...and a cup of tea

Even The Doctor rates it highly!

Tea is a funny thing. So very British, yet not British at all. Apparently, it was first discovered in China over 5000 years ago, quite by accident. And what a happy accident. However the British didn't benefit from this delightful beverage until well into the 17th century and even then it was an expensive luxury.

I love tea. I like it strong, but milky with one sugar. That hot cup of bliss has a wonderful capacity to help make even the most tumultuous situations a little bit calmer. There have been so many times that tears and laughter have been shared between friends and family over a good cuppa. It was a little tricky when i completely went off the taste of hot milk when i was pregnant. I missed it but really couldnt stomach it.

Tea and I had an odd relationship in the beginning. My mum used to drink so much of the stuff that I'm sure she was made up of 60% tea rather than water. However, what she used to term "tea" put me off "proper tea" for a long time.

She made her tea with skimmed milk and 2 sweeteners.
Can that even be called tea? 
But it's all i remember her drinking for years. She loved it. So much so that she wrote a little ode to the humble cuppa...


The perfect pick-me-up

Oh, how I love my cuppa, I love my cuppa tea,
I love the one I make myself, or if it's made for me,
It tastes so good and warming, each time I sip it down,
It can put a smile upon my face, and drive away a frown.

I love my tea at breakfast time, I love it with my tea,
I drink it in the afternoon, and when I watch TV,
There's really nothing like it, I think it's really grand,
For me it is the finest drink there is in all the land.

Each morning when I waken, I like to drink my tea,
It's good for dunking biccies in, I almost jump with glee,
So if someone likes their cuppa, don't ever scorn or tease,
Just wait for them to turn and say 'I'd like another, please'.

Carol Lewis

(Ironically, she doesn't drink tea any more, she drinks "tea without the teabag")
How do you take yours?

A x