Widow's Endorphins: Amaryllis and Afternoon Tea

Widow's Endorphins: Amaryllis and Afternoon Tea: Afternoon Tea with friends on a Sunday afternoon.  Winter's golden sunlight spilling in through a window, your favourite music, b...

Amaryllis and Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea with friends on a Sunday afternoon.  Winter's golden sunlight spilling in through a window, your favourite music, beautiful flowers, good food and great conversation - a perfect afternoon!

Traditional Afternoon Tea is so much more than a cup of tea, which is why it deserves capital letters. It is a refined lunch, served in three courses.  A three tiered tray is often used for serving a creative assortment of finger sandwiches, in a variety of bite-sized shapes.  Some sandwiches are triangles, some are rectangles, some are double decker, and others are pinwheels.  Tea sandwiches are followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and Afternoon Tea finishes with cakes and pastries. Port, Sherry or Champagne are often found on menus for Afternoon Tea. Although we think of it as a British tradition, the accent flavours are Indian.  After all, tea doesn't grow in London.

Depending on the menu, the tea selection may include a delicate Jasmine, a traditional Indian tea such as Assam or Darjeeling, a bergamot scented Earl Grey, or a smokey Lapsang Souchong. Traditionally, the tea is served hot, never iced. It is served in a large teapot, and poured into pretty teacups of fine china.  Milk, cream, sugar or honey are served alongside the tea.

If all you have are mismatched coffee mugs emblazoned with "I heart New York" slogans, and Toronto Maple Leafs logos, do not let that stop you from sharing tea and great food with friends and family!  Doilies don't create memories.    

Amaryllis Afternoon Tea

-Tea Sandwiches- 

Cucumber and Herb Butter on White Bread
Smoked Cheddar and Apple on Raisin Bread
Bombay Chicken on White Bread
Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese on Dark Rye Bread
Ham and Whole Grain Mustard on Multi-Grain Bread

-Scones-

Classic Scones with Clotted Cream
Strawberry Jam
Apricot Jam
Lemon Marmalade

-Cakes and Pastries-

Lemon Tarts
Petit Fours
Chocolate Eclairs
Brandy Snaps

-Tea-

Darjeeling           Earl Grey

The British call it Coronation Chicken, and Canadians call it Bombay Chicken.  Whatever the name, it is a curried chicken sandwich filling, and very popular on tea trays.  Raisins, and fresh cilantro leaves are often added to the chicken. Sometimes mango chutney, or apricots are used in place of raisins.  Cilantro leaves are part of the same plant that produces cumin seeds, a key ingredient in curry powder. The bread may be white, whole wheat or raisin. 

Start with cold chicken.  I have poached chicken breasts the night before, and chilled the meat for sandwich fillings the next day.  I've also used roast chicken, and deli counter rotisserie chicken. As long as it's chicken, and it's cold.  The chicken breasts are chopped into small pieces.

The curried mayonnaise dressing is basically mayonnaise, and curry powder to taste.  I often add a squeeze of lemon juice, and even a touch of honey to brighten the flavour.  The curry flavour should be strong, without being overpowering. Salt and pepper, and a dash Cayenne pepper are added. 

Toss the chicken with the curried mayonnaise, add finely chopped green onion, finely chopped cilantro, finely chopped parsley, and whole raisins.  Spread the moist filling over buttered bread, and top with another slice of bread.  Slice the crusts off of all four sides of the sandwich, and cut into four triangles, or three rectangles.  Assemble on a serving tray, along with other tea sandwiches. 

The Smoked Cheddar and Apple is another lovely tea sandwich.  Simply grate the cheddar, grate a little peeled apple, and combine the two with mayonnaise.  An option would be to add finely chopped walnuts, creating a smokey Waldorf tea sandwich.  Although not on the menu above, watercress sandwiches, and egg salad sandwiches are also traditionally found on Afternoon Tea trays. 

Creative sandwich fillings are a hallmark of Afternoon Tea.  The idea is to offer a variety of little sandwiches, rather than one with "the works".  There's no place for a Dagwood sandwich at Afternoon Tea.  Tea sandwiches are finger food, and meant to be eaten in two or three bites. Do not overstuff the sandwiches, so that the filling spills out all over your guests' clothing.  One other word of advice, make sure the sandwich fillings are moist, and the bread is not soggy. 

    

The Amaryllis plant, so popular from Christmas to Valentine's Day, brings welcome colour to a mid-Winter table.  Native to South America, Amaryllis grows very tall, much like an Easter Lily, and the weight of the blossoms cause the stalks to bow. One of my wonderful neighbours thought of me when she was trimming the blossoms from her Amaryllis plants, and the photo shoot was born. The blossoms look so lovely in individual bud vases!

Amaryllis plants will flower for weeks.  The blossoms are red, white, pink, salmon and orange, and come in solid, striped and multi-coloured blooms.

While it grows outdoors in South America, on this side of the Equator, it is a house plant.  Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a little late in the year to begin growing Amaryllis. Planting is usually done from October until the end of April, however, after Christmas, it is hard to find the bulbs.  So, put this information away until late Fall.  

When selecting bulbs for planting, remember that larger bulbs produce more flowers.  Once home, place the base and roots of the bulb in lukewarm water for a few hours.  Next, plant the bulb up to its neck in potting soil, pat down the soil to stabilize the bulb.  Place in a warm, sunny spot, and water lightly until the stem appears.  Once the bud and leaves appear, begin watering more frequently.  In about two months, you'll have a gorgeous flowering plant.  

For those fortunate enough to have several bulbs, rather than plant all of them at once, and have them all bloom at the same time, you can stagger the plantings every two weeks.  This way, you'll have spectacular, continuous blooms for months.  

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Widow's Endorphins: One Year Old

Widow's Endorphins: One Year Old: A ninety year old baby bootie is a fitting image for this little blog's first birthday. The well-worn soft leather bootie bega...

One Year Old

A ninety year old baby bootie is a fitting image for this little blog's first birthday.

The well-worn soft leather bootie began life in a British factory sometime before 1925.  The inside of the bootie is stamped with the name, Wee Bairn Brand, the Wee Bairn part is in quotation marks.  The size 2 shoe is described as, "Perfect fitting. Guaranteed hygienic.  Made in England".  It should have been labeled, "indestructible".

From the English factory, the baby bootie traveled by sea, to an Eastern port in Canada, before being shipped by rail to a shop in Vancouver, British Columbia, and my Dad's baby feet.  His early home was just a pram ride away from Stanley Park, Coal Harbour, and English Bay.  That's real West End dirt on those booties!

There were many more shoes that he filled:  black and white high-top basketball shoes, likely from his student days at UBC;  industrial boots worn in mining camps from BC to Saudi Arabia;  and highly polished black shoes from his years as VP of BCIT.  I remember too, his barefooted walk from the darkened bedroom, to a waiting ambulance stretcher, just days before he died.  Mum kept his baby booties as a keepsake, tucked inside a box in her closet.  The left one is missing...a lost sole.

The time worn biscuit tin is a heartwarming reminder of what actually was a very happy childhood.  My Mum's weekly batches of oatmeal cookies were nestled inside.  She called them Dad's Cookies because he liked them.  He wasn't the only one. Once, while we were having our family dinner,  a tiny neighbour toddled up our back stairs, opened the door, walked into the kitchen, and headed straight for the cookie tin - toddling back out the door without so much a "hello", or "goodbye", just chewing on a handful of Mum's cookies.

As a child, I was afraid of big dogs, but not the watercolour Collie on the cookie tin.  He was beautiful. My own version of Lassie, a gentle and protective furry companion, lovingly painted by E.L. Beckles.  I Googled him, and discovered that he is a she.

Evelyn Lina Beckles, an English artist best known for her paintings of dogs, cats and farm horses, was born in 1888 in Middlesex.  In her late teens, she won a scholarship to study at Hubert Herkomer's (honestly!) Art School, where she met her future husband, William Evans Linton.  She moved to Cornwall, and then Bristol, painting and exhibiting her work under her maiden name, until 1918, when she married, and began signing her name as E.L. Linton.  Her works were used to illustrate books, cards, calendars, and - cookie tins!  She lived to be nearly 100 years old.

This little blog - Widow's Endorphins - is a year old today, and like most babies, growing so fast! The blog is now home to three on-line shops, where you may purchase original photographs, prints, laptop and phone skins, throw pillow covers, coffee mugs, leggings, shower curtains...and maybe one day, cookie tins!

At the time of publishing this post, the blog site has logged 5,647 visits from readers on every continent. Thank you, to each and every one of you!  Endorphins are natural pain and stress relievers.  Flowers and photography are my endorphins, and having creative work has been pure joy.  To know that others enjoy the photographs, is wonderfully encouraging.

Baby Steps.  That's the advice we widow's give to one another.  One foot in front of the other, one day at a time.  It's a journey, not a race.  Good advice for everyone!


Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Widow's Endorphins: Downton Abbey Roses

Widow's Endorphins: Downton Abbey Roses: As the sun sets on Downton Abbey , I am counting down the hours and minutes until the opening scenes of the final season of the much-l...

Downton Abbey Roses

As the sun sets on Downton Abbey, I am counting down the hours and minutes until the opening scenes of the final season of the much-loved dramatic series.  I have been looking forward to this the way hockey fans anticipate the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Unlike hockey fans, who wear their team's jerseys, and paint their faces, I won't be wearing a gown on Sunday night, because in the words of Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, "At my age, one must ration one's excitement."

    

The words may have been spoken by the Dowager Countess, played by the amazing Dame Maggie Smith, however, they were penned by the drama's brilliant and witty Creator, Executive Producer and Writer, Julian Fellowes.

There's an authenticity about Downton Abbey that begins with the writing.  Fellowes knows the ways of the British aristocracy, because he is one of Them.  Born in Cairo, Egypt the Summer of '49, Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes is the son of a Canadian-born dilopmat, Peregrine Edward Launcelot Fellowes.  Julian, is now known in the British House of Lords, as Lord Fellowes of Stratford (in Dorset).

His wife, Emma Joy Kitchener, a Story Editor on Downton Abbey, was Lady in Waiting to HRH Princess Michael of Kent. She is also the Great Grand Niece of Herbert, 1st Earl of Kitchener.  The title became extinct, because there were no male heirs.  Lord Fellowes publicly complained that when the rules of Royal succession were changed, the changes did not include hereditary peerages.  In 2012, Queen Elizabeth issued a royal warrant of precedence.  Lady Emma Fellowes now has the same rank as the daughter of an Earl.

The issue of male heirs may sound familiar to Downton Abbey viewers.  Now in it's sixth, and final season, the drama begins in 1912, with the sinking of the Titanic.  The presumptive heirs to Grantham die, leaving the current Lord with no male heirs.  Robert Grantham has three daughters, Ladies Mary, Edith and Sybil.  And so begins the tale of Downton Abbey;  the revolutionary changes in British society;  and Lady Mary's rise to become heir to her Father's estate. 

The acting in Downton Abbey is superbe.  Each character so richly developed, they've become almost real.  We mourned along with newly wed, Lady Mary, when her husband was killed in an automobile accident mere hours after he held his newborn son in his arms.  

Real life sadly, and ironically imitated art:  Michelle Dockery who plays the young widow, suffered a devastating loss last month.  Shortly before Christmas, her fiance, 34 year old Irish Public Relations Executive John Dineen, died of a rare form of cancer.  At the funeral, she described him as so many of my widowed friends have described their loves, as being, "my friend, my king, my hero, my everything."

As for the Season Six question, will Lady Mary remarry - in an interview with Psychologist, Dr. Nancy Berk, Dockery says that, "Mary is trying to find peace with herself and to love herself in some ways, and she can't really find the next love of her life until she actually loves herself".  

  

The "look" of the television show is enthralling. The Production Designer, and Costume Designers have helped make the award-winning Downton Abbey, one of the most popular television series ever. 

Costume Designer Anna Robbins, and Susannah Buxton before her, create costumes which tell us so much about the characters wearing the clothing.  When designing clothes for Maggie Smith's character, the Dowager Violet Crawley, Buxton says she, "thought of Queen Mary".  The Costume Designer for Season Six, Anna Robbins says, "Maggie Smith can bring grey to life.  She makes it look silver".

For Cora, Lord Grantham's American-born wife, and mother of the three daughters, designs were light, and elegant, with touches of the Orient and the exotic.  Says Robbins, "the message is that she is not from England.  She's an exotic being in a Yorkshire estate".

Robbins says that when designing for Lady Mary, she used bold, strong colours to, "reflect the colours of Downton, greens and reds".  Robbins says Mary "is the embodiment of Downton, she's the next generation, and she's going to take it over, eventually.  So I wanted to make sure she looks like she belongs in every room she's in at the time."

As for red-headed Lady Edith, Robbins says she chooses, "peach and orange and greens - autumnal colours that look just wonderful".

The costumes also reflect changing fashions through the years.  The elaborate gowns of pre-World War I, give way to the simpler elegance of the war years, then the shorter hemlines of the Roaring Twenties.  King Tut's tomb was discovered in the early 1920's, and costumes for Downton Abbey show the influence of Egyptology on fashions of that era.

Although some costumes are found in vintage collections, and some are rented from other film and television productions, many pieces of clothing - especially those for Lady Mary - are handmade, using vintage fabrics.  Bead work can take thirty hours to complete.

If there is one person responsible for the overall look of the show, it is Production Designer Donal Woods.  He has four Art Directors, two Buyers, a Set Decorator, Construction Manager, and Prop Makers, all working with him, in two separate locations.

He scouted 100 estates before choosing the very first one he visited - Highclere Castle, a one thousand acre estate near Newbury, in Hampshire.  Although the seat of the Earl of Carnarvon since 1679, it was rebuilt by Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Houses of Parliament.

One of the problems with Highclere, was the kitchen.  It had been modernized.  So, the "downstairs" of Downton Abbey was created in a London studio.  With two separate locations, continuity on the set is especially important.  An actor carrying a tray from the kitchen to the dining room upstairs, is actually making an appearance in the dining room two or three weeks, and many miles later.

Woods made the downstairs look "like a black and white film".  He says, "we limited the colours downstairs and everyone wears black and grey, or cream and grey.  And then once you go through those baize doors, you're into super technicolor."  It is a banquet for the eyes!

The roses grew on our balcony the Summer before last.  They were the last roses my late husband saw before he died. When I first printed the images, I called them Mid Summer's Eve Roses, because the photos were taken on a mid Summer's evening.  The name was later changed to Downton Abbey Roses, because of their lush, rich colours, and ever changing floral story line (the blossoms begin their life in vibrant orange, and transform to peach, pink and apricot hues).


Rose photographs copyright:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.

Downton Abbey photographs are public domain, taken by Stills Photographer, Nick Briggs.  Briggs' iconic images of the cast of Downton Abbey can be seen on his website, or on the PBS Masterpiece Theatre site for Downton Abbey. Nick Briggs is also the Stills Photographer on the set of  Game of Thrones, and past credits include Outlander, Elizabeth Virgin Queen, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, and Crimson Field.