victorian tea?

HI There!! I am Minkey!! and I have taken over this blog!! As to why you can read about it by clicking here if you desire.


Cielo at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ is having a Victorian Tea Party on Monday, so I, Minkey, the most wonderful monkey around these parts, decided I must participate...... And Martha is having one on Tuesday HERE





Behind me you see my flowery teacozy. I am wearing my Springtime attire of a floral nature to go along with this setting. The white flowers I have picked are poisonous so I must make sure they don't fall into the tea!! They are confederate Jessamine (sp?) and have the most powerfully sweet fragrance! NOTE: if nannykim should not respond to any of your teaparty posting you will know that the tea was contaminated with the poison. Us monkey's are not affected by it.....
The temperature is in the 90's as you see above!! This party happened here with us monkeys on Friday in SC where springtime can be warm. We decided we should move outdoors for a more victorian? setting.
Zephir and I felt that the above netting gives a lacey feel to the setting.
You notice the poisonous flowers to the left of the netting!

Of course with the tea above, we monkeys love bananas and kiwee fruit! No need for dishes for us!!
Of course I think we might want some of the Monkey Bay below. However it is best for cooking and not drinking as it is a bit tart.......sooooooooo
We will have our little tea. The Tea pot and cups we purchased at the Charleston Tea Plantation. It is the only tea plantation in North America!!! (there is a post further down on this blog about our trip there by clicking here....yes Zephir and I , Minkey (the most beautiful beige monkey!)did go!) These look appropriate for us monkeys, don't ya think? Piglet had to come too. I figured for the victorian look I should don a veil....well um this was as close as I could come to it. Since green tea is so good for us, we drank it right up--yummy--we are using the kind that has a bit of lemon in it!!

Well, guys, it got a little too hot out there so we came back inside and we wish you all adieu! But first ......a larger picture for you all?

Ps. If Nannykim gets poisoned.....well.....what can we say, but that we tried to behave!

Minkey is taking over this BLOG

Hi, this is Minkey speaking !! I had a talk with nannykim (the one holding the camera below). I told her that I am really not trying to be rebellious.....BUT....she has been neglecting this monkeyblog!!!!

I realize she has a lot of other blogs to take care of......so I told her I could be the one to help out here at my favorite blog!! Zephir, my hubby (in the photo above) sooooooooooooo agreed!!

We often just hang out in this upstairs bedroom and just sit around and hold hands. (the mural in the back is part of one that nannykim's son did when he was very young and nannykim is sentimental so she has left it there).

I decided to sneak down the stairs this morning!!!

I had to go through one of the dining areas to go toward the kitchen where nannykim usually keeps her computer!

YES, BABY!! I have arrived. I am going to take over this here HERE blog!! SO you better look for further adventures. I may go to all kinds of places with nannykim. Rhianwen, you and ALden will have to check out our adventures!! (Rhianwen and Alden are nannykim's sweet grands.)

Let me see if I can get the hang of this.....hmmmm

Yup--I think it will be a breeze!! AND note to all, I am in my springtime attire---no scarff needed this time of the year!!

I am going to settle in with some of nannykim's coffee. OH and I want to challenge you other monkeys out there to do this. START a blog of your own and then tell me--lets have a grand time!!

BREAKING NEWS!! THIS JUST IN!!!! ALDIE MAN'S MONKEY RESPONDS TO THE TAKEOVER!!



MINKEY.....I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE DONE THIS ...BUT YOU ARE BRILLIANT. ALTHOUGH I AM A LITTLE STARTLED. I AM LOOKING FOWORD TO THIS....MAYBE I WILL START A BLOG TOO!

Aldie Boy's monkey

This is the new monkey for Aldie Boy's birthday. I think I will call him Aabee which is short for Aldie Boy. He has a very shocked expression on his face. This is because Alden often does shocking things for his age.Soooo Aabee is often shocked ---Alden walked at 9 months, can play a flute like recorder, can ride a horse with one hand in the air and while simultaneously rocking on the horse, can get in all kinds of crashes, can fall flat out on the floor because he looked up at Uncle Skipper, etc

This will be one worn out shock filled monkey--so he is resting in the chair , but still has the surprised look on his face!

Here is a close up--his ears are different so that Rhi can tell him apart from the rest of the gang. His hat is sewed on so Aldie won't lose it.

He now awaits the birthday party for Alden Boy in July!

Black Balsom Mountain

This is one of our favorite places--you get a 360 degree view!! We were hauled up here to celebrate the 32 anniversary of our owners ;-)

Springtime FUN

We got to be reunited with one of our favorite families--and Our favorite Grand Daughter! See how she loves us!

Our 2 friends (part of the Tinsley 3 monkey family) are getting their gizzards shaken out!

Zephir had time for coffee with one of the Tinsley 3's

Then it was picnic time at Duke Gardens--we loved this blanket!

Little Aldie thought no one was watching him get into the bananas and apples--but Zephir and Minkey where keeping their eyes on this little lively imp!

Here we are just having a relaxing moment--ya gotta love that Rhi girl in the pink hat!

The lake and flowers were beautiful--it was a photo op.

Rhi ate an apple with us.

All in all it was a splendish time!!

Charleston Tea Plantation

This weekend we went to the Charleston Tea Plantation---we love this tea!! In the background you can see their old harvester which is from the 60's and is still working.

Of course the best thing about visiting the plantation is that Kim got to get a new teapot--one that is just perfect for her morning tea! However , she usually uses one of Rosanna's tea cups from Seattle.

Here we are sitting in the weeds next to a tea bush. The bushes in this particular plot had lots of old varieties which they were not using at this time.

A festival is coming soon. They will have the first cuttings of the season and it is exceptionally good tea.

This is a picture of some of the older bushes. Tea bushes can produce for hundreds of years. One of the oldest ones (not here) is around 1400 years old!! YIKES.

After the tea is cut it goes onto the withering bed to dry it out (but green teas are not put here)

The Rotovane crushes it up .

Then it goes to the oxidation bed. (the whole process from cutting until ready for bagging only takes 20 hours. They send the tea to Kentucky to be made into bags .....or sometimes to Fairfield ,CT..)

The trees were beautiful.

Here is Skipper and Dad---it was a nice time together!

And here is the ole lady with her prized tea pot!! VERY Happy.

On Sunday we attended the services at St. Phillip's (started in the 1600's).