Saturday … off to the outback!

I am taking the pair on the right.

Today I go to Bishops Waltham, where I am attending a weekend wood engraving workshop. I have been looking forward to it; for lots of reasons apart from the obvious, learning something new is my passion. However; a day or two from the the routine is welcome; especially now as it seems since the ‘happenings’ of the New Year home has become a little too comfortable and tedious. I need a break!

So being away, learning a new skill will be good. Meeting new people will be positive.  

There is one thing that I do find difficult when not at home.  It is the tea making experience. I drink Chinese tea at regular intervals throughout the day; starting with white, then green and black as the day progresses.  Sometimes I have a blend depending on the mood.  I have different pots, cups and methods and a touch of madness verging on the obsessional! A pleasantry I am loathed to give up, even for the above mentioned fine attributes of leaving home!

Tea and all that it involves is not easy to plan; while I can pack a bag with clothes, toiletries, and workshop needs in a few minutes, I have agonised over the logistics of taking the tea making equipment for weeks (give or take)

I don’t have to worry about weight or space; it is an overnight stay, in a car 40 minutes down the motorway … not Timbuktu!

There is much to consider, will there be a kettle and water; do they have such things in Hampshire? And 80 degrees? Cup? Mug? Both? Which pot? Now theres a question. The tea; which?  And how much? The questions go on.

So now I have decided …

One little pot without a lid, and a cup with more than its fair share of chips to be healthy (a representation of me I think) However, a pretty pair, a gift from a friend who had grown tired of its lid-lessness and chips. But they are a little piece of home (his or mine?) that fits snuggly with a few twirls of my favourite in a little bag!