Larry and I have got in the habit of having elevenses--a little break with coffee or sometimes tea, around 11 in the morning. I learned the word from my English mother, who always enjoyed her 11 o'clock cup of coffee, often with her friend Mary Lou from across the street.
This mornings elevenses was tea with brownies.
The tea was one of my new favorites, a unique blend made by a poet friend as a Christmas gift. The flavor is amazing, soothing and yet invigorating. A really special gift I have been sipping with great pleasure.
Since this is loose tea, I use my little vintage tea strainer to make it. Stephanie included fillable teabags, but I like using it loose. (I keep some of those teabags on hand myself. They're so handy to make teabags from loose tea, and I've also used them to make lavender sachets. You just fill them and seal with a hot iron. Here's a link to where I buy mine.)
My daily teacup these days is a Jadeite Jane Ray pattern cup. The green plate the brownie is on was a thrift find, not old but I like its shape and color.
This little lady joined us this morning. She's vintage celluloid, and has a wind-up key. When wound, she busily sweeps all over the table. I made the broom as her original broom was missing. Behind here is the current compote of fruit on the table. This one is Heisey's #300, introduced around 1899.
All these little things make a simple break so pleasurable. Nothing particularly matches, everything (except the tea and brownies) is used and mostly from thrift stores. The tea and the brownie are homemade.
Small comforts. They put a smile on our faces and peace in our hearts, and make the whole day just that much brighter.
Do you take elevenses? What's your favorite treat for a break?
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Sounds like a nice break for both of you. I do miss doing that with a girlfriend in RB. She would have tea and I coffee in her dainty cups. We ate what ever bread or goody she had made on her patio. She is a chatterer and I am not, so it worked.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds perfect, Brig. Sometimes I wish I had a neighbor close enough to have coffee with, but we're pretty spread out up here. Years ago I would walk a mile to my neighbor's house to wait for the boys' school bus. I'd make sure to get there an hour early just so we would have coffee--instant, but who cared? I missed her so much when she and her husband sold and moved. A big strike was looming, so they sold their home and bought a mobile home for cash to hunker down and wait it out. Those visits, though, are among my most pleasant memories.
DeleteI remember when we were at home, cleaning the house on Saturdays, we would always stop and have a cup of coffee in the middle of the morning with Mom and Dad, if he was home. Sure miss those days.
ReplyDeleteI remember that well. Coffee for us was a special treat--loaded with milk and sugar as I recall! Those were some good times. We were lucky. Not much money, but we always knew we were loved. And we had fun, even if we worked.
DeleteI so love the Jadeite. I have the blue Fire King. I keep a mug of tea at my desk and it comes in handy during the time right before lunch.
ReplyDeleteMum always used to stop for "elevenses" - even though she habitually had it at half-past ten! When I worked on the farm the boss, Sid, used to bring a large jug of tea for the workers at eleven and all work ceased for twenty minutes or so. You don't get many bosses doing that these days.
ReplyDeleteI bet there are none doing that, John! What a nice thing--a good break for the workers, time to build relationships, not to mention make people feel like the boss really cared.
DeleteMy first job in a lab was working for a botanist from England, and our lab group had 'levenses every day :)
ReplyDeleteWe are rarely home together at 11 except for weekends but we do have 3 o'clock tea...not sure if that's the time it should be but it's the time that we seem to want some. Usually our treat is a Walker shortbread with a few Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips.
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