{Our Gazebo & Natchez Crapemyrtle}

• Our Gazebo you have seen before in this → {French Floral Pillow Set and our Gazebo} but today I want to introduce you to our white blooming Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Natchez'. 
• A National Arboretum introduction, Natchez Crapemyrtle is a cross between Lagerstroemia indica 'Pink Lace' and the frist L. fauriei brought from Japan, this was done back in 1964. 
• You can read more here.
• This rather tall crapemyrtle is behind our gazebo and you can see it from the entrance. 
• We used to have one beside our driveway but that was a huge mistake! 
• Not because of its looks but because of the dripping honeydew, caused by crapemyrtle aphids. 
• This would stain our driveway and any car(s) that were parked there. 
• Such sticky stuff is hard to clean off. Also on the balcony we had that problem as its branches were reaching up high. 
• Next came the blossoms and the seeds that caused a mess... So I gave it the death penalty and Pieter wacked it down. 
• Sad to see its beautiful bark on the multiple trunks being gone but we got a 'baby'. So join me to our gazebo...

• After a heavy rain, everything was wet but not yet cleaned... Felines do sleep on the chairs often.

• Guess within a month we can enjoy our gazebo again. Now it is too hot!
• The cushions for the chairs we keep dry inside the big container on wheels.

• Everything fresh and clean. Our geraniums are barely 'hanging' in there...

• This is our 'Natchez' crapemyrtle. Beautiful bark too.

• Looking towards the gazebo. A red hummingbird feeder hangs to the right.

• It blooms forever, all through summer and can stand the heat very well.

• You can see the round seeds being formed, that does weigh the branches down at certain times.

• Lagerstroemia Natchez is a very productive crapemyrtle!

{My Etiquette Training Interview with WGXA.TV (FOX24/ABC16)}

Love to share with you this Etiquette Training interview with WGXA-TV (FOX24/ABC16) Middle Georgia News & Weather, by Morning Show Anchor/Producer Rick Devens, who did call on Friday, July 22 and asked if I would be available during the weekend too. So a time for Saturday the 23rd was set. It was fun to work with him and you can see the actual video below. Before that, I show you some screenshots and one photo that Pieter took while I was being interviewed.

It was all taped inside our dining room...

Below you can click on the arrow and watch it.

Too bad that the indoor shutters had to be closed because of the bright sun light.

Relatd links:
Off Beat: Etiquette Training - Publication of video by Middle Georgia News & Weather WGXA.TV (FOX24/ABC16

Mariette's Back to Basics: Learn from Mariette

Books shown in video:

From Hand to Mouth or, How We Invented Knives, Forks, Spoons, and Chopsticks & t
TIFFANY'S TABLE MANNERS For Teenagers 
{Difference Between Coffee & Tea Cups} - other post by me about the use of tea and coffee cups

{1930s Camille Tharaud Limoges Shaker for dusting YOUR Cappuccino's with Cocoa}

Today I like to share a great tip with you for using Dutch processed Cocoa to dust off your Cappuccino! Here I show a 1930s French Camille Tharaud Limoges Shaker that is just perfect for that purpose!

The Blue, White and Gold stripes will blend with almost any type of china. If you want to copy this, make sure to fill your shaker with the best cocoa around, my all time favorite, also for baking, is Droste Cocoa! Available Vander Veen's The Dutch Store. 

For a decorative or romantic touch, you can use a heart shaped stencil for dusting your cocoa.

1930s Art Deco Camille Tharaud Limoges Shaker you also can see at French porcelaine. Further it is in the Art Deco Limoges Camille Tharaud and other Ceramists book on page 78. I will place a link and picture beside this post. This rare 1930s shaker is available at: Spectrenoir.

The 1930s Camille Tharaud Limoges shaker is shown here on a Japanese tray with a cup & saucer in a Royal Doulton English Rose pattern. Just click on the name to go to Replacements Ltd for this 1930s china.

Spoon is gold plated and from Douwe Egberts, in The Netherlands. With such a gold rim china I love to use those 4" French gold foil lace doilies.

Here the Camille Tharaud Limoges shaker is shown with some more English Rose china from Royal Doulton, and also some Christofle pieces.

Camille Tharaud Limoges shaker together with the Christofle toast rack that I have shown here.

This precious shaker is in perfect shape; no damage whatsoever and the gold is not faded either.

Here the Camille Tharaud shaker is shown together with page 78 in the book.

This 2005 book is a Schiffer Book for Collectors With Price Guide

Hope you learned something about how to use a shaker for Cocoa.

Sorry Sold Out...