Sunday Reflection...

Last Sunday, May 10th, my daughter and I had the privilege of attending Evensong at Westminster Abbey in London, England.  It was a beautiful service, and I will be sharing portions of it in this, and future Sunday Reflections.

The Officiant lead us in the reflective, penitent prayer:

"Almighty and most merciful Father; we have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.  We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.  We have offended against Thy holy laws.  We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us.  But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.  Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord.  And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name.  Amen."

How wonderful to know:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9

It was good to worship in the House of the Lord so far from home. I'm thankful our Lord isn't restricted to explicit sanctuaries, denominations, or geographic locations. He promises "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."  Matthew 18:20

May God bless your week!

A Downton Abbey Tea at Tyme Well Spent

When I returned from Washington, D.C. last month, I immediately began preparing for a Downton Abbey presentation at Tyme Well Spent tea room in Hartland, MI.  The tea was in celebration of their 10th anniversary in business. 

I blogged about a visit to Tyme Well Spent last January.  [The post can be viewed here.] The house was built by Sear's "Modern Homes Program," and the pre-cut lumber, staircase, nails, and varnish all arrived by railroad.  Even though a much more humble dwelling than the prestigious Highclere Castle, the vintage house is appropriate to the Downton Abbey time period.

Downton Abbey's popularity is amazing.  Tyme Well Spent hosted two sell-out teas on April 18th and 25th.  

I love the tea-themed lamp [below] that sits on one of the dining tables.

Mrs. Patmore definitely would have approved of the high tea menu.

English Scones with Jam

Carrot Ginger Soup

Savories: Egg Salad with Watercress; Smoked Salmon with Peppercorn-Horseradish spread; and Cucumber with Dill.

~ Cornish Pasties with Wine Sauce ~

~ Asparagus with Saffron Champagne Dressing ~

~ Fresh Fruit and Cheese ~

And Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert. Tea, of course, was served throughout the meal. Suffice it to say, no one went home hungry!

I began my three part presentation during the dessert course: the characters; life above and below the stairs; and Downton Abbey fashions.  The theme was great fun to research, and the ladies were very receptive. 

[Linda Pudlik and Me]

Congratulations to owner, Nancy Martin, for ten years of service to the community of Hartland, and to tea lovers near and far!

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

We ran out of time to tour the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., but after leaving the Willard Hotel we went with Mary Jane and Carl to a mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where one of Mary Jane's friends was performing with The Voices of Canton [Ohio].   

Notice the blossoming Japanese cherry trees.

The foundation stone for the Basilica was laid in 1920, but with the Great Depression and World War II, the Basilica wasn't completed and dedicated until 1959.  Both its interior and exterior are beautiful.

Pipe organ in the balcony.

The Voices of Canton, Inc. performing.

We departed for home early the next morning, only scratching the surface of things to see and do in D.C. during our five day visit.  Hopefully I'll be able to return in the future and see the sites that were missed on our itinerary this trip, and more.

Back in the U.S.A.!

After an 8 hour 20 minute flight from London's Heathrow airport yesterday afternoon/evening, and a five hour time difference between England and Michigan's Eastern Time Zone, I'm trying to get acclimated to being back home this morning.  My daughter, Lori, and I enjoyed our 12 days in England immensely!

Below is a picture of the traditional English breakfast ['fry up' as it's called] that I enjoyed every morning.  It was part of the breakfast buffet prepared by the hotel kitchen staff. The only thing I didn't avail myself of was bacon and Heinz beans.  Lori preferred dry cereal most mornings with just a of couple of the English breakfast items.

Now that I'm home, it's back to my usual breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. The only thing that remains the same is tea.  I won't even attempt to weigh myself for a few days!

The washing machine is back in use again as I type, and I'm back to blogging, reading e-mails, and Facebook posts. After 12 days with no computer or cell phone, I'm re-entering the technological world of e-mails, Facebook posts, and blogging.

I took LOTS of photographs, and will organize them soon to chronologically share my trip. In the meantime, I'll be writing a few posts about activities that occurred before I left for England.

As my mother used to say, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."  I had a fabulous time in England, but I'm glad to be home.  In addition to family, I missed sleeping on my nice firm mattress, soaking in my bathtub [our hotel room only had a small shower], and communicating with all of you in blog land! 

Cherrio!

Taking A Blogging Break

Afternoon Tea at the Willard Hotel

Our last day in Washington D.C. was bittersweet.  We were just starting to get the hang of the Metro system, and not all the places on our 'must see' list had been fulfilled, but day #5 was very memorable.

D.C. was geared up for the massive crowd attending the Cherry Festival Parade.

We didn't watch the parade as we had 1:00 p.m reservations for Afternoon Tea at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel.  Mary Jane and her husband, Carl, joined us.

~ The Willard is located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue ~

The historic hotel began in 1847 as a row of six small houses that were combined into a single structure, and enlarged to a four-story hotel.  It was demolished in 1897, and a new modern, 12-story steel structure, faced with limestone, was built in 1901 in the French Beaux-Arts style.   Significant updating took place in the late 1990's. 

~ Gorgeous hotel lobby ~

~ Afternoon Tea is served in Peacock Alley ~

~ Tea Cart ~

The Willard serves Ronnefeldt Teas - a company based in Frankfurt, Germany.

~ Live Music ~

[L-R:  Me, Linda, Sandy]

Apricot and Raspberry Preserves, Lemon Curd, and Devonshire Cream were the accompaniments for our cherry scones.

Three-tiered server laden with delicious Afternoon tea foods.

Since the Cherry Blossom festival commemorates the 1912 gift of Japanese cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo, the menu incorporated Japanese foods.  Beginning at 11:00 o'clock position: Egg Salad and Chives on Sourdough Bread Rounds with American Caviar;  Sushi; Vegetarian Spring Roll;  Ham and Brie on a mini Brioche;  Chicken Salad on Whole Wheat Bread Rounds; and Cucumber slice with Dill and Cream Cheese.

Desserts were:  Cherry Parfait [center]; Sweet Bean Cream Puff; Sake Short Bread;  Green Tea Creme Brulee; and Lemon Meringue Tart.

Peacock Alley bustling with tea guests. 

What a memorable Afternoon Tea!