Cosy Firelight and a Cup of Tea

"Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour." 

- John Boswell

Time to  cosy by the fire with a lovely cup of tea and  a  bit of something sweet..

as  the  snow lies on the frozen ground   daring the sun's warmth to  give it a thaw!.  Time to  just  sit with tea and   smile  with happy memories..

for the only  ice in    the room are the crystals  that line the mantel and the flakes that adorn my plate..  but what a plate...   yum!

 Fresh baked morning scones  with a dollop of  New England apple butter. the tea, a cup of Downton Abbey blend...  an earl grey with vanilla...  perfect for the  day of remembrance..

No better  vignette   for  some contemplation  that  over  an English  serving plate  by the Woods and Brothers,   an English cup  by Adams   which  was  first established in Tunstall, England in 1657,  and  a  mix matched  English saucer  from Johnson  Brothers...

 Yum  these  morning scones   are  delectable and  pretty  quickly  made..

when you  go to her page  search buttermilk biscuits and scroll a bit

  you'll find a video to mkae them.  Here is the recipe  from that page..

Buttermilk Biscuits...  in a regular oven (425ºF for 25 minutes)

Ingredients:
2-1/3 cups self-rising flour
8 teaspoons (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick)  frozen  and then grate it  before adding in...
1-1/3 cups buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour, for shaping
Directions
1. Line a buttered 7-inch cake pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. By freezing the stick of butter and then grating it,  the bits of  butter  melt as it cooks and  it makes the  biscuits very flaky and  light. Grate the butter into the flour and stir it in to coat evenly. Gently stir in the buttermilk. The dough should be quite wet.   I recommend watching the video on the  author's page  from  the link.
3. Spread the all-purpose (not self-rising) flour out on a small cookie sheet. With a spoon, scoop evenly sized balls of dough into the flour, making sure they don’t touch each other. With floured hands, coat each dough ball with flour and toss them gently from hand to hand to shake off any excess flour. Place each floured dough ball into the prepared pan, right up next to the other. This will help the biscuits rise up, rather than spreading out. I used a 1/4 sheet pan and  I made 9 biscuits.. They do spread out quite a bit... I had  3  rather  large  globs of dough that I shaped  and placed  three in each row.

And now by the light of my candle  I am deep in my  reverie  as  inspired this morning  on facebook...

I love  all things British  and when I saw this  my immediate thought was   I need to seek out this  painting...

Joseph Farquharson (1846 -1935)

'The Snow Encumbered Branches" 1901
Oil on canvas.

Farquharson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and died at Finzean, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Farquharson was most adept at capturing the warmth and light of sun rises and twilight. He is most famous for his works portraying sheep and his finest works often include a human figure. Men and women of Scotland going about their everyday labours are frequently depicted in dramatic landscapes. Nearly all the early works were inspired by his rural surroundings and he went on to make snow scenes his trademark.
As written on  the Queen's English  facebook page this morning'

My reverie  takes me back to Ireland where  pastorale scenes like this  were  prolific..  but to see it   in January.. now that would be a sight to see... for me..  Love ...love....love!!!!
 So  I  take my  devotional and  peruse    January  inspirations  that  come  from  God's Word...  and I am filled  with the  glory that is  this time of year...  the gift of  frigid air... the  complimentary  gift of  a cosy home and  the  glow of  a  contained  and cheerful  flame.  and I give thanks  for it is all by His hand...  and I am blessed!!Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Blog Party

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