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Tea under the old apple tree for tea cup Tuesday

Chloe is stressing to the max. She has her last final tomorrow morning and I couldn’t think of a better way to calm us both then tea under our old apple tree in the sunshine in the back of the garden.

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The back of the garden is also behind the potager, (A little ornamental veggie garden), where the sweet peas are beginning to make an appearance.

cloches

Morgan likes to lie on top of the cold frame. I’m excited about our salad greens; they all look healthy and strong.

cold frame

C is trying to coax Morgan off the cold frame.

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When I bought this house, now almost two years ago, I also bought this very old, very huge apple tree. The tree was bound and practically strangled by a little boy’s tree house and was very poorly and I had concerns about it surviving. One of the first things I did, with Robert’s help, was dismantle and throw out the tree house, free the tree and enrich the soil.

C then draped it with prayer flags and I hung lengths of wired crystal leaves and a glass gazing ball from the branches.

Last year the tree rewarded us with a handful of blooms and three apples.

apple tree

My sweet friend and pastry chef Claire posted a fantastic recipe for banana bread and, as I had four dead bananas, I decided to try it out. It is true! This is the moistest banana bread on earth and completely more-ish and we couldn’t resist a couple slices for our tea. (Besides, bananas are supposed to have some super brain something to them.)

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There is a little marble and iron bistro table and chairs under the apple tree and that’s where we had our tea in Royal Swan Blossom Time cups.

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Aha, now Morgan has discovered there’s food involved and made her way off the cold frame. She loves “people food” and she’s especially fond of cantaloupes and avocados. (Strange cat)

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I love the gentle little apple blossoms on this china and wish I had more of the set.

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This was such a nice calm few minutes in our life today,

C-tea

And the banana bread went perfectly with the milky and sweet Earl Gray tea.

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As soon as she figured out she wasn’t getting any people food, Morgan fell asleep beside the gentians and the rescued irises. This year I planted a colourful flower garden around the apple tree except that I have no way of knowing what the irises will look like. It’s going to be a surprise!

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The sun was shining, the tea was wonderful and above us, the apple tree quietly began to open blossoms.

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Linking up with Terri of Artful Affirmations and focusing on the good too, and to Martha and also feeling the spring in the air, and to Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage and loving her wish upon a star fantasy.

Comments: 18

  • April 23, 2013
    reply

    Hi Veronica,
    I have such lovely memories of the apple orchards on my grandparents’ farm. When my father built our first house, a little orchard stood between their house and ours and I could skip through it any time I pleased to visit them. I have always loved apple blossoms and their sweet pinkness! Your dishes are so pretty and I love the blossoms on them. Your banana bread looks lovely and your tea under the apple tree sounds just about perfect. A lovely way to give your daughter a respite from studying and spend some time with you. Thank you for sharing and coming to tea and have a wonderful week.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

  • April 23, 2013
    reply

    What a beautiful way to spend time under your apple tree.

  • April 23, 2013
    reply

    Hello Veronica, I am sure your tea time outdoors, calmed your daughter some. What a thoughtful thing to set up for her. It looks so beautiful with your pretty china and the delicious dessert!
    Your tree looks so wonderful with the prayer flags and crystals! Wow! I love that you did that!
    Hugs,
    Terri

  • Jo

    April 23, 2013
    reply

    An apple tree is the perfect thing for a garden – and for a lovely afternoon tea. Beautiful photos.

  • April 23, 2013
    reply

    quel beau post!
    Morgan est magnifique !
    et le service à thé pommier est divin!
    quel bonheur de prendre son thé dehors au soleil!
    belle journée
    bises
    Sophie

  • robert

    April 24, 2013
    reply

    oi clovey ,thats my jumper !!ps , v…lovely images and gentle story , relaxing just to read it .

  • April 24, 2013
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    I think that is one of the best things about taking time for tea…it causes us to prepare and set aside a few moments we might not ordinarily have taken time for. When we set out special china for tea and a bit of food to go along with it, then bring family or friends together we instantly have a special time that also creates memories. Add your special apple tree and sweet and quirky cat, well, life is good, isn’t it?

  • April 25, 2013
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    Lovely place to have tea! We had a cat once who liked raisins (among other odd people food) – if you happened to be eating a bowl of raisin bran outside on the patio on a sunny morning and happened to go inside briefly to do something, you’d come back to the cat, picking the raisins out of the bowl and eating them. He wouldn’t eat the rest of the cereal, which is a shame, because after he’d been picking out the raisins, it was a lot less appealing as a breakfast…

  • April 29, 2013
    reply

    That last shot of the apple blossom just emerging totally took my breath away! Love fruit tree flowers!! Grew up in a valley with almond tree blossoms every spring…My dad had a cat that loved cantelope too, he was Siamese something–big fluffy cream with orange tabby points, my dad called him a “tangerine point” One day he just walked off, but not before my dad took a flash polaroid photo of him (of course made his eyes red) and sent it to me with the subtitle “Eating cantelope makes my eyes turn red” Thank you for the memory 🙂

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