Tea with the Ladies

My mother is one of eight sisters and as a result, I spent most of my formative years surrounded by women.   (I did not know my maternal grandfather but have been told he was a gentle, quiet man.  Living with nine women, I sometimes think he didn't have much choice.)  When I think of those years, the picture in my head is of my mother, grandmother and me in the middle with my seven aunts rotating around us.  Kind of like the sun and the planets.  Does that make the men in our lives the moons?  Interesting because up until the moment I wrote those words I have always associated women with the moon.  Hmm.  Different circumstances, I guess.

Geography meant I saw some of my aunts more often than others.  Whether in a small group or all together at the same time, I have never known a group of people to laugh as much as my mother's sisters.  As a quiet child, i would simply sit at the kitchen table with these women, listening, laughing along, sometimes without really understanding the joke but laughing anyways.  They were a good group of moons to have rotating around my little world.

Two days ago, I joined my mother, three of my aunts and my cousin for afternoon tea.

Tea.  Scones with cream and homemade jam.  Sorry.  No picture of the scone.  It was too good and I had eaten it even before taking a picture entered my mind.

Laughter.  This picture has convinced that I think I'll stop wearing my hair back in a ponytail.

Having our tea leaves read at the table.  Entertaining.

To continue the tea drinking theme, I thought I would show you my new necklace.

Pretty cute, huh?  I just noticed that it matches my tea cup from the tea room.  The necklace was made by the lovely Shawne of Necks to Nature .  I had the pleasure of meeting her at my second craft show and have since been admiring her jewellery.  I like the jewellery maker as much as I like her jewellery and that seems to make the necklace that much more special.