Motley Tea

Recently, I had the lovely chance to have tea at a cafe where they collect various pieces of tea china- one cup/saucer and teapot of each pattern. Over the years, as pieces break, they've gathered a wonderful motley collection of tea things.

And I got to be the first to ever use this new set just in from England. How special is that?

On My Mind

It's been a rainy and chilly summer so far here in the North. The perfect sort of weather for multiple bowls of warm rice pudding.

Head over to Rhonda's Down-To-Earth for more On My Mind posts.

Belle

Happy ninth birthday to my favourite person in the world. Love you, Belle.

After all this time... my heart can still break for you.

"That Life Exists, and Identity"

O ME! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.
That you are here—that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

--- Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

On My Mind...

On my mind... reading through Charlotte Mason's books. Some interesting ideas in there about children. Some are obviously outdated, others are gems.

My mother read this book when I was little- it was one of the ways that she approached educating Theophilus and I. I'd read parts of it several years, but this is the first time I've sat down and really read them seriously.

Check out more On My Mind posts here.

What A Beautiful Morning

This morning started quite badly with a wrong number text at 5:30, and then yours truly couldn't get back to sleep. Considering the amounts of sleep I've been getting this week, I was really looking forward to sleeping until at least eight this morning.

Ah well. I woke up fully, took a cool shower, and then warmed up the last of the rice pudding from last night. Not the most nutrious of breakfasts, to be sure, but still quite lovely and delicous. As it was in the saucepan, I found the electric kettle and finally figured out how it works (I'm feeling very accomplished- this was all at the wee hours of 6 in the morning, an hour of the day that rarely sees me awake).

With breakfast warming and tea steeping, I stepped out on the backdeck and surprised a bunch of butterflies from the bushes in the back yard. The robins were hopping around on the lawn, and after watering the tomatoes, I decided to eat my breakfast out of doors.

Well, I had my breakfast with the wild things today, serenaded by nuthatches and Judy Collins, whilst knitting and reading Charlotte Mason. Of course, now I'm out of cherry almond tea, but I think it was well worth it for the sort of morning I got to enjoy.

Now I just need to get ready for a day of seeing my doctor, going to more work training, and then, back to this house again for maybe a few hours of knitting and reading this evening. No matter what happens today though, at least I can say that I've had an absolutely beautiful morning.

Dawn has it's own sort of loveliness that I've somehow missed all these years. I think maybe getting up early isn't so bad as I remembered from my childhood.

A Pudding Ending to a Pretty Good Day

Today was spent at training for a new job- taking care of those in need of assistance so that they can live fulfilling and comfortable lives without leaving their homes. It was long, but interesting for the most part.

When I returned to the house where I'm staying for the week, I spent a while knitting and reading. Dad came by and we talked for a long while, and after he left, I made myself a whole pot of rice pudding to go with my pork steak and pasta.

Mhm, this has been a lovely week so far. Maybe soon I can share some quotes from the book, and photos of the knitting. However, I'm fast approaching a tea crisis as I'm almost through with the stash I brought with me. Thank heavens for home on Saturday to replenish.

Now, to finish off my day with rice pudding and then to sleep!

Because You Just Never Know

Today, I visited a coffee shop in Kenai. It's not the one I'm usually at, but I go there on occasion, for music and for tea. I know the employees, and it's quite picturesque: high on the bluff overlooking the inlet, surrounded by flowers, and with the Russian part of town surrounding.

I'd never been there alone before, and found it rather interesting, especially with the international tourists who sat at the tables around me.

There were four Germans, who had hiked some glaciers yesterday, and come into town this morning. (I picked this up through accidental eavesdropping- they spoke in German, and I understood enough to follow without realizing it until one of the baristas pointed out she couldn't understand a word they were saying.) One of them photographed me, apparently thinking that a girl knitting and reading while drinking tea would make a lovely subject for a watercolour he had in mind. It was rather flattering.

I met an Englishman- an ethnomusicologist. We had a fascinating conversation regarding English folkmusic (I'm a huge folk music fan, especially as regards England...) We shared tea, Bert Jansch, Fairport Convention and one of his scones.

At the very end, most of the people had left, and I sat in my corner, nursing the last sips of tea and knitting a bassinet coverlet for a friend of mine. In walked a trio from Anchorage, and one of the ladies made a bee-line to my corner. Turns out she's a travelling nurse who loves to knit. We spent a few minutes discussing knitting and yarn stores in Alaska (sadly, not many) and projects. Next thing I knew, I had a new contact on ravelry. As she left, she wished me luck with my knitting.

The barista who was cleaning the table just smiled and turned to me. "In a coffeeshop like this, you just never know who you'll meet next."

Mhm. That's why I love coffeeshops. Because you just never know.

Scone

Yesterday, one of the baristas gifted me with a scone, in honour of my half birthday. It was all gooey with blueberry and cherry jelly. And after this photo was taken, it was dripping with whipped cream and lemon curd.

Happy thought.

Rainy Sunday

It's been a rather wet and windy June Sunday here in the far North. It's quite cold for the middle of summer, reaching perhaps 10C at the warmest moments.

It was type of day that makes you grateful for cuddly blankets and hot cups of cranberry raspberry tea. The ideal kind for knitting and listening to gentle folk songs. 

The sort of day that makes the perfect setting for a hot glazed pork roast with baked onions and potatoes and carrots.

Those quiet June Sundays when the parents are either at work or asleep. Those lovely wild days for thoughts and dreams and happy sighs.

I do love the sun, but sometimes, my soul just needs a nice rainy Sunday.