Tinza’s Tiddley-Bits: {tea, diamond jubilee, & family traditions}

As I sat out drinking tea this afternoon, I thought of my Granny, who is no longer with us, but who would've been proud that the traditions she inherited in India as a little girl, have been passed down another 2 generations, with her grandchildren across the globe. Anyone who knew my Granny (Gladys Clark) knows that two of her favourite things were tea in the garden & birds. My childhood is full of memories of times spent at Mamre Oaks (the ancestral home in Victoria) sipping tea and spending time with family. Here she would impart great wisdom from an amazing life well-lived, while encouraging each of us to pursue our own paths, and most of all, to do the things in life that would give us most fulfilment while being the most truthful to ourselves. To be honest, I did always feel slightly like she was judging me, but in a good way--you need exemplary people in your life to make you feel like you have a sense of responsibility to live up to high standards (some of these weren't always easily achievable, such as the time when I told her I had thought of applying to a Rhodes scholarship (which I didn't end up applying to) and she insisted 'Yes, we must have a Rhodes scholar in the family')), but at other times, her encouragement led me to pursue the career path I've chosen, and to do the things along the way that ensured me to get here (like getting the grades to get me the scholarships & acceptances, like working through High school & undergrad so I could afford grad school, like believing in myself that I could get accepted into the school of my choice etc...).

{my granny, as a baby with her parents in India (where she was born)}

{my granny & grandpa on their wedding day, Simla, India}

{tea is still a very important aspect of my life, and was a ritual growing up with my 4 sisters--still best shared with my sisters, but this cream tea with my cousin last month in the UK was pretty good too}

Anyway, it seems appropriate to be speaking about an amazing English lady, when another amazing English lady is taking the stage this weekend--yes the Queen and the celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee. Both my Granny and the Queen came from the same generation; they experienced dramatic changes in the world that they knew. I'm sad that I'm going to miss the festivities in London this weekend, but here are some British-inspired pics (many of which were taken from my pinterest board, Rule Britannia) to get you in the mood for this historic weekend:

{this & the below image, via cool hunting}

{via marcus design}

{from marcus design}

{via un beau jour}

There is A TON of stuff on the internet, blogs, online shopping etc.. on the Diamond Jubilee. But one of my favourite shoppes ever, is Liberty (for more, read my blog on my visit there last summer here), and they have some excellent Jubilee-inspired stuff: