Mrs. Teabody Defines "Tea"

Good Morning, Gentle Reader. I trust your night's slumber has brought you to physical and mental renewal as you arrive at the midpoint for the working week. An overcast sky again this morning blots out Mrs. Teabody's beloved morning SIDESHOW, but soon enough all will be light and lovely. It was just at this time of day that Mrs. Teabody found herself blundering along in her ancient motorcar wending her way to Hollidaysburg last Saturday pre-dawn, and as a native Keystoner, Mrs. Teabody was more than a little apprehensive of the early morning kamikaze deer and their patent disregard for motorways. Mrs. Teabody makes it a point to travel as often as possible during daylight hours, don't you, Gentle Reader? All sane people do. All old sane people.

Unless you are simply being perverse, you know Mrs. Teabody has a little commercial establishment in the village called Tickle Your Fancy easily found on Facebook. The front of the store is devoted to the most divine jewelry, soaps, ornaments and gifts while the little annex is a tea room where visitors often stop for a little (or a lot) of  tea and some lively conversation. It never fails that someone interesting comes along whether it is a tried and true friend such as the recuperating but game Lady Doyle who was kind enough to etch a teacup onto two sides of the new sandwich board sign, the ever-engaging and dapper Sir Kenneth who was thoughtful enough to bring Mrs. Teabody the most delightful gift - -  Merci! - - or two strangers-soon-made-friends in the cheerful ambience of the tea room. As they should be, the teas are  of first quality and quite diverse. At last count, the blends being offered numbered in the mid fifties with every taste taken into account including white, green, herbal, flavored, black, and chai.

A picture from a formal tea at Chez Teabody

If you are in the village do stop by to try the Tea of the Day:

Tuesday: Earl Grey Pride and Joy

Wednesday: Raspberry Nectar

Thursday: Casablanca Twist

Friday: Cherry Marzipan

Saturday: Chocolate Chai

"Tea" has at least half a dozen meanings in England. Mrs. Teabody came to love the custom of taking tea  while living in Stratford-upon-Avon more than twenty years ago and  still loves it in all its definitions: at elevenses-- American equivalent to coffee break,  at cream tea -- served in well over half of village tea rooms and meaning one gets a pot of tea with a sultanna scone with butter/jam/clotted cream,  at  formal tea - -served in fine hotels such as Brown's, The Ritz, Waldorf's Palm Court usually in the afternoon and including crustless, filled sandwiches, scones and toasted tea cakes or crumpets along with a sweets course: tartlets, pavlovas, eclairs-- always three courses but sometimes all served on one tiered stand, other times brought as separate courses.  All are wonderful. When one hears someone  ask, "What's for tea? in England, he or she may simply be asking the equivalent of "What's for dinner?" By the same token, many, many folks sit down in their homes at four o'clock to a nice cuppa and a biscuit (cookie) just as a little pick-me-up or a bit to tide them over until dinner. The very last type -- a nice cuppa and a biscuit - - is what one can always be assured of at Tickle Your Fancy. The common thread running through every definition is tea; the common experience running through all is taking the time to sit down long enough to refresh yourself and set this often-too-hectic world back to rights. When Mrs. Teabody is of a certain mind, she will bake some scones, by times quite experimental.  Mon Dieu! Today's scones have pineapple and raisins and if you happen to stop by, you will be offered a scone. And a cuppa.

Mrs. Teabody hopes you will take some time today establishing your own definition of tea. Make it into a little pleasing ritual that gives you a few moments to yourself,  a special time to wind down from the cares of the day or just slow down your fast-paced existence. Ten minutes. Don't you deserve it? Of course you do.

Ta for now!