Slice of Life Story - Join Me For A Cup of Tea?


Sitting on the back deck in the mid morning light of an autumn day my thoughts land on the idea of enjoying a cup of tea. The sun is slowly warming to its task. By mid afternoon it will bring soothing warmth to my shoulders. Right now the air is still crisp after a rather cool night. Remnants of dew linger on the timber deck. This is the pattern of autumn days. Cool nights followed by days of clear blue skies and mild sunshine.

My choice of tea fluctuates between Earl Grey and Green tea these days. I take it black with no sugar. I like to share a cup of tea. I rarely drink tea alone. Drinking tea is a social event. We sit and ruminate. We plan action and solve problems. We review. We speculate. Tea helps a conversation flow it seems.

When I was growing up it seemed there was only black tea and you chose between two brands- Robur and Bushells. Now there are so many tea choices. We even have a dedicated tea shop in town. It is there that I learned of white tea which is tea harvested from the freshest tips of the tea plant. Tea drinkers are spoilt for choice. Australians have traditionally been tea drinkers. Tea came with the British immigrants and flourished. It has responded to the challenge that coffee drinking has posed. I find myself drinking tea at home and coffee when I go out.

Tea drinkers litter my family. My parents were such devoted tea drinkers. It punctuated their day. When visitors called in, they had a cup of tea. When a crisis arose they had a cup of tea to contemplate their response. When things slowed around the house, it became time to have a ‘cuppa.’ I recall my father consistently uttering the words, ‘Ah Robur,” following his first sip of each new cup of tea. Tea was a time spacer throughout my parents day. It kick started their day and provided the necessary bookend at bedtime.


The words to an old song have suddenly risen up in my head and refuse to be denied:


I like a nice cup of tea in the morning

Just to start the day you see

And at half past eleven

Well, my idea of heaven

Is a nice cup of tea

I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner

And a nice cup of tea with my tea

And when its time for bed

There's a lot to be said

For a nice cup of tea

So I’ll finish here – I think I need a cuppa!

Comments

  1. Juliann29 March 2009 at 11:43

    I have become more of a tea drinker the last few years. Living in the Seattle area, coffee is generally the drink of choice but then I happened on a tea store and began to learn the ways of tea. I found a green earl grey that makes a wonderful option. My grandparents were from Scotland so drinking tea always reminds me of them. Enjoy your cuppa.

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