Two Weeks of Teas, Starting with Canterbury

Tomorrow I depart for my London Tea Tour. I'm so excited I'm about to "jump out of my skin" as a work colleague describes it! :-) But the festivities began last Saturday with a visit to the Canterbury Inn in downtown Indianapolis. A group of women and I have been making the tea room rounds. This is our third trip.

The Canterbury Inn was very lovely. Quite posh, actually. We were lucky to have a room to ourselves.

The tea menu included blueberry and butterscotch scones; salmon, cucumber and candied walnut, and salami and spicy mustard sandwiches; and a wide variety of dainty chocolates, including a very tasty chocolate swan truffle. The food was plenty. We brought home enough sandwiches for everyone to take a few for a snack.

The teas were very good. We were served a black chai (the favorite) along with an almond-caramel ceylon. Another highlight was the rock sugar on a stick. We brought several of these home!

I must admit that the waitstaff seemed overloaded. We were sometimes forgotten. And, the tea sandwiches were dry. But aside from that, it was a lovely day! Especially the company!

While there, it started to sleet. Big, sloppy, slushy masses of sleet came down very quickly. The drive home took us double the normal time, but everyone arrived safely. For that we are grateful!

Sugar Axe

Check out this blog post about a tool that helps you easily cut sugar cubes in half. I need this, as I seldom want a whole cube in my teacup! (I generally drink tea plain, but when I want sugar, I want just a bit.)

http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2007/02/24/sugar-axe/

Curio Cabinet

My mom recently gave me this beautiful (hand made) curio cabinet, which she purchased at a benefit auction. Thank you, Mom! I've filled it with tea things. I enjoyed displaying a variety of tea wares - Asian, whimsical, traditional and a special 1910 Wedgewood piece (bottom photo, second piece).

Current List of Teas

Thanks to the blog reader who pointed out I didn't have my current list of teas visible on the right column. It's there now. Cheers!
stephanie

Tea Storage from the Heart

Here's my Valentine's Day gift from the DH. I call it my Tea Temple. This makes me happier than you can imagine. Organization (control) makes me very, very happy! What does that say about me? Hee hee. >-) For those of you who know me, please don't laugh too hard.

The DH procured the jars and built the stair-step arrangement so that I could clearly see what was what.















He also put in the hooks (behind my collection of tea tins) so that I could hang my tea socks. Tea socks are my preferred filter. They're cotton and they fit very nicely down into a teapot.

Junque Revival

This is an early birthday gift from my Mom, tho she doesn't know it. (She gave me cash.) Thanks, Mom! :-) I bought the necklace at Junque Revival - found object art and jewelry. I'd been lusting after this for some time. The artist , Jessica Moreau-Berry, does incredible work. To find other necklaces like this one, click on the Jewelry link and then Look Closely necklaces. Each necklace has a unique saying on it. Mine says "heart and soul." This necklace attracted me for two reasons: 1 - The image of the three women reminded me how important my women friends are. 2 - The saying is how I prefer to live my life - fullness for my heart and soul.

I highly recommend a visit to Junque Revival! Simply looking through the site is like an online art tour. Jessica Moreau-Berry, the artist, also runs the Sweetpeas blog.

One of the coolest things is that I now have a personal connection with the artist. We traded a few e-mails about the piece, she visited my blog, and I got a handwritten note in the box with the necklace! I can't get something like that at Target!

Vagina Monologues

The DH and I went to see the Vagina Monologues tonight at Indiana University. Not to use these analogies lightly, but I feel like my soul has been pierced and my body is vibrating with a need to make a difference. It's that powerful. If you ever have the chance, go see the Vagina Monologues. Take every woman and man you know. I believe this evening is changing my life.

The Monologues bring forth topics that are often taboo. Far beyond sex, tho that topic is there. The Monologues are about the suppression of women, rape, violence, shame. They're also about orgasms, wonder, joy, discovery and love. Ultimately, the Monologues are about making a difference.

The Vagina Monologues are shown across the US each year near Valentine's Day to call attention to a cause affecting women around the globe. This year's focus is on Women in Conflict Zones. "...war exponentially increases the crimes of violence against women and girls. In equal strength and measure the strength and resilience of women in rebuilding their communities and leading governments to peaceful solutions needs to be celebrated." Read more.

What I took away is that a society that wages war on others implicitly condones violence against women (humanity) on its own soil. This is not acceptable.

The Sexiest Thing Ever

The sexiest thing ever, to me, is a man who will dance. I'm a lucky woman!

Stephanie and the DH doing a triple-step (East Coast) swing.

Collins Living-Learning Center

I gave a tea talk last night at the Collins Living-Learning Center on the campus of Indiana University. I had a great time and hope the students did, as well! Thanks for the invitation!

The students asked thoughtful and insightful questions - some that even stumped me! We talked about tea etiquette (like where to put the teaspoon on the saucer), the history of tea and the processing of tea. A few students came in cool hats, pearls and fun attire. (See bottom left of photo.)

I promised to post a couple of URLs for websites that list tea spots around the US. Here they are:

Great Tearooms of America

Teamap

Tea Guide

Peter Rabbit and Friends

The Toad's Tea Party, by Beatrix Potter

I'm becoming reacquainted with the writings and illustrations of Beatrix Potter. She's brilliant! You might recognize her characters as Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten and Samuel Whiskers.

I believe that writing for children is one of the hardest forms because it requires simplicity and vivid imagery together. The task of bringing alive vivid images in few words is a daunting one, and Potter does it so well. She also does her own illustrations!

I recommend these books for readers of all ages, especially if you enjoy animals and nature. Or tea - there are lots of tea images and imagery. I suggest this book, Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales. It compiles the Beatrix Potter stories in chronological order, along with a brief historical introduction.
Let the tales (and tails) take you back to a time of honest wonder.

V-day Ice Storm and More Tea Poetry

We got hit by an ice and snow storm in the Midwest last night. Lots of people are without power. I'm lucky to still have power, which means I'm warm but I don't get a snow day, either. In the first two photos, notice the branches are completely surrounded by ice. It's pretty. The DH and I were out and about yesterday afternoon, and we could hear branches regularly popping and then falling. It was an awesome sound, truly.









Have a nice Valentine's Day. Here are a few love poems of tea. (Originally found on Cup of Tea and a Blog.) The imagery is fantastic and very evocative -- You can decide of what.



Love Poems of Tea
1 If I, the boiling water,
And you, the tea;
Then your fragrance
Has to depend solely upon my plainness.

2 Let your dryness inside me
Softly uncoil and stretch;
Let me dissolve
Imperceptibly, your tension.

3 I have to be hot, even boiled
Before we consume each other;
We have to hide, see and hold
each other in water
to decide
a tea color.

4 No matter how capriciously
you drift;
Gradually and slowly
(O' gently)
You will into me submerge--
Deep.

5 By that moment
the most bitter tear of yours
will become a best sip
of my fragrance.

Cheung, Dominic. Drifting. Green Integer: Los Angelos. 2000. p. 18.

Bigelow Blog Roll

Hey! I'm on Bigelow's Blog Roll. Check out the column on the right!

www.BigelowTeaBlog.com

Valentine's Tea Stuff...

I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day. I like the silly sweetness of it and celebrating with the DH. I like the chocolates. And I dislike the commercialism that's associated (aside from the chocolates!).

I've been saving a few items for V-day...here's the first to sing tea's praises:

A Poem Upon Tea

Hail, Drink of Life! How justly shou'd our Lyres

Resound the Praises which thy Pow'r inspires!

Thy Charms alone can equal Thoughts infuse:

Be though my Theme, my Nectar, and my Muse...

Tea, Heav'ns Delight, and Nature's truest Wealth,

That pleasing Physic, and sure Pledge of Health:

The Stateman's Councellor, the Virgin's Love,

The Muse's Nectar, and the Drink of Jove...

Immortals, hear, said Jove, and cease to jar!

Tea must succeed to Wine as Peace to War:

Nor by the Grape let Men be set at odds,

But share in Tea, the Nectar of the Gods...

-- Peter Antoine Motteux

Note: "Jove" is a reference to Roman mythology, the planet/god Jupiter.

What My Job Is Like...

At the core of my job, I develop software training. I do other things, too...like the strategic planning for all of this. Nonetheless, at the core, I develop training.

This YouTube video summarizes what my life often feels like, especially with the onset of Office 2007. I've watched it 3 times and laugh so hard each time! Especially the "Wait!" part at the very end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

Tea Poems for a Cold, Cold Day

It's about 12 degrees today, and with the wind if feels like 2 below. But the sun is shining and I found a south-facing window with an open chair at the library. I spent a lovely afternoon reading about England. I've become enamored with the writing of Susan Allen Toth. She writes about her travels to England with humor, detail, and perspective.

Here are a few tea poems I recently rediscovered. Enjoy!

Winter Afternoon Teas
Winter seems to me
Time for tea
When all in the garden
is at rest
to sip and sip is best
A time to dream
A time to plan
A time essential to every man
-- Adelma Simmons, from Winter at Capriland's


We had a kettle, we let it leak;
Our not replacing it made it worse,
We haven't had any tea for a week....
The bottom is out of the Universe!

-- Rudyard Kipling, Natrual Theology

Really Beautiful and Unique Rosenthal Teapot

The generosity of my friends humbles me. I am the honored recipient of this really beautiful and unique Rosenthal teapot. It came from some friends who brought it home from their travels to Germany many years ago.

The creativity of this design is this:

1 - When you steep the tea, you turn the pot on its side.

2 - When the tea is done steeping, you turn it upright and the tea is out of the water.

I love the shape of the teapot. It works great, and is beautiful, as well. The fancy spout is one of my favorite parts. Here's the stamp on the bottom:

Anglophile

I'm taking the preparations for my London Tea Tour seriously! I'm studying up on British history, culture, the royal family, etc. For me, half the fun of traveling is the learning about where I'm going!

One definition of an Anglophile is someone simply interested in English things. That fits me, as I am interested in England and its connection to tea. Another definition of an Anglophile is one who wishes to be British. That's definitely not me. While I find the royal family interesting and am glad many of the beautiful palaces and artwork have been preserved, I don't believe in entitlement by birth. I'm too much of an egalitarian.




Windsor Castle




Here are some of the interesting sites I've found in my research:

Official Website of the Monarchy - Lots of history and photos.

The Royal Residences - Brief descriptions and photos. This was helpful, because I was having trouble keeping them straight. I'll be visiting Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle.

Changing the Guard - Info on the ceremony. "...the process involves a new guard exchanging duty with the old guard." Seems kind of metaphorical.

Tower of London - More than just a prison.

Lady Jane Grey - The "9-day queen" is a very interesting historical character!

I'll Take 22

22 degrees and breezy. It's sunny, but those clear skies are deceptive. No clouds to blanket the earth and hold in the heat. I'm heading out for a morning run. Solo run today. I don't wear my watch. I have a general sense of the distance (about 4 miles), but I don't worry about the time today.

I'm just not a gym girl. I have gone to gyms in the past, but mostly for yoga or the pool. I much, much, much prefer to take my exercise outside. Even when it's 22 degrees. I don't usually start out thinking that way. It starts out like, "Oh, gosh - it's cold! I'm tired. I don't want to run." But I pull on my gear and nudge myself out the door.

Like 22, I think in pairs. 2 sets of socks, 2 pairs of tights, 2 shirts, 1 jacket (double lined), a face mask and a stocking cap. The DH would smother in this get-up, but I'm quite comfy. I do NOT like to be cold!

Normally, I walk for the first 5 minutes, but when it's this cold, there is no "warm up" period with walking. I just get colder by the minute. I'm at the corner, and I break into a shuffle. Within a minute, and I'm at my pace.

On the way out, I have moments of doubt when I think I'm over dressed. I'm sweating. Then I hit the turnaround spot, and poof! The wind is now in my face. Nope, not over dressed. Swish-swish-swish. My nylon coat and pants make a soothing sound as I move along. I probably look quite funny.

My run through campus is beautiful. I look at all the students and their varying array of outfits. The winner today is a woman who has on a short skirt and bare legs, with heels. These sidewalks are icy and she's wearing heels! I hope she doesn't bust her butt.

The wind is still hitting me in the face, but I'm warm enough now that it doesn't sting. It's so good to be outside and breathe the fresh air. (We don't have many bad air days here.) The sun is sparkling off the remaining snow and the evergreen trees are lovely. I'll take this any day over a smelly, hot, sticky gym. I'm just not a gym girl.

Apron and All

Yep, that's my DH, proudly sporting a lilac floral apron and a teapot! Here's the story behind this great photo. :-) I was supposed to host a recent tea party for the staff at our church, but I had a cold and didn't feel up to it. The DH very capably stepped in for me! I suggested that he should wear my purple apron, for a laugh. Always one ready for a joke, he agreed.

While he doesn't give the "tea talk," he can brew up a mighty-good cuppa. Thank you, sweetheart!

Al and Monkey and PG Tips

I'm studying up on British things in preparation for my tea trip in March. I'm taking this quite seriously, reading and watching a diverse arrangement of British media and literature. Along the way, I've learned of Al and Monkey. >-)

In this commercial for PG Tips (a popular British brand of tea), the duo has reunited.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoD2w-Ogi4E

Enjoy!