Tea with my mom… and Jane Austen?
May 9th, 2008 by 
Charm & Grace
In honor of Mother’s Day I thought I would share about a wonderful outing my mother and I attended together recently. Our local library sponsored an event they called “Afternoon with Jane.” They advertised it as a time for tea with Jane Austen and asked us to bring our own teacups. My mother had been given a lovely floral tea set by her stepson who had found it and thought of her. Being very delicate and beautifully decorated, they were just perfect for the event. She used one with rose petals, and I used one with dogwood blossoms. We walked into the room at the library to see many people of all different ages… both men and women, young and old… and all with such interesting and varied teacups. 
We were treated to our choice of loose teas which consisted of Earl Grey Creme tea, a Caribbean tea flavored with coconut and strawberry guava, and English Breakfast. Along with tea we were treated to apricot scones accompanied by clotted creme, fresh lemon curd, and strawberry preserves. After we had all filled our teacups, gotten our scones and made our way to our places, the lady who runs a local tea room talked to us about the history and heritage of tea. It was a very interesting and informative talk, and she even told us how to naturally decaffienate our own tea! We also learned about loose tea as compared with bagged teas. And she discussed the differences between green tea, white tea, and black tea.
Once she was finished, the local president of the Jane Austen Society talked to us about the traditions and practices of Jane Austen’s era. He was very well read and knowledgable about all manner of things relating to Austen and her era, and he even took the time for discussion and to answer a few questions. It was a really lovely afternoon, but even more so because I got to have a tea party with my mother.
:) I love you, Mama.
Posted in Charm & Grace Site, blogging, spring, tea | 
May 10th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Happy weekend to you Christi..what a lovely event, sounds like you had so much fun. There is a local tearoom here that my husband and I go to every couple of weeks. You can get a proper English tea there…it is a wonderful afternoon tea with all kinds of scones and handbaked goodies. It is one of my favorite places to visit.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:09 am
That sounds wonderful! How nice to have a library that will do that. Ours is pretty unimaginative.
SOunds like you had a great time with your mom.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Hi Christi,
How wonderful that you were able to attend such a lovely event! I’m sure you and your Mother had a delightful time sampling all the teas, but most of all it will be a nice memory that you both share. I can’t think of anything better than tea time with Jane Austen!
Hugs, Bebe
May 10th, 2008 at 11:13 am
[…] First stop for me this morning was Christie at Charm & Grace. She wrote about an interesting tea that she attended with her mother at her local library. The images she took were beautiful and who could resist a bring your own cup, Jane Austen tea? […]
May 10th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Now that sounds like my kind of afternoon. What a wonderful idea your library had and the idea of bringing along your own tea cups is such a good one, too. The times shared with our moms are the stuff that memories are built upon…very special.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Hi Christi,
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
It sounds like you had a lovely day. What a great event.
You are very talented, God has blessed you.
Have a wonderful Mother’s day.
Barb
May 10th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
What a lovely day you had. This is a wonderful post. It sounds like you have a very special relationship with your mother. What a blessing!
xx Nancy
May 11th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
What a beautiful day you had with your mother… how nice they had something so special for you and what a lasting memory you will keep forever in your heart
HUGS
JO
May 12th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
A lovely way to spend an afternoon with your mother. I’m sure that your mom enjoys the time you spend with her as much as you do. Thank God for wonderful mothers!
Lorrie
May 13th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Delightful! I would have loved it even as a guy–but that’s because I’m English too. Hah! the idea of such an event for guys here would be hilarious–just not done–not “manly” enough. Too bad. I’d much rather do this than go on a hike or fishing or watching some game somewhere. What a good idea. thanks for the photos and post. I enjoyed it very much.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Hi Christi, thanks for your comment on my blog.
I enjoyed your tea party post…what a wonderful treat!
Your house drawings are fabulous…I used to draw all the time, but I have never been one to draw actual objects; I make them up in my head instead. Yours is the greater skill and you are quite accomplished at it.