Morning Tea

I’ve lost my favourite mug. It has got green giraffes and daisies on it, in case you spot it somewhere.

I know what I have done – put it down somewhere while on my morning rambles along the road and around the farmyard, and forgotten it.  Probably covered in freshly fallen leaves now, so hard to spot.  As I only have three mugs – the other with pink flamingos and a bright blue one a friend gave me, I’m going to miss it. I’m fussy with mugs, I prefer them small and thin and cheery and loathe a collection of random ones, so I will have to simply live with the flamingos for a while.

I have lots and lots of teacups, which are great if I am having tea in bed, but for wandering, I prefer a mug – more tea, which lasts a bit longer. These winter mornings have been just too beautiful to stay in bed. the sunrises are spectacular because of all the smoke and dust in the air.  Dizzy loves pre-dawn walks too.

This morning, the absolutely full moon was setting at around 6am – now that is my favourite treat – a morning moon.  We basked in her glow with warm cup in hand.  I thought I’d try to take some pictures. I obviously need lots of practice/advice as all I got was blurry blobs, and when I tried the flash – just got my teacup propped on the fencepost!

Last week my order of tea from The Tea Merchant arrived containing some very nice Tanzanian Organic tea.  Appropriate to enjoy with rainbow sunrises.  I love the stripes of colour starting deep red at the horizon and fading through yellows and greens to mauve.

Some mornings I walk all the way down to the bench overlooking the valley to watch the golden glow of Midmar dam as the sun rises. The tea in my mug seldom lasts that long. Occasionally, I take my flask – even just into the farmyard, so that I don’t have to keep popping home to top up.

Other times of course, I just watch the sun through the Prunus africanus in front of my cottage. Then I can top up as a many times as I like.  The first cup seeps into my bones, the second cup tastes the nicest and the third cup is just so comforting.  Fortunately for me, I can boil the kettle again once the pot is empty.  This is the one indulgence I wonder how I would live without if I was waiting for the water to heat up in my sunstove.  I guess one gets used to anything, but I am exceptionally thankful for my morning tea which is so incredibly easy to make.

My friend Jess also loves her morning tea and sent me this delightful quote recently.  ‘Drinking Tea: Desires diminish and I come to see the ancient secret of happiness. Wanting what I really have, inhabiting the life that is already mine.’  I am so grateful for small pleasures – like morning tea and sunrises, brown paper packages containing fragrant tea leaves and my pink flamingo mug.