Dear Diary,
Armand: It's all been very exciting, what with my arrival in New Zealand and then my introduction into my new family. Everyone has been so kind to me and I feel like a part of life here already. Pops (Jesse) and the boys put on elevensies to welcome me. I can't think of a more traditional British-inspired 'ceremony' to mark this event.
Angelo: It was my duty to serve the food. We had homemade crumpets with jams made from the raspberries and black currents in our garden. There was a wonderful Armenian nutmeg cake, baked this morning. Then, there were the mandatory crustless sandwiches, made with a variety of different ingredients.
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Elevensies at our house. |
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This calls for some of the good china, linen and silver! |
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The table is set for tea time. Notice the homemade crumpets on the top plate. |
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Angelo serves the food. |
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"I'd like a cucumber and tomato sandwich, please Angelo." |
Armand: Because I was the guest of honour, I was given the special duty of pouring the tea. It is called 'East Frisian' which is a mix of India teas, mixed in Germany. No tea bags allowed in our house! Notice that large brown betty teapot. It's an authentic ALB (Alcock, Linley & Bloor) from England.
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"I'll be mother." |
Adam: We had such a nice time, talking, eating and drinking tea. Luckily, this was our lunch; I was so full I couldn't have eaten another bite. Formal tradition really is lovely. High tea (really it's low tea but that's for another time) is a tradition we won't forgo in our house.
Jesse: I guess this should be called a 'jumped-up elevensies' because traditionally it is just a cup of tea and a small snack, like a biscuit. But, none-the-less, it was a a most enjoyable event.