Afternoon Tea at the Balmoral

Afternoon Tea at The Balmoral Hotel

Elegance,

Plays softly on the ear,

And easy on the eye,

Deceiving us

With a simplicity,

That belies the truth;

The practised polished hand,

The effortless endeavour,

Distilled, and then refined,

Where less is more;

And here,

On a wet and windy,

Edinburgh afternoon,

We escape,

To an exotic place,

A world of infusions,

From Darjeeling,

And Nepal,

To a land

Above the clouds;

The art of ceremony,

The easy grace,

The dignity of service,

The ritual of restraint,

The spinning stops,

Albeit for an instant,

In long-to-be

Remembered,

Sumptuous,

Scottish,

Splendour.