The perfect way to enjoy afternoon tea.

The perfect afternoon tea should feel like a special event so it's worth going to a fine hotel with some girlfriends for a tea party or a special friend for a tea for two, no gentleman thank you very much. At the luxurious hotel tea room there is a beautiful setting with flowers, shining silver cutlery, fine china and cake stand, and if you are lucky there would be a glass of Champagne as well.  

Our shy tea lady!

Firstly you choose your tea, a Darjeeling, an Assam, Earl Grey or more.  It's always a big issue with the milk first or needing a slice of lemon, but it's absolutely fine whatever you like, though I prefer putting the milk in last with no lemon and sugar.

When stirring your tea, try not to touch the side of the cup ( otherwise you'll get attention! ) and place it behind the cup on the saucer then drink your tea with the pinky finger sticking out like a Royal family.  

On the cake stand there would be sandwiches filled with cucumber, smoked salmon with cream cheese and egg mayonnaise with the crusts cut off and some savouries like quiche or pie and eat those first. 

Then move onto the scones following some sweets.  There are many traditions about the way to eat your scones: cut the scone in half, cover it in jam then add clotted cream or the other way around.

Most of all, the important thing is to enjoy yourself in your own way with your good friends and have an amusing conversation.  

Just have a lovely time!

Posted for Sayuri

I have always liked learning English...a dreamer writes

My first pen friend was an English boy in Portsmouth.  It was so much fun to get a letter from overseas and his European life amazed me.  We both became busy studying for the examinations (O-level for him and high school entrance exams for me), it ended shortly.  Then I was fascinated by the Bay City Rollers: when I spell Saturday, I'm still mumbling their famous song (clever readers could guess my age).   

I dreamed of English hills covered with daffodils as Wordsworth said and heather, footpath, hedge, afternoon tea, scones, clotted cream, victorian sandwiches, mincemeat, pubs, beers, fish 'n' chips, movies, TV dramas, etc…  Those never ending interests have made my heart wide open and I had a lot of opportunities to see and talk to people from over sea and people who have the same interests, those who were amazing.

At the Nagano Olympics, my American friends introduced me to the US Olympic Committee and luckily I had an incredible chance to work there as a receptionist.  Whole the Olympic time I was in the Americans, I felt as if I were in the US, which I had never been before.  They were very friendly and efficient.  They rented a big building out as their offices and some residences for the senior officers.  There were free Coke machines and free McDonalds, lots of stationery, and their own overseas telephone service in the building.  They also even gave us free tickets for some Olympic games.  I thought I had used all of my good luck for my whole life.

English gives me such great experiences, it makes my world no limit, it frees my heart from a tiny and unpleasant real life. Reading English books brings me extra knowledge and that makes English more interesting: ex found out the original meanings of some rather strange characters' names in Harry Potter's…

So, you young learners, read lots of English books and see a lot of movies,and make lots of friends!  Open seas spread before you!

Posted for Sayuri