A Busy Day but Always at Half Past Three . . .

Our custom is to stop whatever we're doing at half past three and brew a pot of tea.   And with that pot of tea, a tea treat.     Most days that tea treat is taken in the breakfast room -- which in the afternoon should be called "The Tea Room", I suppose.

We can watch the antics of the birds, admire, perhaps,  some gardening that we've done that morning and enjoy the change in the back garden as one season turns into another!     This time of years, leaves often fill the garden -- even though we chase after them on an almost daily basis.

Today was a busy day, but at half past there . . .

It's Half Past Three!

It's me in the sunroom with a pot of Bar Harbor Christmas Tea (it's a great tea even in October) and some oatmeal raisin cookies (my favorite "Cookie Jar" cookies!)

Cass and I share a love of Indies -- it fits in perfectly at Linderhof and at That Old House!
I may have sent her a big blue bowl, but I'm not sending her my wee tea pot!

Brewed in my wee Johnson Brothers Indies tea pot which I brought home from a long ago trip to England. This trip, I had planned to get one for my friend Cass from That Old House for she shares my love of Indies, but I never saw one.   This wee pot makes the perfect pot of tea for one and I use it almost every afternoon!

Love the change in sun and shadows as the seasons change.

I love how the sunlight in the room changes with the season.    How the October light is so much lower than summer light!

It was a busy day at Linderhof today -- linen laundry (for Monday is always sheet day), a quick tidy before I was off on errands to post office and market for I had a lot to do!!!!

Tomorrow is the Rotary Oktoberfest and it's my Labor of Love for the Rotary Club.    Husband Jim is a member and if it were the old days I'd be a member of the Rotary Anns.     But in the 70's, women were eligible to become Rotarians and so the wifely group was disbanded.    I like to think that I'm a "Rotary Ann" club of one!!!!

The Labor of Love is the food for Oktoberfest -- I prepare brats and all the trimmings using my grandmother's recipes for potato salad and coleslaw and sauerkraut for 100 Rotarians and their guests.
Today . . .

Once the brats are done I have two big containers of cold, greasy beer!

I boiled 100 brats in beer.     It's that pre boiling in beer that makes the brats so juicy when grilled at the park.    With my roaster and it's lid on stove top, it doesn't take long to cook 150 brats!

And while the brats were boiling, I wanted to do some testing for my Baked Gifts class that I'll be doing on November 3 and so armed with the cutest little paper pans (which make a great gift container), I tried a new recipe for a lemon tea bread.  

The batter can be baked in many shapes even though the original recipe called for loaves.

The batter tasted good.    The cakes are now baked and have cooled . . . but I'll save a taste test for another tea!  

And then . . .

Red Barron Apples and a University of Minnesota Test Apples from our visit with Daughter Sarah and her Andy.

I noticed that there were just a few of these left . . . and so I made another batch of applesauce.    It is just the best.   Part of the applesauce will be served at dinner for it will be perfect with the pork tenderloin that I'll serve for dinner.

After tea, there is the laundry to fold and the pillowcases and a few napkins to iron.      It was a busy day at Linderhof but a day in which I did things I enjoy.    

There is nothing like a tidy house, good food smells wafting through the house, and clean sheets on the bed!

Mondays are always good days at Linderhof!

I'm joining the Tuesday Tea Parties --

Tea Time Tuesday with Terri at Artful Affirmations

Tea Cup Tuesday with Martha at Martha's Favorites

Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday with Pam at Breath of Fresh Air

Tea Time Tuesday with Katherine at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor

Tuesday Tea for Two with Wanda Lee at The Plumed Pen

Tea Time Tuesday with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage