May 18, 2010
TEAS-r-funny!
Here are the tea jokes.
What does a teapot say to its lover? O, dajarling!
What is a baby teapots favourite game? Pekoe-boo.
How long does it take to ship tea from China by slow boat? Oolong Time!
What does a teapot say to her hairdresser? Don't teas!
What does the teapot say to its bag? I don't want another seep out of you!
What kind of music do teapots like? Jasmine
Why did the teapot wear a cozy? Cozy kept him warm.
Why must you be careful of tea at night? Because it might mug you.
What does a tea bag do when it's tired? It seeps.
What do lady teapots like to wear? String of Earls!
What's a teapots favourite folk tune? My Dajarling Clementine
Why did the teapot get in trouble? Because he was naughtea.
What did the teapot wear to bed? A nightea
Why did the tea get away? Because it was loose.
How does a tea bag seep? On its side
What's the teapots favorite movie? E.T.
An annoying waiter came and asked a couple what they would like to drink. They both ordered and the waiter went away to get their drinks. A few minutes later, he came back with two steaming cups of tea. He handed a cup to the woman and said: "This is yours - or is it not your cup of tea?!!!
Come and join me for a nice cup of TEA!
Sit a while, chillax, let’s chat, and while we do, let’s talk about that amazing beverage – the one that has been around forever – that can change your mood and demeanour in an instant.
Of course I am talking about TEA or you may know it as:
Teestrauch; תה, tè, 茶, чай, çay, trà, شاي, tee, τσάι, чай, čaj, teh, tae
Who would have thought (well obviously someone did!) that the leaf of a lovely flowering bush could provide refreshment to generations?
Reading the history of tea (as with all research, it depends on whose history you read) it all began in
2737 B.C. when the second emperor of China, Shen Nung, discovered tea when tea leaves blew into his cup of hot water or so the story goes.
618-907 T'ang Dynasty Tea became a popular drink in China for both its flavour and medicinal qualities
1484 Japan's shogun Yoshimasa encouraged tea ceremonies, painting, and drama.
1618 Chinese ambassadors presented the Russian Czar Alexis with many chests of tea, which are refused as useless.
1706 Thomas Twining served up tea at Tom’s Coffee House in London.
1826 English Quaker John Horniman introduced the first retail tea in sealed, lead-lined packages. (for years these Tea Chests were used by us for storage and removal!)
1856 Tea was planted in and about Darjeeling, India.
1908 New York tea importer Thomas Sullivan inadvertently invented tea bags when he sent tea to clients in small silk bags, and they mistakenly steeped the bags whole. (OH NO!)
1951 Vicky was born and had to wait until she was about 8 before she was allowed to have her first cup of tea!
1959 Dr Allan Maruff purchased 320 acres at Nerada in the foothills of the Atherton Tablelands near Innisfail. He commenced planting the first commercial tea plantation since 1884 using seeds from the Experimental Station at Bingal Bay.
2010 Of course I have left out a lot of the history of tea – if you are interested, and it is a fascinating story, please check on the link. You are sharing the wonders of Tea with me on my BLOG!
Today’s post is the first in my series about tea. I would love to hear about your experiences with tea.
Today’s post is the first in my series about tea. I would love to hear about your experiences with tea.
While I love coffee – I don’t drink it. For me it was not doing my health any good. I just love the smell of coffee. I always want to be there when a new pot is brewed or a jar is opened.
Now, I am back to being a teetotal! I am very happy with that.
I drink a lot of tea. I drink many different varieties of tea. My choice of tea is dependent on the weather, the time of day, what I may accompany it with, and what my palate is saying at the time.
Buying tea for me is like being in a candy shop! The smells, the boxes, packets, tins, labels, provide me with a veritable smorgasbord of temptations for my senses.
In the next few postings, I will consider:
- The types of tea,
- Making the ultimate cuppa,
- Teapots,
- Teacups,
- Selecting Tea,
- Tea around the world,
- High Tea,
- Tea parties and
- TEAsers!
May 17, 2010
Don't you love it?
Quote
A home is not a mere transient shelter: its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it. -- H. L. Mencken
A house is not a home
A house is a structure as the other poster put it, but a home is the people who live in the house and make it a safe and pleasant place to be. You've heard quotes such as "Keep the home fires burning" (during the wars years) and the oldie but goodie "Home is where the heart is." You can live in a beautiful home, but if you have no one to love and share it with, then it's just a plain house no matter how fancy it is. Poor or rich, no children or a dozen children, adults have the control to make any place a good home.
A home can be anywhere you live -- your home may be a mobile home, or a motor home, or an igloo. For some, home can be an abandoned warehouse on Main Street in Anywhere, USA. You can call an apartment your home. As they say, "Home is where the heart is."
But a house is a physical structure with walls and a roof and a door. An apartment would not be considered your "house", etc.
Real estate agents say
Real estate agents are trained to minimize emotional involvement by calling it a house when you sell it, and maximize emotional involvement by calling it a home when you buy it.
A "home" is where you live your life. A "house" is where you pose waiting for the photographers to show up.
A home is not a mere transient shelter: its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it. -- H. L. Mencken
A house is not a home
A house is a structure as the other poster put it, but a home is the people who live in the house and make it a safe and pleasant place to be. You've heard quotes such as "Keep the home fires burning" (during the wars years) and the oldie but goodie "Home is where the heart is." You can live in a beautiful home, but if you have no one to love and share it with, then it's just a plain house no matter how fancy it is. Poor or rich, no children or a dozen children, adults have the control to make any place a good home.
A home can be anywhere you live -- your home may be a mobile home, or a motor home, or an igloo. For some, home can be an abandoned warehouse on Main Street in Anywhere, USA. You can call an apartment your home. As they say, "Home is where the heart is."
But a house is a physical structure with walls and a roof and a door. An apartment would not be considered your "house", etc.
Real estate agents say
Real estate agents are trained to minimize emotional involvement by calling it a house when you sell it, and maximize emotional involvement by calling it a home when you buy it.
A "home" is where you live your life. A "house" is where you pose waiting for the photographers to show up.
Why do we live where we live?
I sometimes think about where people choose to live and why. I appreciate that for many people, there is no conscious choice at all.
Well of course, we identify ourselves by where we live. In my profile blurb, I start by positioning myself as an Australian. Australia is an old country with a very long indigenous history – and a very short non-Indigenous history.
My location here (Oz) is as a result of wars in Europe. My parents (as younger people) were fortunate to be able to immigrate to Australia with their parents and build {safe, productive} lives and ‘grow’ their family.
My parents came from Germany to live in Australia. My husband’s family came from Estonia. We are both our family’s first generation Aussies. There was a certain amount of ‘lack of choice’ in my family establishing themselves here. My parents and grandparents would have found relocating themselves to a country which didn’t speak their language, very difficult at times.
All around the world, people are wanting to and achieving their desire to relocate to another country – many people continue to come to our shores via rickety boats from war torn countries; I wish we could give them all a home. Developed countries offer a future for refugees, this is just not available to them in their homeland. So while I recognise that people move locations based on their safety and their well-being, this post is more about the CHOICE to live in a place other than that you grew up in.
My family and I have moved house a lot. In the past 29 years we have moved house (within Australia) 22 times! That’s a lot. I can imagine some of you thinking ‘what’s with that?’ Many of you may have lived in the same house in the same town in the same country your entire life. That’s definitely not something I am familiar with!
While my home movement sounds gypsy-like, it really sounds worse than it’s been. For many years we rented properties so our kids could grow up in nice areas (where we wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy a home). Rentals often sell – tenant out/new owner in; Other issues included, leases unable to be extended; rental increases; owner not keeping their side of the deal etc
We also have moved because of new jobs – in other states. We used to joke with family that we couldn’t afford to travel around our country, so we moved house instead. We have lived in Brisbane, Ipswich, Canberra, Hall (ACT), Sydney, Lismore – check them out on a map of Australia.
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So, we are moving - we know not where. It is totally dependent on how much we get for our present home. We want to have no mortgage.
Families and individuals locate where they are because it has ever been thus. Their family 'home' is there - they are carrying on the family tradition and even continuing to live in the 'family home'. When I hear about strife in a country - wars and abuse that has been ongoing for many, many years, I ask 'why do you stay, why don't you move somewhere else?'
Well of course, we identify ourselves by where we live. In my profile blurb, I start by positioning myself as an Australian. Australia is an old country with a very long indigenous history – and a very short non-Indigenous history. My location here (Oz) is as a result of wars in Europe. My parents (as younger people) were fortunate to be able to immigrate to Australia with their parents and build {safe, productive} lives and ‘grow’ their family.
All around the world, people are wanting to and achieving their desire to relocate to another country – many people continue to come to our shores via rickety boats from war torn countries; I wish we could give them all a home. Developed countries offer a future for refugees, this is just not available to them in their homeland. So while I recognise that people move locations based on their safety and their well-being, this post is more about the CHOICE to live in a place other than that you grew up in.
My family and I have moved house a lot. In the past 29 years we have moved house (within Australia) 22 times! That’s a lot. I can imagine some of you thinking ‘what’s with that?’ Many of you may have lived in the same house in the same town in the same country your entire life. That’s definitely not something I am familiar with!
While my home movement sounds gypsy-like, it really sounds worse than it’s been. For many years we rented properties so our kids could grow up in nice areas (where we wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy a home). Rentals often sell – tenant out/new owner in; Other issues included, leases unable to be extended; rental increases; owner not keeping their side of the deal etc
We also have moved because of new jobs – in other states. We used to joke with family that we couldn’t afford to travel around our country, so we moved house instead. We have lived in Brisbane, Ipswich, Canberra, Hall (ACT), Sydney, Lismore – check them out on a map of Australia.
Who knows whether this moving has had a detrimental effect on our kids? Some of them would say yes and others, no. Maybe by saying that one lives in Hong Kong (previously Tokyo for 11 years); one Lives in Sydney, one lives in Christchurch, New Zealand and one lives here in Brisbane, you get the idea about how we like to live in interesting places. All our kids have moved house – individually and with their partners, many times!
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So, we are moving - we know not where. It is totally dependent on how much we get for our present home. We want to have no mortgage.As each day goes by, our plans/dreams change. Watch this space!
May 16, 2010
Upon Reflection
I haven't given up on you, BLOGGY! Your purpose is still close to my heart and in almost every thought.
Today I checked out Homes for Sale in Christchurch. Haven't looked at these for months. Nothing much has changed in terms of prices.
There are still heaps of 'small bungalows' available. I see those 'small bungalows' as teeny-weeny dolls houses that probably previously house huge families and now I would think of only in terms of 'just like a townhouse'!
But, I am back to reality this week. Our house goes into its second week on the market. We have had lots of people drooling over this wonderful place. In some ways we hope they wait and fight it out at auction - in another way - JUST MAKE US AN OFFER WE WANT AND IT'S YOURS!
Anyone in Christchurch want a fabulous home? Come join the {almost} entire population of New Zealand in Brisbane. Your home away from home!
Today I checked out Homes for Sale in Christchurch. Haven't looked at these for months. Nothing much has changed in terms of prices.
There are still heaps of 'small bungalows' available. I see those 'small bungalows' as teeny-weeny dolls houses that probably previously house huge families and now I would think of only in terms of 'just like a townhouse'!
But, I am back to reality this week. Our house goes into its second week on the market. We have had lots of people drooling over this wonderful place. In some ways we hope they wait and fight it out at auction - in another way - JUST MAKE US AN OFFER WE WANT AND IT'S YOURS!
Anyone in Christchurch want a fabulous home? Come join the {almost} entire population of New Zealand in Brisbane. Your home away from home!
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