There are tea parties with Teddy bears, dolls and little friends, and there are tea parties with grown-up friends who enjoy the traditional ritual in an elegant setting with refreshments delicate to the palate and warm conversation with good friends. The public is invited to the traditional ritual on Friday, Sept. 14, when the Redding Garden Club presents "An Afternoon Tea" at Clemens Restaurant in West Redding. Owner Ewa Ojarovska is transforming the dining room into a proper tea tasting room for the occasion, featuring Harney & Sons Fine Teas where guests will sample English Breakfast, Earl Grey Supreme, Darjeeling, and Paris Teas from around the world. Coordinating the event are Redding Garden Club President Sharon Epstein and event Chair Catherine Streit. There will be two tea seatings, from 1:15 to 2:30 and from 2:45 to 4.

Island indulgence

Boracay island is much-touted for its sugary white sands and amazing sea and sky views. Life in this famous getaway is also often the reason people keep coming back. From long, lazy days spent swimming, skimming the waters or sipping margaritas at sunset, to pulsating, balmy nights sampling the many different cuisines available in the island or partying like there�s no tomorrow � Boracay, it is often said, offers the best of all worlds.

But just when you thought nothing else could surprise you in this perennial favorite destination, Discovery Shores comes along.

Suddenly, this one-of-a-kind resort along the famous White Beach has everyone agog over its incomparable brand of hospitality. Not for Discovery Shores is just the usual Filipino welcome � they wash your feet, too � in petal-strewn water, no less! A champagne bubbly, or perhaps a refreshing glass of iced pandan water, comes as a pleasant surprise when your tastebuds probably expected the usual iced tea.