vilakins | Victorian tea party and an English city garden

It's spring! In fact it almost feels like summer but for the lack of cicadas.

Yesterday, also a perfect spring day, Greg and I went to a Victorian tea party, part of the Auckland Heritage Festival with the proceeds going to charity. It was held in what used to be a small library built at least 100 years ago (OK, that's old for here). There were dainty triangular sandwiches, asparagus rolls, little crisp almond biscuits, sponge cakes, shortbread, jam tarts, and Dundee cake. An old guy said grace in Victorian style with a blessing on 'Her Majesty the Queen' which would normally have annoyed republican me, but I smiled, thinking of the queen in Tooth and Claw. As we ate, another old gent played Victorian tunes on a piano. Dilmah tea was served in thin white china cups which always makes it taste nicer somehow, and we took our second cup outside into the garden which was lovely.

Heard between two little girls playing on the swing there: "We're really good friends. We've never ever fighted." :-)

One of the tea ladies in her apron

The garden just outside
It was very English; I don't think I saw any natives.

Me having a cuppa in the sun.
As you can see, I wasn't as nicely dressed as some.

New oak leaves

More of the garden

Greg taking our cups back
I loved the wisteria and the lead light windows in the ex-library which you can see behind him.