High Tea at The Blue Willow tea shop

Muskoka Birthdays are fun. It is true that birthdays, anywhere, bring much joy. There are lots of ways to celebrate birthdays. In this post I showed how Josephine mastered the Birthday Wave.

Many restaurants around town offer specials for birthday boys and girls. In our case, a hubby celebrating his significant birthday (that ends in zero!) wanted no fuss or muss. I did write him a poem.

When we arrived, I noticed a vanity plate to add to my collection.

I can handle that! It is not tradition in our house. But since his 50th included stops in three cites flying over a handful of provinces, he wanted this one to be serene, sedate, and dignified. That said, we upheld tradition: high tea at The Blue Willow Tea Shop in Gravenhurst.

My British blog friends would be impressed! Muskoka was settled by many form the UK, and you can see these traditions in the culture, the street names, in which aboriginal, UK, and French settlers all have an influence.

A lovely place, with fine china table settings and every imaginable type of tea. We decided to dress up. Brian wore his 'hatching, matching, dispatching' suit. (Which, incidentally had the receipt from last year's tea in the pocket!) This year, however, he wore his Queen's University tie. Afterwards, the ladies in the shop indicated how impressed they were seeing a man in a suit.

You'll notice how I was too hungry to take a photo first. The scones with cranberry jam and the brie and the wee cupcakes were just right. I should have brought a candle, but he wanted no fuss!


They have delightful accessories and tea pots for sale. I love this shop!




Then, photos on the deck with the timer setting. (The cats were no where to be seen, nor were the raccoons - with their opposable thumbs they could have helped!)


The Blue Willow Tea Shop, Gravenhurst, Muskoka - Sandwiches and ... 


"A Victorian-style tea shop at the Wharf in Gravenhurst, offering a selection of quality teas, light lunches, snacks, coffee, tea accessories."