A solitary tea time, because tea is not just for parties.

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. ~Author Unknown

With the closing of my brick and mortar shop looming - just two weeks to go till the day we shut our door for the last time - I have not had a great deal of time for tea with friends. I am busy working most of the time right now and most of my friends are either far removed or are themselves just too busy for tea. But that's ok. I am making time for tea every day. The Wee Plum Pot has been a staunch companion in a hard month. It came to me a bit early, and I'm grateful for the lessons of tea during a rough time.



Here it is, posing with some Inktense pencils (and yes that IS a Marriage Freres tin holding them), my beloved water brush, and some opaque watercolors. I love how the tea cosy picks up the colors of the paint pans. I've taken to using one of the lovely tea towels that Karen sent, to make a small oasis of calm and pretty amidst the creative chaos.

"There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea." ~Bernard-Paul Heroux

I keep meaning to put some flowers out but the cats tend to eat them, so most of my flowers live outside. Still. It is nice to make a spot of lovely calm for tea and paints, and the good vibes from all the friendly folks the teapot visited previously must have soaked in. The Plum Pot and I have shared many pots of Harney's Russian Country blend lately. That's a particularly delightful blend for art, I think, a little smokey and very complex. If you can't sit in a bohemian cafe all afternoon, this probably smells a little like the same thing. Well, maybe more campfire than tobacco, but close.

From the Harney site: "A blend of four teas along with an additional touch of Lapsang, this is a softer version of Smoky Lapsang Souchong. This tea is reminiscent of the teas that were carried by camel across the Asian deserts to Russia. As Norwood Pratt quips: "the only choice was one hump or two.""

I am still hoping to schedule some Skype and tea time with a friend, if we can just manage to get our schedules lined up in the week I have left! This is tea in the modern age, I guess. Laptop to laptop. Till then, I'll just take a break each day and the Plum Pot and I will have some tea and paint with the cats. No laptop or work. No metal or tools. Just tea.



"Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things." ~Saki

The Wee Plum Pot Goes To Altadena

The Canadian Royal Mounted Police Beaver escorted the Wee Plum traveling pot to her new May digs in sunny Altadena. We are so very glad to have her for the month of May and have planned oh so many tea-ventures for her! Karen, April's Teapot hostess, sent the teapot with many delicious treats and some wonderful gifts. Tea towels, recipes, goodies... I can hardly wait to enjoy it all and share it with friends. Thank you, Karen, for such a thoughtful gift. Because her arrival coincided with our weekly Game night, Captain Beaver of the RCMP and the Wee Teapot came to game with us. Captain Beaver rolled a critical hit against a hydra. It was very exciting, and, a totally new experience for him. Royal Canadian Mounted Beavers don't play D&D very often. The DM, a frequent traveler to the British Isles and Ireland in particular, was delighted to have a teapot come to gaming. In fact, he totally hogged the teapot all night and has requested that a teapot with cosy become a regular fixture of our weekly gathering. We will have more traditional teatimes later, but if the Traveling Teapot is all about sharing tea with friends, we got off to a great start.

Mystery of the Missing Teapot

The house was quiet and it was cold and misty outside. It was time for my morning tea break. I put the kettle on in the kitchen and walk into the other room. As I walked towards the china cabinet to retrieve the teapot I realized it was gone!

The spot where I last left the traveling teapot was empty.

The roses teacups we recently used for tea sat quietly.

The pink cherry blossom depression glass plates glisten. To the right Grandma's porcelain ladies looked like they were engaged in conversation.

One teacup almost seemed to blush...hmmm.

 The creamers and sugar bowls looked so sweet.
Just then the kettle started to whistle. Softy at first then louder and louder!
 

Then, things were very unclear.

The beautiful Geisha doll kept looking forward at the bookcases. So I decided to look there next. That is where we found books on friendship and tea. We had shared such lovely books during our tea book respite. But, something new and different was there.

Where Prissy, The Traveling Teapot had sat was a lovely framed photo.

Taking a closer look...no that's not her.

Now I remember! She's all packed, passport and all, on her way to her next hostess. It's been so much fun sharing this month with Miss Prissy and all of you. We've made some fun memories. Personally, I can't wait to read about her next adventures. Can you?