"Nobody uses cups and saucers anymore," my cousin said when I last visited her in Cape Town. "So I'm giving you tea in a mug, even though my mother must be turning in her grave."
I think both her statements are pretty close to the truth. Ask yourself, when last did you drink tea out of a cup and saucer? My answer would be: This morning. But I confess I use a mug at various times, oh yes. That's usually when I'm making tea for just me and not my husband, who tends to drink hot water.
Anyhow, I was think about this, and why a saucer is actually quite useful. First of all, it protects the table or other surface underneath the cup from heat, thus eliminating the need for a coaster. Next, it provides a convenient place for your teaspoon. And lastly, perhaps most important, a nice little cache for your tea-time cookie!
So please, folks, don't ditch all your cups and saucers. You never know when I might be coming to tea! ;-)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Consider the lilies.
As you may know, we are in the process of selling our house and downsizing. This means taking the opportunity to get rid of as much as we can. It's easy to take things to the charity shops, but we'd also like to sell some stuff.
On the other hand, when people come to view our property, we have to be out.
So it happened that yesterday afternoon we went to a cafe not too far away for coffee and to pass the time. I picked up the March 2014 copy of 'O' magazine and, ta daa, lo and behold, it was all about decluttering! Not only that, but it mentioned some websites that are sure to be useful. It's so nice when help comes from unexpected sources. Gratitude, yeah.
Having our home in top shape for viewing has also meant that we made some changes. We used to have a mirror in our bedroom which is now hanging in the hall. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to the wall to check if I look okay and if my hair's tidy (thanks Dad). Instead I find myself staring at the painting of my eighteen-year-old self. I can tell you, it's a shock. But I'm sure it'll happen again tomorrow or the next day, 'cos habit is a very very very strong thing.
On the other hand, when people come to view our property, we have to be out.
So it happened that yesterday afternoon we went to a cafe not too far away for coffee and to pass the time. I picked up the March 2014 copy of 'O' magazine and, ta daa, lo and behold, it was all about decluttering! Not only that, but it mentioned some websites that are sure to be useful. It's so nice when help comes from unexpected sources. Gratitude, yeah.
Having our home in top shape for viewing has also meant that we made some changes. We used to have a mirror in our bedroom which is now hanging in the hall. I can't tell you how many times I've turned to the wall to check if I look okay and if my hair's tidy (thanks Dad). Instead I find myself staring at the painting of my eighteen-year-old self. I can tell you, it's a shock. But I'm sure it'll happen again tomorrow or the next day, 'cos habit is a very very very strong thing.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
A tree is a thing of wonder
Do you have a relationship with a particular tree or trees?
This morning I looked out my bedroom window across the road at a pair of pine trees and I realized how much I'll miss them when we move to our new home. Almost the hardest things to leave behind when we last moved were my two beloved birch trees, one that grew outside our kitchen, the other outside my writing room. They became such companions to me as I watched them through the four seasons: the catkins of spring, the tender green leaves and the way they'd quiver in the breeze, the golden pennies of autumn, the bare skeleton of the branches in winter, and always, always the beautiful bark.
There's already a spruce in our new front garden, but maybe I'll plant a birch in the back.
I've always been focussed more on the inner life than outer nature. Now, in this third age, I'm striving to redress the balance. Take the middle way, as it were. However, it was some twenty five or more years ago when I first developed a relationship with a tree. I had to spend ten days in hospital in Cape Town. My ward looked over the Main Road to Claremont public gardens, a place much favoured for wedding photographs. Directly opposite my window, though, grew a beautiful fir. As I lay for long hours, looking at the shape, the colour, the branches, the needles, something began to reach out and touch me, as it were. There was a kind of stirring in my soul. Yes, surely, a tree is a wonderful thing!
This morning I looked out my bedroom window across the road at a pair of pine trees and I realized how much I'll miss them when we move to our new home. Almost the hardest things to leave behind when we last moved were my two beloved birch trees, one that grew outside our kitchen, the other outside my writing room. They became such companions to me as I watched them through the four seasons: the catkins of spring, the tender green leaves and the way they'd quiver in the breeze, the golden pennies of autumn, the bare skeleton of the branches in winter, and always, always the beautiful bark.
There's already a spruce in our new front garden, but maybe I'll plant a birch in the back.
I've always been focussed more on the inner life than outer nature. Now, in this third age, I'm striving to redress the balance. Take the middle way, as it were. However, it was some twenty five or more years ago when I first developed a relationship with a tree. I had to spend ten days in hospital in Cape Town. My ward looked over the Main Road to Claremont public gardens, a place much favoured for wedding photographs. Directly opposite my window, though, grew a beautiful fir. As I lay for long hours, looking at the shape, the colour, the branches, the needles, something began to reach out and touch me, as it were. There was a kind of stirring in my soul. Yes, surely, a tree is a wonderful thing!
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