Christmas Ladies Tea

At last Monday dawned, quite cloudy but with the sun rising through the clouds to the east of our garden. I was up at 4.30 am and preparing the final snacks. When Grant woke at six, he assured me that it would be sunny by 9.30 when my party started. Michael arrived at 6.30, looked at the sky, and  showed thumbs-up, saying "Bibi, jua nakuja leo/the sun is coming today."

The pups were enjoying the sunshine as well

No sooner had Michael and I started to carry out tables, lay the clothes and set out the chairs, than the pups tried to join in. Many a tug-of-war while I rescued my Tanzanian Christmas tablecloths

While Mary filled and boiled two kettles (I borrowed Johan's from his cottage next door), Regina, Michael and I set out the two tea-sets, cake plates, coffee, tea and sugar on one table. I brought out the eats and arranged them on the next table. 

At 9.30 Michael opened the gate and in came Louise, with her 80-year-old mother-in-law, Joey who's visiting here; Louise' daughter, Henricke who's also visiting; and young Wessie, our child on camp. Jo-Anne, also came with Louise.

Shortly after Nsia, Amanda and Debbie arrived. Then Carolyn, in whose honor I held this tea, arrived from the Guest House. Next my neighbor, Rhoda, a sister at the hospital arrived from just down the road. Then Linda drove in. Finally Margaret, headmistress of Mwadui Primary School and Gertrude, proprietress of a large store here in town, drove into the yard. 

From left: Sr Rhoda, Carolyn, Debbie, Amanda, Henricke, Jo-Anne, Nsia, Wessie, Louise and Joey

Linda third from left arrived shortly after the first guests

Stunning weather for a garden tea

Gertrude at the end of the row and others watch as Debbie describes something

Joey asked her granddaughter, Henricke to take a photo of her with me! 

The ladies help themselves 

Joey helps herself to cake. Some readers may remember my tea-set from when I had Linda's birthday party here at my home in September

The weather warmed up so considerably that the ladies moved around following the shade! They sat and chatted, later enjoying bottled water which I had on offer. 

I filled my basket with my wrapped gifts and handed them out

At 11.40,  Louise was the first to take her leave. She asked me to bring my camera as "granny Joey" had decided to go home with Wessie on the Quad Bike. 

Louise helps Joey onto the bike while Michael waits to open the gate

Then Wessie announced that he'd flooded the engine and would have to come back in an hour to collect the Quad. No problem to Louise and Henricke: they offered to push the quad around my large garden until the engine "took" and sputtered into life

Louise and Henricke's perseverance paid off; the engine spluttered once, fired and Wessie and Gran Joey was off through the gate and up the street. Great laughter followed! 

Believe it or not, just after lunch I walked outside and the weather had closed in completely. I just had to take a photo to show how blessed I was to have such beautiful weather while my ladies tea was on the go. 

Can you believe the difference? Was we blessed that morning or what?

I'm linking my post to Our World Tuesday which you can visit here