dropping in on Tea Leaves .....

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I'm a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout:
Tip me over
and pour me out!


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am sure we all enjoy a cup of tea at some time during the day, and it always tastes so much better when poured from a teapot!

and from Wikipedia :
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water. Tea may be either in a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured.

Teapots usually have an opening with a lid at their top, where the tea and water are added, a handle for holding by hand and a spout through which the tea is served. Some teapots have a strainer built-in on the inner edge of spout.

A small hole in the lid is necessary for air access inside to stop the spout from dripping and splashing when tea is poured. In modern times, a tea cosy may be used to enhance the steeping or to prevent the contents of the teapot from cooling too rapidly.

Last week we popped into a little store called TEA LEAVES which is situated on the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road in Sassafras, just an hour east of the City of Melbourne.

The winner of 9 tourism awards, Tea Leaves in Sassafras is ultimate way to experience the wonderful world of tastes and aromas that are possible. They have over 300 varieties of teas and 30 varieties of coffee, not to mention the cups, mugs, teapots etc. 

Think gift voucher, think Christmas, think birthday, or gifts for anyone at anytime of the year .....

hey, even think of one for yourself!

The manager of the store kindly allowed me to take a few images, but as the store was rather busy I didn't like to spend too long there, so here are just a few quick ones to give you a glimpse of what is in store for you when you visit.

There is a lot of very valuable information on their website,  and do take the opportunity to visit the Tea Leaf Shop as soon as you can .... you will not be disappointed!

Tea Leaves have free freight 

for all online orders over $75.
Free freight is not available for phone orders.

(Australian customers only)

Available for a limited time only.
.

Tea Leaves Aust Pty Ltd
380 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road,
Sassafras Victoria Australia 3787
.
Email info@tealeaves.com.au
Telephone +61 3 9755 2222
Fax +61 3 9755 2222
Twitter: twitter.com/tealeavesAUST

website: Tea Leaves

*please note*

the above blog post was not for any social media event, this particular post is for the enjoyment and interest of our loyal followers !!

We, however, are available for Social Media work at anytime. Be it bakeries, restaurants, festivals, wineries, galleries, cafes, coffee shops, markets or anything that needs to have some focus and would be of interest to others!!

email:

Leone and John Fabre

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❀

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

last Friday a few of us drove to Silvan - in the Dandenongs, just east of Melbourne - to see the Tesselaars Tulip Festival.  For about four weeks every spring the tulips are in full bloom and the visitors flock from all over Australia to see the colourful displays.

just one hour by car from the city of Melbourne

But its not "just tulips", there are other varieties of flowers and plants with many being for sale, there is food, a souvenir shop, bulbs for sale and a Fairy Garden hidden away which is delights the children of course and Tesselaars have 'theme weekends' too. Next weekend will be the Jazz weekend and the one after will be the Irish Weekend .... but you could go at anytime during the festival and enjoy whatever is on offer.

It rained most of the time we were there, but there was enough 'cover' to hide under till it eased off a bit.  Still plenty of time to take photos, have a coffee, visit the fairy garden and the souvenir store!

I took many photos, but the few that are following will give you just a glimpse of how colourful it was .....

You need more than a 'couple of hours' to appreciate a trip to the Tulip Festival, so do allow some extra time. If you are making a family trip with children, its not easy to wander around with a stroller, but if they are older enough to walk around, remember to take rain boots and a change of clothing if the weather is wet, as it can be quite muddy if you decide to wander amongst the tulips!

There is still much to see and do regardless of the weather, and of course remember to take the children to see the 'fairy garden'!

Tesselaar Tulip Festival, 

Tesselaar Tulip Farm, 

357 Monbulk Rd, Silvan

13 September 13 to 9 October 2012,

open daily 10am to 5pm

Adults $18, Concession $15, Children under 16 free, 

groups of 10 or more $15 each person 

when prepaid online.




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a secret fairy garden......

As I wandered around Tesselaars Tulip Festival yesterday, I came across a secret Fairy Garden.

Well when I first saw the rainbow I knew that's where the fairies would be and sure enough, I saw them dancing in amongst the flowers and toadstools!

then I saw another fairy, she had pink wings and a very pretty rain coat complete with matching boots. She was watching the other fairies very closely ......

they didn't stay around very long once they saw me with the camera. All of them disappeared into the tiny little red doorway at the base of the tree.......

I waited awhile and next thing I saw them all coming out, one by one. But I had to be very quiet as I watched them hopping from one branch to another, singing, dancing and having a lot of fun in their secret garden!

Then all of a sudden I saw that pretty little fairy again, you know, the one with the pink wings. She was chatting with another fairy so I didn't like to disturb them.

I soon left them all to their dancing and singing and as I went past old Mr Sad Face, I told him he had better go and catch up with the pretty fairy, that one with the pink wings as I am sure he would start to smile and dance and have fun again....

I hope you get to see the secret fairy garden soon



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An afternoon with Miss Marple!

Yesterday a few of us did the trip up to Sylvan (Victoria, Australia) to see the Tesselaars Tulip Festival, on the way home we did a slight detour to have afternoon tea at the Miss Marples Tea Rooms in Sassafras.

I have read a few of the recent reviews on this establishment and they are:

was in the area on Friday with a group of friends on a photographic trip. After the morning shooting we decided to stop in and grab something to eat. Our party of 8 or so sat down but one was still outside and planned to join us in 10 minutes. Upon arrival he asked one of the waitresses to place another chair at the end of the table. The woman was downright rude and told him that she would not, that he was ill mannered for trying to jump the queue. Our party tried to explain that he was with us, but she didn't believe us, or him, and embarrassed him by telling him that he was lying.

The food was overpriced and nothing special. We will not be going back, when there are other options in the same street who do not humiliate their customers.

Overall, a nice place to take out of town or international visitors for the English-style environment.

Waited for an hour and a half which was fine as its a popular destination however the waitress made us feel like a total inconvenience and ruined the experience. Was supposed to be a lovely Sunday afternoon tea. If your working in the hospitality industry then aren't you supposed to be hospitable? Disappointing Miss Marples.

We had a wonderful lunch here last weekday. Delicious Cream/Devon Teas, open sandwiches and the atmosphere was so cute. I have recommended Miss Marple's to many visitors and none have been disappointed.

So I was anxious to see what it was like on a personal level.

We did have to wait, but all up only about 20 minutes, which allowed us time to visit the Tea Shop next door.

We found the staff to be pleasant and we were served without any wait or fuss. My only comment would be on the 'scones'. I found them to be more like a dry tasting sponge and nothing like I would expect a "Devonshire Tea" scone to be like either in taste, shape or size!

Other than that, it was a very pleasant afternoon tea. Regardless of some reviews, I would suggest that everyone needs to go here at least once in their lifetime!

Miss Marple's Tearoom

03 9755 1610

382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd
Sassafras, VIC 3787

please note the above blog post was not for any social media event, this particular post is for the enjoyment and interest of our loyal followers !!

We, however, are available for Social Media work at anytime. Be it bakeries, restaurants, festivals, wineries, galleries, cafes, coffee shops, markets or anything that needs to have some focus and would be of interest to others!!

email:

Leone and John Fabre