Rabbit-Rabbit Girlfriends! Good Morning! MUSICA It’s the glory of love!
Everything good here ~ so far it looks like it might not rain today! A minor miracle on this first day of June considering that it rained all May ~ but, so far, so good, it’s dawning with blue skies! 
Time to turn over the new page on our calendars ~ It’s tea! Perfect timing (how did I know?), because today I’m having twelve best friends for a Farewell Tea Party Twine for a girlfriend who’s moving south! I’m hoping that maybe, just maybe, if the sky stays blue, we’ll be able to have it outside under the arbor!
Our party is at four, so I doubt we’ll need the twinkle lights. But every time I look at that little spot, I think of Mr. Bowditch, who I never met, the man you lived here before us, who built the arbor with his own hands back in the 1950s. He doesn’t know it, but he has given us YEARS of pleasure. He and his wife called the arbor the “Teahouse of the Vineyard Moon.” Romantic people that they were.💞
But I’m still waiting to see if the picnic table gets dried out enough! We cleaned up the dining room just in cases. Jack’s been helping me get ready, but we still have a lot to do. I know everyone is waiting for the drawing . . . So I thought I’d say hello and give us one last day to make sure everyone is signed up for our Luv-lee beautiful cup Giveaway.
Be sure to sign up your sister, your daughter and your mom! And you! Do it today ~ just leave a comment below and you’ll be entered ~ because Vanna (our very interesting “random number generator”) is on her way back to the Island so we’ll try to do the drawing tomorrow depending on what kind of shape she’s in. 😜 You know how she is. (If none of this makes sense to you, read down the next post ~ for drawing explanation.) Until then, off I go . . . Let’s see, where’s that recipe . . . Oh yeah . . .
I’ll take lots of pictures today, between setting the table, cutting chives in the garden for the tender little egg salad sandwiches and dipping the perfectly ripe strawberries into melted chocolate. Ahhh, tea parties. How I love thee. Have a wonderful day everyone . . . It’s true, to know you is to love you!
P.S. Just saw this photo, wasn’t Jack the sweetest little kitten? He’s under the bed in the Peter Rabbit room in this photo, on his first day home. All ears and mustache! Intelligence shines out around the eyes, don’t you think? 😘
Love my LOVE mugs and would love another mug.
Loved the rabbit in the grass, she was happy it was June 1, also.
The photo of Kitten Jack just melted my heart (and I’m a Dog Person!). Wishing you glorious weather for your tea party. You could come to my place – it’s absolutely perfect weather for outdoor feasting here. We had our family picnic last Friday – wonderful! Mind you it might be a bit far to carry all your crockery and cutlery … to south-east Queensland, Australia.
Nothing like a tea party with good friends! Love it.
A new blog! Yaaay! We love to hear what’s going on at your Vineyard Cottage.
Your cups are fabulous. Love your pink china too. The sun is shining here and a light breeze is coming in, so I hope that your tea party comes off in your romatic arbor with the fairy lights. Yes, Jack is a cutie.
Jack is such a good helper! Have fun with your friends!
My granddaughter (age 4) whispered to me today that we are having a tea party ( surprise) for my birthday:)
A whole summer on Martha’s Vineyard before you! It’s going to be amazing! Enjoy your first tea party of the season.Cathy Obbema
Tea parties with friends are so special. Thanks for the reminder. And Jack is one handsome lad! 🙂
The cups are beautiful! What a treat!!
I absolutely love this blog, thank you, and thank you for the opportunity for one of your beautiful mugs!! 😊
I love tea parties and your mugs are the sweetest!
Hi Susan,
Aren’t tea parties the most fun thing! Very cozy but also elegant. I’m inspired!
xoxo Pam
Chocolate dipped Strawberries have to be my favorite dessert of all time! Wonderful!
I love tea also!! I would absolutely love one of the new cops. They are just wonderful!
Nothing could be better than a tea party with dear friends.
Enjoy,
Suzanne
I once owned a tea room named Thyme for Tea. We had wonderful tea parties every day. It was one of the highlights of my life and has provided me with many happy memories.
Can you have a tea party with coffee?
Absolutely, if you can have it with wine, you can definitely have it with coffee. Have coffee cake!
Oh to have tea with thee! That would be more than us three! But it will have to be just me…..
My Grammy is
Trying to get me to like tea! I need a lot of honey. Maybe one day it will get better. I would love to have one of your cups. My Grammy loves them also. Maybe if I win I can give it to her . Thank you Ms. Branch
I am 10 years old
Yes, it’s normal to need a lot of honey when you are 10. You go girl! 😘
I love any excuse to have a cuppa…
I remember my first tea parties with my first best friend when we were 5 years old. My mom would bring my little table and chair set in the kitchen and we would have real tea in my little tea set. And she always made us a treat too. We wore dresses and our fancy
Easter bonnets.
Bailey is my name. I forgot to change this . Sorry
Sounds wonderful! I may have to have one myself. I will make the three salad sandwich loaf. And, of course, the strawberries. Kerry and Patrick will love them. Thank you for reminding me Sue. Kisses!
Your chocolate-dipped strawberries sound wonderful……I wonder, does anyone ever do chocolate-dipped cherries?
(Well, on second thought, probably not….spitting out seeds doesn’t do much to enhance a tea party, does it!)
Hi Susan, Have a wonderful tea party. I hope the weather cooperates – Mother Nature is so fickle, you just never know! Happy June …
Love the idea of a random drawing for the beautiful mugs. I’d like to meet “Vanna,” too.
Correction of email
Tea parties are such fun. Sometimes it’s just me and my neice in Maine. Or a friend from college. But when I can get get 6 of my closest friends together and we “have tea” it becomes an all out Victorian festival! I hope things stay beautiful for your tea time today. Rabbit rabbit June is here!
I love your bunny. We live in Bakersfield California, in town, and our street has turned into a bunny sanctuary. They all live in everyone’s yards and gardens on the block. White,brown,grey, black🐰🐰🐰 My grandchildren spend hours watching them. Also my mom bought me all three of your new cups for my 60th!! She said what do u want that’s REALLY SPECIAL? That what I picked💗💗💗 if I win more I will share them with her😊
I didn’t know about “rabbit, rabbit”, although, when I looked it up on Wikipedia, it mentioned one of my favorite series of books, Trixie Belden, and her “rabbit, rabbit” moment. Now I have to figure out how to remember next month!
Thank you and enjoy your tea party.
Susan
I love tea parties, especially with my grandchildren. Goid memories are made with tea sets!
Karen
I have wonderful memories of tea parties with my 3 daughters over the years.In August the first of my girls will be getting married boy how time flies.
Have a Happy Tea Party.
I made a tea party for my daughter’s bridal shower. Complete with borrowed silver tea service. Soooo many tiny sandwiches and goodies. It was great fun.
I never win anything like this, but here I am hoping that Vanna gives me some love.
xoxox
Big puffy white clouds here in a robin’s egg blue sky! Hope you have good weather for your TEA Par-tay!!!
Tea Time and Tea Parties with friends or family are ranked up there with the best things in life! Daily ritual for me!
Today I had a tea party at the beach with friends I made in 1955 on a Pacific island (Guam). Reuniting after all that time has beem sheer bliss! I would use your cup for such special times!
I had 2 boys so tea parties were rare! But I love having tea and goodies with my friends, especially when we are celebrating our birthdays.
I’m still not brave enough to host a tea party. On another note, Jack was the sweetest looking kitty and is now a most handsome cat. Though I like orange tabbies best, he is very distinguished indeed!
Watch tomorrow, I’ll give you a play-by-play on how to put together a tea party. It’s like a puzzle, there are pieces, when you get all the pieces together, voila, Tea Party!
I love tea and new teacups are a blessing 🙂
Tea parties are so fun! Need to have more.
Susan,
Am taking my daughter and her daughter to an afternoon tea. and we cannot hardly wait to go. Trying to decide what to wear and if I should wear my hat. Its on a veranda and so may do it. And then we get to take a tour of a historical house in our town. I have been there before but I love going. So then dear Susan,
Rabbit, Rabbit!
Dear Susan, Thank you for putting the explanation of what ” Rabbit Rabbit” means on your blog! I have been meaning to ask you that for a long time!! Now I know!! 😊 Gosh, your mugs are so beautiful!! I was so happy to recieve two of them a few weeks ago and since, have ordered the Autumn and Christmas mugs. I Love Love Love them! The handles are perfect and easy to hold the mugs…thank you for that feature as well! When will those darling plates be available go order? They are beyond cute!! Enjoy your Tea Party with your Girlfriends!! xoxo
Susan, I thought you’d like to know that I gave your beautiful “Gratitude” book to each of my three daughters-in-law for Mothers Day. They all love it!
Please enter me for the drawing. Thanks!
There is nothing like a tea party to bring friends together!
A Wonderful day for a wonderful day with friends eating, drinking tea and laughing softly surrounded by nature. So lucky, lucky you… JudyC
PS: Do you know Madame Samm? Who lives in Ontario, Canada. I have been trying to find out how she is since she just stopped blogging and commenting everywhere. Thanks for any info you may have. JC
Susan,
Tea parties are the best…
I hope you and your friends had a wonderful time!
Tricia in CT
I know you’ll miss your friend but you will have another fab place to visit!! I would love to win the mugs since I missed out on buying a set. I’ve already preordered the new mugs, just in cases!
Each summer I entertain my 5 granddaughters for a week and we call it ” Granny Camp”. We do lots of fun things. But, no matter the age, they seem to enjoy our tea party the best. They get dressed up, and assume a fictional character. We use the good china and the lace table cloth and our very best manners. The only grandson plays the part of butler/server. What a grand time we have. And, now, I have one 2 1/2 yr old great granddaughter to add to the mix. Tea, what a grand thing.
When my four daughters were young, we would always have tea parties! When their friends came over we used one of our three “company” china sets. The girls also had several play plastic sets for tea time with their stuffies. Now that they are grown up, we are lucky to continue the tradition at wonderful local tea shop. Tea time is so special! Enjoy yours!!
Oh, my..oh ,my a tea party! It has been such a long long time since I had one or went to one…when my two youngest grands were with me, I would make cinnamon sugar toast…cut off the crusts and cut them into triangles…I had tea and they had chocolate milk…wonderful memories now that they are all grown up! Hmm…maybe I should make myself some cinnamon-sugar toast! Hope you had fun fun fun….Diane
Dear Susan,
You always make my day brighter with your unique very positive view of the world. Just love your ways! Please never change! Have a great time at your tea party today.
Affectionately, Carole
Hi Susan
I love tea parties and your pic of Jack is adorable! So sweet!
Baby Jack was so cute! I have snapshots and videos of all our pets when they were babies. It’s fun to go back and look at them. I just finished reading “The Fairy Tail Girl”…loved it! I remember watching the TV show “Tarzan”. It’s amazing to think that you were on the set watching the filming. Have a wonderful tea party with your friends!
A lovely spring activity! LOVEZ your books & blog.
I would so enjoy one of your mugs, Susan. Every morning I go to my cupboard to choose my “mug for the morning” and one of yours would surely be in the running!
Rabbit,Rabbit, I can’t believe it is already June! Where does time go?
I loved turning the page of my calendar today. I will drink a cup ‘o tea to you and your tea party!
Seems like it was just yesterday that it was May … lol.
May found us in Emerald Isle, NC, and while we were there my sister, niece, and I went to a tea party on Harkers Isle. A wonderful lady has a tea shop,The Kindred Spirit, which we so enjoyed. To continue the tea theme, we also were in Charleston, SC were we visited the Charleston Tea Plantation, which is the only one in North America. It is home to Bigelow teas.
Enjoy your tea party.😊
Your blog is a mini-vacation destination for me. And I love each picture you post of Jack. I am catless right now and seeing your cat always makes me smile.
Hope the rain stays away! and you have a lovely tea party. We in California have had enough – just heard that Mammoth Mountain will have skiing into August since they have had so much snow and all the rivers and falls at Yosemite are beautiful but several people lost their lives at some of the swollen rivers over the 3 day weekend – very sad. When it rains it pours as the old saying goes.
Love the mugs and the new ones are just as wonderful! Have to get my order in!
Happy June!
Tea parties make me feel like a child again, playing dress up, making muds pies etc ❤️
O my goodness Jack was one handsome kitten! I do so love his markings. We’re in the northern plains and have barely had rain in May, we’re 3 inches below normal. Grass is starting to brown already, sigh. But our late lilacs are in bloom, as are the peonies. Don’t peonies have a wonderful fragrance!
Just finished the Shepherds Life by James Rebanks about current shepherding in uk. Excellent read for anglophiles.
I, too, LOVE tea parties! Small and intimate or large with lots of girlfriends. I love them all. I’m teaching my young grand daughters the art of having tea parties and the love for them as well. Each visit to grandma’s includes a tea party! (usually 3-4 times a month!) and they adore it! Thanks for the fun post and thanks for the beautiful cups. I ordered one of each. Thought I’d use for gifts, but truly can’t bear to part with any of them!
My favorite was being at your tea party last summer in Prescott. It was so pretty, and I was with my good friend.
Hi Susan! It’s getting late now so I hope you’ve had a wonderful tea. Can’t wait to see all the photos! Your posts make my heart happy! Much love. Janelle
Hope the rain stays away! and you have a lovely tea party. We in California have had enough- just heard that Mammoth Mountain will have skiing into August since thy have had so much snow and all the rivers and falls at Yosemite are beautiful but several people lost their lives at some of the swollen rivers over the 3 day weekend – very sad. When it rains it pours as the old saying goes. Love the mugs and the new ones are just as wonderful! Have to get my or in!
Happy June 😉
Love tea with my sisters ❤️
So jealous of your yard and your team party! ☺
I had a lovely tea party for my 70th birthday. MY FRIENDS made the banner flags, lovely China and table clothes and of course egg sandwiches and scones. If you have to turn 70 that’s the way to do it. Oh and we all wore fascinator hats….we all looked good but not as good as KateMiddleton.Have fun at your party!
Love these beautiful cups!
Such a sweet idea to have any kind of party outside. I see the lovely posts you share and it makes me want share the idea. Yeah for summer
Susan, I’m just now reading this, so your tea party is well under way. What a nice thought to have a tea party in the Teahouse of the Vineyard Moon, even if the moon light is hours away. Last night’s moon here was gorgeous as it drifted in and out of the clouds. I went to see Something Rotten that was in town for the Austin Broadway series. We came out to the smell of fresh rain and a cool evening. Lovely!
Your chocolate covered strawberries reminded me of a cupcake I brought home this week. Called Strawberry Fields, it was chock full of strawberry bits, iced in strawberry buttercream, and topped off with a chocolate covered strawberry. Just saying! 😉
I’m almost certain that I’ve entered the fabulous give away, but here I am again just in case. Please throw my name in the drawing.
Happy Tea Time with your friends! Hugs from Austin, TX. ~ Sarah
Enjoy your friends! Your house is beautiful — even in the last post with the spring cleaning and all. Your yard is perfect — lucky friends who get invited to spend an evening with you at your wonderful home.
Give Jack a little scratch from me! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your life with all of us.
I’m jealous of your arbor and I just love the name! If I win the teacup I’m gonna have a tea party like the one Jessica North wrote about, too funny!
I’ll bet tea tastes better in one of those mugs!
RAbbit Rabbit! The first of June and here you are!!! All ready for tea parties and so am I!!! it is that time of year to set up outside and enjoy the birds chirping, sunshine on our faces and tea with the best of friends. Cheers to you Susan! Oh how we love this time of year…enjoy! I am so hoping to have one of your cups because they are so FABULOUS! and I can share when friends come for tea!!!! xo
Have fun! How pretty everything is!! Oh, and Jack is such a cutie !
I was an invitee to a delicious tea party a few days ago – Key Lime Pie with a meringue crust and tasty morsels to go along, as well as tea, of course. I’m sure your tea party was a wonderful success!
I hope this gets me entered into the drawing…..I LOVE Jack, so much so, that I named my kitty Jack too!
Dearest Susan…what a SWEET picture of Jack!!! By the way, your yard, house and gardens look LUV-LEE:-))) Thanks for the new post…I was happily surprised. Thanks for making my day!! love and prayers for a wonderful summer, Toni from Sylvania OH xoxo
What a wonderful way to begin celebrating June! Tea parties are such a special way to bring friends together. Special tea sandwiches, beautiful flowers, tea pots and tea cups (with their own stories to tell!) beautiful desserts arranged on a lovely cake plate placed on a pretty table cloth, with hot fragrant tea is such a beauty to behold. In the hustle and bustle of the world we now live in, we all need to make and take the time for this beautiful and wonderful ritual !! Enjoy !
You have inspired me to have a special tea party with my daughter this weekend! She is home from Veterinary college. It has been a rough time. She lost her heart dog Nicole to cancer (Basset Hound) 2 months ago and now has been taking Chuck (Nicole’s brother) to chemo treatment for cancer. When it rains it pours! She may end up a board certified oncologist . She has a cat that I wrote to you about earlier. Her name is Pistachio and she is a Tuxedo cat like Jack. Pistachio was a surrender at the clinic where Sarah works and was due to to be euthanized because she needed her leg amputated and her owners couldn’t pay .She is Sarah’s special companion and a testament to living a full life even when you experience adversity There is something really special about Tuxedo cats! I also want you to know how very special your blog is to me ! You write and address so many things that we are currently concerned about and also take us to a magical place with your lovely pictures, recipes,to ideas, and especially your joy for people and life! You put a lot of effort into your blogs and they are beautiful. Have you ever thought about putting them into a book? I love to go back and revisit them. A hard bound book would be lovely! Thank you so very much for all you do to make the world a better place!!
I have thought about it Julie! Have a wonderful tea party 😘 Love to Sarah. xoxo
We had a wonderful tea party/bridal shower this month with all my ‘Brambley Hedge’ tea pots and dishes from England. We LOVE tea parties in our family.
The power of suggestion works so well on me, lol. Off to boil some eggs and check the garden for chives! Hope your party is rain-free and lovely 🙂
You may remember at the end of 2016, I asked the local library to order the Fine Romance trilogy. As part of the Adopt An Author program, I donated the cost of the books. The staff and members have been delighted with The Fairy Tale Girl and Isle of Dreams. ‘A beautiful
book’ and ‘what a great story with great recipes’ are a few of the readers comments. Last week
A Fine Romance was delivered and I was asked in which order should the books be read. I said I read them as they were published but it would be fun to reread them in chronological order.
It was a beautiful sunny day in south Coastal Maine. Happy June.
I just finished reading “Isle of Dreams”. I think I am going to read it again starting tomorrow! Love all your books!
😘
This morning I read the June page from your calendar to my husband and son-so adorable! But a tea party for 12 is even more wonderful! Happy farewell (is that an oxymoron?)
Love, love, love
A lovely repast, egg salad sandwiches, strawberries and tea.
Your tea with friends in the garden is the perfect way to usher in June…but seeing a friend move on is always sad. Everyone will have lots to share, memories, joyful times, thoughts of new beginnings. Can’t wait to see pictures of your delightful tea party! Rabbit, Rabbit. Enjoy!
Jack is the sweetest kitty ! How lucky for him to enjoy relaxing in the Peter Rabbit room !
I hope , hope , hope Vanna chooses me 😊 I just adore your artwork on those beautiful cups ! Enjoy these Summer days ☀️
Hurrah for Summer Tea parties, I’m not quite there yet, but what a great idea for a BFFs get together. Hoping “Vanna” draws my name out of the “hopper.”
Have a lovely party inside or outside!
Should you be thinking of getting another kitty for Jack?? I finally got a new WFT puppy for my birthday. Hanna’s been gone for two years and Jakes getting older…..so we now have Gabby….what a terror!!!! But she makes us laugh all the time and is increasing Jakes life by constantly pestering and playing with him. But having a puppy is so much work compared to a kitten😳 Oh my!!!!
I know, after cats, a puppy is quite shocking. Very fun though, so cute, if you have the time for play play play! Personally, I would LOVE a kitty for Jack, but I got Jack for my Girl Kitty, and she did NOT appreciate it. So now I’m afraid to get a kitty “for Jack.”
You’re probably right….just enjoy Jack and let him not deal with competition. Jake was really withdrawn and I presume hurt but then he went over to the dark side and didn’t look back!!!😝 He really enjoys her….thank heavens!!!🐶🐶🐶
Hi Susan!
I think Jack and our little Pippa would be great kitty friends. They would spend their time outsmarting each other! 🙂
I hope the skies were dry for your tea party. Take care and enjoy the beginning of June!
Enjoy your special time with your friends. Nothing like tea for a great time and great lasting memories.
Rabbit rabbit to you,too! Tea for however many is the best kind of party possible. Thanks, as always, for the inspiring recipes and drawings and photos of the goodies. Have a wonderful gathering!!
Hi Susan,
Leaving for England for two weeks and I’m so looking forward to it. Do I need to tell you, my favorite book you have written thus far, is A Fine Romance. I read it last year and plan on reading it again. My favorite tea shop is The Lemon Tree in Tenderden in Kent. Hope to have a cream tea there this year.
I love your Blog.o
Hi Susan,
Oh how I love your beautiful charming posts! I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I win the wonderful teacup <3
Many hugs,
Tonya
Susan, what a treasure you are! Your beautiful books share my book shelf with a collection of the small Beatrix Potter books I began to buy in the mid-60s. Now for a tea party! Thank you for adding my name for the drawing!!
Always look forward to your newsletters!!
Such lovely cups, oh my!