Saturday, pt.1: High Tea

** Note: There will be pictures added to this post, hopefully soon. I'm embarrassingly Mac-challenged and I be needing me either some assistance or the sweet, sweet familiarity of the ol' PC.

Barb invited me for high tea at The Secret Garden Tea Shop. Our appointment(!) was for 4pm. I had hoped to get all dressed up -- hat, gloves, and so on (not that I have anything remotely of that nature with me) -- but Barb insisted it was not necessary. I headed to her place directly from the ferry and arrived somewhat bedraggled, Victoria not being a necessarily convenient commute to Vancouver via public transit.
Barb opened the door wearing a Jackie O inspired black dress with white trim, matching pearl earrings and necklace, an adorable little knit hat, and face fully made-up.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"What? Oh, this. I have tickets to the theatre tonight and wasn't sure how much time I'd have after tea..."
"Yeah, yeah."

***

Picture a hand-embroidered lace doily as a room and you'll have a good image of the tea shop. Everything was dainty, ruffled, pastel, potpourri-infused perfection. I felt as though I should have bathed in lavender and rose petals in preparation. It was, however, somewhat like dragging a farm dog to the groomers: I wasn't fooling anyone. And then I started giggling -- how uncouth.

But no one seemed to mind. The tea arrived with a delightful assortment of miniature comestibles, presented on a 3-tiered tray: tiny sandwiches on the bottom; mini scones and banana bread in the middle (with jam and cream); and glossy, bite-sized desserts on the top. The ultimate tea party. I was a blissed-out 7 year-old.