Sunday 27 April 2008

Teapot Afternoon

The light is curious this afternoon, yet utterly beautiful. Sitting here on the sofa, snuggled up in my corner of the living room, I am opposite our beautiufl large window. The day started bright, but suddenly clouded up and rained hard. Now the rain has stopped, the skies are still grey, but the light is suddenly bright as though it was sunny. Grey isn't really a good enough description for the colour of the sky just now. It is the kind of grey that Persephone Books are, flushing to a darker shade in places, just above the rooftops and between the trees. It is as though the patch of sky I can see is an artists palete, and here and there the dove-grey of Persephone Books has been mixed with a few drops of blue, the blue of the teapot which is keeping me company this afternoon.

There are a few streaks of dirty white in the sky, a hint of clouds which aren't laden with rain. It is dark enough to need some lights on in here, but by the outside light it still feels earlier in the day than the half-past six which it is.

Earlier today, my sister and her fiance came to visit us, and I made pork and peanut noodles for lunch, followed by chocolate and hazelnut pancakes, enjoyed while we watched the Spanish Grand Prix.

They went home a few hours ago, and since then, I have been in my corner with the Sunday papers, and all the things I need for tea. The jug for my milk is special to me as it was a wedding present- it is patterned with pink and blue hydrangeas, which were my wedding flowers. My cup and saucer are pink, patterned with a paler pink map of Paris, and decorated with deeper pink shoes. It is such bliss to sit and sip tea, read through papers, and make plans for the coming weeks.

This Friday, I will be attending my Aunt's funeral. There is not going to be a wake or gathering afterwards, so we- me and Carl, Mum and Dad, Becky and Roger- are going to have coffee together instead.

I am lucky enough not to be working the weekend, and I am hoping we can go to Dedham, with a picnic, and go rowing on the river as we did last Easter.

In a weekend or two, there is a local food-fayre at Cressing Temple Barns, which we plan to go to. It is lovely to meet people who are so passionate about the things they are making, and scrumptious to be able to sample things!

There was a particularly lovely article in the May issue of Country Kitchen magazine about cooking with roses and violets. I first had the idea for violet ice cream last summer, and I hope to experiment with this over the next week or two....once I have ordered some violet syrup!

Can it be that I have not yet mentioned my fabulous new lunchbox that I ordered online this week? I am the proud owner of a Laptop Lunchbox. It is not very vintage unfortunately, but it is a very pretty shade of purple. The box holds a spoon and fork which come with it, and five containers; two larger, two smaller, and one just the right size for some dip or salad dressing. Some of the containers have lids so I can pack things like yoghurt, others don't, but the box that holds all the containers is made so its lid acts as a lid for the lidless containers. A bit complicated to explain, but easier to understand when you see it! I am really looking forward to making up lunch next week. I really like the idea of having lots of little bits to nibble on for my lunch. The box is ecologically friendly as well, because it means no cling-film or foil wrapped packages, and so less waste.

Expect lots of pictures of lunch this coming week!

Miss Austen Regrets is finally being shown tonight on the BBC, I can't wait to see it. It is the story of Jane Austen's life, with the focus on her romantic life, and why she did not marry. It has already been shown in America, so we are a bit behind here. It is a shame that it clashes with Midsomer Murders as that is one of my favourite Sunday evening treats!

Whether it is raining or shining, the sky blue or grey, I hope you have a delightfully cozy evening, and a scrumptious Monday tomorrow.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Mimi, What a delicious day you have had! Thanks for sharing....Kathy L

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you had the loveliest of Sundays. You must take some photos of where you cuddle up with your tea-pot and pink tea-cup, it sounds just the sort of place to come and visit! I can so imagine you with a teapot aboard a little boat, sipping tea in a very gentile way.

L&B,
Tash