Twenty- five Seven

The perfect tea cup for the best cup of tea ever#a to z challenge

April 23, 2016
Shennong the discoverer of tea

We have a lot to thank the Chinese for – noodles, chilli chicken and of course the cup that cheers – tea. Indeed if it weren’t for Shennong, we’d all be drinking just hot water. This beverage has become so popular that it has even spawned a new meal – Tea Time with its teapots, tea cups ,tea cozies and tea trays. I personally believe that things taste better when served better which is why I am very particular about drinking tea in my Chinese tea cup.

What’s so special about my Chinese tea cup?

For starters, it is a fine example of Blue & White bone china. It is beautifully decorated with peonies. It consists of 4 parts :
- the outer cup
- the saucer
- the lid
- the inner strainer
To make a perfect cup of tea, rinse the cup with hot water. Add tea leaves in the strainer which is placed inside the cup. Pour hot water over the tea leaves and cover with the lid. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes and then lift the inner strainer with the tea leaves and keep aside on the saucer. Now sip the golden yellow liquid. You can use the same tea leaves for the second or third cup of tea.

Flowers play a significant role in Chinese decorative art. Peonies which are very common, symbolise Summer and act as lucky charm keeping people safe and sound, ensuring them money, status and happiness.

Is it any wonder then that my tea tastes better from my Chinese tea cup?

Perhaps this video tutorial will help you have a relaxed weekend!

Cheers!

T is for Tea cup in my theme “Things around my house’ in the 7th A to Z Challenge .

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Sunrises from Mumbai # SkywatchFriday

April 22, 2016

I wanted to track down sunsets for a week but somehow the sun always manages to set just when I have to get the babies wound down for the day. So I thought it may be easier to capture the sunrises instead.

Here’s my sunrise from Sunday 17th April. It started out with a brilliant sun peeping out over a clear blue sky with a splattering of cloud.

On Monday 18th the sky was smoggy and murky but the sun that came out was a bright, golden,orange.

Tuesday was another gloomy day and the sun didn’t come out high in the sky till around 7.30. By that time I was too immersed in the day to capture a higher sunrise than this.

On Wednesday 20th the sky was really overcast and I was worried that the Zubin Mehta and Andrea Bocelli concert we were scheduled to attend would be a wash out. Luckily the weather held and we were treated to an experience of a lifetime as we heard Andrea Bocelli and Maria Carazawa under a Mumbai sky, with soft breezes blowing occasionally to take your spirits heavenwards.

The grey clouds continued on Thursday 21st

And finally on Friday I managed these captures starting 6.00 am and just a few minutes later. It was amazing how a grey sky soon becomes a pink blush and then a blazing hot day.

While the rest of Mumbai swelters in the heat, we are still lucky to enjoy the breezes throughout the day. The nights are particularly pleasant but we still can’t wait for the rain to come and cool the earth down.

Happy Earth Day and Happy Skywatching.

Linking this post to #SkywatchFriday
Are these slippers fit for a king? #atoz challenge

April 22, 2016

My husband had an uncle who wore the original Peshwa Slippers that were soft and comfortable and had long pointed toes that curled to the top. Every evening, as part of his ritual, he would shower after his long walk by the sea, get into a crisp cotton kurta-pyjama, slip on these slippers and come down for a drink, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand. My little girls were mesmerised by those slippers and wondered if he was really a wizard disguised as a grand uncle.

Following in his uncle’s footsteps, my husband took to wearing this foot wear but when the last shoemaker on earth (who made them in Mahabaleshwar) died some 10 years’ ago, he had to make do with this pretender of a Puneri Jode or Peshwa Slipper which I bought from Sahyadri Footwear,62 Budhwar Peth, Ganpati Chowk, Laxmi Road, Pune. You don’t have to go that far, if you really want them, you could get them via email at sahyadri.lr@gmail.com with a scanned copy of your foot.

Today these slippers are kept carefully beside my husband’s cupboard, ready for him to slip into after his evening shower. They may not be a patch on the real ones but they do exude some kind of aura of royalty . Moreover, they continue to fascinate our grandchildren who gravitate towards them without fail every time they crawl into our bedroom, finding them as irresistible as their mothers did.

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Today is S for Slipper as I blog about ‘Things around my house’ in the 7th A to Z Challenge.

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