Monday 21 March 2011

Cherry Blossom Time

This week, I have another teacup which seems just perfect to celerate the arrival of spring!

I got rather over enthusiastic with photos today so I hope you will forgive a rather long post!



This is another chintz pattern called May Medley, covered in spring blossoms in pink, white and yellow. This was a delight for me today when I unpacked one of my china storage boxes to find some more teacups to post for Teacup Tuesday and found this treasure that I had completely forgotten about! It was like Christmas!



This is a wide rimmed cup, with gilt details.


One of the internet sites I saw today described this kind of handle as kidney bean shaped. I don't suppose this is a technical term, but I do like it!


This set is a trio with a tea plate to match.


Here is a close up of the back stamp.


Royal Standard was a trade mark on china made by an English company called Chapmans Longton Ltd in Staffordshire. This trademark was used from about 1949 onwards.

If you would like to know more about Teacup Tuesday, pop over to Terri's lovely Artful Affirmations blog here. You can find links to other people participating in Teacup Tuesday this week as well, so do pop round and visit them too.



Here is the trio with a sprig of cherry blossom from my garden. I had to take some pictures of this tree and it's blossom, which is blooming outside one of my bedroom windows.






This year seeing the cherry blossom has been very poignant. The Japanese people celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossom each year with festivals. This year the arrival of the blossom will be tinged with great sadness for them in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. Looking on the internet for more information, I noticed that cherry blossom festivals in Washington and Nashville are to include fundraising to support the disaster relief efforts in Japan. So this beautiful blossom brings a sad reminder of the tragic experiences of many people in Japan who are in our thoughts and prayers at this time.

Elaine x

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful photo's and your delicate Chintz May Medley trio is divine! A wonderful Spring feeling has arrived at your home. The cherry blossom is beautiful.
    http://yvettesblogs.com/2011/03/21/springtimes-laughter/

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  2. Happy Spring, Elaine! I love your chintz teacup! It says Spring so beautifully! The blossoms outside your window are beautiful, and they do remind one of Japan's tragedy. My heart goes out to them as well! Thank you for sharing your lovely teacup and enjoy the rest of this Spring day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  3. That tea cup is certainly lovely! The design is so delicate, and seems so suitable for a spring tea.

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  4. your may medley teacup trio is gorgeous!! lovng the pattern and the handle! I also love cherry blossoms and yes it makes me sad to see the disasters that hit Japan, I'm praying for them. Blessings, Susan.

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  5. just LOVED your cup! Such a beauty!!
    cheers
    Fábio

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  6. Beautiful cup - love the colours!
    Liz

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  7. Beautiful post! Your chintz tea cup is truly a spring cup! I love the pastels and the kidney shaped handle. You must love using this cup.
    Your cherry blossoms are gorgeous. Yes, I too think of the people in Japan and feel my heart go out to them. Many blessings on each one!
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  8. What a delicately pretty tea cup!! The blooms are so pretty and Spring like! We have 4-8 inches of snow predicted for tomorrow so we will have to wait quite a bit to see any blooms here!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  9. Beautiful pictures of the cherry blossoms!

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  10. What a beautiful teacup! It's perfect for spring!

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  11. How could you forget about this gem? It made my heart race, it is so Beautiful.
    Very poignant, what you said and your kind thoughts.
    Greetings, Ruthie

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  12. Dear Elaine,
    That was very sweet of you to be thinking of the people of Japan. A lovely tie-in with your cup and cherry blossom pictures.
    The teacup is exquisite. You have the most beautiful ones. Oh, I love chintz. I spent yesterday morning leaving a comment on every one but nothing showed up today. Hope it works this time.
    Ruthie from:http://www.ladybstimefortea.blogspot.com/

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