Teatime on a rainy afternoon -

On the way to Sligo, Ireland on a rainy afternoon - June 2019.

Photo from the bus window.

Beautiful music for teatime from the piano of  Brian Cain 

It was raining here in Raleigh on a recent afternoon - not a drenching rain
 such as often experienced in Ireland last year - but wet enough to
 stay indoors, bring out a favorite mug (Emma Bridgewater's "Happiness is a 
Cup of Tea & A New Magazine & A Bar of Chocolate"), and enjoy a nice
 calming herbal infusion of camomile tea. 

I didn't have a bar of chocolate but I enjoyed small, but perfect for dipping, 
Italian Crunchy Figs & Almonds biscotti - Fatti a Mano (meaning handmade). 
I found a pretty bag of these in that always interesting imported foods section 
of my local HomeGoods store at Christmas - a favorite place to search for
 delicious items not carried in regular grocery stores.
Do you ever check there for food items?
TJMaxx has a similar but smaller section.

I've baked 'handmade' biscotti, but not recently. A bit time
consuming but always fun and I must make some again soon.

Some of my more interesting tea bags I have to admit I've picked up from

mostly European hotels and airport lounges. . . . . and many when on

 board ships!  

Those overseas locations, always have such an interesting array of 

teabags - which makes me think they still love their tea more than coffee,

 which usually seems first choice for a hot drink here in the USA.

Not certain where this particular teabag traveled home from - but

it was really good and so alluring when I opened the "Hand-Stitched

Silken Tea Pillow"  which expanded when the hot water was poured

and the camomile buds opened.

Where do you purchase your tea bags or loose tea?

I buy a lot when visiting home in England - two of my favorites being the

 Empress Grey and Pure Origin Ceylon available from Marks & Spencer.  

Quite honestly, despite being English, my knowledge of tea is minute!

I never liked or drank tea growing up. It was basically strong loose black

 tea brewed in my mother's teapot, and I really only started enjoying

different teas, black, green and herbal, perhaps 25 years ago. 

I'm dedicating this 'tea post' to my fabulous Portland, Oregon friend

Marilyn at Delights of the Heart

We met many years ago through our blogs, and some years back

 (in 2013 - wow how time flies!) Bob and I were able to meet Marilyn and

 her charming husband Jim in Portland. 

Being an extremely knowledgeable tea expert Marilyn introduced me to

 exciting new teas . . . . I just know you will love her relaxing teatime posts, 

both indoors, outside in her garden and greenhouse, in the countryside, 

 at the beach, and especially at the stunning Lan Su Chinese Garden in

Portland where she took us one afternoon.

  Marilyn's beautifully written words, and the thought-provoking poetry she

shares, make for perfect reading with your own cup of tea, so do stop by

 her great blog if you haven't done so before.