Last week the teapot lid broke, disrupting the smooth operation operation of this household.

Now we have a replacement, a traditional Brown Betty teapot, and tea making can resume as it should.

Tea is one of my essentials: it starts and ends each day.

In August this year, when I was in hospital for an unexpected operation, I lay there dreaming of a cup of tea, as each time the trolley passed by my ‘nil-by-mouth’ bed. At last, I was given a hot mug and, afterwards, in my post-aneasthetic haze, I wrote:

“That first cup of tea. After five days. Scared of the heat. Waiting for it to reach the perfect temperature. First sip: warm, sweet, heaven. Sip after sip, seeping into me slowly, bringing me back to life. Each sip savoured for its restorative bliss. A connoisseur’s cuppa, produced from industrial teabag, metal teapot and mixed with plastic bottled milk: a cup of tea I shall treasure for years.”

After that, I’ll never take a cup of tea for granted.

Posted via email from robertz