Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

We had no such thing as printed newspapers in those days to spread rumours and reports of things, and to improve them by the invention of men, as I have lived to see practised since. But such things as these were gathered from the letters of merchants and others who corresponded abroad, and from them was handed about by word of mouth only; so that things did not spread instantly over the whole nation, as they do now. -- Journal of the Plague Year O, the glorious 1600s! Years full of beheadings, royal plots and also the cradling years of the BEST WIGS EVER. The mere mention of  King Charles II and that trend-setting wife of his, Catherine de Braganza, sends all real tea aficionados  into a little  tizzy of excitement. Pictured above is author Daniel Defoe--you know,  the creator of Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday? If his "do" is not the precursor of the popular spiral perm, then I'm, well, I'm not certain what that makes me but  that wig  IS AWESOM...

Yesterday morning I woke to pouring rain and chose for my morning walk a turtleneck, jeans, and an insulated vest, along with scarf, hat and gloves. By one o'clock I was in short sleeves and Mr. Teabody was "catching some rays" inside the secret garden. Crazy October and as we slide into its finale of Hallowe'en, I can't help recalling a day inside my classroom with an administrator and the topic of devil worship. Like most female teachers, I paid homage to the seasons and holidays by way of door decorations and bulletin boards and as this was in the days just prior to political correctness, angels and the Christ child showed up for a few weeks before Christmas with the same regularity as colorful baskets of eggs and bunnies alongside a glowing cross for a few weeks before Easter. And what teacher (like myself) was going to let Hallowe'en go by with all its cool imagery and not take advantage of the chance to decorate? I had the gamut of images bought a...

*Caveat: the following provides the information from a lecture on British Tea Style presented at the Pennsylvania Tea Festival on September 27, 2019. Just a few months from now, Mr. Teabody and I will embark on yet another, much-anticipated holiday in England -- Yorkshire this time. Imagine that! After so many trips abroad, I am still THRILLED to be going to England! Next to my very own home in rural Pennsylvania, England/Great Britain/the United Kingdom is my very favorite place to be. Perhaps it is yours as well? How did this now decades-long love affair begin and how did my Anglophilia bring me to where I am today: owning my own tea shop, playing a role in my community's social  and business scenes,  giving teas for charities and being part of a tea association? How did a person who grew up on a farm become such a fan of all things British? It was a gradual process. Let's be clear: I am no less an American because I love England so much. After all, I'v...