Daisies and an Old Mill

My planned tea party for this week was to do a flower of the month tea party for this year's series on Teatime Journeys (click on the flower of the month label for previous month's posts).  April's flower is either a daisy or a sweet pea--unfortunately neither show up in my china collection.   Or, at least, none showed up until I remembered that my new Easter teapot has a bunny in a field of daisies!

 

Yesterday was gorgeous outside, so I set a little tea out on my deck, with a vase full of daisies of course.  I wasn't quite ready to give up on my Easter decorations, so I placed two Easter eggs in the vase as well. 

 

 

 

Since I did share this teapot just last week (along with the creamer, but I couldn't resist--the bunny is just too cute!), I brought out another one of my landscape/cottage-like sets to share, this one Royal Albert's The Old Mill.

 

 

Here from the brow of the hill I look,
Through a lattice of boughs and leaves,
On the old gray mill with its gambrel roof,
And the moss on its rotting eaves.
I hear the clatter that jars its walls,
And the rushing water’s sound,
And I see the black floats rise and fall
As the wheel goes slowly round.

Excerpt from The Old Mill by Thomas Dunn English

 

Royal Albert produced The Old Mill in the 1950s.  This pattern reminds me of Chapman Mill, located just in the next town over, which was originally built in 1742.  It was used as a mill off an on through 1951, with even the Civil War being fought around it (the battle of Thoroughfare Gap). 

 

(picture from the Chapman mill site)

 

Unfortunately the mill, which had been restored after the Civil War, burned in 1998 after an arsonist set fire to it, so all that is left now are ruins. 

  

(picture from the Chapman mill site.)

 

 The mill is located right next to the Bull Run Mountain park, which has trails that take you by the mill and make for a beautiful walk.  I'll leave you with a bit of my woods (with daffodils!) and one last picture of my tea before I say good night.

 

 

 Thanks for joining me!  I'm joining these tea parties:

 

Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea 

Rose Chintz Cottage's Tea Time Tuesday