Meet-up With Another Dear Friend

A week ago today [2/15] I met a dear friend for lunch at P.F. Chang's at Somerset Mall.  It had been awhile since we last saw each other, so we had a lot of catching up to do. Before we parted, Ruth gave me a gift bag.  She's from England and her mother and sister still live there, so she asked her sister to gather some tea things that she thought I would like.

Jayne visited Highgrove - the family home of the Prince of Wales [Prince Charles] and the Duchess of Cornwall [Camilla] - so that's where most of my lovely, unexpected gifts came from. Highgrove is in the Cotswolds - south west of Tetbury, in Gloucestershire, England. 

The gift bag reminded me of Fortnum & Mason's signature Eau De Nil color with the addition of purple and the Royal Emblem.

Now I know you're anxious to see what was inside the bag, so I won't keep you in suspense... a shell tea scoop.

Perfect for scooping out the loose-leaf tea in the two tins of tea she gave me.  On the left is Organic Prince of Wales tea blend - Assam and Ceylon black tea combined.  On the right is Royal Flush O.P.1 by East India Company of London. It is a Ceylon [Sri Lanka] black tea. The picture on the side of the tin is of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on their first "World Tour" after her 1953 Coronation.

~ The Ritz London Book of Afternoon Tea ~

And a lovely teacup from Ruth's mum - made in England by Rosina China for Rington's Ltd.[tea purveyors]. The pattern is Virginia Strawberry.  Thank you SO MUCH, Ruth, Jayne, and Elizabeth! 

After I left P.F. Chang's I visited the Detroit Shoppe at Somerset.  I didn't make any purchases, but it's always a fun shoppe to browse.