Bike to Work Day

OK, I can hear some of you laughing. Yes, my "commute" to work is about 3 steps across the hallway, but I still participated in today's Bike to Work festivities in town. (Besides, we seldom drive our car around town. I regularly use my bike to run errands.) The DH (dear hubby) and I rode downtown this morning, supported the cause, and had a free bagel.

You can tell the age of my Intel jersey - it's advertising MMX technology and PIIs! ;-)

As I wrote once before, this is my favorite bike ever! I love the streamers and the bell. For those of you into bikes, it's a mixte design from the early 80s with a lugged steel frame. The lugs are highlighted with hand painting.

The bike has a rack on the back that lets me attach panniers to carry stuff. The leather seat is covered in plastic because it rains occasionally around here.

Thanks to anyone else out there who chose a non-car option today and on other days! People who are car-dependent miss out on the joy of cycling and walking!

The Tea Samovar, San Francisco

Check out this promotional video from The Tea Samovar in San Francisco. Looks like a neat place to check out the next time you find yourself in San Fran!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfP3UrUEzGg

Thanks to Denise, fellow tea lover and educator, for sharing!

Pretty Picture

Just a pretty picture for today....8 different iris. I picked these this morning. (Actually, we have more than 8 varieties blooming right now, but I only had room for 8.)

Fairies in the Garden

My Mom and Sister came to visit last weekend! I was so happy to spend Mother's Day weekend with them! Here we are in the garden that the DH has made.

Sis (expecting a child), Mom and me

History of Tea in an Orange Poppy

This orange oriental poppy (grown by the DH) fills my day with color. It's rather gray here today, though perfect for capturing the poppy on digital "film" with its peak color. No bright sunlight to wash out the color.

This is an oriental poppy, considered a "low morphine" poppy and approved for general gardening. The seeds of the high morphine varieties of the opium poppy are controlled as they are used to make several narcotics - morphine, codeine, opium, etc.

Do you know the tea connection to poppies? In the late 1830s (time of Queen Victoria), Britain and China were engaged in trade. Britain wanted tea in a big way, but didn't have much that China needed or wanted. Britain started trading silver, but that wasn't efficient. Britain ended up trading opium to China, in exchange for tea. China was having a social crisis with the addiction of much of its population to Opium. In short, China attempted to ban the importation of Opium. The Opium Wars erupted. Britain ultimately prevailed and required an unfair treaty with China. Some historians believe this was the beginning of the downfall of the Qing dynasty in China. To read more, see the Opium Wars in wikipedia. Also see New Tea Lover's Treasury, by James Norwood Pratt (check the index for pages).

There you have it - a bit of tea history, all the way from my garden today to China in the 1830s.

Tea in Charleston

http://teaincharleston.com/

This tour sounds magnificent! The tour organizer (Denise) is the same woman who created the Tea in London tour, so I know that this experience will be full of tea delights and luxury. In particular, the opportunities to see the Charleston Tea Plantation and meet James Norwood Pratt are quite enticing to me. The Charleston Tea Plantation is the only production-level plantation in the US. (There are a couple of test plots in the Northeast and in Hawaii.) Norwood Pratt has written what many consider the modern bible of tea, A Tea Lover's Treasury. I often refer to this handbook, particularly when I'm looking up a specific type of tea.

The other events sound incredible, as well! I've always wanted to visit South Carolina.

See the detailed itinerary here.

I regret that I can't make the date of this tour, but Denise plans another excursion in May, 2008. I am definitely planning on that one!

69 Years

My grandparents recently observed their 69th wedding anniversary. 69 years of living with the same person! That's such an incredible thing! It's tough to live with another human. I love the DH with all my heart, and it's still tough to live together sometimes!

Congratulations to Grandma and Grandpa!

Iris as Big as My Head!

The DH grew these beauties! They really are as big as my head.

Interestingly, I almost feel guilty about making a fuss over these big iris because the little flowers are just as pretty. In fact, I'm rather partial to the tiny little flowers that often get overlooked. It's my anti-mainstream mindset. It seems that to be important, everything has to be big. (Big house, big car, big money, big ring, big television, big vacation, big ego....).
I actually think smaller is better in so many aspects of life. So here's to the little flowers, too!

The Post I Deleted

I just deleted a post where I was ranting and raving about work. Why delete it? It was therapeutic to write, but not helpful in the big picture. I'll just take that frustrated energy and put more effort into not taking things personally.

On that topic, I recommend a great book - The Four Agreements. I'm re-reading it and working on Agreement #2 - Don't Take Things Personally. Maybe my work challenges are a chance to make this real.

Happy Friday! The iris are beginning to bloom and life is, when I look at the big picture, very good for me.

Day Five: A Cozy Pub and Mushy Peas

To wrap up day five of the Tea in London tour, we visited the Lass 'O Richmond Hill pub for dinner.

We had connections, as the chef is the son-in-law of our tour leader.

I had fish and chips and mushy peas. The dinner was delicious! The mushy peas tasted like thick split pea soup.

For dessert I had treacle pudding with custard. I'd first read of treacle in Harry Potter, and I was eager to give this a try! Treacle pudding is a steamed cake. Treacle is like molasses and forms a carmelized top, sort of like in a pineapple upside-down cake. The custard is a warm, sweet cream sauce. This was heavenly!

Calculate Your Carbon Impact

From the Nature Conservancy...
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/

Anyone tried blueberry green tea?

A reader ask about blueberry green tea. I've not tried this blend of green and blueberry. Have you?

If so, what did you think? What brand did you consume? Just leave your responses in the comments, and thank you!

One of My Favorite Meals

I look forward to the early Farmer's Market each spring, where I can get watercress and parmesan-pepper baguettes. YUMMMMMM!

Why I Love Tea

Why I Love Tea

I like the taste of it and the health benefits. I like the trappings that go along with tea, the pots and pretty cups and saucers, the sugar tongs and napkins, or the elegant gaiwan cup and yixing teapot. I like the way the tea leaves expand, "the agony of the leaf." I like the aroma and the color.

But I love tea because it gently, but firmly, reminds me to be present in the moment. Whether drinking from a gaiwan or a Wedgewood cup, whether green or black or in between, I cannot rush bringing water to the boil. I cannot hasten the steeping. I can stop, breathe and listen to the tea unfold and tell its story. There is much to hear in the silence of a steeping pot of tea.

Day Five: Windsor Castle

Wow, I am really stretching out this London tea trip review! It's just that I don't often have the free time put together a trip post, so I sprinkle them in as I find minutes here and there. So, here's another....Windsor Castle.

Steph at the entrance to Windsor Castle, my favorite photo of the trip.










Windsor Castle and moat garden
















I was surprised that there is a whole community around Windsor Castle. I guess I imagined it would be remote, up on a hill, majestic. It is on a hill and majestic, but it's surrounded by a cute little town and Eton college. According to Wikipedia, Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world, and it is big! I was pleased with how much of it we were allowed to tour.

We started with a tour of Queen Mary's Dollhouse. It's a HUGE dollhouse - but not really meant for play. The artwork inside is done by real artists. It's like a miniature museum.

Next I toured the interior. I kept thinking, "Could children actually live here? Could I?" Everything was beautiful and ornate and rare and expensive! Dripping in gold. Lots of original artwork from masters. Of course, we didn't see the private apartments of the Royal family. Maybe the kids have a playroom somewhere with a playhouse that's meant to be used? I enjoyed the tour, and if I sound a bit cynical it's just that everything seemed so surreal in the castle. I can't help but be concerned about the collection of wealth in the hands of a few. (We have our own problems with that in the US!) At least these rooms and artwork are open for public viewing.

Crimson Drawing Room,
photo courtesy of the Royal Residences website





Here's a fuzzy-topped guard at Windsor Castle. The guards look right through a person. They don't respond even if you wave a hand in front of them. (I witnessed some kids trying this.)


















My favorite part of the Windsor Castle trip was taking a stroll along the Long Walk. It's 3 miles from the castle to its end point. I didn't go the entire way, but did walk for about 40 minutes and loved it!

The long walk, facing Windsor Castle











Apparently, the Queen (81 years young) still frequently rides horses along the greenery here.















I had lunch at the Drury House Inn and Tea Room. I felt adventurous and had the cottage pie. This consisted of some potatoes drowned in gravy with ground beef, served with a side of more potatoes and peas. It was tasty, but I could only eat a very little of it. Obviously, I gave up being a vegetarian for this trip. (I'm happily back to that now! I really do think I feel better with a diet light on meat and heavy on veggies/fruits.)
Up next: Fish and chips and mushy peas!

Happy Birthday to the Queen!

Check out what my cousin made in honor of the Queen's Birthday. She (my cousin) is an incredible artist! The Queen may be, too, but I don't know her that well. ;-)

http://nextdesigns.blogspot.com/2007/04/happy-birthday-your-majesty.html

Happy Belated Earth Day

In the creation story of the Bible, humans are charged with caring for the earth. That's our prime role, our work.

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2, v 15, New International Version

This is a powerful reminder of our connection with the earth, our responsibility to it and our indebtedness to it, as well. Regardless of whether you believe this story is literal or symbolic, or whether the Bible is a sacred text for you, I think the story is compelling.

I believe that protecting the earth is a spiritual calling, and that we are in a spiritual crisis.

Environmental issues need to be discussed in your church, temple, synagogue. In your Sunday tea (or coffee) with friends or in your tent in the forest. Be the initiator of change and discuss the care of the earth.

One of my favorite philosophical jokes is this: "If God looks at what we've done to the Earth, why would we be allowed into heaven?" It's a joke with serious contemplative opportunities!

Salvation may just mean we have to save the planet. Save the planet, save ourselves.

Photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew, Oct 26, 1997

Day Five: Runnymede and Magna Carta Tearoom

On day five of my London Tea Tour, we took a trip to Windsor Castle. On the way, we stopped at Runnymede and the Magna Carta Tearoom. "Runnymede is a meadow alongside the River Thames in the county of Surrey, England, associated with the signing of the Magna Carta and today the site of a collection of memorials." -- Wikipedia

Meadow at Runnymede

Daffodils and the River Thames at Runnymede

On the Runnymede grounds is the Magna Carta Tearoom. This is a lovely spot! It's a humble tearoom that seems to be visited by local folks as well as tourists.

I enjoyed a "flapjack," which is nothing like a pancake! The flapjack was like a homemade, chewy and soft granola bar. It was delicious! I had it with a cup of black currant (herbal) tea. Our tour guide sent me her recipe, and I plan to give it a try. Here's the wikipedia definition of a flapjack: "In the UK, a flapjack is a tray bake (or bar cookie) made from rolled oats, fat, brown sugar, and usually Golden syrup or honey."

Next I'll write about our visit to Windsor Castle.

Pause

Let's all pause and send peaceful thoughts into the universe. Peace at home, peace on foreign soils. Violence is never the answer.

Baby Bunnies, Take 2

For the second spring in a row, the DH has found a baby bunny in our yard.

Little bunny - you are cute and welcome to stay if you don't eat my garden! Eat all the grass you want.

Nature Videos

These video clips (from Discovery) are hosted on the Nature Conservancy's website.

http://www.nature.org/earth/activities/index.html

The Queen Doesn't Make Tea

Interesting little story. The Queen is missing a great pleasure for not making her own tea. The wasted "fluff" and expense for the Royals is disheartening.

(Thanks to my Tea Educator friends for sharing!)

Steph

Day Four: Tea at the Ritz

The Ritz Palm Court (Photo courtesy Ritz website)

Tea at the London Ritz is an elegant, sumptuous affair! The setting is dripping in gold. The staff is attentive and sharp. The food is wonderful! And even the bathrooms are lovely.

Taking tea at the London Ritz is a life-long dream of afternoon tea lovers. It is, by many, considered the pinnacle of the experience. I was not disappointed.

Stephanie and Denise, tour leader

Our evening began with champagne then continued with afternoon tea sandwiches (all we could eat!):




* Smoked salmon
* Egg mayonnaise with cress
* Ham
* Chicken with mayonnaise


Then we enjoyed raisin and apple scones with Devonshire clotted cream and organic strawberry preserves.


For dessert, we had an assortment of afternoon tea pastries and cakes.









The last course was fruits of the forest (berries) with English cream. I enjoyed all of these with several cups of Ritz Traditional English tea.



Even the bathroom was fancy. ;-)

Queen is Going Green

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070403/en_afp/britainroyals

It's Friday, Good!

Happy weekend! I picked this postcard up at a small store in Windsor.

Day Four: National Portrait Gallery

Back to the London tea tour....

On the afternoon of Day Four, we visited the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square. It's nearly impossible to have favorites among a week of perfect tea touring! Nonetheless, this visit to the NPG stands out in my mind as a favorite among favorites. We had a custom tour, designed by the tour creator. She led us through the portrait galleries, highlighting famous tea folks. This was really cool because I had never seen any pictures of many of these people! We saw Catherine de Braganza, Anna Maria Stanhope, the Duchess of Beford, and many other people associated with tea history and lore. It was fascinating to me to see the faces of these people.

This is the portrait we saw of Catherine de Braganza. She was a Portuguese princess, sent to marry England's King Charles II. The marriage was a political merger. She introduced tea-drinking to England. I was struck by how young she looked in this portrait.

There was also a modern exhibit of photographic portraits that I really enjoyed.

After visiting the NPG, I wandered around Trafalgar Square. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I was really drawn to the statue of a pregnant Allison Lapper. Lapper is an artist who paints using her mouth and feet. The statue is by Marc Quinn. What I love about it the statue is its challenge to us to broaden our definition of beauty.

I ended this portion of the afternoon at the National Gallery. I enjoyed the work of Peter Paul Rubens. His paintings are huge! They're very easily identified, with dark backgrounds but highlighted characters. Rubens is famous for his naked, rotund and beautiful women. Here's an example...The Judgement of Paris.

My Easter Bonnet

Happy Easter (a little early)! Here's a photo of me in my Easter bonnet (the bike helmet). I gave up vanity some time ago in favor of earth-friendly commuting. And I happily discovered I can still look good and help reduce greenhouse gases at the same time. :-)

This is my favorite bike, ever. I love the streamers and the bell. For those of you into bikes, it's a mixte design from the early 80s with a lugged steel frame. The lugs are highlighted with hand painting.

My Cousin's Blog...

Here's a link to my very creative cousin's blog:
http://nextdesigns.blogspot.com/

Her chapeaus are very fun, beautiful and whimsical! Enjoy!

One Voice

It's daffodil time and I love it! We have several varieties blooming. The interesting thing is that the smallest bloom (upper left in photo) is the most fragrant. This is inspiring to me. Sometimes I get so sad about the state of the world and my inability to influence its direction. It feels to me, often, like we're on a path to environmental destruction that is irreversible. Then this little daffodil blooms and spreads its sweet scent through our entire upstairs. I cry. I remember that our world can - and will - heal itself. Whether humans are around to see that is the question.

There is a song that I adore, one of the most beautiful songs ever written, I believe. It's by the Wailin' Jennys, a Canadian girl-band. Some days I listen to it over and over. I let the melody float over me and give me hope. It's called, "One Voice."

First words..."The is the sound of one voice. One spirit, one voice. The sound of one who makes a choice. This is the sound of one voice.".......

Last words..."This is the sound of one voice. One people, one voice. A song for every one of us. This is the sound of one voice."

The song and the daffodil remind me of the power of one person, one choice. We each face choices - every hour of the day - that affect our world. Choices and small flowers matter.

Day Four: Southwark Tea Walk, Bramah Museum of Tea

Day Four brought us a brisk, yet sunny morning! We continued to be grateful for the weather, as we were headed out for a walking tour through Southwark to take in "400 years of Tea History."

We started in a current office park. However, these buildings were formerly warehouses. The buildings are marked with plaques that indicate what that particular structure used to hold. Here is the plaque for the tea warehouse (notice the tea leaves).

Below is the Lloyds of London building, where the folks work who insure various curiosities, like Elton John's hands and Sharon Stone's legs, among other things. This very modern establishment has humble beginnings in a coffee house. Lloyds coffee house eventually became enlightened and served tea, too. Tho I seem to recall that this was a male-only establishment. Thankfully, times have changed.

Here is our tour group, standing on London Bridge (the new one) with Tower Bridge behind us.

We wrapped up the morning tour at the Bramah Museum of Tea and Coffee (and tea room). Here, I enjoyed a pot of tea, a hot cross bun and engaging conversation with some of my travel mates.

There were men at this tea room too. I appreciate that tearooms are not gender-centered in England. Or, perhaps I should more correctly say the men are not intimidated by the tea rooms.

The museum, while small, has a varied collection of tea and coffee wares. Notice the small teapot in the left of the picture to get a sense of scale for the larger teapot.

Two monkeys and a lady (Mary Jane, on the right).

"Monkey" is the PG Tips mascot. PG Tips is one of, if not the, most popular brand of tea in the UK.

Day Three: Tea Master Class

Still blogging about my London trip! I've got several more days to go. :-)

Day three was the Tea Master Class, sponsored by the UK Tea Council. The class was held at the lovely Chesterfield Hotel. I wish I had a photo of the staff. The young guys "in uniform" - that is, tuxedos with tails and a red carnation, were very handsome!














The class was led by Jane Pettigrew and Tim Clifton. Jane has written over 12 books on tea and is known worldwide. Tim is a highly-trained tea taster and previously Chairman of one of London's leading tea brokers.















Jane Pettigrew and Tim Clifton

















Stephanie with two classmates















Tea Tasting - Black Teas

The class covered the following topics:

• The history of tea in Britain
• What is Tea?
• Why all teas are different
• The manufacture of black, green, white, oolong, pu’erh and flavoured teas with samples and tastings
• Tea growing regions
• From the plantation to the cup
• Loose tea & tea bags - different types, advantages & disadvantages
• Perfect brewing
• Tea and health

We also had a delicious lunch. I had a great rhubarb crumble with fresh cream on top for dessert!
Later in the day, we enjoyed a full afternoon tea (tea sandwiches, scones and desserts). This was truly a special treat because we were only expecting a cream tea (scones and tea).














Conservatory


















Scones and Clotted Cream
We also met other tea professionals from around the world. It was a very international and mind-expanding day!