That year I was in Spain, twice I saw thistle down passed me by and being a child within, twice I chased after it and tried to catch it with my hand, twice I tried without success. I wonder where they are now. Have they settled on some land and turned into plants?
To me, thistle down signifies freedom and courage. The freedom to dance with the wind. The courage to trust and fly wherever the wind blows.
Today I find the thistle on the cup made by Royal Albert.
Look at the handle! Is that a feather of angel's wings accidentally landed on the cup? Or, is that the wing of Cupid?
Here is the thistle down on top of the handle.
Drinking tea from it, I am the child I once was again, believing in angels and Santa Claus. A child who lives moment by moment and not be burdened by life.
Drinking tea from it, I remember the days I spent in parks, watching children play with balloons as if they will take them away from reality to a far away land.
It is said that every one of us has a child within. We just dont know when that child stops coming out to play as free as he/she used to be. Is it because we grown ups have to live up to the world's expectations and stop playing like a child? Well, once in a while, it doesnt hurt to play and behave like a child, to believe in the goodness of the world and to have faith that angels are around us all the time even though we might not be able to touch or to see them.
Uh, yes. One night when I was conversing with my Spanish friends in the rented apartment. One of my friends shouted "Look! A thistle down! Pick it up and make a wish with it then blow it out of the window!" Filled with excitement and doing a little bit of the silly victory dance, I picked it up and blew it out of the window while making my wish.
When did this thistle down land on my apartment? I had no idea. All I know is that if we are light as a feather even though after some failures of dreams and not give up chasing after them, who knows, angels might come to you with your dreams at your door!
With vintage or antique tea cups, I often wonder about their history with their previous owners. The cup I am sharing today seems to have a story or had witnessed the story of its owner.
When I was admiring this cup the first time it arrived at my home, I got a feeling that this is the cup that does not have the happy vibes. I made tea as usual and poured tea in it anyway. As I was sipping the tea, the feeling came to me. I felt that the cup once belonged to the wife of a medical doctor(or a profession). As a doctor, husband was always busy and focused on his patients.
Thinking that the wife would like to have jewelry, he often took her to jewelry shops and once they picked up this cup from the jewelry shop. The wife felt the lack of emotional exchange with her husband but did not voice her own feelings so the husband kept giving her material things as to keep her happy(because that's what he thought would make her happy OR he did that to make it up to her out of his own guilt).
Many times she was sipping tea while waiting for her husband to come home but often her day ended in disappointment. He often came home after the tea had gone cold. The lack of something was presented in the cup.
To be honest, the cup also carries this vibe. I tried many times to drink tea from it but as soon as the tea was poured into this cup, the tea went a bit tasteless. I tried a stronger tea assuming that it likes stronger tea but it's in vain. The cup changed the taste of the tea instead.
Bit by bit, I was having a second thought of drinking from this cup again as I have no idea which type of tea she was looking for. Plus, after drinking from it the first time I had a stomachache(I did clean it before I used it).
I guess in any relationship, emotional exchange is very important and voicing our feelings or opinions is aqually important as well. Even the people closest to us might not be able to guess what we want sometimes. Reaching out is the first step, building the emotional bridge is the next. Each of us has a busy life but it does not mean that we have no time for our families or friends. It all depend on our willingness.
It might be too late if the cup has been upsetted. Every moment is the time for making connections with families and friends. Why wait?
Note: The cup was manufactured by Mintons for Birks. Birks as in Henry Birks and Sons Jewelry workshop opened in 1879 in Canada. Now Birks has merged with Mayors and named Birks and Mayors which has shops in both the US and Canada. It is said that Birks for Canadians is what Tiffany's is for Americans. Both are well established jewelry companies. Minton has made tea cups for Birks as well as for Tiffany's. The cup I present today carries the backstamp used between 1890--1920(correct me if I am wrong).
I like the ribbon bows all around the cup. It's very elegant and feminine. It's a bit of a shame that it does not carry tea so well as tea becomes tasteless or completely different taste when it's in the cup. I do pray that the former owner had a peace of mind under the wings of God.
Until my next post. Thanks for visiting!
Sometimes a tea cup reminds me of a certain person or a film. The cup i am sharing today reminds me of Marie Antoinette and the fashionable shallow people in Capitol of Panem in the film "The Hunger Games".
Marie Antoinette is recognised as a fashion queen and her hairdo was considered the 'Must have' item of a fashion icon in her days. The high-tower like hairdo both signifies power and lavishness.
The people from Capitol of Panem in 'The Hunger Games' are also fashion oriented. Because they have the never-ending resources and power over the people in other twelve districts, a lot of effort is put into beautifying oneself.
This is the cup by Royal Albert. Look at the shape. It's a mixture of both modern and classic.
The handle of the cup resembles the hairdo of Marie Antoinette and of ladies living in that period.
The hot pink colour of the cup is the favourite color of people of Panem from Capitol in The Hunger Games. Something about this color that shouts 'Look at me'.
There is nothing that they wont do to attract attention and to entertain themselves. It's difficult to understand such place with advanced techology is crowded with cruel people.
It seems that with advanced techology, people's brain or intelligence are shrinking. Because of technology, people do not need to go outside or be in the nature to get food or resources, people are completely lacking of touch with Nature. As they get further and further away from nature, they do not remember the beauty of nature, that's why they create beauty for themselves, that is to create artificial surgery or buildings. But beauty of nature can never be replaced. As they wrap themselves in artificial things, they forget to nurture their own soul and heart---these are one of the beautiful things we always have. I guess that if people in Capitol are in touch with their own soul, they will not be cheering as the 'Hunger Games' begins because they will realize that hurting others means hurting themselves as we are all One.
Sometimes it's important to set time aside for ourselves to get in touch with nature and with our soul, to be with our soul is to be with beauty of the creation. Look within and we will see beauty in ourselves instead of seeking recognition from outside. Look within and we will find joy and happiness instead of waiting for others to make us happy and to bring joy or mistreat others for entertainment. Look within and we will realise the wholeness of the world instead of separation and struggle of power.
Off to have a cup of tea and have conversation with my soul!
until next post! Ciao!
Hello everyone. This is my second T.T. post.
The cup I am going to share is this:
It is actually of the same shape as the first cup I shared last week, I did not realize that until I was taking pictures of the fruit cup.
I like the shape as well as the flower patterns. The flowers decorate the cup all round. I also like the elegant handle which imitates the vine of the plant.
It is unmarked(only the words--Bone China, Made in England was printed ) but I guess it's made by Queen's China as the shape and style are the same as the fruit cup I shared last week.
The flower is called Magnolia. I like the elegant shape and the leaves. The stigma of the flower reminds me to lead life with passion. Have passion for life!
Life seems plain sometimes but passion keeps energy of life going.
Do what we like and like what we do is the way to go.
I also feel thankful for the seller who took trouble to post this set to me from the US. At first he did not want to ship out of US because he had trouble walking. But then realizing how much I like this set, he agreed to post it to me. He is the good example of someone who likes his job/likes what he is doing---selling things online.
Thanks for letting me share.
Dont forget to visit Terri's blog:
http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com
Hello everyone. Happy New Year of 2013!
I am new here and glad to have found a place to share with you my collection of tea cups.
This is the tea cup I am sharing today:
I came across this cup at a flea market during my first trip to London, England. I was drawn to its combination of the vibrant colors of warm yellow, red and deep violet.
One side of the exterior of the cup is decorated with a pair of cherries which are my favourite fruit.
The other side of the exterior of cup is decorated with blue berries.
This cup was made by Queen's China England. Judging from the stamp, I guess this cup is labeled as a 'second' because the manmade scratches of the stamp found on both the cup and the saucer. But it does not stop me from keeping it as the color is so warm and is suitable for winters.
Humans are interesting creatures. We label things, and even label ourselves(or other people). But take a moment to think about it, we see beauty in imperfections and imperfections are parts of beauty. Therefore, there is no need to reject imperfections. We need to accept imperfections as parts of ourselves and others.
Thank you very much for letting me share! See you in the next post!
