Wednesday 22 April 2009

Guest Blogger: My Mum

Once when I was a child I was eating a teddy bear biscuit and drinking tea with a table of grown ups.

‘Do you mind if I dunk?’ I asked the man sitting next to me, a friend of my family’s.

‘No, not at all,’ he said, impressed by my good manners.

‘Oh that’s good,’ I said as I reached across and dunked my biscuit in his tea.

I grew up in a tea-drinking household. We only ever drank coffee when we had dinner party guests. I learned to appreciate coffee, but my first love is a steaming hot cup of properly brewed tea.

Every time I make myself a cup of tea – even if it’s just for me – I go through an elaborate routine of warming the teapot and mugs and covering the teapot with a cosy. I even set the kitchen timer for 3 minutes, because if it doesn’t steep long enough the tea will be weak, but left too long it’s bitter.

When the timer goes I pour cold milk into the warmed mugs and then pour in the tea. I know that seems an odd way of doing things, but to my taste it makes the best cup of tea.

My mother and I rarely went out to cafés together. When we met it was usually at her kitchen table over cups of tea. Now she’s gone that’s how I picture us – sitting at that table, drinking tea in floral mugs and talking, mostly about her favourite topic – her grandchildren. That includes you, Meg.

8 comments:

tealotus77 said...

Oh meg's mum.
You are delightful.
and my eyes are full of salty water.
xx
t

Beck said...

There is something about a good cuppa isn't there? I love the dunking story, my six year old is very keen on a 'kids cup of tea' and a teddy bear or two. I bet you miss those times with your mum, I hope you get to have lots of lovely cups of tea and chats with your own daughters x

WriterBee said...

Thanks for those lovely comments. Funny, when I think about tea drinking with my daughters what comes into my mind first is the hangover tea I used to make them while they lay about groaning. I'd serve it with toast and Vegemite. Then they'd go back to bed.

Meg said...

What was in that special curing tea potion of yours Mum? (I must get the recipe for when Z is older.)

emily b-sides said...

Mum!

What happened in our childhood stays in our childhood!

WriterBee said...

Who said anything about childhood? I'm talking about last week! xx

AEU said...

writerbee, can i book in for a hangover cuppa tomorrow a.m. new york time?

Meg said...

Perfect for your dunking habits, mum.