Tea Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, then it is time for tea!

I'm sharing another of my tea sets from China.

It was a gift from a dear friend.

I love the modern floral designs in brown, blue and green.

The other thing I love about this set are the cups (five of them).

They fit perfectly in the hand.

They can be cradled to feel the heat and smoothness of the porcelain.

Do you like to read?

Do you like cozy mysteries?

Have you read the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Child?

You should!

There are so many memes that love tea and tea things. Too many to count!

Since I found Teacup Tuesday first, I will continue to link to Martha and Teri each week.

I also thought that I'd start to post other tea links so that you, dear reader, can visit them if you are interested. I'd love to, but I don't have the time each week!

Tea Things Tuesday with Wanda Lee and Pam

Tuesday Tea For Two

Wishing you well and a joyful week.

Mosaic Monday: The Wedding

Last week I shared the venue for the wedding, the lovely River Oaks Forum Civics Building and Garden.

Today it's wedding time!

It was a very happy morning, although hot!

I've talked about Vivian before. She is a friend and was a colleague of mine at the museum before she decided to study Chinese for a year in Beijing.

First was the Hindu wedding ceremony followed by the Chinese Tea ceremony.

The Hindu marriage symbolizes the physical and especially the spiritual union of man and woman. The Hindu marriage is considered a commitment between man and wife to share one's life and to care for the other.

Ganesh, the elephant headed Hindu god is always present for every puja (ceremony).

The most important item in a Hindu marriage in India is a nuptial cord of necklace called Thali. The Thali is a small pendant attached to a necklace chain. During the wedding ceremony the groom places this on the bride's neck. This is the climax of the wedding ceremony. Ladies would never remove it from their neck while their husband is alive.

The bride was beautiful in her sari of white and gold.

Parents and family elders are shown great respect in both Indian and Chinese cultures and this is reflected in their wedding customs. In the Hindu marriage ceremony, the bride and groom bow down to their parents and elders and touch their feet as a sign of respect. Likewise, the traditional Chinese tea ceremony involves the bride and groom serving tea to their parents as a show of respect from the new couple.

After the wedding and picture taking, the couple changed into their red Chinese clothes for the luncheon. We could have Chinese or Indian food. There was a lot of two fisted, two plate eating going on ... some of both, please!

Live long and prosper.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by the lovely Mary.

Each mosaic is different. Each is a story to tell.

Be sure you visit!

Wishing all of you well.

Joy!

Take My Breath Away!

The generosity of the blogging community is well known.

Sometimes, it takes my breath away.

I received a wonderful gift from Karen this week -- a beautiful journal.

It was a complete surprise.

Dear Karen, I don't know what to say except "Thank You!"

I always wanted one of your journals and now I have one.

Mr. Dragon and I looked at every page, each tag, every water color, the beautiful ribbons.

And we both were in awe of such a beautiful gift.

I'll treasure it always.

I borrowed these images from Karen's blog, A Scrapbook of Inspiration.

She posted about this lovely journal as she was finishing. Please, go visit.

See her beautiful blog and her beautiful work.

Thank you, Karen ... a thousand times over.

Thank you for being my friend.

Mail Call is wonderful, isn't it?!!!!

Good Morning!

Teacup Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday is hosted each week by Martha and Teri.

Be sure you visit to see all the teacups on parade!

I'm going to do something a little different this week.

I have quite a collection of books, including cook books and books on tea.

Culinary history is an interest of mine and developed while I was a docent at the museum.

I did a food and feasting tour for a local community college once a year and I loved it.

Of course, I needed books to do my own research!

Today I'd like to share a lovely little book on green tea: The Green Tea User's Manual by Helen Gustafson.

Helen Gustafson is the tea sommelier for Chez Panisse so she knows her stuff.

This delightful little book covers sixteen of the most popular types of green tea.

She includes interesting anecdotes, quotations, and bits of tea lore and recipes.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS DERIVED FROM TEA

A nice old cup of tea (British): A sweet person.

Chali (Chinese): A tea gift given to a woman upon her engagement.

He has no tea in him (Japanese): Said of a person with little life in him.

Hock nit kein Chainik (Yiddish): Literally means, "Don't bang a teakettle." Don't make such a big fuss. Don't bother me.

Let the tea steep (German): Forget about it.

Na Chai (Russian): Literally, "For the tea." The tip one leaves in a restaurant.

Not for all the tea in China: Not at any price.

Not my cup of tea: It isn't anything I like.

Teetotal: To abstain from intoxicating drinks.

Tempest in a teapot: Much ado about nothing.

That's another cup of tea (British): Another angle on a story.

What's that got to do with the price of tea?: Why is that important?

Gustafson is also the author of The Agony of the Leaves: The Ecstasy of My Life with Tea.

I haven't read it yet, but I will!

(Image from Art and Tea by Karen Park Buddha's Palm Oolong Tea)

Lastly, I'd like to share a blog with you that I've been following since I first started in the blogging world: Art and Tea. Karen Park knits, makes jewelry, enjoys mixed media, and works for the Upton Tea Company, one of the tea companies that Gustafson recommends. Karen shares a cup of tea with her readers on Saturday. She describes the tea, tells how the tea is brewed, shares the history of the tea. Please drop by and visit with Karen and learn more about the world of tea.

Happy Tea Tuesday!

Wishing all of you well.