Cup of winter

Well today really feels like winter is coming. Windy and raining with the beginning of the winter chill. Tonight is a perfect night for curling up on the sofa with a great cup of tea and something sweet. Enter, earl grey blue flower tea by the rapper's of the tea world T leaf. This is an old favourite and one of the first teas i bought when i started my love affair with tea many years ago. A traditional flowery bergamot earl grey with blue cornflowers for colour and a subtle scent. It makes me feel cozy and peaceful drinking this tea.

 You can see it's well loved! the stocks are getting low!

 Pretty picture isn't it

 And with my new tea strainer given to me by a lovely friend. Ah she knows me well.

And to top it off, the wonderful better half has just lit the fire. Life can be pretty good at times.

On another note i was surprised and amused to read Heather's blog at beauty that moves and see that she is going to start the couch to 5k program as i just started last week. If you haven't heard about it couch to 5k (C25k) is a training program to help you start running and build up to running 5k in a achieveable, safe manner. I've just completed my first week and although it was tough it wasn't as bad as i expected and i feel pretty good so far. Since having my son i've been feeling a bit sluggish and feeling the need to move my body more and gain some strength. So wish me luck on this journey. I'll keep you all tuned as to how i'm doing.

Take care people. xx

Tea dealer

It's official i have a dealer, but its the kind of dealer that confirms my status as a 30 something, crochet loving nana in training rather than a rebellious party animal. I have a tea dealer. No she doesn't just sell tea she is a connisseur of all things tea. I knew this from my first discussion with her where she asked which region of tea did i like, what time of day would said tea be drunk and went on to discuss notes, fragrances, and flushes. I thought i knew tea, turns out i don't. I'm a newbie to the world of talking about tea like you do wine but i can't have it said i won't rise to a challenge. So welcome to the newest babies of my tea collection a sampler pack of darjeeling teas from different flushes, a floral earl grey and a English breakfast tea. All babies are being treating with tender loving care and brewed to perfection.

Fresh, slightly smoky with a full bodied, robust flavour (see! rising to the challenge) it was a nice cup of tea but different to what i'm used to. I think i need a few more cups to make up my mind about this one. It seems to get better as i drink it and being organic and fair trade it's light on the conscience too.

Served with a side of dried strawberries, almonds and a piece of rose chocolate tonight for a comforting, luxurious end to the day. Take care people xx

Eating a rainbow

Roasted rainbow veges with a honey dressing for dinner tonight. So yummy and prefect to serve up with a side of roasted lamb. Followed by a glass of iced red rooibus tea with sliced lemon, it was a nice way to end off a busy weekend.

I had the pleasure yesterday of attending a good friends hen's do. I haven't been to many of these before so i never know what to expect. What a riot it turned out to be! Competitions involving fencing ( as in the electric kind), Croquembouche (profiterol towers) making, scrapbooking and movie making made the day a laugh a minute! Oh my the movie making took me back to my high school days although in those days i would have run for the hills at the very mention of drama. I am much braver these days and enjoyed the challenge despite a few nerves. Our challenge was to do a skit offering marital advice in the theme of one of the brides favourite movies Happy Gilmore. A few mullet wigs, bad golfing outfits and somewhat suspect acting attempts later and we were in hysterics. It was definately a great day all round, and destroying and then eating the profiterol towers was a great way to end the night.
Well people i better sign off for the night, sleep is calling as it seems to a lot since having my little boy. Maybe just a few minutes for a cocoa and a couple of dried strawberries is in order first. Take care people and hopefully the craft drought will ease up soon and i'll have some projects to show you all.

Brew for a sleepy day

Today was a work day and last night was spent getting up and down to soothe an unsettled boy. Not being a coffee drinker and missing breakfast i was seriously fading by mid morning. Enter a brilliant wake up tea    (and a bowl of cereal for morning tea).

Red African Fire is a rooibus tea with red safflowers and orange flavours. It has beautiful vibrant orange flecks in the tea leaves and releases a light orange smell when you open the bag.

Its hard to get a good picture of just how bright orange it is, but you can get a bit of an idea.
It is quite a strong flavour with the orange being quite prominent and it just seems to make you feel fresher and brighten you up a bit. Perfect for a long afternoon at work or for a sleepy mummy who needs to wake up a bit.

Luckily for me i always keep a small supply of tea at work and an infuser pot for just such moments. I was refreshed for a little bit longer anyway.
It was nice to pick up my little man and head home at the end of today and i even had a bit of energy to try another whole food recipe. Tonight it was lentils with tomato and bacon.

A bit messy to cook

But totally delicious to eat, add a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of parmesan and a side of sausages for the meatatarian and it was perfect. I had a bread roll with mine and it was amazingly delicious comfort food, i  could eat bowls and bowls of this stuff. I didn't really think about the lack of veges in the meal until i dished up so a side salad might be in order next time. So satisfying and yet so good for you.

So this week im trying to get a few more crafts done this week, since going back to work (even for only 2 days) i seem to have much less time to get everything done. It's so hard to balance all my time and everything i need and want to get done. I'm in awe of the ladies of blogs like Soulemama and Gooseberry jam with big families and yet they manage to fit so much into thier day. It's really inspiring, maybe it's time to reassess what's important in my day. I know what's important right now is a hot cocoa and curling up in bed with a book. Have a great sleep people. Take care xx

P.S A sneak peek of a project i'm trying to finish off this week.

Snuffle tea

I would love to say i call this tea snuffle tea because its makes it easier to get into my son, but the reality is he's way to young to care or even know what tea is. It's called snuffle tea because i think it's so damn adorable and calling it that makes me smile even when i'm sick. Snuffle tea is a mixture of dried elderflowers and lime blossoms, and yes it is as good as it sounds. Both elder and lime flowers are traditional remedies for treating the symptoms of colds and flu's. I find they help reduce a runny nose and the feelings of congestion and generally reduces the feelings of hayfever too. As an added bonus lime blossoms also have relaxing properties.

                                                                  Dried Elder flowers

                                                               Dried lime blossoms

When i have a cold i add 1 T of each dried herb to a pot with an infuser and cover with about 2.5 cups of boiling water, cover and leave to steep for 10mins. I then drink it throughout the day hot or cold. These herbs have a surprising distinct flavour, tasting of honey with light floral notes. Just so you're not surprised it doesn't taste anything like lime, the flowers have a completely different flavour. This is also a wonderful tea for children and because of its pleasant flavour tends to be readily accepted. I dilute it down for children under 5 to 1 part tea to 3 parts water, so for example 1/4 cup of tea and 3/4 cup of water. It can be used as a substitute for cordial and is good for them too. I'm going to try my little man out on this tomorrow and i'll let you know what he thinks. For now i think it's time for me to put my feet up, have a rest and a cup of snuffle tea for my snuffles. Take care people.

*Disclaimer -this is purely my experiences and is not a substitute for medical advice, especially with children please consult your medical professional for specific advice.                                             

Mother's little helper

No this isn't a post about coffee, alcohol or illicit drugs. I know, disappointing isn't it? (just to clarify yes that was sarcasm!) This is about something a little more socially acceptable which helps me through a stressful day. Some good quality dried chamomile....

Combined with these beautiful dried rosebuds, makes for a light fragrant tea to soothe the nerves.

Time to take a few minutes out while the baby is sleeping to rest and recharge. Blessings xx

Brew of the week - Monks blend by tleaf

Am i the only one who sees the name tleaf and thinks of a rapper? Ok, not the most masculine rapper name i'll admit but rather amusing to think about all the same. Anyway another delicious brew this week, one i discovered a few months ago when i went for high tea with a friend for my birthday.

Monks blend by (gansta) tleaf is described as having 'vanilla pieces, jasmine blossoms and earl grey combined with a mingling of green tea'. Sounds pretty good doesn't it. What comes to mind when drinking this tea is a bouquet of flowers, its very fragrant and 'pretty' tasting. I personally can't pick much of the vanilla flavour but the jasmine is quite prominent.

I can imagine sharing this with friends on a light, summer day, or equally it would be nice shared in front of a winter fire. Its a lovely delicate brew and i think it;s nicer brewed for the full five minutes to experience the full fragrance. As nice as it is i wouldn't call it an every day tea, its floral flavour and scent makes it nice on a special occasion but would be too much if you had it too often. In saying that though drinking it can create a brighter feeling to your day and transport you to somewhere more peaceful for a few minutes, which if your dishes and washing needs doing, can be a very nice thing. Or if you do what i did and add a couple of mini cranberry and white chocolate cookies to go with it, even better.

Brew of the day

Those who know me well know of my somewhat fanatical love of tea. Not any random tea bag but good quality well brewed tea. The smell, the ritual and of course the taste. Luckily for me i have a bit of a collection to chose from so i thought i would share some of my favourite brews for those out there who share my love of tea. Todays brew is Harney and Sons Tower of London tea.

Now first up i must say this is a more expensive tea that i would usually purchase, at $24.95 a tin for 30 tea bags it was a bit ouchy to buy. But i was lucky enough to get some on sale so thought id try it and i can tell you i'm sooo glad i did. Having tried many teas and brands over the years i didnt expect to be surprised by a tea, but surprised i was and pleasantly so. I can see why its so expensive it is divine and that is no exaggeration. It has a mellow smooth taste with a delicate honey and bergamot flavour. So subtle but so delicious. As i'm extremely good at following instructions (ha, yeh right) ill share my experience about brewing this tea.

I usually brew tea leaves but this tea comes in a gossamer type bag which is nice if your having a busy day and don't have a chance to brew a pot. If you try this make sure you brew this tea for the full 5 minutes, i'm a rather impatient person and like to get things done quickly so i'm often tempted to swish it round and take it out early. But not this tea, the flavour changes immensely between 3 and 5 minutes, take it out too early and it won't have those delicate notes which make it so special. And for the price you want to make every tea bag count! I take solace in the fact its still a much cheaper indulgence than other things like my better half's whiskey collection. I think this might have to be a birthday treat each year for me. Oh and let me share the view i had while enjoying my cuppa.

Pretty stunning, aren't they. Courtesy of the better half after our date on the weekend. Lovely to look at and a beautiful perfume to them as well.

I hope whatever you do today you get a few minutes to have a nice cup of whatever you fancy.