Tea and Beer

 “There are those who love to get dirty and fix things. They drink coffee at dawn, beer after work. And those who stay clean, just appreciate things. At breakfast they have milk and juice at night. There are those who do both, they drink tea.” – Gary Snyder

Or maybe they drink tea and beer at the same time.  An Earl Grey tea sour ale from Three Taverns Craft Beers.  I thought it was quite good. 

Macaron Surprise Gift

These are such strange times, aren't they?  I feel like life has become an endless science fiction novel.  Being my age, which is considered high risk for the virus, I've been hunkered down in my home for several weeks now.

Like many of you, I am sorely missing my children and grandchildren.  In some ways we are truly blessed with technology and I enjoy my Facetime and Messenger visits,  but on the other hand, the creeping censorship of the online platforms has made our situation so much more difficult.

Back when things were the NORMAL normal, instead of the NEW normal (which is very abnormal), we went ahead and planned a family cruise to celebrate my 70th birthday in early April.  Well, of course, that trip was cancelled and by then I had become a shut-in.   All my brothers and my sister live in Canada.  My sister said that the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she really wanted to acknowledge my milestone birthday in some way.

 So one day FedEx arrived at my door with a package.  I was so happy when I opened this lovely box of macarons from the Macaron Queen.  I remember visiting their shop in Savannah, but I haven't had any of their delicious treats for quite a long time.

Wasn't that such a thoughtful gesture?  Of course I immediately made myself a cup of tea and sampled the French strawberry and the double dark chocolate flavors.  This is a gift that will keep on giving as I enjoy a couple with my tea each afternoon.  A few of the flavors are shown below.

  I hope it won't be too long before the Canadian borders are opened and I can visit my sister.  It will be wonderful to give her a big hug once again and enjoy each others company.

Oolong Tea

The Dr. Mercola website has an interesting article on the benefits of Oolong tea, which may be one of the healthiest types of tea.

Read the report here.

Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

I just saw an older article from Real Simple written in 2015.  I really needed this reminder to start drinking more green tea, in place of my favorite black tea.

Find the article here. 

Ladies Afternoon Tea

This was the first afternoon tea that I have attended for quite some time.  It was such a lovely and traditional event.  There were pretty table settings, cucumber sandwiches, scones with lemon curd and cream and much more.  

Since I arrived early as usual (it's a curse, lol), some of the tea food was not yet plated.  The three tier tray later held an assortment of mini cheesecakes.  The chicken salad sandwiches were delicious, as was the pimento cheese.  There were digestive biscuits, which I haven't had in years, and an assortment of scones and cookies. 

This was my place setting.  One of the ladies had an extensive collection of teacups that she had inherited, so each setting was different.  There was a fresh flower at each place and a scroll with the teacup story.  Each one had a teabag and a tiny cup and saucer tied on with ribbon.  

The tea selection included chai with cardamom and ginger, blueberry tea, and peach tea, as well as lemonade and other cold drinks for the non tea drinkers. 

The video presentation by Joyce Meyer was on overcoming fear and anxiety.  Seemed like it was just what I needed to hear, since I struggle with a driving phobia.  

It was certainly a pleasant way to spend an afternoon with some lovely ladies.  

 

  

Macaron Pillows

Macarons are one of my favorite teatime treats and I couldn't resist showing you these adorable macaron pillows.  I'm not sure my sewing skills are up to this project, but perhaps some of you would like to give it a go.  If you do, please let me know how this project turned out for you.

You can find the directions HERE on the JoAnn website.

Pesticides in Tea

I've been finding a lot of information lately on chemicals in tea. This video was published in August 2014.  It will be interesting to see what strides have been made with regard to the quality and purity of these brands.

I grew up drinking Red Rose tea in Canada.  For many years now the brands of tea bags that I buy have varied from Salada to Tetley and also many brands of loose teas.

I was happy to hear that Red Rose was the only tea mentioned in this video that is pesticide free.  Until I have done more research on the subject, I'll be switching back to Red Rose tea.  A nice perk is the little Wade figurines included in some boxes.

Some of the figurine series have become quite collectible.

The last box of Red Rose tea I purchased had this Wade figurine from the American Heritage Series  called Tea Crates.