lower and lower as we got colder and wetter.  Transferring from the pony-trap after an hour, we found the horses typical nags, and cantankerous to boot!  However, I felt somewhat smug and self-assured, since I was almost raised on a horse.  After two hours on horseback and getting into deep, wild mountains, we were stiff and frozen.  Our sack lunch became a mass of mush, vitamin pills in my purse ran red all over, our clothes were sodden, and our limbs were paralyzed with cold.  Our little-girl-guide reassured us by telling us we only had three hours left to go!  We saw an isolated house that offered tea, and gratefully groaned off our horses and dripped inside, running rivulets on her kitchen floor, and apologizing between chattering teeth.  We gulped hot tea with Irish soda bread, and stayed as long as we dared.  Again, we struggled aboard our plugs, who would not do anything they did not feel like doing.  

In the meantime, the country was frighteningly beautiful, with deep gullies, broad rocky valleys, and treeless craggy mountains --- what a fantastic trip in good weather!  After two more frozen hours, Mike and I approached the summit (we were ahead) and looked into desolate virgin territory beyond. My tendency was to go left, because it look like we might meet our boats there.  But my horse was going right whether I consented or not, and trusting the sure-direction instincts of a horse, Mike and I went right.  After a while, Mike wasn't so sure, so turned his horse back to the crossroads, but mine would not go.  I kept assuming the others would come (since my horse insisted this was the right road) but, hill after hill, I kept looking back.  No horses appeared, and soon the crossroad was far behind me.  Gradually I decided this must be the wrong way, and tried again to turn around.  I tried to go into the lane of an isolated house, I tried to stop. . .I tried everything, but that broken-down horse was impossible. When I tried to let the horse know who was in charge, he promptly backed me right down a bank into a ravine.  Then, for the first time I was frightened, because I knew that I could not handle that horse.  I began (in growing terror) to contemplate spending the night out in the wilds of Killarney and likely freezing to death.  I had no idea where we were headed, but it certainly wasn't toward human habitation. These were very bad moments.  Spying an inhabited old cottage, I decided to stop, even if I had to leap off the horse, but surprisingly she was willing and I lumbered off, hallowing to the occupants. . .

An old peasant lady appeared in black dress and stockings, and at the sight of another human being, I nearly broke down in weeping.  Struggling for control, I told her I must be lost (although I suspected that she already suspected that).  I told her the boats were leaving soon (there was only one a day), but this horse insisted on coming here.  She then dropped her little bombshell --- the horse belonged there and was merely coming home --- with an unwilling visitor!  She later admitted it was not the first time it had happened.  The horse and I had been on the trail for four solid, er, liquid hours!  She led me inside her home (which I was than anxious to see despite my distressing situation) to an open peat fireplace with an old black kettle hanging over it, and then began stripping off my soggy clothes.  I sat by the fire with this kindly soul bustling about, putting warm clothes on me, getting hot tea, trying to hurry with three huge dogs, and a red-haired Irish grand baby, and a flock of baby turkeys all under foot.  I couldn't believe my eyes and wanted to laugh and cry both, at this unreal situation.  I watched bemusedly while one little turkey jumped into the rim and then into a large pail sitting on the kitchen floor.  Hearing noise, the lady of the house rushed over to the pail in time to pull out a half-drowned little turk from what was obviously a pail of water. Calamities!  It was a wild scene.  She shoved them all under a basket and then proceeded to cut a homemade raisin loaf for my tea without benefit of hand washing of any sort between turkeys and bread.  I may have winced, but I wouldn't have refused her hospitality for anything.  It tasted delicious and was served on her best china.  She commented that I "seemed to fit in very nicely here in this country" probably because I was petting her dogs that were running in and out, and trying strenuously to see everything I could while just trying to appear as if I had grown up with peat fires and turkeys drowning themselves in the center of the kitchen floor!  When I told her I was from California she was very surprised and said she thought I was one of the local Irish girls from "up North".  I concluded that I must be fitting in very well indeed.  My Yankee twang was mistaken for an Irish brogue...!

Meantime she sent her daughter-in-law (who incidentally had worked two years at Schrafft's Restaurant in New York but got homesick and came back to marry a local boy) to the neighbor's house at the end of the road for a car.  No one was home, and now we were all in a frantic frenzy.  That boat was due to leave 30 minutes before.  I threatened to walk, and finally they consented, but insisted the daughter-in-law walk the 5 or 6 miles with me.  In a few minutes, we heard a car driving up behind us, and the much-sought neighbor materialized.  We roared over ruts and believe it or not, when we arrived, the boats were just leaving, having waited over 30 minutes for me.  Mike, who was beside himself, had just told them to go on without.  He was going to start after me, spend the night in the mountains, stay with a farmer, hire a car (no more horses!) or anything that was necessary.  An interesting postscript was that the California woman's horse also took her to its house in a different direction from me, and the farmer there had to bring her back in his car also.  Well, now that it's all over, I'm glad it happened.  How else could I have taken tea in front of an open peat fire with the turkeys and the dogs and the O'Donahue's of Killarney?

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Tarts

Spring is here! It's the time of daffodils, Easter eggs, lawns turning green, and planting gardens. It's a little early to plant very many things outside, but peas and Walla Walla Sweet Onion starts are hearty enough to withstand a bit of frost as the weeks go by. If you live in the valley, sets of onion starts can be found at any nursery and in most supermarket garden centers. It's possible to grow them "nearly" as sweet and delicious as the pros; the Italian sweet onion farmers who plant and bag Walla Walla Sweet Onions in abundance. Have you ever eaten an onion like an apple? If not, it's likely you've never tried a genuine Walla Walla Sweet.

I was going through one of my mother's recipe boxes a few days ago and found this delightful recipe. With spring here, it seems a perfect time to share! I hope you enjoy!

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Tart

1 cup butter
2 - 3 oz. packages cream cheese
2 cups all purpose flour, white

Combine ingredients and blend well. Then divide the doub into 48 equal balls. Press dough into 2" sections of ungreased, nonstick muffin tins. Work the dough up the sides of the tin to the rim. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Then cream together:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten lightly
2 cups Walla Walla Sweet Onions, diced
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Fill tart shells to the rim. Bake from 30 - 40 minutes (check until golden brown). Cool completely before removing from muffin tin.

Serve as a "sweet" for afternoon tea. 

Tea-Soaked Raisin Tea Brack

Ireland is known for their wonderful tea breads. Sometimes we call them tea cakes. Whatever the name, they are delicious and perfect to accompany a cup of tea. This recipe for tea-soaked raisin bread is called Irish Tea Brack. The Irish word 'breac' means speckled. So, you can just imagine what this delicious tea bread must look like! It's a simple and quick recipe, as long as you remember to start your raisins soaking the night before. Serve with butter and jam.

Tea-Soaked Raisin Tea Brack

1 1/2 cup raisins
1 cup brewed tea, strong and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg or 1 vegan egg substitute
Rolled oats

Brew one cup of tea. Pour over raisins in a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for 8 - 10 hours.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir together until well mixed. Then, create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the egg, raisins, and tea. Stir until just combined. Then, pour into a loaf pan that has been buttered and dusted with flour. Sprinkle rolled oats on the top of the loaf. 

Place loaf in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees. Bake until the top is browned, about 1 1/2 hours. When done, cool slightly and remove from loaf pan and allow to complete cooling on a wire rack. 

Love and Tea

I'm sending you love and tea, 
To warm your winter's day. 

Think of me as you pour your cup 

And all the good things we would say. 

If we could be together now 

Instead of miles apart, 

We'd sip our teas and memories, 

The sweet warmth fills the heart.

Author Unknown

Tea was Brought

"In a few minutes tea was brought. Very delicate was the china, very old the plate, very thin the bread-and-butter, and very small the lumps of sugar. Sugar was evidently Mrs. Jamieson's favourite economy." 

Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford

In Tea

 

In Tea the host is simplicity and the guest elegance.
If all is done in sincerity it is better
than a thousand graces.

Matsudaria Naritada

Tea Shops of London

Tea-shops, for instance. I remember when I first was an art-student in
London there wasn't such a thing as a tea-shop anywhere near where we--the
girl-students--could go and get some lunch or a cup of tea. The only places
of the sort were the 'Zoedone'. In the 'nineties they were very rough and
quite impossible to go to, though perfectly well conducted. Tea, coffee, or
cocoa was served over the counter at three-halfpence a cup. I remember the
joy and excitement caused by the opening of the first A.B.C. shop close to
Oxford Circus. I can only speak for art-students, but I am sure that every
girl or woman-worker in the neighbourhood felt that the era of luxurious
living had dawned on good old London at last.

Baroness Orczy, Links in the Chain of Life (autobiography), 1947
From The Victorian Dictionary

My Roses Teapot

The teapot is an original Chatsford with a rosebud design made by Sadler, an English maker of fine tea sets. James Sadler and Sons Ltd was a pottery manufacturer originally founded in 1882 by James Sadler in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom. In recent years, the company went into receivership and is now a part of Churchill China. My teapot is vintage, making it part of what was manufactured by the original Sadler company. I purchased sweet teapot on Ebay from a seller in the United Kingdom. This is the only teapot in my collection that I have ordered on eBay. But, I fell in love with the scattered print of roses and the shape and took the risk of an international transaction and shipping.

The Traveling Teapot is Traveling Again!

The online group, Afternoon Tea Across America, is sending out two traveling teapots this year for travels throughout the United States and Canada. Hosts have started blogging about the teapot adventures. If you'd like to read about those adventures, be sure to check into the ATAA Traveling Teapot II blog. Comments are most welcome!

"Oh look, there's the TARDIS!  I filled her with peonies. . ."

Most Consoling and Comfortable

"I enjoy tea, first of all, because it reminds me of my father who was
English and only drank tea. We never used tea bags in the home. We always
brewed tea, and I remember the lovely aroma and the feel of the warm pot. I
also, somehow, find tea very consoling."

"To me, afternoon tea is a very great pleasure and luxury. However, I am
rarely at home at that time. When visiting London, I think there is nothing
lovelier than afternoon tea with little watercress or cucumber sandwiches. .
.yum yum. . .I wish I could do this at home."

"It seems to me that tea is the most consoling and comfortable of beverages,
and also, if one drinks tea, herb tea is probably the healthiest."

Barbara Walters

Bluegrass Country {TEA} Adventure

Adventures in Bluegrass Country are bound to be special. Especially when they involve a tea friend! Recently a family wedding took us into the heart of bluegrass country. The festivities were fun and the wedding beautiful! After the event we had a couple days to "rest up" before we headed home again. And what better way to "rest up" than to visit with a lovely tea friend. We drove to a nearby town where we met Linda from Friendship Tea for lunch. Our meeting place was the Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant. It is included on the list of Historic Hotels of America along with the finest. It's also included as Best Historic Hotel of Kentucky {2011}. As such, you can correctly conclude that it exudes charm, beauty, and grace.

How fitting that a fine silver tea set graced a table in the lobby. Linda is responsible for the etiquette and instruction in preparation of tea in this lovely establishment. Our server skillfully prepared a lovely cup of Boone Tavern Blend loose tea...and it was perfection in a cup! Each sip was relished and doubly appreciated because Linda sat at the table with us. The Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant of Berea College has their own tea blend, aptly created and blended by Elmwood Inn Fine Teas of Danville, Kentucky. It is rich and full-bodied. I enjoyed it immensely. Linda kindly gifted me with a tin of the blended loose tea so that I can continue the enjoyment once I returned home.

As we chatted, Linda filled us in on the history of the hotel and of Berea College. We were extremely interested in all she had to share. Berea College was founded before the Civil War by abolitionists and reformers whose purpose was to promote the cause of Christ. Students who reside at any point of the Appalachia's may apply for enrollment at Berea College. Enrollment is free to the student in exchange for a minimal hours of gainful labor over the course of each week. Student industries include woodworking, pottery & ceramic making, broomcraft, textile weaving, and jewelry making. The student's craftsmanship is displayed in a school store where their talents meld with other artisans from Kentucky whose products are also displayed and sold. The concept of student work in exchange for an education is one I think is admirable and is one that I believe other educational establishments should consider.

It's only fitting that the hotel decor included a nod to the fine horse gentility of the area. It was obvious that Bluegrass Country is a place where horse culture is alive and well! Beautiful farms, stately barns, acres of rolling hillsides and pastures, and genteel folk made us fall in love with this beautiful state. I was charmed by the black barns, many of which had large, painted quilt blocks displayed at a focal point someplace on the barn's exterior. Each quilt block was unique and in some way represented the farm where it was displayed.

There is so much more to share about Kentucky. Another time, another post. For now, simply recollecting a wonderful time shared with Linda will set the tone for future reminiscing. Linda exemplified SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY at its best.

Think Pink for Spring

"The tea party supposes neither appetite nor thirst,

and has no object but distraction,

no basis but delicate enjoyment."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Spring is near!

It's an inspiration to update the mantle

with delicate, pink teapots.

Each teapot holds a memory,

shares a story,

and speaks without words.

Plucking Chrysanthemums

 “Plucking chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge, I calmly view the southern hills." 

 ~ Tao Yuanming ~ 

Happy October!

One if by Land; Two if by Tea

A favorite writer of mine is Ce'leste perrino Walker who writes from Rutland, Vermont. I think I enjoy her writing because it her topics deal with real life things. In the Sept/Oct 2001 issue of Vibrant Life magazine she wrote an article that I've saved called One if by Land; Two if by Tea. In it she shares how a friend introduced her (and her French blood) to the gentle art of the English afternoon tea. She learned that tea is much more than a beverage in a cup, but rather something emotionally fulfilling, and a refreshing pause to the day. 

• To quote her: "Teatime fills a need for peace in our stressed-out society. Not only that, but the manner in which you 'take tea' lifts the spirits and fills the senses with beauty. Everything about tea time contributes in some small way to this: beautiful tea linens, gorgeous china, luscious tea, delicious tea biscuits or cookies (or other even more scrumptious treats). Teatime 'for the soul' can be compared to dropping everything to spend a few stolen moments in a beautiful garden." 
• She goes on to say: "I've decided to give 'teatime' a try. I'm not sure how it works. Maybe it's the special feeling you get from using the pretty teapot and china on yourself for a change. Maybe it's the ritual of preparig the tea, boiling the water, smelling the aroma of the tea as you measure it out, the rhythm of the procedure that won't be hurried. But teatime really is all they say it is."

Her advice to her readers is to take a little time for yourself this week and discover teatime, the pause that refreshes. Then thank the English. They were right all along. C'est la vie.

*The photo shown with the article reminds me of the children's teas that my mother used to conduct. She taught kindergarten for thirty years. Sometimes her school would have a benefit auction, and mother would donate a children's tea party. They were always popular and mothers and daughters would enjoy a lovely afternoon tea with all the trimmings at mom's house if they were the winners of the auction bid. Her beautiful children's china tea set was put to good use!

Patriotic Tea Towel

I stitched this patriotic tea towel for an exchange partner in Florida. It is definitely primitive and quirky! The pattern is by "Pieceable Dry Goods" and has a tea and a patriotic theme. Since this exchange was for the 4th of July, I thought the design appropriate. The pattern was originally designed to be made into a sampler, stitched on tea dyed muslin and embroidered in brown. Because I was stitching on a pure white tea towel, I decided color would be nicer. I started with a red, white, and blue theme, but quickly came to the conclusion that I needed to make the stars yellow. Everything fell together from there. Although this tea towel is not technically 'color appropriate' for the holiday, I decided it would do because there are many colors, including yellow, exhibited in the magnificent fireworks of July 4!

Sudo & Sweden

We are loving having Sudo staying with us for awhile. She has adapted to our household very well. In fact, I'm afraid she is becoming very spoiled! The world revolves around her and she thinks that is the way it is supposed to be. Even Ms. Schnauzer has taken a secondary role to sweet Sudo. Every day they spend time playing together; pulling tug-of-war with a pair of socks or taking turns chewing up a piece of cardboard. Such fun! I'm sure she misses her master and mistress, but she doesn't seem to be pining away. It's a good thing, because they are far away.

The master {also called my oldest son} is doing a good job of sending pictures from their journey. This one came with the caption: Somewhere over Nunavut. Sometimes Earth looks very alien. 

Do you know where Nunavut is? I had forgotten and had to look it up again.

• Nunavut is the largest, northernmost and newest territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the boundaries had been contemplatively drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949. Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Its vast territory makes it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world, as well as the largest in North America. {Wikipedia}

From the bridge connecting Djurgården to Östermalm

Their flight took them to Amsterdam where they changed planes and flew on to Stockholm, Sweden. It is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe that is known for agriculture, vast areas of forestland, and Vikings! After seeing a few pictures, I think it must also be known for its beautiful, cheerful colors! 

Somewhere in Stockholm

It seems timely that Sweden has been in the news this past week with the announcement that Prince Carl Philip is engaged to a lovely woman named Sofia Hellqvist. PrinceCarl Philip is third in line to the throne and the second oldest child of King Carl XVI and Queen Silvia. I'm always interested in royalty, no matter what country they are from. And with Sweden in my radar screen, this was a fitting announcement.

Vaxholm, Sweden

Vaxholm, Sweden

Hembygdsgård Vaxholm 

As a {semi} faithful blogger, I'm always thinking of things that might be fun or interesting to write about. So, when eldest son dropped off Sudo, I asked him to "please send pictures so I have something to blog about --- especially pictures of FOOD". Look at that cute little cafe! It's quaint, old, colorfully painted, and the bicycle out front simply adds to its charm.

Chanterelle quiche, with garden greens and watermelon. Swedish pastries and TEA.

I'm so glad that they remembered the tea!

More food! The breakfast buffet at the hotel. I hear the pineapple is delicious! And look at all those crusty breads.

Sudo is busy playing with Ms. Schnauzer as I type. This is her "hour of terror", at least that is what we call it. It's her play time before she settles down for the night. It's hard play and then deep sleep. Her master and mistress are waking up in Sweden just as we settle down for the night. Well, we will settle down as soon as Sudo does. 

I'm enjoying the armchair travels and Sudo adventures and I hope you are too.

Teacup Rose & Friendship

It feels so good to have a friend on whom you can depend. A friend can help to mend a heart, boost you toward a brand-new start, clown with carefree schoolgirl glee, share a quiet cup of tea.

Jan Miller, Pals

Thinking of my tea-loving, kindred spirit friend whom I've been friends with since high school. Thank you for this beautiful teacup, RuthAnn.