On this last day of November, before the calendar turns its page to the very busy, already penciled in days of December, I thought a soul warming cup of tea would be a just the ticket. A little reflection on the month to come led me to some tea time memories. The teapot in the picture above was a gift from my husband more than thirty years ago.
It wasn't the beginning of a lifelong love of teapots, but it did start a collection. Over the years, the collection has grown to include teapots from as far away as Saudi Arabia and Hungary.
The blue rose finial on the Herend teapot has been my favorite since the day my husband brought it home with him when he returned from a business trip in Sweden. The hand painted middle eastern set was also a gift after a long business trip.
What is the attraction that so many of us seem to have to the teapots? Is it the family memories or the artistic values that we see in them. The Peter Rabbit teapot was a gift from my sister in law and is a treasured part of my collection along with the stack of tea tiles that it is resting upon. The English Sadler pot was a yard sale find...doubly exciting because of the pansy motif on it.
The hand thrown pottery teapot with the crowned frog prince sitting on a lily pad finial came from Middlebury Vermont. It was found at a fine arts center called Frog Hollow. This was a place that we thought would be around forever, but along with many other changes in the world the center is now gone.
From as far away as Finland (the pink ringed and blue ringed pots) or as close as Dedham Massachusetts (the bunny motif teapot), the one thing that remains constant is a worldwide love of tea. The time it takes to sit down with someone and have a quiet moment whether it be in China or India, or closer to home, it is a very human, civilized ritual.
The attraction to collecting these vessels that evoke both grace and humor also seems to be universal.
While I sip my cup of tea, poured from this memory of a teapot, and think about the upcoming social events and chores, I hope that everyone reading this will have a little time to quietly enjoy a spot of tea and reflection.
This post is being linked to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday and The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday.
♥, Susan

