There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. ~ Bernard-Paul Heroux Welcome Spring and welcome friends to Tea Time Tuesday! Spring has arrived but it is disguised as winter here on PEI. I know it's only a matter of time and the snow will be gone, the grass will be green and the birds will be singing once again. Something to look forward to for sure after this long winter fraught with record breaking snowfalls and blizzards. A beautiful bouquet can perk things up. Mine will be a different tea time today as I have been laid up all weekend with a bad hip and haven't been able to put a proper tea together. I hope you will indulge me as I showcase some of my tea wares..... while I make a confession. Maxwell and Williams - Rose Bud Yes, I have a confession to make and I hope I am not ostracized by all my tea friends after my revelation. Taking a deep breath here.... I am just now getting hooked on Downton Abbey. "Pardon me, I must have read you wrong! How can that be? It's been on for five seasons!" I am without a doubt, the only one in Blogland, especially among my dear tea friends, who hasn't been seduced by this popular British series. Aynsley & Royal Albert - Veronica To be honest with you, I have tried to watch it on several occasions after the raving reviews you have all given the series. But it simply didn't appeal to me. Then one evening I made up my mind to watch one full episode. Unfortunately, that was the episode where poor Anna was assaulted and, needless to say, I was turned off but good after watching that. Well, the feeling of being an oddity for not watching this most beloved series when everyone else seemed smitten by it, haunted me. And I came to the conclusion that the problem lies with me. So I talked myself into watching at least three episodes in a row, even if I was bored to tears. Rose of England As I was pondering this decision, I thought perhaps I would enjoy it more if I had someone to watch it with me. But who could I rope into watching it? My dear sweet husband who didn't much care for British TV was the Guinea pig. So in January, we both sat down to watch it. I had warned him ahead of time that he probably wouldn't like the show and I would understand if he didn't want to watch it again. Isobel and Violet at tea - Courtesy of the Internet To my surprise, I rather enjoyed it although it was difficult trying to catch on to all of the characters. There were so many! I must admit, I have grown quite fond of Isobel's character. She is a lady with a very big heart or so she appears in the fifth season. Even more of a surprise, I think my hubby enjoyed the show more than I did! Royal Albert - Blossom Time And so we continued to watch it until the end of the fifth season. Now like everyone else, we're hooked on it! So, what with nursing my sore hip and not able to get around much, how did I spend my weekend? We rented Season 1 of Downton Abbey, of course. Matthew and Lady Mary - Courtesy of the Internet Good thing Hubby and I were already hooked on the show and wanted to watch it from its genesis because once we saw one rather shocking scene in the first episode, that would have most certainly put the kibosh on watching any more of it. Royal Albert- Lavender Rose The flow of tea from the spout is important. When purchasing a teapot, check to make sure that the top of the spout is level with the top of the pot. More oval shaped spouts are less likely to drip than rounded ones. ~ Learn-About-Tea.com Anyway, now you know! The cat is out of the bag, so to speak! I am after all, like all of you, hooked, and looking forward to the sixth season of this most entertaining series filled with history, rich characters, wonderful costumes, and tea scenes. And what about you? Did you embrace the show right away or like me, did it take you a little while? Do you have a favourite character? *sigh* There now, I feel better having confided in you my little secret! In the meantime, Hubby and I will watch all of the episodes on DVD until we are caught up with the rest of you. Next week is the last week in March and it will be leading up to Easter, one of the most important holidays on the Christian calendar. Hopefully, I will be up to hosting an Easter Tea and I do hope you can join me for that. Have a lovely day everyone! I am joining the following parties as well~ A Return to Loveliness Tuesday Cuppa Tea Friends Sharing Tea Tea Cup Tuesday Share Your Cup Thursday Home Sweet Home An InLinkz Link-up Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi