Autumn is the time..

..for a perfecty lovely little cup of tea - or two..

And to drink this healthy beverage from a beautifully decorated cup..

The English are so skilled in creating those lovely cups. This (above) is a Royal Albert cup.
And this a "Royal Swan"
And this is "Charlotte". And this is the Bavarian Rose. They are all very romantic and feminine and I have a hard time imagine Prince Albert drinking from his cup above ( with his little finger raised??) They can all be found and ordered from www.tableandhome.com
Now, the cups below are pieces of art and was designed by the Catalan architect Gaudi.

Marvellous, aren´t they?
As for great teas? Well some of my favourites are from Mariage frères in Paris whose lovely Salon du Thé in Le Marais certainly is worth a detour. (30 Rue de Bourg-Tibourg) And their pastry! You can order their new 2008 "flushes" from their home page. Reports are increasing about the benefits of regular tea consumption. And they are not talking about "the perfectly lovely cup of tea" that John Brown - her Scottish personal servant - used to serve the late Queen Victoria. Because that one was surely laced with Scotch! (Perhaps it worked wonders after all because of the age the Queen reached!) They even had a teapot modelled after her.
See this humoristic monster-wounder below! I have never seen anything like it..
Awesome! How I would love to have one!

The Young Queen Victoria Limited Edition Teapot
from the
Maureen Berry Collection

Tröttnade..

..ett ögonblick på att måla skärgårdsmotiv. Och målade
två dockmotiv igår kväll i stället.

Den översta är en antik buktalardocka blev litet förälskad i på en antikauktion jag besökte en gång. Och minns så här ungefär. (Undrar vad den gick för? Hade så gärna velat ha den!) Den andra dockan måste vara från första hälften av förra seklet. Bullkindad och "Gretchenaktig". Målad efter en docka jag hade en gång som kom från Tyskland och hette Gisela. Som hade tennisracket, läderskor och smycken och stickade vantar och annat lyxigt tillbehör..Tyckte egentigen aldrig om den dockan. Den var för fin för mig och man kunde liksom inte riktigt leva upp till att vara en sån "tjusig frökens" mamma när man var 8 år..
Nu blir det skärgård igen efter dockpausen..

I needed a break from all the marine/archipelago painting I am doing at present. So last night I painted these two dolls out of memory. They lurch deep in my memory from the past. Watercolors. But - Now back to the old track of sea, boats and cliffs and pretty cottages..