JEANS AND HATS AT THE TEA ROOM
In the early 2000’s, tea rooms were really popular—and I loved the experience. One of the first and most “English” one I’ve been too was the Windsor Rose Tea Room in Mount Dora, Florida. Patrick took me there when I visited him in Orlando. There were teapots on shelves all around the room and they sold their specialty loose teas.
In Nashville, Heather, Kay and I took some of the African girls to a tea room in Nashville for lunch. They had hats hanging on the walls for guests to wear while they enjoyed their food and tea. Charlotte was a baby—and joined us. We laughed and sipped tea, and the girls loved looking elegant in their hats.
Our Red Zingers group (twelve women who started monthly gatherings as a red hats club) went together to a tea room in Franklin and one in Springfield. We enjoyed the dainty sandwiches, petit fours, tea cakes, and the china tea pots and cups. In Franklin, they not only provided hats to wear but feather boas and other fun accessories. We posed for pictures and felt like “real ladies” for a few hours.
I do enjoy sipping tea—recent favorites are lemon-ginger green tea, tarragon tea, and vanilla chai. During the pandemic I drank lots of hot tea. Lighting a candle and sipping hot tea in a fancy teacup became a daily ritual that was soothing.
Whether it’s tea time at a tea room—or just sipping tea alone—it’s a pleasure! And as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
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