tea and errands on holy thursday

 

janet went with me to the library where i had several books on hold and where she had to have her card re-issued as it had expired. we then went to té for tea. it's such a small and lovely tea shop and everything is delicious. i had mount a-li oolong and she had prickly ash flower herbal which i bought to have with kathy as its flavor is so different and interesting. we also had a sesame cake, red bean cake and an almond cake with citrus jam.

i then went to strand books (for a hideaway gift for chanda - something my family does each year at easter - kathy has something for greg and i but not for c), the sustainable store (for dish detergent) and lifethyme (frozen corn for the chili and some other things such as maple syrup). it was only 47 degrees today, 30 degrees less than yesterday. i was bundled up again with two sweaters, coat, hat and hand mitts. and boots. (i was wearing sandals yesterday!)

i'm dyeing eggs now (six eggs with beets and six eggs with onion skins . . except the beet color didn't work out and now i'm trying tumeric). 

wishing everyone a peaceful and loving maundy thursday.

tea and tacos

 
janet and i had tea at té again, and the she joined greg and i for fish tacos at las mariscos in chelsea market.

knitting, tea, wildfire and cat toys

i knitted at kendall's today while she's away as morgan was doing some filming with friends in the apartment . . 

then milly and i went for a walk past the friends' corner (tv show) where the tourists take pictures (you can see them on the corner behind her).

and then tea with janet at one of my favorite tea places where i hadn't been in ages . . 

we chose "oriental beauty grand," an oolong tea.

we were in the tea cafe from from 4:30 to 6:00 pm and during that time the smoke from the quebec fires blew in. i had no idea what it was, but janet knew as she's from british columbia and often experienced such fires growing up. it's just never blown so far south.

new "toys" for the cats: my veterinarian recommended puzzle feeders as they tend to gobble their food. it does slow them down and they seem to enjoy looking for the kibble. i have yet to try it with wet food. 

 

 ----

 

here's a little wood fairy running around in the countryside . . 

rainy monday, cat care, tea and florida

it was a humid and rainy day . . fortunately it wasn't too hot. i think it only went up to 78 or so.

but i got caught in a downpour on my way to cat care . . fortunately, i had my umbrella!

remember nala?

she's queen of the cats.

("i have my toys. go away now. i want to rest.")

janet and i investigated a new tea place . . and found it very nice. the cookies are chocolate chip tahini and ginger .

i had jasmine ascension (forgot to take a pic of all the different teas that make up the brew) and janet had a chai.

----

and in the everglades . . 

chanda standing next to a beautiful, giant mahogany tree.

strange tea

janet and i had tea at a new place on west fourth street: bao. the earl grey tea was very good, as was the bun. however, i found both a little strange as the tea was supposed to be sweetened and flavored with honey and lemon, but it only tasted like sugar, and the bun was black . . to be fair it was called a lava bun . . but i'm not a big fan of food coloring and that's the only thing it could have been colored with. inside was a sweet custard which i enjoyed (and, yes, it was orangy yellow, as if it was lava--i should have taken a pic of that . . ) very artistic!

tea at o cafe

janet and i met for tea and to exchange christmas gifts today at o cafe on sixth avenue.

 she's been so busy designing costumes for different theatre productions that we've had a difficult time getting together.

 we walked to the michael's craft store before heading home. she needed to pick up a picture frame, and i looked for beads for a knitting project.

dinner this evening was eggplant parmigiana, the eggplant having come in this week's fresh food box.

neighborhood halloween decorations, tea and game night

 i used to take many photos of the halloween decorations on the upper east side when i would take chanda to the patrelle nutcracker rehearsals a few years ago. i miss those decorations. i don't think my neighborhood does it quite as well, but here's a few from my saturday walk to the grocery store.

 these signs are, unfortunately, numerous in my neighborhood. dog owners can be so thoughtless!

 the salt store . . 

 i have never understood this place since it first appeared about eight years ago . . 

 greg and i took the bags to salvation army today. there was a long line for costumes next door.

tea with my friend janet at luv tea cafe . . 

playing clue after dinner . . chanda's favorite which she always wins.

friday doings . .

 janet found a new tea shop for us to meet at. it's in the old knitting store on bedford street, and they have delicious tea. i have a difficult time remembering the names of the different teas they have, since so many are specific types of green tea, and the proprietor mixes many different herbs with them. maybe next time i'll take a pic of the menu on the wall.

 we chose an iced green tea and it had the most wonderful flavor . . ! we put together ideas for our homeschooling craft fair, finally! we usually accomplish this in september, but as i was considering not doing the fair this year, plans were delayed.

 greg and i ate dinner outside at a neighborhood restaurant. the place is usually very crowded, but i saw a table opening up and since it was still early, there wasn't a line. the food was very good and i tried the cornish hen which i first noticed on the menu awhile ago.

 we also tried their strudel. the server assured me it came warmed up, and he was right.

it was nice sitting outside and watching the people passing by . . 

chanda has a two day pass to the comic con at the jacob javitz center. she has attended the past two years with her friends.

the millennium falcon . . 

 waiting on line to see anthony bourdain, a chef and writer we admire. he's created a few cooking/food shows on netflix. he likes to travel the world and talk with people about the local dishes and recipes.

here at the comic con he was promoting a graphic novel he wrote. before he became a chef, he aspired to be a comic book artist.