Afternoon Tea at the Empress

The Empress Hotel is famous for its Victorian afternoon tea. Being a Janeite and a bit of an anglophile I have wanted to do this for a long time. I was so excited to make it a part of a wonderful anniversary trip. My husband really went above and beyond with this one!The tea starts with fresh strawberries and cream.

I don’t drink tea, because being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) I uphold a standard called the Word of Wisdom, But hot chocolate is also served when requested, and it was very good. Of course a variety of teas are available, including herbal tea.A beautiful assortment of tea sandwiches were served. Our selections included egg salad croissants, smoked salmon wheels, and chicken curry sandwiches. There were also scones with jam and cream, and a variety of chocolates and other miniature sweets. There is a children’s tea available and I have to say that the little children, mostly girls with mothers and grandmas, looked so adorable with their own little fancy tiered plates in front of them. I know the afternoon tea is pricey for most of us, but it is not just a meal, it is a special experience.I would like to thank my husband Jon for 27 wonderful years of marriage, and the best anniversary weekend ever. I was completely spoiled and treated like royalty. Thank you, sweetie. I love you with all my heart!

-Lynnae

Thrift Shop China

Over the past few years I’ve collected china teacups and saucers for my friends to use at my annual Jane Austen party. I’m getting a nice little collection.

For quite some time I’ve considered collecting more china pieces to use for little get-togethers. The big hold up was that I wanted pieces with red. Well, it seems that the only china to be found with red in the design is Christmas china. Either that or people love it so much they don’t give it to thrift stores.

I don’t have a new china set of my own, a situation I hope to remedy in the future, but in the meantime I finally decided to give up on china with red in it, and just collect a few larger plates to mix and match.

Now every time I go in the thrift store I look to see if there’s a plate or two that strikes my fancy.

I love mixing and matching and stacking the plates. The plates can look so different when paired with another style that you notice new things in the design with every stack.

-Lynnae

Our Jane Austen Party

Welcome to my second annual

 Jane Austen Party

The house has been decorated…….I brought down all the heart garlands that you’ve seen in my studio.

  I was still in the bustle of preparations as my guests arrived.  We had lovely food, heavenly cocoa, and sweet punch. After eating we presented a dramatic reading, ‘The Visit’ by Jane Austen, from her juvenile works. We also read two short scraps, also from Jane’s juvenile writings, which can be found below.

We then danced a bit. Needing more room than the piano room can offer, this year we pulled furniture out of the family room and had room for five couples to stand up together. Our English country dancing was relatively successful, even if our space was still rather confined.

 

Visitors brought their own additions to paste into ‘Emma and Harriet’s book of Love Poems’. After the book was assembled we all admired it, guessed at some of the riddles, and then had a drawing to see which lucky participant would win it.

 

 

 

 

  Pictures of the book’s ‘courtship’ page I made, and below are more pictures of the event, thanks to a few lovely young ladies who were very willing to pose for us. I’m regretting that I didn’t get pictures of the whole group. I had some enthusiastic friends and family here to enjoy the day, I just didn’t pick up my camera often enough. But here are just a few more. Thanks for visiting!

    

Two short works by Jane Austen:

THE ADVENTURES OF
MR. HARLEY

A short, but interesting Tale, is with all imaginable Respect inscribed to Mr. Francis William Austen, Midshipman on board his Majesty's Ship the Perseverance by his Obedient Servant

THE AUTHOR

MR. HARLEY was one of many Children. Destined by his father for the Church & by his Mother for the Sea, desirous of pleasing both, he prevailed on Sir John to obtain for him a Chaplaincy on board a Man of War. He accordingly cut his Hair and sailed.

In half a year he returned & set-off in the Stage Coach for Hogsworth Green, the seat of Emma. His fellow travelers were, A man without a Hat, Another with two, An old maid, & a young Wife.

This last appeared about 17, with fine dark Eyes & an elegant Shape; in short, Mr. Harley soon found out that she was his Emma & recollected he had married her a few weeks before he left England.

A Tour through Wales --
in a Letter from a young Lady --

MY DEAR CLARA

I HAVE been so long on the ramble that I have not till now had it in my power to thank you for your Letter. -- We left our dear home on last Monday month; and proceeded on our tour through Wales, which is a principality contiguous to England and gives the title to the Prince of Wales. We travelled on horseback by preference. My Mother rode upon our little pony, & Fanny & I walked by her side or rather ran, for my Mother is so fond of riding fast that She galloped all the way. You may be sure that we were in a fine perspiration when we came to our place of resting. Fanny has taken a great many Drawings of the Country, which are very beautiful, tho' perhaps not such exact resemblances as might be wished, from their being taken as she ran along. It would astonish you to see all the Shoes we wore out in our Tour. We determined to take a good Stock with us & therefore each took a pair of our own besides those we set off in. However we were obliged to have them both capped & heelpeiced at Carmarthen, & at last when they were quite gone, Mama was so kind as to lend us a pair of blue Satin Slippers, of which we each took one and hopped home from Hereford delightfully --

I am your ever affectionate

Elizabeth Johnson.

(Thank you for visiting my tea party! –Lynnae)

Emma – Conclusion

The conclusion of Emma was Sunday night. I loved the adaptation and hope to add it to my collection. The Box Hill scenery was so lovely!

 

I don’t know where Box Hill is or if this could have been filmed on location. There is nothing modern to be seen in the view, but whether they filmed in in England or went up to Scotland or Ireland I don’t know. It is gorgeous though. If you know, leave a comment.

Last year over mid winter break I threw a little Jane Austen Tea Party for my family. You can see pictures here.  I am going to do it again and I’m inviting a few outside the family circle. I know not everyone will have a regency costume, but that’s fine. I’m just trying to think of those who love Austen like I do.

So this is what I’m planning. It’s actually a ‘punch and cocoa’ tea party, since I don’t drink tea or know anything about it.  We will have other little treats as well.  We will have a short theatrical presentation from Jane Austen’s work. Last year we tried a little English country dance, which we may do again, but we are severely limited by the size of my house, so I have to be flexible there.

Book of Love by Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith

Were you as enchanted as I was by the way this version of ‘Emma’ depicted Emma and Harriet’s ‘love’ book, for their collection of love poems, riddles and charades?

Instantly I wanted one like it….But then I had this fun idea today for the Tea Party. I found a small book of craft paper tied with ribbon. We will use it to make a book at the party!

I will start it out with a cover page and inside, Mr. Elton's 'charade' to Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith.
I will then invite every visitor who wants to participate in the 'Love' book to create a little page with a love poem, or riddle, suitable for the ladies, printed or nicely written, worthy of their sweet little book.
Page size...4" wide and 5 1/2 " long, embellished with pretty little cutout things, stamps, pressed flowers, lace or ribbon.
As guests arrive they will paste it into the book. After our theatrical reading we will raffle the book off to someone who contributed.

So today’s latest idea should keep my busy for a while. I’ll let you know how it goes!

-Lynnae

Jane Austen Tea Party

As I mentioned last week, I decided to throw a little Jane Austen Party for my siblings, nieces and nephews over mid-winter break. It was great fun having everyone over and my guests were all great sports at playing along, being my guinea pigs in learning a dance, and reading my Jane Austen script. Here I sit with one of my sisters. She is in the blue gown, and I have the strange feather headpiece that photographs more like a static electricity problem than an adornment.

We started with a 'cocoa and punch tea party', then we performed an 'amature theatrical' dramatic reading of my adaptation of Jane Austen's Juvenile work "Love and Friendship". I assigned parts and doled out an ample supply of felt sideburns and mustaches for the male parts. This was a good laugh and It was fun to see my adaptation come to life.

After that we tried our hands at some English Country Dancing. I taught several couples the 'Hole in the Wall' dance and we got through it several times with music, and felt quite elegant, despite the small number of couples and cramped quarters in my living room, which served as the assembly room.

Thank you all for coming! I hope in the future to be hostess of many such events!