*She stands up and waves her hands dramatically in the air

pretending to conduct a large orchestra*

“I’m a little tea pot, short and stout…”

*She puts her left hand on her hip

mimicking the handle of a tea pot*

“Here is my handle, here is my spout…”

*She puts her right hand in an arch

mimicking the spout of a teapot*

“When I get all steamed up, then I shout,
Just tip me over, pour me out!”

*She leans over to the right side as far as she can go*

Well – THAT was liberating…

Maybe not…

I think I may have thrown out my back…

Getting old you know!

 No matter what your age, I’m sure you’ve heard this song at one time or another. But where did it come from? Most of us think it is a nursery rhyme that was made for children as a source of entertainment for them and the onlookers of the funny teapot actions that accompany it, but it actually has a history more noteworthy than that…

The song was written in 1939 by George Sanders and Clarence Kelly in Tin Pan Alley – The Core of the Music publishing District at that time. Kelley at that time, ran a dance school that specialized in teaching tap dance maneuvers. The school was open to even the youngest children, who were still what I like to think of as bobble-head little kidlets… You know the ones: Heads that still look just a little bit too big for their bodies, the ones that have a handle on the basic walk and are now mastering the run… tiny little tots… As one could imagine – teaching youngsters like this dance steps would not be an easy task. Attention spans alone ( never-mind physical coordination issues) involved in a dance routine for the paying parents would be quite an undertaking. Sanders, who usually played the piano accompaniment to the school’s dance recitals worked with Kelley to create song that the children could sing to remember their dance moves, hence creating the “Teapot Tip”.

For more information on this song’s origins look for the book by Ronald Sanders (the son of George Sanders) entitled “Reflections on a Teapot: The Personal History of Time”. It was published in 1972 by Harper and Row.

I have seen a great number of strange and unusual things in my life… I didn’t know I would be adding teapots to my list… but believe it or not, these little items can be quite interesting indeed. There are so many different shapes, sizes, colours and materials used to create teapots, that I am certain it would be impossible to categorize all of them… Here are some fun, interesting, elegant, tacky and unique photos of teapots that I have stumbled upon. My A-Z in teapots list, for your amusement.

A – Apple B- Backpack

C – Cactus D – Deer

E – Elephant F – Frog

G – Gourd H – Heffer

I – Icing J – Jet

K – Kitten L – Ladybug

M – Mouse N – Nut

O – Octopus P – Peacock

Q – Queen Bee R – Road Trip

S – Seahorse T – Toilet

U – Urchin V – Vacation

W – Wagon X – Xanthoarpous

Y – Yin Yang Z – Zebra

It turns out that The Kinks were keen on tea. Ray Davies wrote the song “Have a Cuppa Tea” in 1971 and preformed it in his band The Kinks… For those of you who are not musically inclined, or just don’t know about The Kinks – perhaps because they were ‘before your time’ – They were one of the most influential and long lived ‘British Invasion’ bands. Their music was powerful and although this worked to their advantage, it also worked to their disadvantage – they were banned from the US in the 1960’s which in my opinion, is fundamentally the reason why they didn’t acquire the same level of popularity as the other top three comparable bands at that time– The Beetles, The Who and The Rolling Stones. At any rate – The Kinks knew how to get their message across. (And obviously someone in the American government didn’t like it – because in 1965 when they were touring, they were not allowed back into the US – (for 4 years ) – for ‘unspecified reasons’.)

Have a Cuppa Tea, has entertaining lyrics about tea, and how it is a miracle cure. “If you feel a bit under the weather, If you feel a little bit peeved… Take Granny’s stand by potion, for any old cough or wheeze…” Davies sings about an old lady who is always brewing a pot of tea… for various reasons. “It’s a cure for hepatitis, it’s a cure for chronic insomnia… It’s a cure for tonsillitis, and for water on the knee.” While I can’t say with conviction that tea is a miracle cure, it is interesting that it has been used as an herbal medicine for many years, by many people and it is interesting that people in the music industry reflected this in their recordings… What I also find intriguing is that it is popping up in more and more studies about curing various ailments, and has been medically proven to combat certain cancers, eczema and other skin disorders. Maybe Granny was right all along?

Another song that Davies wrote, was a more serious tea tune titled “Afternoon Tea” It is a song about a girl named Donna and how they used to have ‘afternoon tea’ together. It is a nostalgic type of tune… Sad, since it seems like she left him… “Tea time still ain’t the same without my Donna, At night I lie awake and dream of Donna, I went to our café one day, They said that Donna walked away…You think she might at least have stayed, To drink her afternoon tea…” He goes on to sing about how he takes afternoon tea every day of the week… he either really likes his tea – or he is waiting alone at the café hoping to get another chance with Donna.

For the full lyrics to “Afternoon Tea” visit: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kinks/afternoon+tea_20079117.html

For the full lyrics to “Have a Cuppa Tea” visit: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kinks/have+a+cuppa+tea_20079055.html

Big flakes of snow float to the ground outside the window signaling that the winter weather is once again upon us; but inside our house, it is warm and cozy… The Christmas tree is lit, the faint smell of freshly baked cookies drifts from the kitchen, the sound of laughter and friendly chit-chat fills the air, tea blossoms bloom…

Tea Blossoms Bloom???

This weekend we had a few friends over for dinner to kick start our seasonal celebrations. Dinner was delicious, the cookies were a hit, but the star of the show was surprising. It was a tiny green ball – no bigger than the size of a walnut. A colourful mystery, wrapped inside a tiny package of dark green leaves.

We were amazed that no one else at the table had ever heard of flowering tea. They were shocked that such a large flowery bloom could come out of such a small package and make a refreshing tea. At first our guests thought that they were just looking at an entertaining decoration – that is – until they sipped the warm fragrant liquid from their cups, and quickly changed their minds.

The artisan tea that we chose to display last night was Oolong Mystere. It is a hand made, hand tied, partially oxidized green tea with hibiscus. It is a simple refreshing tea with a light lemony flavour.

In China, these types of artisan, or ‘presentation’ teas are known as “hui fa cha”. In North America they are called a number of things including flowering tea, blossoming tea, blooming tea, decorative tea, tea balls, tea bundles, and artisan tea. Supple tea leaves and flower buds are carefully tied by hand with silk thread into tiny tea bundles that transform into blooms, blossoms, and other beautiful shapes when they are steeped in hot water. They are definitely great conversation pieces, and I’m glad we thought to use one. Everyone seemed entertained by the idea of a tea ball that blooms like a flower, and they were amazed as they watched the little leaves slowly unfold to reveal a bright pink center.

Another great thing about these teas is that they can be kept as a centerpiece, much like fresh flowers, in a clear bowl for up to a week if they are refreshed daily with cold water.

To see flowering teas that we offer, visit:

Herbal Infusions Flowering Teas

Just Tea for Two… And Two for Tea… Boredom overtook me while doing research and led me to an interesting discovery. Not only has tea been consumed by us for years and years, by long lost and perhaps forgotten ancestors, but it has been a part of our society in other ways that have largely been over looked. It goes to show, as you will see below, what a big part tea has played in our lives. We have written poetry about it, sung songs about it, been inspired by it… Humans… We really are entertaining, aren’t we?“Picture you upon my knee, Just tea for two and two for tea… Just me for you and you for me… alone” A song about YES, You guessed it – Our green leafy friend… Tea. When going over the lyrics I noticed some interesting things about this song. It is largely about escapism, and how a hot cup of tea can help to ease one’s worries of the day, and bring people closer. “Darling this place is lovely oasis…Where life’s weary taste is unknown.”

Even in 1925, tea was described as a soul soother… A smitten man singing about his plans for a future with his woman… lost in a cup of tea… How a song about sharing a cup of tea with a lover can be become an American jazz standard, a Doris Day album, or a film for that matter, is amusing to me. So – Now begins some new research… Tea… Where it has turned up, how it is represented and what it embodies in music, poetry and other art forms.

For the full lyrics to the song “Tea for Two” visit:

Lyrics Page

For film info visit:

IMDB Page