Lady Sippington requests the pleasure of....by Sheila Claydon

As I promised, today I'm going to introduce you to Lady Sippington. I met her in Sydney where she was visiting family and I very quickly learned a lot about her.

She lives in Sippington Mansion which is a grand old house with more rooms that Lady Sippington knows what to do with. She says it's a big house for just one person but she does her best because she believes in looking after things. She also has a maid, Miss Chambers, not because she needs looking after because she's quite capable of taking care of herself, but because she believes in traditions, so Miss Chambers keeps the house tidy and makes the tea.

Tea, you see, is Lady Sippington's raison d'être. She knows a lot about tea - how to pour it (right hand on the handle, left hand holding the lid), how to hold it (pinch the teacup handle with finger and thumb and it's pinkie down not pinkie up), and how to serve it (with finger sandwiches, scones and an assortment of delicious cakes on a tiered stand). She can even tell a person's character by the tea they drink. She says a person who likes a strong breakfast blend is steadfast and reliable whereas romantic and creative people choose Earl Grey, and someone who orders extra strong tea with lemon can be stubborn and demanding. Of course I don't know if this is true but you don't argue with Lady Sippington. I mean how can you argue with someone who knows precisely how to serve and eat a scone.

Apparently you have to place the scone on your plate, then break off a piece and apply the cream by turning the spoon over and moving it slowly downwards. You then take the jam spoon and drop the jam on top of the cream.

She knows so much about the different types of tea too. Just recently, when she was hosting afternoon tea at Neiman Marcus White Plains, she happily conversed about Jardin Bleu, Gout Russe, Vanilla Decaffeinated, Green Yellow Lemon, White Anji, Chamomile and even Nutmeg Chai Latte, as well as Breakfast Tea and her beloved Early Gray. I had no idea there were so many and she tells me there are a whole lot more.

I could talk about Lady Sippington all day without doing her justice, so I'm going to let you find out all about her for yourself. You can find her at http://ladysippington.com, where she gives advice about tea and some recipes too if you are interested in serving a real English afternoon tea. If you live anywhere near White Plains, New York of course, you may be able to take tea with her at Mariposa, where she hopes to make it the best teatime experience in Westchester.

With thanks to Nina Daryanani, a tea loving English girl living in New York.

Books We Love New Releases from Ginger Simpson and Killarney Sheffield

Yellow Moon by Ginger Simpson

Yellow Moon, a Lakota maiden, accompanies her family to the Sun Dance and becomes promised to a Santee warrior who’ll soon be chief. While accompanying Thunder Eyes’ clan back to his tribe, she and the other women are stolen by the Crow, and while in Plenty Coup’s camp is told she’ll become his second wife rather than be a slave. She finds friendship and help at the hands of his first wife, a Cherokee captive called Pretty Shield. 

When Thunder Eye’s comes to rescue his betrothed, she begs him to take her newfound friend along, and the two women eventually become sisters-in-law. When the Crow come to extract their revenge, fate changes their destiny in a big way. 

 

Available Now

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S3V102K

 

 

Rags to Romance by Killarney Sheffield

 

Finny Donelly is not lady-like, in fact she isn’t a lady at all, she was born in White Chapel, the slums of 1858 London. When Devon Dowell, an adventure seeking lord stumbles upon her he figures she is sure to teach his overbearing, society climbing stepmother a lesson about meddling in his affairs. He couldn’t be more wrong. When Finny collaborates with Lord Dowell’s sister to win his love he gets more adventure than he bargains for. Can the scrawny girl in rags really be his dream lady? 

Available January 31 from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S6LH5ZI 

 

 

Is it Spring Yet? by Nancy M Bell

Is it Spring yet? I know, I know, it's only mid-January. But Winter Solstice, Alban Arthuran, has passed and the days are becoming longer with each sunrise and sunset. In some places the snow drops and crocus are thinking about waking up. Not here on the Alberta prairies though. Still, the sun is shining and I want to think about Spring today. The renewal of the season always gets my blood stirring and creative juices churning. I thought I would share a poem with you that came about one April morning when I was walking the dogs. I hope you like it.

April Earth

I saw the Earth breathe today
A pale pearl vapour rising from the plowed field
She exhaled as the east wind billowed
Her flowing breath across the raw mud

Shimmering in the April afternoon sun
Her breath shed diamonds as it hung
Above the snowy prairie

The Earth’s cold wintry breath
Mating with the warm spring sun
Birthing the moist mist dancing
In the strength of the moving air

The Raven’s shadow flashes across the snow
As he flies over head borne on April’s breath

*********


I came across another one that seemed fitting while I was looking for April Earth. This one is called February's Breath

************

February’s Breath

February’s breath is caught
In the blue embrace of strengthening sky and sun
The fairy filigree of the tree’s breath
Clings to their delicate fingers in frosty stillness

The exhalations of the earth and her children
Hang manifest in the blue silver air of early morning
Argent mist connecting field and sky
And binding all between them

The sky and wind reclaim the moisture
They lent to the earth in return
For the perfumes and bright colours
Of the prairie flowers and the dancing grain
Earth’s children who partner the wind in summer’s waltz

Here it begins in the chill breath of February
Bound beneath the iron frost and silent snow
The cold mist of earth reaches for the southern sun
Hanging in pearlescent drifts over the crystal snow

Voices whispering among the dry grasses
Soft sigh of the drifting snow
where the wind sifts it like sugar
sacred geometry figures fleeting over snowy crust
February’s breath pregnant with the promise of spring

*********

I hope you enjoy them. Below are a few pictures of my beloved prairies. The building is the East Longview Hall for those of you have read Christmas Storm, this is where Cale and Michelle attend the Travelling Mabels concert when Mary swipes Michelle's truck so she'll have to ride home with Cale. The rainbow was taken after a Travelling Mabels concert driving up the Cowboy Trail (Highway 22) toward Cochrane. It was a beautiful ending to a great day and I just wanted to share it with you. The sunset is a Chinook sunset, the frosty prairie is what it looks like here right now.

You can visit me at Books We Love, on my webpage, or my blog. There are links to my books on the Books We Love site. Til next month, take care. May the wind be always at your back and may you be in heaven an hour before the Devil knows you're dead. Saliante