Thursday, September 13, 2007

Autumn Bliss Week: Thursday



One of the old Victoria magazine’s beloved themes for September was “finding the quiet center of one’s life.” An afternoon with Jane Austen seems a good way to find that quiet center.

I’ve pulled my blinds shut, turned on the lamp, and am pretending it isn’t 99 degrees outside. Instead, I’m imagining a cool crispness in the air and envisioning rich red and golden leaves wafting about in the breeze as though they have someplace to go but aren’t in too big a hurry to get there.

A Cup of Fragrant Tea



Numerous tea blend recipes can be found almost anywhere. Here is the recipe for the herbal concoction I'm enjoying today.

Autumn Afternoon Tea

  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried lavender flowers
  • ½ teaspoon dried mint leaves
  • A pinch dried chamomile
  • ½ teaspoon dried rose petals
  • 1 clove

Place mixture in a tea infuser and add to 6 ounces of hot water. Steep for 5 minutes and there you go. The Jane Austen Centre provides a brief tutorial on preparing the perfect cup of tea.

An Engaging Book


Today I’m reading Becoming Jane Austen, a biography by Jon Spence. Jane lived a rather circumscribed life which makes me curious as to how she created the worlds we’ve enjoyed in her books. This biography makes a number of insightful connections that help me understand more about her life.

At Home With Jane Austen

I enjoy doing theme things; it imbues such a richly-textured layer to any endeavor. As such, an appropriate bit of needlework is required for today’s bliss. I’ve chosen At Home With Jane Austen: A Sampler. It’s a work in progress. I’m not hurrying my way through it because sometimes you just have to relish the process and not rush things.

You can purchase the chart at The Sampler Girl. She is offering a free “Tea With Jane” chart and a giveaway contest so hurry over before you miss it.

I hope you find the quiet center of your life today.

9 comments:

a pink-bee said...

What a nice way to spend some time. Sometimes it is nice to slow down, planning a break to do just that this afternoon. :) Have a great day :)
crystalx

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure it's NOT hiding in my cubicle. I hope you have a wonderful autumn day.

Unknown said...

Oh your needlework looks lovely! How funny you posted a tea recipe, I was just drinking a cup thinking - hmm, this isn't very good. I'll have to look into herb teas and that cute little heart tea leaf holder too. Don't tell me you grow all those herbs and then dry them for your tea!

Lena said...

This is a truly lovely and inspiring post June. Thank you for the reminder to "take time" and for the tea recipe.
Your sampler is lovely. You have such patience for things. I really admire that.
That is a beautiful mug!

Maize Hutton said...

"sigh" I wish I had the patience to cross stitch. :-)

rohanknitter said...

Lovely!
Thanks so much for the link- a combo of stitching and Jane Austen, perfect!

Unknown said...

Whew! I have been wanting to post for a day now...my silly computer or is that the user is silly...LOL! It probably was me! I just wanted to tell you how much I have been enjoying your lovely blog!

Kim Campbell said...

Ahhh, love Jane Austen. And I love you mug in the photo! Thank you for the neat-o link.

Tanya Willis Anderson said...

Your stitching is lovely. Glad you like the sampler :)

Tanya