Angela Webster McRae's Blog, page 44

Sightseeing … close to home!

I don't often have reason to write about it much on this blog, but we are a real TV and film mecca in my area of Georgia. My county alone gave the world gems like Driving Miss Daisy and Fried Green Tomatoes, and loads of zombie lovers came to town when The Walking Dead became a hit. In more recent years, Trilith Studios in neighboring Fayette County saw films including Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity War. A live-work-play community called Trilith has been built there as well, and that's where Alex and I spent a recent Saturday afternoon. It was fun to see all the homes and shops, and I was delighted to find teas for sale at The Funky Shack!

The one I got was Edith Grey from Big Heart Tea Co. I'd never heard of Big Heart Tea before. Have you? It was a lightly rose-flavored Earl Grey tea, and I loved it! 

Alex and I are both big stationery fans, so we enjoyed checking out Archer Paper Goods, home of fine pencils and pens and notebooks, and we came home with quite a few new goodies.

I thought this rhinoceros statue was quite interesting!

And so was this flowery mural.

Lots of pretty flowers were blooming, and we had a perfectly lovely afternoon just twenty minutes from home.

If you're a movie lover and see Trilith Studios or the Town at Trilith mentioned…

… perhaps you'll remember that it's located right here in the Hollywood of the South, my home state of Georgia! (And don't you love those doors on one of the gorgeous Trilith homes!)

Happy Easter!

 

On this Good Friday, I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Coronation Tea from Harney & Sons

Okay, it's not here yet. I merely ordered it the minute it went on sale on Monday, but … I have a feeling some of you would like to order this Darjeeling Coronation Tea, too, and I wouldn't be surprised if it sells out (or is on backorder) before May 6. 

Normally, I would hesitate to even mention a tea I haven't yet tried, but this is Harney & Sons, after all, and they've never put a foot wrong, as the Brits say.

Fortnum & Mason and other UK vendors have coronation blends as well, but the shipping makes ordering them cost prohibitive (and Harney's shipping is free). Are you planning to watch King Charles's coronation? I sure am!

Tea at a countryside tearoom!

Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending one of the most delightful—and exclusive!—tearooms that I've ever been to! I've known Susan, a retired science teacher, for years now, and we go to church together. She'd mentioned that she sometimes hosts teatimes for friends at a little place out in the country that was once her husband's family home. I began to hear about this place from friends at church, and Susan even asked me to join them, but my schedule never worked out to visit until last Wednesday, and I was so happy to be able to join her and her Sunday School class for tea! Every room in the home is now a dining room, and she has decorated with the items she used to have for sale at antique stores.

All the ladies brought a treat to share, and when I got there, women were busily arranging the three-tiered servers.

These pretty "blossom cookies" were a big hit with everyone because they were tasty and pretty!

And we had a nice variety of finger sandwiches, including cucumber, pimiento, and chicken salad on both raisin bread and marbled rye.

A classic cucumber sandwich will probably always be my favorite. Susan had a huge selection of loose teas as well as tea bags for us to choose from, and I opted for some caramel-flavored tea from Republic of Tea, which I enjoy and hadn't had in a while. We also had cheese straws, several different types of cookies, and dessert bars. Somehow, this lovely teatime managed to be both casual and elegant!

Susan was the perfect hostess, making sure every table had plenty of all the treats.

I so enjoyed seeing all of her vintage linens and collectibles.

The weather was sunny and warm, and it was such a treat to drive out into the countryside and discover a private little tearoom.

Don't you wish you had such a place in your family? I sure do!

A very special new tea mug

On the Thursday mornings when I'm not swamped with work deadlines, you can usually find me at First Baptist Church here in Newnan, participating in a great Bible study with a wonderful bunch of women who are "real" and enjoy sharing life's ups and downs while learning about the Bible together. And when I showed up to class yesterday, my friend Donna pointed at a nice big group of mugs she had made *for the entire class* and told me to go select one!

I wish I'd thought to take a photo of all of them, because she had different sayings and verses on the mugs, which I believe included blue and yellow ones, too, but the pink ombre one was calling my name and will serve as a good reminder to "pray without ceasing." And for those of you who are crafters, she made these with her Cricut machine. I don't own one (although goodness knows I've been tempted), but I thought those were strictly for making vinyl to go on things. I had no idea you could make mugs with a Cricut!

Several cups of Lady Grey tea were enjoyed in the new mug last night, and I honestly do believe that tea tastes better in a new mug or cup. Don't you? Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

The little tea filter that couldn't …

So I've made a couple of visits now to our new Publix. It's probably a sign of middle age when you get excited about a grocery store opening, but there it is. So on a recent visit, I was surprised and delighted to discover a package of 100 individual tea filters for just $2.99, and by a vendor I'd not heard of before!

Fill 'n Brew, it said.

But … but … but. If you fill these little guys, you're gonna be picking up tea leaves! See this opening? That's it. There's no way to close these tea bags. They don't fold over upon themselves like some do, and there's no extra-long filter to hang over the side of a cup. My rowdy little tea leaves were soon plotting their escape, and I ended up just hanging the (wet and messy) tea bag over the rim of the cup and letting some liquid dribble down the side while my tea steeped, which was not exactly what I'd hoped for. I must have bought a dozen different types of tea filter over the years, but my goodness, this is the first batch I've ever bought that aren't designed to close! Who knew such a thing existed? (I do now, alas.)

Some teapot jewelry (and a jewelry designer!) that I just love

Two years ago, I was at a book signing in downtown Newnan when a beautiful young woman wearing a gorgeous rhinestone necklace stopped by the table. I asked to take a photo of her necklace, and I learned she was a Ukrainian woman now living and working here in the US, and she is also a jewelry designer! I explained that I write cozy mysteries about a jewelry designer, and before you know it, a mutual friend and I were having tea at the home of Yana and Yegor, and we've been friends ever since. So when she asked if I would help her write a few words of verbiage for an upcoming exhibit of her work as part of an art display titled “Ukraine in Bloom,” I was happy to help. When I got to the event, I wasn’t the only one wearing a "Yana original," as I was wearing a pearly dragonfly pendant-and-earrings set of hers I’d bought at a pop-up shop last year.


It was so fun to see her and Yegor again. Are they not the cutest couple!

I spent some time admiring her work, and before I left, Yana said she had “a little something” for me. The “little something” was this sparkling teapot necklace she'd made for me, with a little "joy" and "love" on the side!


Fashioned on a lush black velvet ribbon, the necklace was tucked inside this beautiful tin that says “Earl Grey Tea” on it! I know that I will treasure both of these items forever.


Here are some of Yana’s jewelry creations on display at the Peachtree City Library.

Her friend Mia was also displaying her artwork, including lots of sunflowers (often used as a symbol of Ukraine), and sales of the art will benefit a family back in Ukraine that has been unable to leave their home near the Russian border.


Last Sunday when getting ready for church, I made sure to choose a dress and other jewelry that would coordinate with my latest (and most favorite) "Yana original." (And I believe this is the only selfie I've ever shared here. I'm much more comfortable sharing shelfies than selfies!) If you like dreamy, romantic jewelry as well, you can see more of Yana's creations at yanapidorvan.com.

The puzzle winner is …

 Sandra! I've just sent her an email, so this puzzle will be headed her way soon!

"Afternoon Tea in the Park" … circa 1906

The Library of Congress website seems to have added a lot more tea images since I last pored over them. This one, a stereographic image from 1906, is titled "Afternoon Tea in the Park, Kensington Gardens, London, England."

Here's a close-up of the image. It's kind of hard to tell, but I think maybe that's a floral design on those umbrellas. Or do you think it's lace? At any rate, I'm impressed by the fancy dress and by the lengths they went to for "tea in the park" that day. And wouldn't you love to know what was on the menu!

In search of an 'Iced Tea' dahlia!

Every spring, it seems, I get a bee in my bonnet to go looking for plants with “tea” in the name. I’d been reading a new book that mentioned that dahlias are not that hard to grow, so I told myself, “Self, let’s go find a dahlia with tea in the title!” And before I knew it, I was chasing down an “Ice (or Iced) Tea” dahlia tuber. Now Swan Island Dahlias is apparently the granddaddy of dahlia purveyors, with a beautiful website, and that’s where I first saw the image of this dahlia. Its gorgeous ombre coloring reminds me of my "grombre" hair when I was growing out the gray a few years back, a topic dear to my heart since the #grombre movement (seriously! it’s a thing!) is a topic in my next cozy mystery. So this ombre dahlia was one I had to have, only … "Sold out! Out of stock!" the website said.

Do you know where I found this dahlia, though? Etsy! Would you have thought to look on Etsy for plants? Only a random Google search led me there. My two dahlia tubers have arrived, and they're the sort of things only a mother could love, but I'll be doing my best to nurture them and keep them alive!
And, of course, if you spot any plants with “tea” in the title while you’re at the garden centers this spring, I would sure love to hear about them!