Written by : Helen McIntyre
The first day of summer and the longest day of the year, known as the Summer Solstice, represents the beginning of outdoor BBQ’s, entertaining with friends and dining al fresco at home or at the family cottage. This is when I gear up for setting a fun colourful table for my guests.
As I was pondering the longest day of the year this week I decided to look up the true Wikipedia definition of “Solstice”. Thought you might like to read for yourself!
” A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is most inclined toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun’s apparent position in the sky to reach its northernmost or southernmost extreme. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the apparent movement of the Sun’s path north or south comes to a stop before reversing direction.” It also said “In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year (near June 22) when the Sun is farthest north. In the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged. The summer solstice marks the first day of the season of summer. The declination of the Sun on the (northern) summer solstice is known as the tropic of cancer (23° 27′).”
So to be ready for the long lazy days of summer I thought I would share some ideas for freshening up your dishes for entertaining. We just received mountains of Maxwell Williams “Mix & Max” dishes at the store. They come in a striking new range of 4 amazing, vibrant summer colours! Take a peek!
Mix & Max allows you to liven up your breakfast, lunch and dinner tables with a wide selection of bowls, plates, mugs, serving pieces, cups and saucers. You’ll have fun mixing these bright dishes with your existing white basics. You can use all 4 colours at one time or pick one colour that is your favourite! You may even choose to use a different colour for each course you are serving!
The cappuccino cup and saucer would make a great dish for summertime desserts like sorbets and chocolate moose with fresh berries! Yummy! The cute little bowls have already been a great hit with everyone. Use them for condiments such as olives, cocktail onions, nuts and pickles. They are also great for dips, salsa and spreads. There are also big serving bowls available that are great for entertaining. They would be useful for serving pasta salads, grilled veggies, gazpacho soup and my favourite…. fresh corn on the cob. Take your potluck salad in one of these great bowls to your next family gathering.
Pile stacks of different colours and sizes on your outdoor table for a fun buffet style meal. Your guests can choose their favourite colour to eat from!
I’d love for you to stop by and check out the new “MIX & MAX” colourful outdoor entertaining window display that I just put together! And by the way we have a Maxwell & Williams promotion happening right now on boxed sets of white dishes with 25% off – great time to get started if you need some new dishes! Now thru July 1st.
….and since we’d love to hear from you we have a free draw for a $50.00 shopping spree in our store if you leave us a comment below. You will automatically be entered into a draw for this prize. The contest closes July 23rd at which time we will post the winner.
