If I were at Downton Abbey…

A few things I love, to enjoy with your afternoon tea and maybe even your sweetie on Valentine’s Day:

1. Every cup o’ tea is better with a little of nature’s best sweetener. I get this every time I’m in Napa…so good. Branches range wildflower honey $11, Katzandco.com

2. We love this full leaf tea press from Bodum $129, bodum.com

3. Such lovely flavors in this tea from Extraordinary desserts. Buddha’s Garden $28, extraordinarydesserts.com

4. Brush up on your Shakespeare’s Sonnets $18.95, shopterrain.com

5. Change up your napkin selection. Dinner Setting Paper Napkins $16, anthropologie.com

6. One of my favorite bakeries, Whimsy and Spice. This Brooklyn bakery makes a yummy yet unique selection of cookies, including honey lavender cookies for $8.50/doz., whimsyandspice.com

I want to be at Downton Abbey. I really do. I love so many things about that post WWI era, it’s ridiculous. The clothing, music, and good manners (at least in public) are all enviable. I would love to live in a time when people were expected to be polite and even chivalrous, were hospitable to their friends and family on a regular basis, and the women were in charge of the household (you know like the part where it was actually an important and respected occupation before everyone felt the need to work after the second world war and not stay at home and raise children). I just love the way it was. It would be a wonderful change from the apparently normal belching/farting in public, profanity heard down every sidewalk , and a world where Facebook is a person’s entire community and where they spend their time with friends. I can’t deny that marriages in England were still arranged for a person’s better good in society and there was an intense war going on…just small details really.

If you don’t know what Downton Abbey is, check it out. It’s a period drama from 1916 through the early to mid 1920’s. You can find it on your local PBS channel (Sunday nights, check your local times) or Netflix for season 1 and iTV for what you may have missed in this 2nd season. If you love period dramas, you will adore this series. It is very well made and the costumes are just beautiful. It tells the story of both the downstairs (serving staff and there interactions/love affairs/relationship with the family they serve) and upstairs (family drama and the running of the household).

A few weeks ago (while sick and watching Downton Abbey…naturally), I made this little teapot. I hope to put it on a tea towel soon. Someday. Feel free to use it and PLEASE let me know what you put it on!