Category Archives: tea thing

Apr 4 2009

Last day in B.C., Over the moon and dreaming, and Music please

Last whole day in Vancouver, B.C. It has been a blast! Lots of walking about, shopping, teas, dining out, playing with a love bird, visiting, and sleeping. I’ll be headed back to the states by ten a.m. after brunch for the long journey home. I suppose I’ve been a good house guest as I have been invited back for other things this summer, like music festivals. I’ll be back soon. Vancouver rocks my socks. The people are so nice, it’s beautiful, and artsy.

So tea.  I’m enjoying Tangerine by Tea Leaves. Very aromatic, no tannin bitter after taste.  Very nice and smooth. I had curry again for dinner tonight, butter chicken. I will probably smell like curry for a day or so! Very exotic. Finger cymbals will probably “ting” when I walk by, but it was so delicious. Really got a thing for good curry and good Asian cuisine of which I have enjoyed both since being here. Glad my daughter’s of the same persuasion. Went for a very relaxing walk after dinner,  listening to an audiobook, fiction of course. That was really pleasant…to walk,  look all the blossoming things, some very fragrant, and listen to a great story on my iPod. Then I met up with my daughter and son-in-law for chai. End of a very lovely day.

So now I’m winding down for the night. Trading indie/alternative musical artists and songs with my daughter. It’s like musical trading cards. Something we do. Best of dreams to you. Much love.

-Patricia

XOXO

Apr 3 2009

Successful Tea Quest, Marketing, and Chinese Hot Pot

The tea quest today was a huge success. I now have three more black tea blends from a great tea store that does tastings and recommendations and one green tea from an Asian market.

I really liked Madhatter, Eros, and Tangerine from Tea Leaves. Their website is www.tealeaves.com. Wonderful store! It is my go-to place for tea. They brew samples for you and make excellent recommendations. The things you learn from these fierce tea women is amazing! But I save some tea factoids for another day. Then to the Asian market to buy things for a hot pot for dinner, and I bought more green tea. So I’m sufficiently tea-stocked for months to come.

My sweet daughter and I went to the Granville Island public market. I saved us a seat while she got us curry. It was amazing good! It was wonderful to sit and have lunch with her and talk about illustration which is her heart’s desire and her very good life here. It’s a great place to live especially with my son-in-law who I simply adore. They are perfect for one another.

Then there was shopping for Chinese hot pot at the Asian market. Chinese hot pot  is very similar to fondue only better. You prepare all of your pot goods ahead of time on platters: tofu, boc choy, mushrooms, asparagus, green onion, and such. Then make the broth, add vegetables, udon noodles, meat if desired, and cook while you sit around the pot perhaps watching a movie or talking. Then dish up what you want into a bowl, hit it up with your choice of sauces, and enjoy.  For traditional hot pot, use chopsticks. The heating element is a single burner butane stove that just sits on a coffee table. It’s fun, very healthy eating, and something different. It’s especially nice when it’s cold.  I made the first brew of Eros with Chinese hot pot, and I liked it very much. But tea preferences are a personal thing.

So that was today. More tomorrow and then the trip home.

G’night,

-Patricia

Mar 28 2009

Earth Hour, Twittering, Movies, and Road Trip

So today’s Earth Hour…one hour to think about mother earth and all she does for us. I think she deserves our love and attention year round. We give our moms that much, and earth mom gives us many important things, too, that collectively create a sustainable living environment for us human types.

Here in the PNW the notion goes that you leave is as good or better than you found it meaning do not deplete the land and leave it.  Respect and work with the land, air, and sea.  When land is logged here, two trees are replanted for each harvested tree.  Fish counts are monitored and seeded with fish hatchery raised salmon  to maintain healthy, viable levels of salmon.  Clamming is monitored and digging seasons are open or closed depending on abundance.  Natural resources are managed and cared for. Leave it as good or better than you found it. Please be responsible in your decisions that impact the earth.  Care for the earth and its inhabitants. There’s only one earth, and we’re all counting on it.

Today was a day of restfulness for me. My strength meter indicates a need for recharging my life source, so I eat and sleep until I feel more like myself. Today I twittered and watched two movies, Waking Ned Devine and Maid of Honor, both passing good. So now a bit of bed blogging and web surfing to end my day. Some things done today, some will wait, so mostly a leisurely pace today. It usually takes me a few days at the beginning of Spring Break to regain my strength. Then I get on with traveling, etc.

This coming week takes me to Vancouver, B.C. namely Granville Island for some time with family and getting out and about for daily  walks, visiting tea shops and book stores, having new dining experiences, and talking with the locals. Merlin will be boarding with his nice kennel caretakers who walk him several times a day, play music for him,  provide play time, and aroma therapy. It’s really a vacation for him, too.  The family I am visiting are bird people, and that’s it. They have parrots and aren’t comfortable with other animals around. I’ll be sure to blog a bit while there.

G’night,

-Patricia

Mar 14 2009

From Road Trip to Tea to Nerd Heaven

So I went on a road trip today. I stopped in my adopted hometown of Olympia, Washington  and visited a few places that make me especially happy. I did some browsing about and came home with additions to my teapot and tea cup collections.  Not only is tea a daily necessity, it’s also a hobby. I have an interesting collection of unique/lovely/unusual tea cups, which I do use by the way, and a colorful collection of teapots as well.  The tea cups in my collection are especially artistically beautiful in their design and craftsmanship. This began when I went to a high tea once many years ago and all of the tea cups were unique. It made an enjoyable moment even better and more interesting.  Teapot collecting goes back even further. I still have my first teapot that served up breakfast tea for twenty something years. I’ve since turned the page and started a new chapter in my book of life but collecting continues.

After the teapot/tea cup collecting adventure, I started home and needed to sleep very badly. So I pulled over in Portland, Oregon, took a nap, and then finished the last part of my road trip home. The nice thing about having a Jeep Grand Cherokee besides the 4X is being able to stop, crawl in the back, grab a blanket, and nap as needed.

I have been in pj’s since arriving home and want to simply relax for the rest of the day.  So I took my little Macbook, a good book to read, and me to bed where I am enjoying the remainder of the evening. Sometimes I need to just unwind. let go. relax.

-Patricia