Tea For Two

Good afternoon!

I am home again, and just about as jolly as I could possibly be on a Friday afternoon in January! Which is to say, very jolly indeed!

Firstly because I have such lovely friends here on my blog, who offer such good advice and such kind words. Secondly because the interview went really well...I had prepped for everything that came up, which felt really nice. Thirdly, I have just had afternoon tea in a new tea shop which turned out to be super cosy and lovely, with a dear friend. Fourthly, it is my weekend off, and I have three days of bliss ahead of me. Fifthly....I picked up the new issue of Vintage Life Magazine on the way home, and finally, Sixthly.....I didn't get the job!

It feels a little wrong to be so relieved, but I think that it was the right outcome for me, and I think the right outcome is more important than getting the wrong job. Dinah, you were so right when you said to listen to the tongue in my shoe! It would have been lovely to have had a better paid full time job, but it would have meant leaving Danbury for 6 months, lots of money and time on train travel (and there is only one an hour) and...it would have been a lot of stress. A challenge I would have made the most of given the opportunity, but it wasn't to be. And to be honest, the fact that I just thought 'thank heavens' says a lot. I think as well that I feel good because I did a good interview, and my interviewer kindly said that I should apply for other jobs in his area, which is a nice sign and a nice professional compliment. I think if I hadn't got the job because I had made a mess of the interview that would leave me feeling bad, but it was just that there was someone better suited, so I feel really good about that. Plus, I do have another iron in the fire at the moment, more of which I should be able to share sometime over the next week or so...

As for the teashop, I find that, quite ridiculously, I have no idea what it is called! If you know Chelmsford, then it is opposite Argos, where Formative Fun used to be. The outside has been painted a slightly muted green, and inside it is lovely. All higgledy piggledy sofas and chairs, little tables, dressers filled with mismatched china. There were tables dressed with hand crocheted tablecloths, under a sheet of glass for protection. there were little tables with books about tea stacked on them for browsing, and lots of little paintings on the wall. It was like having tea in an old lady's living room, and I mean that as a high compliment! There is also a small partition wall, dressed to look like outside brick, with a window, so it also feels a bit like being in a dolls house, again in a good way!

I was disappointed that the cakes in the glass cabinet did not look spectacular, and it was hard to decide if they were home made or not, but lovely Wendy had some St Clement's cake that she said was divine, and my scone was delicious. I was also really impressed with the tea menu. Wendy had Russian Caravan, and I had a tea with three names, a kind of Ceylon, but alas, I cannot remember the full name. It was so delicious though. What was really pleasing, was that each tea pot came with its own tea cosy, which looked distinctly handmade. Nearly every time I take tea in a teashop, I wish I had remembered to bring a cosy with me! So I will definitely be visiting again!

Now I am home again, and reflecting on the day. I feel good. I have had so much support and love from family and friends. I am so, so blessed. I just hope that I can be in full time employment soon, as there are so many things we want to do, and I don't want to hold us back. We hope to buy our own house one day soon, and we rarely take holidays. It would be nice to do both! And just not worry....

I have the kettle boiling, ready for another cup of tea. My lovely sister bought us a pair of blue tea cups with white stars on them for Christmas, along with tea infusing balls. They are slightly chunky, which feels good on a blustery evening.

Wherever you are, I hope your kettle is boiling, and your tea pot is full!

Love
Mimi
xxx