Reader, welcome to Afternoon Tea! As a self-confessed hopeless romantic and anglophile to the highest degree, it is one of my deepest sorrows that I am not one to regularly partake in the privilege that is afternoon tea. Although I often enjoy a cup of Earl Grey on slow afternoons, my chipped mugs and sliced bananas are poor substitutions for the Spode china and brilliantly colored petit fours that would abound in an authentic ceremony. As such, I invite you to a virtual celebration of the elegant pastime that begs us to appreciate beauty and focus on being present. Here, you will find a somewhat jumbled collection of my revelations, reflections, and that which I relish from the week. So please, brew a warm pot of tea, procure for yourself an array of scones and biscuits, and peruse with me what is lovely in life.
Thanking the Academy
What does it mean to thank the Academy? To do so is to extend a breathless word of overwhelming appreciation to a higher power, to a force second only to the Universe in terms of its ubiquitous and enigmatic presence. As such, here you will find my own earnest appeal to make my gratitude known – a profound and dreamlike thank-you to that manifestation which is omnipresent, alluring, and all-encompassing.
- My sister’s graduation. Reader, I am so proud of her, and felt so fortunate to have been able to celebrate her.
- Dinner with my grandfather for his birthday.
- Running errands with friends. I have always found, Reader, second only to comfort of intimate silence, that those who are willing to make the mundane exceptional are the ones we ought to treasure most.
- A failed ice cream run with my roommate.
- The rain.
- Spending time with those I do not often see – it is a treat, indeed.
- Hearing from my friends as they accomplish fabulous things across the world this summer – from film shoots in New York City to studying immigration in Ireland.
- Sister sleepovers with my younger sister.
- What was supposed to be a late night on the town turned into an early bedtime with Cane’s chicken.
- Pretty dresses! Reader, I can not be alone in my love for the feeling of a lovely dress, uncomfortable shoes, and a pink lip.
- Driving across Austin for an hour and a half with my mother in search of margarita on Cinco de Mayo, only to order pizza and laugh at the three-hour waitlists at every restaurant in town.
- Snuggling with my pets. They are perfect.
- Sleeping in my older sister’s bed at home. She hates when I commandeer her room, but it is much larger and her bed much more comfortable than mine, so I feel I really can not be blamed.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things…
In an unending effort to live just as my icon, Ms. Julie Andrews, below you will find my own weekly compilation of that which brings me just as much joy as “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens”.
- Hailey Cakes cookies – every time I see her box in our fridge, Reader, I can not contain my excitement. Whatever her secret is, her cookies are divine.
- Reader, would you please take a moment to marvel at this art piece – the artists connected each time the words “Romeo” and “Juliet” appeared in Shakespeare’s tragic script. How utterly beautiful.
- That I do not live in my preferred climate has never stopped me from making silly spending decisions before (do you remember when I bought that ridiculous coat as a high school sophomore, having only worn it twice since?), and I admit if I had just a little less sense and a little more expendable income I would snatch this raincoat from its metaphorical rack.
- In a similar vein, I should like nothing more than to pick strawberries and serve tea in this dress in the south of France this summer. If you, Reader, would kindly oblige and allow me to live vicariously through you, I would be so grateful.
- In the least dramatic of senses, I do not think I can live another moment without this tea set.
- Oh, Reader, I had never heard of Elio Abou Fayssal until very recently, but I must say their Narjess collection is most exceptional. Each gown is its own story, united by a common energy.
- How lovely are this Instagram artist’s beaded portraits? I could watch the videos of her sewing all day.
- Finally, though we do not have time to discuss all the events (and implications therein) of the day, let us take a moment to marvel at The Princess of Wales yesterday morning. No other words are needed.
Seven-Day Design
A word (or two) of wisdom to guide the upcoming week.
Immortal Echoes
- “The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and -” – Taylor Alison Swift
Evanescent Intentions
- This week, I will find vibrance.
Dear Reader, I would like to fancy myself mysterious and serpentine, and though I certainly consider my person the walking embodiment of self-contradiction, I fear what little secrets I have are too soon found. I have a loyal heart, but it can not help but betray my confidence when its position of choice seems to be sewn to the outside of my sleeve.
Perhaps I should have kept my thoughts to myself, but it is not my way. I have told you already, darling Reader, of the melancholy plaguing my days, the sadness that comes with being the one left. I might have grown used to the idea, having accepted since the days of being picked up by my parents from sleepovers that it will always be more fun (and indeed, much more simple for the heart) to be the one leaving than the one staying behind. With West Campus a graveyard, devoid of the energy in which I feel so ardently in love, and so much change on the horizon, I am not in my best spirits.
I will be the first to champion the importance of allowing oneself to feel and acknowledge whatever happens to arise within, and I offer myself this grace along with a dose of severity I rarely prescribe to my friends when they feel similarly. It is well and good to sit with an unhappy emotion, but this week I have decided I will not wallow, but walk. I will seek out my darling friends who remain in town, take this time to pursue goals, and devote my recreational hours to the vocations I often complained of having to excise from my routine during the school year. Any lingering sadness is welcome, but not be allowed to overwhelm my days.
Reader, I hope your coming week is idyllic in aesthetic if not practice – I wish for you days full of sunshine, sparkling river water, cold cans of carbonation, and colourful sundresses enshrouding humiliatingly humorous tan lines. I hope you give yourself grace, and find the vibrance in each moment. It is a journey we will take together.
Love,
Lettie Anne
P.S. Please forgive me for neglecting to post an Afternoon Tea installment between my most recent two musings. It was a silly blunder that was bound to happen sooner rather than later.